When a child is sick, no matter if the child is your own, a family member, or the child of a friend, you can’t but help feel an incredible sense of panic. When my son became sick, I was so lucky to be able to drive him to SickKids hospital in Toronto – it was there where the staff took over, and helped me and my husband deal with his medical crisis.

We were lucky – we live an easy driving distance to one of the best pediatric hospitals in the world. We were able to take breaks and go home. Our son always had us there. We spent time in the lounge; we heard the heartbreak stories of other families. It was then we realized how important the medicine is, but also, how crucial it is to provide emotional support to both the kids and their families.

I can’t begin to imagine the stress of being a parent with a child and being on your own, without family there to support you. Even more, for the child, to be away from their own home and family is a complete distress.

That is why, each year on McHappy Day, I go to McDonalds, with my very healthy son, knowing that my purchase will help to fund Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities. And I encourage everyone I know to do the same. It is so easy to do - $1 from every Big Mac® sandwich, Happy Meal® and hot McCafé® beverage* sold will go to local children’s charities such as Ronald McDonald Houses.

So, next Wednesday, May 2nd, please visit your local McDonalds and help make a difference. Or, visit Ronald McDonald House Charities to make a donation.

Last week, my son surprised me with a beautiful flower arrangement. He made it at school – with the guidance of a florist who came to his classroom to show the kids how to make a flower arrangement.


The mug was familiar, he had asked for it the day before, some vague “I need a plain white cup – it can’t be plastic”, request.

He was so proud of himself, and I was truly impressed. Getting a group of nine year olds excited about flowers isn’t easy. But even more, for me was the fact that he learned something that he didn’t know about, and I think that school should be about that – helping to introduce the unexpected. Don’t get me wrong, I love the visits from scientists and athletes, but this was a nice change.

Of course, my son being who he is, instantly realized that his close to professional looking flower arrangement could bring in big bucks. Mom, I need to make some more to sell…I could make a lot of money doing this.

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to pay for mine.

…..and some things you may not have thought of but are happy that Toshiba did.

I’m still having fun exploring my new Toshiba. I’ve already mentioned my love of the keyboard, which is so smooth and quiet, and how light an airy it is, weighing a mere 2.45 pounds, and so slim, it doesn’t take up any room in my computer bag, but I’m learning about the many other life-saving features built into this incredible laptop.

For those of us chained to an endless cup of coffee, the spill resistant keyboard is a valuable feature. And since we are all of us running around, our laptops must be sturdy. The Toshiba Portege Z830 has shock absorbing design, specifically to help make it through the often unavoidable bumps along the way (both to us and our laptops!).

But I must say I feel really good using this product - , taking it out while I’m at a client meeting, or updating a file on a break in a coffee shop. It is designed to not only look good but also to perform well with it’s2nd generation Intel core processor, which allows me to keep 100 windows open and active without a whisper of a hesitation. And the 8 hour battery life helps me keep working without having to plug in too often.

AND, you can continue to charge your phone or other portable devices while your computer is in sleep or off mode. That is a real time saver. And so convenient. You don`t realize what a great feature it is until you have it. No more looking for outlets to power all my other portable devices.

And, really, it is so thin and light, I sometimes forget that I have it with me. Isn’t that what great technology should be? I don’t think I’m unrealistic to want to have something that looks good, works well and is portable. It fits well into my lifestyle and that of any one who works and needs the best tools they can to make their work life easier.

For anyone looking for a laptop that will deliver everything they need to do their business wherever that business takes them, from the board room to the living room, this is for you!! Go check one out today.

Why you may wonder, would I do this when I can get a pre-fab kit and make it that much easier? We like to eat the whole gingerbread house, so it needs to taste good. Of course, this home made nature gives the houses a rustic look.
It also gives us the freedom to customize. For example, when my son was younger, he noted that one of his aunties (we make houses for our family members too) actually lived in a condo, not a house. Thus came the development of the gingerbread condo.

So, does it take longer to bake and build them ourselves? Yes it does. But gingerbread makes my house smell so wonderful, it really sets us up for the holiday season.

And this year, I squirreled away some Halloween candy, so we had lots to choose from.

I’m learning more about technology through the Toshiba Brand Ambassador Program

Like most people, I have a busy life, and I spend a lot of time my time out of my house, waiting - waiting at Dr. Appointments, hockey arenas, community centres, for the subway, to reach my destination. Depending on where I’m going, I usually bring a combination of the following- my netbook, e-reader, smart phone and portable DVD player. That’s a lot.

Road Trip to Future Shop
So when I was given the opportunity participate in the Toshiba Ambassador program through ShesConnected, I was very excited to learn more about the Toshiba Tablet.
Recently, I spent some time with Eric from my local Future Shop, who answered a lot of my questions about the Toshiba Tablet. I thought I knew quite a bit about tablets, but was pretty surprised to learn more about the features of this device.

So, as a consumer, what am I looking for? I want value for my money, but I also want a trusted brand name that will provide me with good service, and quality products. You get the picture.

Smile for the camera (and video camera!)
If you had the Toshiba Tablet, well, actually, you would also be able to take the picture, because the tablet has a 5.0 megapixel camera – It also comes with a 2.0 megapixel webcam to capture all your video moments too! This tablet lets you take fantastic pictures and post, email or tweet them to your favourite people!

Memory saver
Did you know that the Toshiba tablet has a full sized and mini USB port? Why is this important? Well it means that you can plug in almost any kind of keyboard, which for people like me who really love the feel of a real keyboard, is important.
It also has a full sized SD card reader, which delivers the opportunity for more storage and memory space on your tablet – you can transfer video and photo images, and also allows you to transfer big files from your table to other devices.
You can get 8, 16 or 32 g hard drives, which gives you flexibility to decide how much you want to have on your portable device.

It’s Android and you can use Flash
I really like this word – ANDROID - it sounds so cool and it is the platform Toshiba Tablet uses. It allows you decide which kind of apps you want to download, and believe me, there are tons of them. But more importantly, you can use really have a great on-line experience because the Tablet can run Flash- so you can enjoy the robust flash applications that you are used to on your computer on your high resolution Tablet screen. This is a big bonus for me - I like seeing things moving.
It also comes with another port, a full size HDMI – which means you can plug the table into your TV, so you can see your photos or videos on a larger screen, when you have crowd.

The Price is Right
As far as pricing is concerned, the Toshiba Tablet is very competitively priced, starting at $375.00, which gets you started on real fun. Way cheaper than some of the other options.

How does it look?

The touch screen seems very durable, and Eric said that while you can purchase screen protectors, the screen really stands up to a lot of wear and tear – and sticky fingers!

I really like the size and feel of the unit. It is very light and it comes with a removable back plate. If you want a little more colour, you can buy another one for about $20. The other accessories were also really affordable. You can purchase a keyboard, carrying case, all in a range of prices.

What do I want for Christmas?
Who doesn’t want a tablet? Being able to read eBooks, watch videos, play games, and listen to music are just some of the great features of Toshiba’s tablets. Best of all, they are light weight and the perfect transportable device.

I will say that it does take a bit to get used to the layout, and where to find the home base, but it is definitely not complicated. Once you find where things are, the interface is quite friendly. Just a few swipes of your finger, and you are ready to surf, chat, read – whatever you feel like doing. Most importantly, this is really fun.

Want more information?

To learn more:
- Go to the Toshiba Canada website - http://www.toshiba.ca/web/link?id=4725

- Tweet them a question @toshibacanada – #ToshibaTablet , #ToshibaTelevision

- Or visit them on facebook http://www.facebook.com/TOSHIBACA

I am participating in the Toshiba Brand ambassador program by ShesConnected. I received a Toshiba Camileo in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.

I’m not always the most adventurous when it comes to chicken. I am known for my Greek chicken souvlaki recipe, which wins me rave reviews from all who try it. Sometimes I buy one of those rotisserie style whole chickens from the grocery store. But, after that, I get nervous, and I know I shouldn’t, particularly, because my family likes chicken.

To help get me over my cooking fear, I’m going to participate in a twitter party hosted by the @chickenfarmers featuring @ChefRobRainford. Twitter parties are a fun way to meet other like-minded people, and in this instance, the rare chance to engage with a real, live, chef! They are also fun because you have the chance to win prizes. And they are free!

Tomorrow there will be several prizes, including a $500 AMEX gift card - great timing for the holiday season. I’m hoping to score an autographed apron! I really need a new one.

I’m really looking forward to getting motivated, and start testing some chicken recipies on my poor, bored family (they have had enough of my chicken souvlaki for now!!)

If you are interested to learn some tips from a real chef join me on Wed Nov 23 8pm - RSVP here.

Look Good Feel Better has supported more than 100,000 women across the country through the workshop experience. Facing Cancer Together is a cancer support community that provides information, resources and tools to help women – and those who care about them – manage the social and emotional effects of cancer. Help ensure that these programs can continue.

You can participate for free at the TWITTER BALL on November 19th, from 7-9pm EST, and help spread the word about these programs. And, for each TWITTER BALL participant, $10 will be donated to the CCTFA Foundation, to ensure that thousands of more women will have access to these vital programs.

Please RSVP now to participate.

During the TWITTER BALL, there will also be great prizes from Twitter Ball sponsors ELLE Canada, MORE, Canadian Living, Style at Home and Canadian Gardening.

They say your children are your mirrors: you can see yourself reflected in how they act and what they say. So my son’s recent description of me came as a bit of a surprise - ‘my mom only likes healthy things and hates video games’.

As I tried to defend myself, I realized that maybe there was some truth in what he said. I am always trying to feed my family healthy food, much of it vegetarian, most of it with a side of meat. I make soup stock for homemade soups, and slice and cook my own hand-picked apples, and support my local farmers market each week.

But does my son need to know, or does he really care that he is eating free range, fresh-not-frozen, hormone free chicken for dinner? It is essential to his well being that tell him exactly why I choose to purchase what he refers to as “not real” cereal for breakfast? Am I turning him off of ‘healthy’ things because I talk about them so much?

Maybe…maybe not. I’m not one to go the easy route on things, so I’m ok with the fact that my family sometimes rolls their eyes at my attempts to educate and inform them about my ideas on healthy eating. I think this is important information. However, perhaps I should take heed of my son’s comments and try to limit the frequency of my food rants. Although, I must give him credit for being accurate on the other point, I do kinda hate video games!

My son asked me today why people donate Halloween candy to charities. His friend told him his parents had ‘donated’ half of his candy to charity. I thought to myself, what clever parents they are managing to get rid of too much candy.

But, it got me to thinking, how much does my son really understand about doing good? He’s always been good about donating some of his own money to charity at Christmas, and he’s always helping out with fundraising drives at school.

But, I have noticed, as he’s getting older, he hasn’t really grasped the true value of doing something without anything in return. He felt badly for his friend, who walked for at least two hours to collect all that candy, only to have to give half of it away.

Hmm…. So, I think I need to work on this, particularly as the holiday season approaches.

In the meantime, I have stashed away the rest of the Halloween candy - I’ve saved them for our gingerbread decorating next month

I’m usually a one man show when it comes to cooking for my family. I’m the shopper, menu planner, cook and even sometimes dishwasher (but I’m working on this one).

My husband leaves too early for us to eat breakfast together and we are all away at lunch, which makes eating dinner together so important.

But as a vegetarian cooking for meatatarians, finding something to eat for dinner can be very challenging. In the early days I would ask everyone what they wanted, like, “hey, what do you guys feel like for dinner?” You can easily see where this strategy went wrong. My son would invariable ask for pizza and my husband would wisecrack with a request for beef bourguignon. In the end, no one was happy.

Ultimately, due to my ongoing frustration, and growing resentment of feeling like a short order cook, I came up with a plan that not only helped smooth over our conflicting appetites, but also helped me plan in advance for meals. We all get to pick a dinner menu one day each week. The benefit is that my family feels like they have some level of control and can enjoy one good meal a week. Also, I am able to make them eat things that they usually would resist, or make them go to restaurants and order things they normally wouldn’t - surprise, our local Korean restaurant makes amazing won ton like soup!

I’m not saying this strategy is perfect. Sometimes we forget to shop for the right food for the request, and sometimes members of my family suffer from chooser fatigue – which is actually fine for me – I’m never at a loss for what I can make for dinner.

Guess what we’re having tonight? My son gets to choose, so he has voted for tacos tonight. What’s your special way to keep the peace during dinner hour?