News

Know An Outstanding Canadian Teacher?

2012-02-09T01:59:04Z

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

2012-02-01T16:09:30Z

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

2012-01-13T01:41:36Z

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

What Types of Gifts Do You Like to Give Other People's Kids?

2011-12-08T20:04:09Z

Right now, I'm shopping for my nieces -- something I absolutely love to do. (I don't have any nephews, so I don't have the opportunity to shop for any boys, except for my own three.)

I'm going to be a bit cryptic here, because at least one of the people on my list is now old enough to use the Internet, and I don't want her to discover what she's receiving until the time is right. But I'd like to share my gift picks with you nonetheless. I hope you'll click through to see what I've picked and that you'll share some gift ideas of your own to help out other people who are trying to come up with gift ideas for other people's kids.

For two young sisters (3 and 6): this and this.
For a young preteen girl: this.
For an almost-teen who is very well read: this.

Yes, there's a common theme in my gift picks. But what would you expect an aunt who is a writer to buy for her nieces? Something like this?

What I Learned at the BabyTime Show from My New Friend Diane

2011-11-24T18:05:48Z

Location is everything, as the real estate agents tell us. And I certainly lucked out in terms of booth location at the Fall 2011 BabyTime Show. My "Ask Ann" kiosk was placed beside Diane Lai Group (an all-natural skin case products company), and Diane and I hit it off immediately, which made the show fly by.

Diane isn't just a fun person to hang out with at a baby show, however. She's also incredibly knowledgeable about babies and skin care (by necessity, as it turns out). Her firstborn experienced such severe outbreaks of eczema that doctors were prescribing steroid creams to try to manage his symptoms.

Diane was determined to get at the root causes of the problem (as opposed to treating the symptoms after the fact) so she started experimenting with ways of eliminating her son's skin woes.

She discovered that changing her family's laundry routines made a huge difference.

Her advice to other families who have babies with extremely sensitive skin?

Use half the recommended amount of laundry soap when you wash your baby's clothes; and choose an extra-gentle liquid (as opposed to powdered) formulation.
Either hang your baby's clothes to dry or allow them to tumble dry in the dryer. Note: Don't use dryer sheets or fabric softners, she advises, as these products can be irritating to baby's skin.

Diane also went on the develop (with the help of an organic chemist) a line of products that are designed to meet the needs of people with highly sensitive skin. (I fall into this category myself and purchased one of Diane's creams at the show. I've been using it for two weeks and am loving it.)

I also love the fact that Diane's is a family-run company. Her husband supports her efforts 100 percent. (In fact, he was handing out promotional samples from a wheelchair at the show while his leg was on the mend from a hockey injury.) Is it any wonder I left the show with a feel-good glow? (And, for once, it wasn't because of my rosacea.)

Solving Your Kids' Sleep Problems: Marilyn Denis Show

2011-11-06T18:18:31Z

Earlier this week, I appeared in a segment on the Marilyn Denis Show talking about ways to solve your kids' sleep problems. You can view the segment and read my tips on the show's website.

I was also asked to offer some advice on helping kids to adjust to the time change. You can read that story at CTV news online.

And, speaking of the time change, here's how to get science on your side as you help your kids to adjust to the time change. Try to get your kids outside for about 15 minutes, first thing in the morning. Exposure to daylight first thing in the morning helps to reset the body's circadian rhythm (the body clock that regulates when we feel awake and when we feel sleepy.)

Hope that helps.

If you'd like to check out some other resources on kids and sleep, I recommend

BOOK: Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler

ARTICLES: Sleep articles

Where I Found My Bliss at Blissdom

2011-10-19T15:46:52Z

It would be impossible to capture everything that happened at BlissdomCanada in a single blog post, so I'm not even going to try. I'm going to focus, instead, on some moments that really stood out for me. (I'm sure you have your own list of stand-out moments, too. I've already read quite a few.)

Meeting and/or reconnecting with Truly Awesome People (T.A.P.). (T.A.P.: You know who you are. I don't want to list names because there are so many of you and I don't want to risk leaving anyone out. But if we connected in a powerful way, there's no need to list your name. You know and I know that a connection was made and that we'll be keeping in closer contact from now on.)
Facilitating a workshop on writing with co-panelists Jen Reynolds (editor, Canadian Family), Nadine Silverthorne (online editor, TodaysParent.com and CanadianParents.com), and Theresa Albert (YourFriendinFood.com), all of whom were extremely generous in sharing their wisdom and experiences. Jen even issued a writing challenge to those attending the workshop. (Don't forget to get those submissions in, everyone.)
Watching the amazing and inspiring film Miss Representation. I thought I was fully up to speed in terms of the messages our culture is sending young women, but I was wrong. Miss Representation spells out who is benefitting from the manufacture of toxic images of young women -- images that are causing harm to both our daughters and our sons by making it more difficult for them to enjoy healthy relationships with one another. It's a powerful call to action for anyone who cares about children and youth; and who would like to see the media embrace more inclusive images of women.
Attending the opening reception at the CBC Broadcast Centre. It's no secret that I'm a bit of a CBC fan. (Okay, I'm a major CBC fan. My CBC bag is on the floor at my feet. My CBC mug is on the dish rack in the kitchen. My Friends of Canadian Broadcasting Calendar is hanging on my office wall. I think you get the picture.) So, as you can imagine, I was thrilled to learn that CBC was hosting the BlissdomCanada opening reception. I had the chance to meet Jeff Douglas of As It Happens, to get my photo taken in front of Mr. Dressup's Treehouse, and to talk about the future of the CBC with some people from the programming side of things. What a great kickoff to the conference.
Seeing the political/activist side of BlissdomCanada emerge throughout the conference -- and particularly during the final panel discussion on Saturday afternoon. As I noted from the floor when Catherine Connor invited me to comment on the discussion as it was developing, "Everything about our lives as women is political." It only makes sense that political issues kept coming up again and again during such an idea-filled and inspiring weekend. I look forward to watching the conversation continuing online and at future conferences.

So what were my takeaways from the weekend?

I'd love to see BlissdomCanada launch a political/activist programme track for conference attendees next year. Because I don't think it's fair to suggest to others that they do such-and-such without offering to put some volunteer power behind a particular request, I've offered to help work on such an initiative, should the conference organizers decide to proceed in such a direction.
I'm going to follow my own advice and start setting aside regular blocks of time each week to work on some writing initiatives that matter hugely to me. (If you heard me speak about writing, you know that the "one piece of potentially career-altering advice" that I offered to BlissdomCanada attendees was to start making time to do the type of writing you really want to be doing right now. If you would like to join me in responding to this writing challenge, please feel free to follow me on my Ann Douglas Facebook page (which focuses on writing and writing resources), where I'll be posting updates re: my progress and where I'd love to hear updates re: your own progress toward your own writing goals.
I also learned this weekend that I want to do more speaking -- both about writing and about parenting. I have a bunch of brand new ideas for presentation and workshop topics. Stay tuned for more about that in the weeks and months ahead.

A snapshot from the costume party. I'm dressed up as Little Miss Happy, wearing a donated tiara. My friend is @dinnerwithjulieFinally, I am grateful to be feeling so good again. The fact that I was able to enjoy BlissdomCanada so much (even attending a costume party -- something I couldn't have even imagined doing a few years ago, when I was still immersed in a deep, dark depression) tells me how far I've come in creating a new and vastly improved life for myself. That makes me feel proud and strong. After all, it takes courage and strength to come back from a major depression.

I'm so happy to be back -- and so grateful to be able to be getting out and enjoying life again. That's where I found my bliss at BlissdomCanada -- in a sense of gratitude for the here and now.

Young Women More Likely to Worry About Money Than Young Men: Study

2011-10-19T14:18:56Z

A study conducted by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) indicates that young women worry more and are less confident about their financial prospects than young men.

The study, which was conducted by Harris Decima and released in September, found that

Females are more likely than males to worry about money (62% vs. 49%) and to wish they were better at saving money (55% vs.44%).
Males are more likely than females to say they will be wealthier than their parents (53% vs. 40%)

You can download a copy of the study from the CICA website.

Blissdom Canada Handout: To Publish or Not to Publish

2011-10-15T20:02:31Z

Here is the handout from the session Jen Reynolds, Nadine Silverthorne, Theresa Albert, and I participated in at Blissdom Canada this afternoon.

Thanks so much to all who came out and to the Blissdom Canada organizers, for inviting us to be part of this fun and inspiring conference.

Why I Had to Take Grapes, a Squash, and a Banana Through Airport Security on My Book Tour

2011-10-03T01:19:34Z

I wanted to find a visual way to talk about the growing baby during a segment on Vancouver's Breakfast Television, so I decided to bring a squash, a banana, an orange, a plum, grapes, a macedonian nut, and poppy seeds to represent the size of the developing baby at various points in fetal development.

Because of the timing of my flight (and the timing of my television appearance the next morning), I decided it would work best if I did my grocery shopping in Calgary (the previous stop on my book tour) and then toted everything along on my plane ride from Calgary to Vancouver.

I was pretty nervous going through airport security. In fact, when I was asked if I had any liquids in my baggage, I asked if I needed to declare my grapes. (They contain liquid, right?) I was reassured that they didn't and it was clear sailing from that point onward for the fruit and veggie babies and me.....

Here is the resulting TV segment as well as a bonus video that BT Vancouver taped after our interview.