Happy Hallowe'en: Don't be mad. It's just cute fruit!

I read a blog post this morning that inspired me to write this one. The author, a guest poster on Scary Mommy's blog named Marnie, claims to be "Taking Back Halloween" from "curmudgeons" who, according to her, want to ruin her holidays.  Do you know how these "hate mongers" do it? By providing Hallowe'en themed fruit and TREAT-sized treats. GASP!!! The horror of it!

I mean, just look at these clementine pumpkins and banana ghosts! What sick twisted child-hating parent would force these on your child?

I am so totally making these! 

Find lots of other fun & healthy 

Hallowe'en treat ideas at 

Spaceships and Laserbeams.

Good Lord, what's next? Diet candy??? Actually, these lollipops made with Xylitol are really good, and suitable for diabetics. 

The author is fed up, it seems, by articles that suggest healthier or diet-based holidays. She's so fed up that she and her kids are not only going to eat processed candy at Hallowe'en, they're going to gorge themselves on it. And she's taking her kids to "where the rich people live", because this apparently means they will get "the whole effing candy bar". She's also going to egg the houses that give them "some sort of homemade shit or raisins". 

Alright, Marnie might be exaggerating for comedic effect - surely she's not really so ungrateful a person that she would vandalize the house of someone who spent time and money on a treat that they thought she and her kids would enjoy. Marnie just wants what she wants. Fair enough.

I want what I want to, and at the root of it all Marnie and I probably want the same basic thing. We want our kids to be happy. She believes that super sized candy bars will make her kids happy. Me? I want my kid to have fun on Hallowe'en too. I want him to have 'treats'. But I also want him to live a long, healthy, disease-free, pain-free life, and that means no super sized candy bars for him.

You know what's possibly worse than having to put up with people who make fancy Hallowe'en decorations out of fruit? It's having a child who can't eat anything else.

I hope that people don't assume that if I bring clementine pumpkins to my son's Hallowe'en celebration at school (which the kids would LOVE), it's because I want to dictate what other people should be eating or because I think anyone needs to go on a diet. I do these things so that my child can not only participate in the fun, but feel like he contributed - so that he can feel normal.

If you have any kind of allergy or diet restriction, you know what it's like to look down a buffet table and see that the only thing that is safe to eat is a vegetable or piece of fruit. I'm a grown up. I can deal with that sort of thing.

Now imagine you're a six-year-old boy and you have to watch every other kid eat whatever they want from that table. Sad, right? I think so too, so I make up for that any way I can, and that might just mean making ridiculously cute pumpkins and ghosts out of bananas and clementines.

What will I hand out at my house on Hallowe'en? Probably the same things I have handed out for years: bags of chips, lollipops and chocolate bars. Standard, treat-sized treats. We are not "rich people" and even if we were, I wouldn't feel the need to give out huge bars of candy just to win some other mom's approval. I have seen the articles suggesting handing out healthier Hallowe'en treats, and I've considered it, but for now I'm giving the people what they seem to want, in treat-sized portions.

And what about my son? Even if you don't have anyone in your family with diet restrictions of any kind, you can probably imagine what trick-or-treating can be like for a kid with multiple allergies. My son can not have gluten, dairy or sugar. Sugar! Can you imagine a Hallowe'en without it? Well, I can. I have to, because I want the same thing Jill wants. I want my child to be happy.

We could choose not to participate, of course, but, at least for now, he enjoys dressing up and going door to door. He collects candy, brings it home and I trade him for it (and donate the candy to someone who will love it). He can choose coins, safe treats (like those Xylitol pops I mentioned earlier), a mystery (dollar store) 'prize' from a Hallowe'en themed canvas bag, and so on. This way, the whole experience is fun for him.

All I ask is a little tolerance and understanding. Not everyone who offers a healthy Hallowe'en treat is out to ruin another kid's holiday. I think it's safe to say that almost no one is concerned with ruining anyone else's holiday. Most of us have the best of intentions and if I have a wish it is that people assume this to be true.

I hope you all have a safe and very happy Hallowe'en!

Sue

Happy New Year! Resolutions: What I should do, and what I actually will do.

I'm back! I had a nice break with the family - punctuated by two flus and a cold. I took a break from my personal blog, but there was still LOTS going on at the book club.

If you're looking for e-books to load up that e-reader, iPhone or tablet you acquired over the holidays, visit Cookie's Book Club (the list of giveaways is at the top of the right sidebar). Some interesting guest posts too from some of my favourite 2011 independent authors!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are slowly acclimatizing yourselves to the new year. Happy 2012!

I can't tell you how happy I am to usher in a new year. In our house we dubbed 2011 'The Year of the Cold'. We had a minimum of twelve colds and flus last year (I lost track towards the end). In fact, 2011 went out with one final hurrah, as our tiny human woke up early on December 31st with the flu. Suddenly, today, January 1st of a brand new year, he is miraculously well. I've spent the morning feeling grateful and hopeful while at the same time crossing all of my digits and knocking on everything made of wood.

Happy Holidays

Source: google.ca via Sue on Pinterest

I'm taking a break to enjoy the holidays with my family, but there is plenty still going on at Cookie's Book Club through December and January:

My favourite indie reads of 2011 with guest posts and loads of great giveaways from the authors.

Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed so you don't miss a thing!

Here are some of the authors who will visit Cookie's Book Club this month:

Andre Jute, author of IDITAROD A Novel of the Greatest Race on Earth, STIEG LARSSON Man, Myth & Mistress, and many others.

Christopher Bunn, author of The Tormay Trilogy and others.

Patricia Sierra, author of J.D.: The Plot to steal J.D. Salinger's Manuscripts, Sheet Music and others.

Lin Pardy, author of Bull Canyon: A Boatbuilder, A Writer and Other Wildlife and many others.

Steve Konkoly, author of The Jakarta Pandemic and Black Flagged.

Deborah Ross, author of Northlight, Jaydium, and many, many others.

Donna Fasano, author of Taking Love in Stride and Mountain Laurel, among many, many others.

And introducing...

Dakota Franklin, author of the multi-book series Ruthless to Win.

Deborah Bryan, author of The Monster's Daughter.

I am also going to be hosting a number of giveaways in participation with a number of giveaway hops. These are BIG giveaway events you don't want to miss.

Three giveaway hops! Hundreds of bloggers linking up to bring you hundreds of book giveaways!

December 21-27, 2011


December 27-31, 2011


December 30-Jan 3, 2011

╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year!
from Cookie's Chronicles
and
Cookie's Book Club

My Favourite Christmas Song Performances

It's Monday and time once again for #MondayListicles with North West Mommy.

Today's listicle topic was selected by Amanda, mom to the adorable and now famous Lilah. You can read all about today's topic at Lilahbility.

I'm going to take a few weeks off from the mommy blogging life to enjoy some quality time with my family. There will still be lots happening at Cookie's Book Club including giveaways-a-plenty and my favourite indie reads of the year.

If you haven't already, you may want to subscribe to the Cookie's Book Club RSS feed so you won't miss a thing!

Before I go, as hinted at in my last #MondayListicles post, I am going to share with you all...

My Ten Favourite Christmas Songs

(Sorry to be a rebel, Amanda. I owe you a festive beverage!)

These are, technically, my ten favourite Christmas song performances/arrangements. I chose these pieces based on fairly simple criteria. Each one makes me stop what I am doing. My breath slows. My heart flutters. Some make me want to sing along. Some make me want to dance. All of them make me want to close my eyes and savour the moment. I hope you enjoy them too!

10. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer ~ Jack Johnson
This man's voice is an elixir to any ailment. The arrangement is pure fun!


9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings ~ The Bare Naked Ladies with Sarah McLaughlin
Another fun arrangement. And they're Canadian, eh?
(Sorry I couldn't find a more interesting video clip for this one. You should really be dancing and singing along anyway, not staring at your computer, so get on up!)


8. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ~ Tchaikovsky
I remember going to see The Nutcracker Suite with my mother. Very fond Christmas memories attached to this song.


7. Good King Wenceslas ~ The Skydiggers
Love this version by one of my favourite Toronto bands.


6. Winter Wonderland ~ Louis Armstrong
Ah, Louis. A beautiful spirit.


5. Sleigh Ride ~ The Glenn Miller Orchestra
SO love this song. This one is for my mom and dad. Miss you both.


4. White Christmas ~ Bing Crosby
Croon, Bing, croon while I swoon, Bing, swoon.


3. Greensleeves ~ The Vince Guaraldi Trio
Jazzy. Smooth. But not smooth jazz-y... if you know what I mean.


2. Silent Night ~ Mahalia Jackson
Powerful and heart-wrenchingly beautiful.


1. Ave Maria ~ Luciano Pavarotti
What can I say about this man with the voice of an angel? He is greatly missed.


BONUS: My husband's favourite Christmas arrangement is this Mulato Beat Remix version of Baby, It's Cold Outside with Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton
The original is just as fun, though slower. You can hear the crowd laughing in the background of the track. Can you imagine having had a chance to see these two sing together?


Merry Christmas to you all. Thank-you for a wonderfully entertaining year, and for your support.

From my family to yours, may you have good health, the comforts of home and family and friends to wrap your arms around this holiday season!

Love,

Me

xo

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My Christmas Wish List

By the way, if you're looking for another way to connect with me ('cause really, who can live with JUST Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest?), you can now find me on Google+:

It's Monday, and you know what that means!

This week, Stasha of #MondayListicles fame, has asked us for our Christmas wish list. This could be really fun!

Source: google.ca via Sue on Pinterest

First, to anyone reading this who might be in a position to buy me something for Christmas, please understand that I already love what you got me... or didn't get me... and I don't need even a single one of these things (except maybe the last two... or three). Everything I need, I already have. Love, Me.

And now to dream....

1) The perfect vacay, as recently described in The Perfect Vacay.

2) Time. Just time. Ideally, it will slow to an absolute crawl for at least a week or two.

3) Well, since I'm dreaming, I'd like lessons - lots of them: photography lessons, Spanish lessons, dance lessons, martial arts lessons, singing lessons and more guitar lessons.

4) Weekly massages. Drool.

5) Some kind of magical electronic planner that will organize my chaotic life. It wouldn't hurt if it also automagically answered the occasional email or tweet for me.

6) Books. I need more of these like a hole in the head, yet... I crave them. If I could just get a little more #2, oh, the reading I could do. (Hmm. That was very 'Dr. Seuss' of me.)

7) Music. I can never get enough of it either. Nothing helps time to slow like listening to a piece of really great music. (One of these weeks, I'm going to share my top ten Christmas songs!)

8) Snow. Yes, I'm the same girl who complains about being cold, but Christmas without snow is like PB without the J. All kinds of wrong.

9) Time with friends and family. For me, this is what Christmas is all about. Don't get me wrong, I love the excitement of opening gifts and having people open gifts from me, but the warmth provided by a house full of trusted companions, all in great spirits, can not be beat!

10) Finally, my greatest wish this season is that people take a moment to reflect on what's important, to commit acts of kindness, and to carry this goodwill long into the new year!

Oh, and I want more of these guys, who make me snort my tea they are so funny!


Having trouble viewing the video? Direct link: http://youtu.be/0AvzaGkekDE

--> More from the Bored Shorts crew.

Wordless Wednesday: Never Fear. Fireman Jack is Here!

From a safety perspective, this was the best costume ever! Just look at that reflective tape! And there's plenty of room under there for a jacket - a bonus when it's below zero!

Happy Independence Day USA!

Tomorrow, July 4th is Independence Day in the United States and commemorates the country's adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. 

To my American friends, thank-you for your support, thank-you for your friendship and thank-you for your spirit!

Happy Canada Day, eh?

Friday (tomorrow) is Canada Day!

I've never really thought of myself as patriotic. I don't fly a flag in my backyard or stick Canada flag pins on my bags when I travel. But I do love Canada. It's a beautiful country. Some of its people even get me. It's home.

But what does it really mean to me to be a Canadian?

Canada is... winter. There's no better place to find it then here. As much as I complain about shoveling and driving in it, snow is a beautiful thing. There's something about spending the day out in the snow, skiing or snowshoeing that reminds us of how alive we are. And nothing beats that cozy feeling you get when you return to a roaring fire and hot cup of cocoa (and maybe a shot of brandy). Ahhh. Bliss.

Canada is... security. I don't ever have to worry about not being able to look after my health thanks to public health care. In other ways, my country looks after me. When I retire, if I lose my job or can no longer work, social services will be there to help.

Canada is... beauty. I have travelled the country from coast to coast and have lived in three of its provinces. There is so much to see and do here. Vast blue skies. Majestic mountains. Clean beaches. Sparkling waters. Grand old trees. Stunning night city skylines. It's all here!

Canada is... community. We care about each other. We understand that a life lived only for ourselves is no life at all. We know that happiness is a result of how much we expand our hearts and give to others. Canadians are good neighbours. We love our cousins to the south - sometimes it feels as if there are no borders at all. We are volunteers and do what we can to assist other countries in need. We're very polite (just ask anyone who isn't from Canada how often we say "sorry" and "excuse me").

Canada is... equality. Whatever I might want to do, I will have relatively few barriers to getting it done. Canadians stand up against discrimination and we support minorities. Women are treated as equals. The elderly are treated with dignity and respect. I feel very fortunate to live in this country and at this time.

Canada is... family. It's where I have grown up and it's where my family lives. It's home. My family consists not only of my blood relatives, but includes my dear friends who help me to learn and grow and to be a better person, day by day.

Happy Birthday, Canada! Thank-you for all that you are.

Love,

Me

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Canada Day Events in Your City

Calgary: http://www.calgarycanadaday.ca/
Vancouver: http://www.canadaday.canadaplace.ca/
Toronto: http://www.toronto.ca/special_events/canada/2011/index.htm
Ottawa: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/royal-wedding/Royal+couple+visit+Montreal+July/4862441/story.html (Wow, Ottawa! You get William and Kate for the day!)
Montreal: http://www.montreal.com/cgi/review.cgi?id=27
Halifax: http://www.hrmcanadaday.ca/
Winnipeg: http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110627/wpg_canadaday_hours_110701/20110629/?hub=WinnipegHome
Regina: http://www.reginacanadaday.ca/whatshappening.htm
St. John, NB: http://www.sjcanadaday.ca/sjcanada/
St. John's, NFLD: http://www.stjohns.ca/visitors/attractions/events.jsp
Charlottetown: http://www.walkandseacharlottetown.com/summerfest/canada-day.php

Hurray for dads!

I do a lot of talking about moms on my blog. Well, I am one - it makes sense. But today, I'd like to honour the fathers. Happy Fathers Day to all you dads. We truly appreciate you, not just this day but every day.

Thank-you for playing catch and building complicated lego-structures with your sons. Thank-you for dawning a tiara and attending tea parties with your daughters. Thank-you for the giggles and tickles. Thank-you for your gentle firmness in teaching our children to be good people.

Thank-you for braving the elements, for scaring away monsters and for attending school plays with enthusiasm and without complaint, no matter how tired you might be.

Thank-you for all the ways that you show our kids how special they are and how much you love them.

Thank-you for everything you do to make our lives comfortable and fun. 

Thank-you for our families. We are who we are because of you! 

Happy Fathers Day!

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If you're looking for a great book to give dad for Fathers Day, check out these deals at Cookie's Book Club: Great books to celebrate dad!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day, and today I'd like to pay tribute to my own mom and to all mothers. Until we become mothers we can't truly appreciate the jobs our own moms did in raising us. The worries they carried so that we wouldn't have to, the dreams they had for our lives and the efforts they went to for our happiness: All of these things are a greater burden than anyone can imagine... until the burden is ours to bear.

This video sums up the job of motherhood as well as anyone ever could. All I can say after watching it is, "Phew!"


It's all worth it, of course, for those sparkling moments when our child does something nice for someone else or looks up at us and says "I love you, mom." It's the best job there is. Once you become a mother, truly every day is Mother's Day. Our children are always with us. We carry their hopes and fears in our hearts.

It is also the hardest job there is, and it's nice to be honoured on our special day. Most of us are so dog-tired that when asked the question, "What would you like for Mother's Day?" we respond, "Oh, maybe just a nice brunch out with all of you." Truthfully, we'd rather not wait in a line with all of the other exhausted moms and their families for a table in a crowded restaurant and a meal that, while lovely, will take far too long to arrive. But we love our families and we're accustomed to putting their needs above our own. Often we don't think about what we want, and when we do we're reluctant to voice it.

This year, when asked the question, I thought long and hard and then answered as honestly as I could, "Sleep. I just want to sleep the entire day away. I'm not sure I'll even need to eat, but if someone would occasionally bring me some food that would also be nice."

Happy Mother's Day! May you be treated like a queen, or at least not have to clean dirty diapers and walk the dog today.

Dads, kids, assuming you've left it this long to find that perfect gift for mom, fret not. Believe it or not, there's still hope for you. Check out this list of What Mothers REALLY Want on Mother's Day from Cool Bean Mommas. You can also check out this list of popular e-books for mom.

And dads, we know you carry a heavy load too, but today is not your day. Your day is in June, when I shall pay homage to you. Until then, trust that you are appreciated for your part in raising happy and healthy humans. Now be a dear and fetch mama a cocktail.

Great deals to celebrate mom!

This Sunday May 8th is Mother's Day. Celebrate mom by giving her something wonderful to read. Heck, at these prices, you can load up her Kindle for the year! (Don't forget to give her the precious gift of time too, so that she'll be able to enjoy her favourite book.)

Pride and Prejudice

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Amazon.com Product Description:
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

Also free from Jane Austen through Amazon (for US Customers only) are Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility and Emma. Canadian customers, check Project Gutenberg for free public domain titles.

Click here for more deals on popular books!

May 8, 2011 - Edited to add:  
Even more deals! These prices were too good for me to resist.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! The Easter bunny came by some time in the night. That Peter Cottontail is very good at hiding eggs in plain sight. Yellow eggs hidden on yellow toys, a green egg hidden in the jaws of a crocodile... Jack had fun finding the eggs and then hiding them again so we (mom and dad) could have fun finding them too.

Bright and Crafty Easter Eggs

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/04/bright-crafty-easter-eggs/

It's a beautiful day out there. Time to go out into the garden!

Spring Break Ideas

It's hard to tell looking out my window, but spring has officially begun.

Photo retrieved March 24, 2011 from 

http://pixdaus.com/?sort=tag&tag=%3B%20crocus%20ice%20snow

If you are looking forward to a spring break with your kids, next week or sometime in April, you're probably also wondering what to do with them. The kids are used to having their days scheduled and packed full of activities. Like many parents, you may be wondering how to keep them occupied during the break. In every city there are fun and educational places to go and things to do that your family might not have time for otherwise. You could:

• visit a science centre, museum or zoo
• take in a play or concert
• enroll the kids in a camp for a half day, full day or for the whole week
• hit the skating rink, toboggan hill or ski hill if you live in the Great White North
• go to a public pool or a kids' play centre
• some recreation centres have drop-in activities planned for the week
• participate in an art class or visit a craft studio (e.g. to make your own pottery)
• spend some time at the local library where kids can run their eyes and hands over hundreds of books, choose a few books to take home, and have their favourite stories read to them by a lively librarian
• schedule a play date with friends, maybe combined with one of the above

If you're like some other parents who think the spring break should be just that, a break from scheduled activities, there are still loads of laid-back ways to have fun:

• knock a few things off of the to-do list - young kids in particular like to help, so let them!
• bake a special treat and enjoy it with chocolate milk or hot chocolate while watching a family-themed movie together
• give each of your kids their own day and allow them to plan the food and events for the whole day
• put out a whole bunch of craft supplies and let the kids create to their hearts' content
• go to the farmers market and let the kids pick out the vegetables for that night's meal
• have the kids purge their closets and toy bins and pack up unwanted items to give away, then take them to a second hand store or garage sale to pick up a new book, puzzle or toy

Looking for something completely different to do with the kids? Why not give Geocaching a try? Geocaching involves using a GPS navigator to locate a hidden container with a logbook inside. Once you locate the container, you add the date and any other relevant details to the logbook. You might also find a small, inexpensive item inside, which you may take if you replace it with an item of similar value. Visit Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site to view the caches in your area. Also at this site you can download an application for your iPhone or Android that gives you real-time access to the more than 1.3 million caches worldwide. I haven't tried this yet, but it might even be possible to use an Amazon Kindle to hunt caches. 

http://renzoscustomcache.blogspot.com/2009/07/geocaching-101.html

However you plan to spend spring break with your kids, remember that the best gift you can give them is your time. If you have the time, take time to capture a few memories from your spring break. Snap a few photos or a bit of video, and write a few notes about what you did. You might include some memorable quotes from the week. Above all, have fun!