Know An Outstanding Canadian Teacher?

Calling all top teachers!

Nominations are now open for the 6^th annual teacher awards 

Canadian Family magazine is now accepting nominations for its annual Teacher Awards at www.canadianfamily.ca/teacherawards.

This national program, now in its sixth year, recognizes outstanding educators across the country as nominated by their communities.

Nominations close on April 11, 2012.

A panel of education experts will shortlist twelve semi-finalists, announced on May 16, 2012, which the public will vote online to determine the top three.

The three Teacher Awards winners will be featured in Canadian Family’s September issue and each win $2,500 for programming and supplies, courtesy of program sponsor Johnson Insurance.

For full nomination details and more information on Canadian Family’s annual Teacher Awards, please visit www.canadianfamily.ca/teacherawards.

Rx for the Winter Blahs? Talk to Some Inspiring Women

I've been talking with a lot of inspiring women lately -- the perfect way to ward off the mid-winter blahs. 

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Vancouver breastfeeding activist Emma Kwasnica, who has been challenging Facebook to rethink its breastfeeding policies. I also chatted with breastfeeding author Teresa Pitman and communications expert Susan McLellan for what resulted in one of my most-talked-about Toronto Star columns ever.

This week, I interviewed baby signing expert Sara Bingham. She talked to me about the benefits -- for both babies and parents -- of baby signing. (I love the fact that baby signing helps to ease baby's frustration -- it's frustrating when people don't understand what you're trying to say! -- while giving parents another tool to tap into what baby is thinking and feeling.)

I've also been spending a lot of time communicating with Canadian Family editor Jennifer Reynolds. I'll have more to stay about that in my next post.

Catching Up

It's been a while since I posted. We're now through the holiday season and into a New Year. (Happy New Year, by the way.) It's been a busy time for me. I'm sure it has been for you, too.

I spent some time updating the website tonight. I've 

• updated the events page to let you know about some of the parenting- and writing-related events I'll be involved with over the next few months. I have two other parenting-related events in the works and I'm in the process of developing my own parenting and writing workshops, which I will be offering both online and in small group workshops, starting later this year;
• shared my New Year's resolutions;
• posted the link to my Tumblr blog (where I've been mostly writing about writing); and
• added links to at least 30 more articles, including these recent ones about sleep, grief, and bonding with your baby.

I'm almost finished revising the Canadian edition of The Mother of All Baby Books. It will be available in bookstores in June. 

That's it from me. What's new with you?

- Ann