http://playgroundconfidential.com One Toronto mom, so many opinions Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:33:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Top: My rendition of the sun, two birds, a flower, a tree and grass. Bottom: Colum's study of colour and brushstrokes. http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/06/10/which-one-looks-more-sophisticated/ I have never owned a car. My husband has never owned a car – he doesn’t even have his driver’s license. We live in the city of Toronto, right on two bus lines and a 15 minute walk from the nearest subway station. My husband uses the TTC to commute ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/05/30/cars-kids-and-cash/ Colum is sleeping soundly for the first night in his new-to-him big-boy bed right now. He’s been sleeping really well (i.e. through the night) in his crib for almost a year now and still loves it and doesn’t try to climb out at all. Still, as of April 29th he’s ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/05/18/big-boy-bed-time/ We had our 12-week appointment with the midwife on Tuesday and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler. Colum said it sounds like "Chug a chug a choo choo". That's not an altogether inaccurate description, either, but I hope he's not expecting a baby train. I'm already ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/04/25/chug-a-chug-a-choo-we-hear-you/ Health Canada broke new ground today when they officially declared bisphenol A a dangerous substance. I wrote about the potential dangers of this common chemical in this post a few weeks ago. Or link to the Globe and Mail for their news brief about Health Canada's pioneering decision. Canada is ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/04/15/health-canada-declares-bisphenol-a-dangerous/ "What do you do for childcare?" This is a seemingly innocent question that can really get under my skin. The true answer is that we care for our child ourselves. I'm home (and often out and about) with Colum from Monday to Friday and Ed picks up Saturdays while I ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/04/15/daycare-despair/ One of the first decisions you have to make upon finding out that you're pregnant is who you should tell and when. There are two basic camps: spread the joy right away or wait about 12 weeks. The rationale for waiting is that you won't have to later spread ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/04/10/when-to-tell-fatigue-pickles-ice-cream/ There are certain commodities that make a sucker out of us all. Faced with an array of intimate hygiene products, over-the-counter medications, or even batteries, we tend to shy away from the cheapest option. Maybe we don't go for the dearest choice either, but the disparity itself makes us suspicious. ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/03/04/nameless-home-test-works-just-fine-thanks/ It has not even been two years since Colum was born and I can already say, "We just didn't know any better back then." Joining the ranks of baby walkers and stomach sleeping and front seat car rides is the seemingly harmless plastic baby bottle. It looks like my mother ... http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/02/28/plastic-is-the-new-lead-be-warned/ Colum is obsessed with YouTube clips of old Cookie Monster numbers. This is his Dad's doing and I'm not usually a fan of any lit screen media for toddlers, but sometimes you've just got to roll with the punches. They're pretty charming, too. Check it out: http://playgroundconfidential.com/2008/02/22/this-just-in/