Home, Furniture & Kitchen

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.

When I first heard about the Belkin WeMo Smart Wifi Slow Cooker, I knew this Smart Home appliance would be something I’d like. With built-in Wifi, I could turn the slow cooker on and off remotely, and I can’t begin to describe how excited I was about that. No more overcooking! Read on for the recipe I tried out in the Belkin WeMo Slow Cooker.

I don’t know what it is about wedding gift registries, but I’m not a big fan. I absolutely love the process involved with gift giving, so it’s just not as fun for me when I’m told what to buy. Especially when the only items left on the registry are an inexpensive corkscrew and a China set fit for the Duchess of York. That’s why I tend to skip the registry altogether and stick with my standby wedding gift – glassware. There seems to always be a need for glassware, and when you have the right glasses for various types of drinks, your bride and groom are guaranteed to love using them.