Home, Furniture & Kitchen

There is something almost magical about that first Saturday of the year when you wake up late, open your curtains and windows to let the glorious sunshine and fresh air in, and realize that spring has officially sprung. I immediately associated my acknowledgement of spring with the need to clean, re-organize, and refresh my home, beginning with the living room. So with my “spring refresh” hat on, here are my plans for the next month or so—plans that you can easily incorporate into your own spring living room refresh.

Moving is always a drag. Add small kids and/or babies to the mix, and it can be even more challenging. I know, having moved twice in my son’s first 3 years of liife. Here are some tips to help make the move run more smoothly with young kids in tow.

How fast do you get out of the house when you have kids? We all know 45 minutes spent at the front door without ever crossing the threshold is not unheard of. I make a habit of getting everything ready hours before we actually have to be anywhere.  It is a feat of incredible magic and coordination to get out the door without screaming your head off, breaking a sweat or a nail or both. Here are a few suggestions that may help.

Let’s rewind to winter 2008. Me, my beach ball belly and my husband step into a big box baby store full of dreams of tiny yellow onesies. What greets us is aisle upon aisle of plastic, primary-coloured product. Strollers, diapers, breast pumps, soothers, a billion bottles and toys. Within 10 minutes I am drenched in tears, completely overwhelmed and feeling wholly inadequate as a shopper and a soon-to-be mom. Was it the hormones? Of course! But it was also the reality of having way too many options and just not knowing what was needed and what wasn’t. Use my breakdown to your advantage.

      Spring is finally here, and on the West coast we’ve been blessed with gorgeous weather earlier than usual, so my mind has already turned to BBQ season. I know I’m not the only one out there grilling early this year because I can smell the all too familiar BBQ smell coming from my neighbours as well.

It’s nice to see more gluten-free options at restaurants and grocery stores, especially for people who have celiac disease. But people who aren’t celiac are also leading a gluten—or at least a wheat—free lifestyle to lose weight or avoid bloating. I attempted to follow a gluten-free diet to dig deeper into this trend. Read on to find out what I learned:

When you want pasta for dinner, you usually just reach for a package. But this week was different, because this week I made 3 different types of pasta with the Philips Avance Pasta Maker. Although it didn’t look as perfect as it does from the bag, it was the best pasta I’ve ever had.

I’m lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and today, Vancouver truly lived up to its reputation—for beauty, not rain. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the temperature was a balmy 14°C, and the crisp smell of spring was in the air. It was fabulous. Not just because I got to enjoy my afternoon latte while sitting outside at a local coffee shop, but because today got me thinking about something much more important—the upcoming patio season! This year prepare to have a great time right outside your front door—or back door!  All you need are a few key essentials, and you can turn your patio into a great outdoor space for everyone to enjoy.

Did you know you can add a fitness tracker to your pet's collar? Your dog can rack up the Bark Points by being active when he or she has the FitBark.