Hands up. How many parents let their children have their own smartphones? What's your stance on children having their own smartphones? If you do let your child have his/her own phone, what rules did you establish for them regarding their phones?

I'm sure many of you have read the post about how one mom set some ground rules for her 13 year old son's smartphone use. It's been all over Facebook, the Twitterverse, and the Blogosphere this week!

Of course, posts like that one generate lots of debate and ignite conversation.

This is the post that went viral on Facebook. It sparked an online discussion about whether teens should sign a contract created by their parents so that they can use their smartphone or should parents just trust their teens' judgment.

I've been checking out the TELUS blog was really impressed that companies like TELUS are listening to the public on topics like security. If there's one thing I really respect, it's a company that listens, engages, and takes action when it comes to the concerns of customers.

 TELUS wrote this post about the topic many have been chatting about this week.
As I read on, I was happy to learn that TELUS works closely with partners like MediaSmarts on their TELUS WISE Program. At present, TELUS WISE is only available to companies and their employees right now. This said, TELUS will be launching their TELUS WISE Program to their customers! I'm really excited for their launch!


Disclosure - This is a personal blog. All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

Was philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche correct in saying "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"?

This article says yes.

Scientists have found that although traumatic experiences such as losing a loved one can be psychologically damaging, small amounts of trauma can make us more resilient.

In the past year, like most families, our family has had to deal with adversity. I suppose it's hit me because I've never really had to deal with situations like these before and it has brought us all closer together and has made us stronger.  One of the most difficult experiences for me has been losing my grandmother last May. Even now that we are a few months away from the one year anniversary of her death, I still wake up thinking "How are we going to go on without her?"

Life keeps going. We do keep going on. Some days are easier than others.

Then there are all the other challenging and frustrating events that get thrown in.

I've been learning that when it comes to seemingly insurmountable odds, we can, and do recover. Oftentimes, we come out stronger.

It's true. What doesn't kill us really does make us stronger.

I guess I should remind myself of that whenever I have to swig back my friend's "Kick the @#$% out of Your Cold" concoction. Trust me. It really works. Oh, and it hasn't killed me yet.

Here's the recipe that will get rid of any nasty cough!

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ginger (powder)
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp warm/hot water

Mix all ingredients together. Pass through a strainer if you want a smooth texture (no cayenne or ginger clumps). Consume by the tbsp as you would cough syrup...or if you're forgetful like me, chug the entire mixture in one gulp.
If you've got a cold or a cough, this has worked for us. Either it works and your cough totally disappears or your head explodes. If you try this, let me know how it works for you! Provided that your head doesn't explode, that is!

Although I was born and raised in Canada (born in Toronto, raised in Montreal), Filipino culture is a large part of who I am. What I love about my mother's culture is the joie de vivre, the family togetherness, close-knit ties, and of course...the food!

For Filipinos, food is at the centre of every social event. It's all about the food. Food is nourishment. Food is for sharing. Food is love. That may sound a little odd, but it's all about celebrating with loved ones.

If you go to a Filipino home, I guarantee that "tita" (auntie) or "lola" (grandma) will try to ply you with food. It is impossible to go to a Filipino home and not get offered something to eat! It's part of the custom.

My husband and daughter, both as non-Filipino as you can get, both LOVE Filipino food. I was going to make meatballs and spaghetti at my daughter's request, but then she changed her mind and wanted Misua Soup. Ever since she was a tiny tot, Misua Soup has been one of her favourites.

I did things a little differently since I don't have all the right ingredients on the Island. Check out my recipe for Manitoulin Style Misua Soup on the Canadian Beef Blog!


Proud to be a Canadian Beef Brand Ambassador! Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, and the Beef Blog!

If there's one thing I learned in 2012, it's that harmony and balance cannot be achieved by trying to do it all. All the time. Right away.

As women, wives, and moms, daughters, and friends, we often strive to do everything for everyone and be everything for everyone. Working full-time jobs, being full-time parents, handling all things household and domestic and then some just isn't always realistic. We do it, but with a cost. We pay the price mentally, physically, and emotionally.  At least this is what I've experienced in the past year.

In 2013, I am not going to try to be Super Mom. Instead, I will do the best I can for my family, but not kill myself trying to be perfect. I'm not perfect. I'm only human. I can only do so much in a 24 hour period.

If the living room isn't spotless before bedtime, it can wait until the morning. If laundry is folded but not put away, it will still be there the next day to put away. I don't want Little one's earliest memories of me being obsessed and overwhelmed with household chores and work.

I want Little One 's memories to be of the time we spend together as a family.

This year, I resolve to not resolve. Instead, I am making some goals to be the best I can be...without being too hard on myself.

New Year's Goals for 2013 :

• Be more patient 
• Be kinder to those who test my patience 
• Before responding to something I don't agree with or something that angers me, sleep on it or revisit the situation later on 
• Listen more and speak less 
• Make more time for myself 
• Learn that it's okay to say NO to people 
• Establish a routine with Hubby and Little One for putting things in their proper places once we're done using them. This way, nothing gets piled up in a big mess for me to clean up later.
• Make sure we get in as much family time as possible. This may mean making Sunday (or at least part of Sunday) "Family Day"

Here are a few quotes I'd like to share:

 In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed.” - Sid Caesar

 Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” - Roy Goodman

 Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” - Vince Lombardi

 A mind is like a parachute, it doesn’t work if it isn’t open.” - Frank Zappa

 Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” - Dale Carnegie

This post was inspired by a phone conversation I had with my lovely friend, Laurel. If you don't already follow @optimom on Twitter, you'll definitely want to do so now :) Great to interact with and so inspiring. Visit her blog here http://opti-mom.ca/

 
Life on Manitoulin has been nominated for the Ninjamatics' 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards in the Family & Parenting category.

The Ninjamatics' 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards are a juried competition — no voting! — with nominations that are open in 35 categories between February 1st and November 31st, 2012. The nominees shortlist will be announced on January 15, 2013, and the winners will be announced on January 31, 2013. A running blogroll of the nominees is kept throughout the year so that we can highlight Canada's blogging talent.

It's Winter. It's just after the Holidays. It's cold and flu time. It's "let's play with all my friends who are all sick and have runny noses" time for my Little One. This ultimately means it's Boogie Wipes time.

Before I begin, let me just say that I was a little apprehensive before we first tried Boogie Wipes. Curious, intrigued, fascinated...but, apprehensive.

Why?

Well, I've been trying to go as waste-free as possible and use reusable everything. Ummm...with boogies though, who really wants to use washcloths and throw them in the wash all the time? They're filled with boogies!!!

If you're a parent of a baby, toddler, or young child who is sick, you know how much boogie content tthey're capable of producing! Uhhhnn-huhhhnnn! That's a lot of boogies, right? Plus, the thought of me carrying around boogie-filled washcloths in a resealable plastic bag so I could wash them when we returned from running errands just grosses me out.

Another reason I was a little hesitant to purchase some right away was that I wondered just how much better Boogie Wipes were than tissue. Weren't Boogie Wipes just a better version of diaper wipes? Boy, was I wrong!

I had heard other parents chatting about Boogie Wipes in passing (in conversations at various social gatherings, on blogs, on Twitter, on Facebook...everywhere).

We were given the opportunity to test out Boogie Wipes and I am so thrilled!

Perfect timing too, because Little One seems to have on and off bouts with boogie infestation. Yes, her nose is where boogies reside. Habitat for boogies.

My 4 year old daughter thinks the Fun Facts on the Boogie Wipes site are fun and interesting.  She's also now obsessed with the Gross Facts page! Yes, I'm that Mom! The one who visits company websites and reads everything about the products before buying them.

 Julie Pickens and Mindee Doney developed the first ever saline nose wipe called Boogie Wipes® as a solution for their kids’ sore, red, runny noses.

The saline wipes are gentle on sensitive little stuffy noses AND they smell great! I know, that is an odd observation, but they really do smell good! Little One LOVES Boogie Wipes, and I have to actually tell her she doesn't need to use them ALL the time!

Want to know more about Boogie Wipes? Click here. You'll find great information and all sorts of fun things on the site!

I recently noticed that the Toys 'R Us closest to us sells Boogie Wipes. So happy! Usually, Little One won't let me go near her with a tissue to blow her nose. Now, she wants to blog her nose with her Boogie Wipes.

FOR TEACHERS:
I thought this was worth sharing: http://www.savethesleeve.com/for_teachers.html
Boogie Wipes for the classroom sounds like a great way to teach kids/students to prevent the spread of germs and pledge to practice healthy habits.

Connect with Boogie Wipes on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure - Life on Manitoulin was given a Boogie Wipes package (One 30 count pack & several individual Boogie Wipes samples with discount coupons) to facilitate this honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

It's the New Year and though most of 2012 has been fabulous and exciting, we have had quite a bit of sadness in the past year as well. Here's to lots of great things happening in 2013!

As you know, I'm a vocal supporter of BlackBerry. I would be at a loss without my BlackBerry Bold 9900! The one thing I can't live without is the keypad - I can type really quickly and easily on my keypad! I love touchscreen for some things, but for typing, I need a keypad. With the BlackBerry 10 coming out, I was curious about the keyboard and typing with touchscreen. I was thrilled to discover this that the keyboard is like the BlackBerry keyboard I know and love! See here.

I've been reading Inside BlackBerry: The Official BlackBerry Blog, and I'm excited for this!

After having spent almost two weeks away from home and catching up on quality time with family and friends in Montreal, Kingston, and Ottawa, we returned to "the Island" late last night.

One of the things that I think of (apart from the reason we celebrate Christmas and the spending time with family) is the scents and fragrances of the holidays. Freshly cut pine, cinnamon, apple cider, homemade baked goods fresh from the oven...The scents just bring me to my happy place!

The Christmas season has been a fabulous one! We really enjoyed our time with the people we love the most. This said, it was an 11 hour drive and as always, too short! Lots of rushing around and it was a crazy busy one for us. Now that we're back home, it's time to settle into our regular busy schedules, but this year one of my resolutions/goals is finding time to rest and relax a bit. Even if it's something as little as having soothing fragrances to help me relax or lighting candles and playing soft music in the background, I need to find a way to make things less stressful.

Thanks to Glade, I'm using the help of Glade's Winter Collection to bring some of my favourite fragrances into our home.



The holiday season may be over, but the spirit of giving continues.

One lucky Life on Manitoulin reader will win a Glade Winter Collection basket of their own! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Open to residents of Canada.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure - I received a Glade Winter Collections basket to facilitate this review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

We love Winter because of the SNOW :)
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