Zach posted the video to his song “Clouds” on YouTube in December as a way to leave his mark on the world, but also to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Knowing that Zach recently passed away makes it pretty much impossible to make it through the video without breaking down in tears, but the song is also so positive and uplifting that it’s equally impossible not to feel happy after watching it. This is one special kid — he told CNN that he was more worried about his family than himself when it came time for him to go, because they would have to be the ones to deal with the pain.

Naturally, I can’t watch this video without seeing it through the filter of being a parent, and while I’m sure that Zach’s mother is absolutely devastated today, I’m also sure that she’s incredibly proud. No one should have to lose their son to cancer — but obviously Zach’s parents did something right if they raised a kid who was able to take something so scary and turn it into a positive. Not only has he touched millions of people with his beautiful song, but has also raised (and will continue to raise) money for other kids going through the same thing.

I’m going to show “Clouds” to my eight-year old daughter, who is at that age where death — especially death from cancer — gives her extreme anxiety. If this brave boy could come to terms with his own demise and create something so powerful out of it, surely that message can help other kids grappling with the idea of their own mortality as well.

I am not crafty by nature.  To be honest, there isn’t a crafty bone in my body.  I loathe going to Michaels because I have no idea what to do with anything I find in there.  My boys on the other hand think they love crafts.  I have bins upon bins of craft supplies.  I dump them on the table and let them create….stuff.  The end result is neither good nor recognizable.  The Big Book of Things to Make saved my children from endless nonsensical crafts.

Fingerprint doodles are a big hit.  My kids have always felt putting stamps on themselves was much more entertaining than the paper I provided.  With fingerprint doodles they cover their fingers in ink and create characters and art.  Make sure you buy washable ink for this one!

Make your own slime was an automatic hit with my boys.  Gooey gross slop to play with – what more could a kid want?  This activity also gives you the chance to talk some science: is the slime a liquid or a solid?

The Big Book of Things to Make has activities for all ages.  While our 2 & 4 year olds have enjoyed a number of activities there are plenty more awaiting them in the years to come: concentration, pass the balloon, write a scary story.  In all honesty, many of the ideas can be tailored to any age group.  This is a fantastic book I will be turning to often when I’m stuck for an activity or looking to spice up the day with something new.

It’s never been a secret that I love camping.

Or that I really like all the little gadgets, and tricks and time saving tips that we use to cope with the challenges of outdoor living. Like these:

Streamline your products with an all purpose soap

And these:

Use a bubble wand to neatly store clothespins

Or the one essential savior of every trip we’ve taken in the last 8 years: baby wipes. Yes, Baby wipes. Besides bums, they take off the last dregs of mascara that you forgot to remove before bed, clean up dirty hands, eliminate spills on upholstery and just generally make icky sticky messes from s’mores to pine sap disappear. I heart baby wipes. Thank you Costco for selling them in bulk…

But I also appreciate the beauty of camping, both within the natural environment and in our immediate sleeping/living environment. That’s why I like to class up the joint a bit.

Barbie sure knows how to glamp…

And because I’m not a total princess, I can still pitch a tent and build a fire without petrochemical enhancements. We really enjoyed kickin’ it old school in our tent for a few days. Baileys in my Wonder Woman cup and bacon on a stick will make every adventure more civilized…

However you do it, where ever you do it, just do it! Have a great Victoria Day weekend and an awesome camping season full of good weather and even better mosquito repellant.

But one thing that always makes my day when I am out grocery shopping is the thrill of finding a free cart, one that still has the coin in it or has been otherwise unshackled. I don’t know if it’s because I feel like I’ve gotten away with something for nothing on the rare occasion that I find one, but it just makes me smile when I don’t need to use my own loonie or quarter to free the cart from its chains.

Weird, I know. But it really does make that chore feel a little lighter. To pay it forward, when I find a magical cart with the coin already in, I never take the coin with me when I return my buggy to the cart corral. No, no no — that would be bad shopping cart karma. It’s just not done. I always leave the cart untethered so that the person who uses the cart next can also partake in the miracle of the loose cart.

So I propose a way to spread this small bit of cheer: I hereby declare May 15th to be “Shopping Cart Karma Day!” A day where we purposely leave our coin in the shopping cart so that the next person who uses it doesn’t have to do the handbag shuffle to find a quarter at the bottom, frantically scour the car’s ashtray for loose change, or worse, do the walk of shame to the customer service desk and ask for a handout. No, every May 15th from here on forward, I will leave my cart free and unfastened (yet still safely returned to the cart coral — we’re not trying to damage vehicles or irritate the employees who have to manhandle all the carts) and pass along this small bit of good fortune to my fellow shoppers.

Go forth and spread some Shopping Cart Karma!

Happy Mother’s Day!

WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED? #1 yes, but happened sooner than expected. # 2 sort of – tequila helped make it happen many months sooner than planned
WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes for 4 and 6 years respectively
WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Disbelief that it happened so fast and on the first try both times
WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No
HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29 and 31
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? #1 – 2 false negatives on HPTs followed by a week of wondering why the hell I felt like I was a weirdo before being confirmed by the MD. #2 Immediate positive HPT later confirmed by the MD
WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Husband, then our parents
DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? # 1 – I didn’t, but my husband did. #2 – Again, I didn’t, but he did so I caved and we found out.
DUE DATE? #1 – Original Date Aug 11 revised to Aug 19. #2 – June 10
WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? #1 – Aug 14 #2 – June 9
DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? A little nausea but no barfing both times (Whoo hoo!)
WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Twix bars, peanut butter (which I loathe and despise), sauerkraut, Mars bars, croissants
WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? In the last month when people were asking every twenty minutes if I felt any pains yet, or asking “when are you finally going to have that baby!” Especially because it’s not politically correct to yell “I don’t @#$%ing know!” at your coworkers…
WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD’S SEX? #1 is a girl, #2 is a boy
DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope
HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? #1 – 40lbs, #2 – 46 lbs.
DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes. For our first, we had a lovey baby bbq/drinks type party which I enjoyed immensely and a traditional ladies shower that I tolerated for the grandmothers’ sakes. For the second, despite my strenuous objections, my BFF threw us a surprise baby bbq/drinks type party that was also lovely.
WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? No & Yes, see above.
DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Nope, thank goodness!
WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Hospital
HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 2 hours 45 for #1 and about 40 minutes for #2
WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My husband
WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband (and what seemed like about 8 thousand health care professionals including an intern or two)
WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural both
DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope, they were too quick!
HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6 lbs. 12 ounces, 8 lbs. 9 ounces
WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Helen Heidi and William George
HOW OLD IS YOUR BABY TODAY? 7 & 5! Eeep!

The Baby Survey:

WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED?
WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
HOW OLD WERE YOU?
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
DUE DATE?
WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN?
DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD’S SEX?
DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
HOW OLD IS YOUR BABY TODAY?

But while many concepts are transferable between home and office, Mother’s Day is an event that is really only celebrated at home, not in the workplace. I don’t think it’s a mistake that it always lands on a Sunday, where it can’t take up precious billable hours between Monday and Friday. But what if we could re-write the calendar and have Mother’s Day land on a workday? How would we be able to tell it’s Mother’s Day versus any other day in the office? I’ve been thinking about this.

You know how moms always tell their kids “every day is Kid’s Day”? First of all, that’s crap, or at least it should be, or they truly are the boss of you and you need to rethink a few things.

But it seems to me that Mother’s Day is pretty much every day in the work world, and not in a good way. Hear me out.

At home moms are privileged to receive the time honored traditional offering of burnt toast and cold coffee from our own junior employees, which ostensibly is a “treat” and intended so save mom the trouble of doing this herself. Of course the dichotomy is that more often than not, this causes mom more work in the cleaning of the kitchen’s aftermath, or maybe an extra half hour at the gym after breaking her ‘no carbs’ diet just to keep the smile on her proud child’s face.

How might this manifest itself at work? It happens all the time. A badly written proposal can easily cause more work for the mom-manager as she works to get the employee to rewrite it in the way that will be acceptable. And how about a subordinate, who offers to attend a meeting on her behalf, but then makes inappropriate comments or, worse, commits the department to completing extra projects.

I’m not suggesting we tell our kids to stop making us a bad breakfast, or that we don’t assign tasks to learning employees. In fact, it’s the reverse. We need to keep doing this so that they can learn from their mistakes and one day graduate to making an entire unburned meal or being 100% responsible for a professionally executed strategic plan. In this, we are still mothering them every day, all day. So let’s take that second Sunday in May and celebrate Mother’s Day the way it should be celebrated; with other moms, while we assign our employees to eat the toast themselves.

Kathy Buckworth’s latest book “I Am So The Boss Of You: An 8 Step Guide To Giving Your Family “The Business” is available at bookstores everywhere. Visit www.kathybuckworth.com or follow Kathy on Twitter @KathyBuckworth

Bowling is a great activities for families to enjoy together, but the costs can add up quick when you go out for a night at the lanes. Now you can take in a fun night of family bowling without breaking your budget with the Kids Bowl Free program! Select bowling centers across North America are participating in the initiative, including many within Canada. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to their communities and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.

Sign up for the program through the Kids Bowl Free website and your kids can play up to two games for free every day this summer. You may bowl at more than one centre, but you have to sign up for separate accounts at each centre.  Bring your own shoes or rent a pair from the lane of your choice.

Kids Bowl Free runs from May through August (date range varies according to bowling centre). For complete list of participating bowling centres in your city visit the Kids Bowl free website.

Although we do our best to provide you with accurate information, all event details are subject to change. Please contact the facility to avoid disappointment.

What is Star Wars Day you ask? Let’s let Wikipedia explain:

“May 4 is considered a holiday by Star Wars fans to celebrate Star Wars culture and honor the films. It is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Since the phrase “May the Force be with you” is a famous quote often spoken in the Star Wars films, fans commonly say “May the fourth be with you” on this day.”

Giant, giant Star Wars nerd over here! I have to restrain myself from quoting it a lot. After 20 years, my husband just shakes his head when I reply to his “I love you” with “I know” a la The Empire Strikes Back.

And have you seen my car decals?

Or what I let my kids do to the coffee table?

Or things that that make me laugh.

And I’m not the only one! A recent Facebook post about watching Star Wars with my kids garnered some approving comments:

And check out how happy Melissa’s little guy was to have a Star Wars Jedi Training experience at Disneyland!

But if you are looking for a fun way to spend Star Wars day with like minded individuals, DK Canada is hosting events across the country today. Is your city on the list?

Toronto – Indigo Eaton Centre – 1pm
Calgary – Chapters Shawnessy – 1pm
Edmonton – Indigo Edmonton – 1pm
Vancouver/Burnaby – Chapters Burnaby – 1pm
Victoria Chapters Victoria – 1pm
Kelowna – Chapters Orchard Park – 1pm
Ottawa – Chapters Kanata – 3pm

For more information visit: www.cn.dk.com

At the very least you can make a light sabre out of a pool noodle…

And may the Force be with you, always.

Last week I was invited to a dear friend’s going-away party, and was informed that the event was going to be a “Favourite Things,” party. The concept is kind of like non-seasonal version of Secret Santa parties: everyone has to choose an item that fits within the established price range that they would call one of their favourite things. You pick up five of the same item, which will be distributed amongst the group, and in return you get to go home with five different things brought in by other guests. At first I was skeptical about the concept (and annoyed that I had to make a special shopping trip), but it turned out to be a great party game.

Here’s how it works: you go out and buy your goods, keeping the price range and guest list in mind. We had to spend between $7 and $10 and the guest list was entirely made up of women, which meant that make-up and other lady items were fair game. I picked up five of my favourite lip balms (Maybelline’s Baby Lips). Once we were at the party everyone wrote their name on five slips of paper and stuck them in the hat (which was actually a big bowl).

Now, this part is important: you need to take care when distributing the names. There were about 20 people at the party, which meant that we had to be really careful that no one drew the same name twice or picked their own name. So the host went around the room and made people ensure that their draw was good before moving on to the next person. Be sure to exchange any names and make sure that everything is kosher before proceeding.

From there, each guest does a little spiel on their items, explaining why it’s a Favourite Thing. Then they announce their lucky winners and distribute the gear. Our party featured a ton of great stuff, including food, tea, books, several different kinds of lip goo, kitchen items, and much, much more. I walked out with some awesome natural lip balm, delicious dairy-free chocolate bars (not pictured here because I ate them as soon as I got home), a really handy silicon spatula, dry shampoo (which I have never tried before, but I’m now a convert), and an always-appreciated tube of Arnica gel. Not a bad haul!

Obviously, you can adapt the rules to tailor the game to your specific party. Why not do a Favourite Things specific to food for your foodie friends, books for your book club, or baby items for your moms’ group? Not only do you get to learn about (and take home) some cool stuff, but it’s also nice to have an actual program portion to a party or get-together so that you’re doing more than eating, drinking, and chatting with people you already know.

What are the benefits of spending time in nature? Delighting your senses by breathing fresh air, feeling the sunshine, smelling the scents of trees, grass, flowers & wind, hear the sounds of birds and animals for starters! Also awareness of our surroundings and community building are two more important reasons to spend time outdoors; taking stock of our surroundings, noticing just how long the days have gotten, feeling joy from watching people around us, getting to know our neighbours and taking part in our community. Why NOT spend more time outdoors!

So how do you get your 30 in 30? Take a walk with colleagues at lunchtime, or take your lunch outside, bring a snack to school pick-up and eat on the playground with your kids, mow the lawn, enjoy happy hour on your front steps with the neighbors, play street hockey with the kids. And I’m sure you all have many, many more ideas!

To make it a little more interesting there is a photo contest and prizes to be won thru participation! They say it takes 21 days to build a habit; is time outdoors a habit you want to start with your family? You can get more information on joining the challenge at 30×30.davidsuzuki.org/