Ann Veneman, Chief of UNICEF, spoke to mark the Universal Children's Day and the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the UN headquarters in New York, about how far they have come to improve the lives of children in the world.Although they have raised awareness, put a child's face on the AIDs/HIV epidemic and increased the amount of children being educated, there is still so much that needs to be done. In her report she stated:"I have spoken to girls in eastern De... Read Full Story

After dropping the kids off at school I headed off to the Starbucks at Indigo Books, my version of heaven - coffee and books. I love Starbucks at Christmas the amazing latte flavors like gingerbread and eggnog, the gifts, and tree decorations. Starbucks is an example of excellent marketing, design, and retail display.I came here to write a chapter of a novel I'm working on and was so impressed by the Christmas merchandising I had to quickly make a note of it here. Timmy's doesn't have the sam... Read Full Story

One thing I've noticed recently is that companies will use various Internet tools to advertise jobs and find employees. Here are just a few:1. Job boards like Monster, Workopolis, Job Shark2. Company Website's Career Sections3. Blogs 4. Twitter and Facebook5. Classified directories like Craigslist and KijijiFinding a good job in a newspaper is becoming a thing of the past. Where did you find out about your current or past position? Read Full Story

I got this idea from Country Heart and Home, take a moment to check out her blooming gift box, its fabulous. you'll have to scroll down a bit as she talks about other things first, but it's worth it.I didn't have a template so I used an hexagon shape from the Creative Memories Cutting System to measure out the base.For the first inner most box I used the smallest hexagon shape and measured out 2" for each side and then connected each square to create triangles that connected the squares.(this... Read Full Story

The stay at home vrs work outside of the home debate is always a "hot" one because it involves children. My husband wants me to go back to work, now, mostly because he wants to pay his mom to watch the kids. I'm not sure how I feel about that, or if it matters either way. My children tell me they like having me home, but does it really matter in the long run? Money is tight, very tight and I am not sure if I can stay home much longer anyway. Does it matter? Are children better off with ... Read Full Story

There are a lot of things I don't like about moving, the worst for me right now is that I can't find some of my books. I love books and I read them more then once. I can't find a few of them and it's driving me a little nuts. Moving is stressful and hard work. I'll be very glad to see the end of this long drawn out process once we've bought a house and moved in. It will have to be The Perfect House because I don't want to move again anytime soon. Read Full Story

They were quietly playing in their bedroom, not a peep came out of their mouths. It was peaceful and all of a sudden I missed them and wanted them to come into the living room to spend time with me.... What was I thinking? How can children at one moment be wonderful and at the next so annoying you want to throttle someone? Don't get me wrong, they are great kids, but they love to repeat themselves over and over and over again. One minute they are quiet and the next its as if they are hyped ... Read Full Story

I went to a Stampin up workshop and we made some easy and quick cards for the Holidays:I always love the Stampin Up Handmade cards my friends give me - Here are two:Click to See more pictures of Handmade Cards and Other Stamping Projects: Read Full Story

I don't know why I keep reading the news...... its scarier then any horror movie. For the Mohler family men sexual crimes against children is a family affair. Five men are facing charges of crimes against children and the police have cadaver dogs out searching a farm looking for victim remains.With every case like this one we discover more ways these types of people lure their prey into their environment. Keeping children safe from such predators is every parents main goal and there are so ma... Read Full Story

My daughter keeps trying to turn into a tattle tale and its like nails on a chalk board to me. Every time I hear, "Mom (her brother) is (doing something)," my blood boils. Thing is, when is it tattling and when is it not and how can I teach her the difference?I don't want her telling me stuff just to get her brother in trouble but at the same time I want to make sure she tells me stuff that is important for me to know about. The difference between her brother not doing something I asked him t... Read Full Story