HRM Parent Blog

There’s no greater feeling than when you add a little light to someone else’s life.  Acts of kindness can be as small as a smile to lift a spirit or as big as volunteering your time with a local charity.  It all counts. It all helps. It all makes a difference.  Plus, with the season of giving fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to get started.  So…go ahead, make a difference and see for yourself how good it feels. 

Here’s some ideas to get you started:

The gift of life:  between November 21 and January 2, Canadian Blood Services is asking Canadians to give the “perfect gift” this holiday season – give blood. Over 101,000 life-saving “gifts” are needed for hospital patients from coast to coast.

Feed the hungry: so many families throughout NS are in need of food, especially during the holidays. Volunteer with Feed Nova Scotia, help out at a soup kitchen, or organize your own neighbourhood food drive.

Elder aware:  the winter months are much harder on the elderly;  not only cause it’s harder for them to get out and about, but all that time at home can be quite lonely.  If you have elderly neighbours or relatives, be sure to check in on them often, bring them a meal once-in-a-while and offer to run some errands for them.

Toys, Toys, Toys:  There is no such thing as too many toys when it comes to the Annual toy drive.  When you’re picking up some toys for your own children this holiday season, choose a few extra items and drop them off at any Metro Empire Theatres and the Salvation Army will distribute the toys to families in need around the city.

Pets count too:  Animal shelters are extra busy over the holidays and can use all the help you can give. Make a donation to the SPCA and don’t forget pet food and toys count too!  Better yet, if you’re thinking of adding a pet to your family this Christmas, why not consider adopting one.

Bring some warmth: Gather up any warm clothes from around your house that’s not being used and bring it to any of the shelters around the city,  As the weather starts to get colder they will have more and more visitors – families, parents and children alike.  It's amazing the warmth that a coat and scarf brings when you don't have one.

Sing! Music is always a fun way to lift some spirits.  Why not organize a evening of neighbourhood caroling and be sure to focus on families or individuals who could use an extra lift.

Help the Homeless:  Stash a few pieces of fruit, granola bars and toonies in your car and make a point of sharing it with some of the homeless folks you pass along the way home.   That apple might be the only meal they have all day. 

Thanks to our Bringing Balance guest blogger, Wendy McCallum for this very special post about a very special month.

Itʼs that time of year again.  My husband grows a “mustache” every November and raises money for prostate cancer.  I use the term “mustache” lightly.  Itʼs more of a spattering of stray hairs -- nothing manly about it, really.  But itʼs all for a great cause, supporting prostate health and research.

In honour of Movember, this post is for all the HRM dads (“mo bros”) out there, and their supportive wives (or as we call them in Movember, “mo sistas”).

Prostate cancer will affect one in seven men in Canada, and is affecting men in their 40ʼs more and more.  It is influenced by a number of factors, at least two of which are within a manʼs control: diet and weight.

Most of us know that being overweight can increase a personʼs risk of developing many types of cancers.  But did you know that, according to a 2007 research study, if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are obese, you are also 2.5 times more likely to die from that diagnosis than if you were at a healthy weight?

In addition, a high-saturated fat/low-fibre diet, the type of diet that often leads to an unhealthy weight, is connected to an increased risk of prostate cancer.  The theory is that fat increases a manʼs production of testosterone, which may help prostate cancer cells grow.  Healthy fats, however, may actually do the opposite.

So what can you HRM dads do to reduce your risk?  Lose the spare tire and clean up your diets!  

Here are a few basic, healthy changes to get you started:

• Eat 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (Do I sound like a broken record on this one yet?).  Keep a log, see how you are doing, and if you are below 5, start including a serving with every snack & meal -- itʼs really that easy to get to 5;

• Increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake, by eating more small cold-water fatty fish, walnuts, tofu, leafy green veggies and colorful produce, and by incorporating healthy plant oils like flax into dressings & dips;

• Even when we are eating a healthy, balanced diet, itʼs tough for us to get enough omega-3, so consider talking to your health care provider about taking a daily omega-3 supplement, such as a good-quality fish oil (donʼt worry, it doesnʼt taste like fish).  The bonus is, this has loads of other great benefits, including supporting cardiovascular health and decreased inflammation;

• Decrease your saturated fat.  Simplest way to do this?  Reduce your animal intake and increase your plant intake.  That means cutting back on meat and high-fat dairy.  Consider going vegetarian a couple of meals a week, and try some non-dairy substitutes once in a while.

• Avoid processed and fast foods as much as possible.  Youʼll reduce calories, saturated fat and harmful additives in the process.  In addition, fresh whole foods naturally contain loads of fibre, while processed and fast foods often donʼt.

These changes will also go a long way towards shedding any excess weight you are carrying around with you.  

If you are interested in growing a “mo” and supporting the cause, check out: http://ca.movember.com

Happy Movember everyone!

Wendy McCallum, LLB, RHN, is passionate about providing busy parents with the tools & support they need to feed their families wholesome food, so everyone can play, learn, and feel better!  She is a mother of two terrific HRM kids, both aged 7.  For information and recipe ideas, visit her website.

"Anyone can give up.  It's the easiest thing in the world to do.  But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's the true strength" ~ Unknown

This week's Time Well Spent is dedicated to one HRM Parent's "Playdate with a Purpose".  A great event that will get you and the kids out of the house for a bit of fun, snacks, crafts and hope for the future.  Sarah is a strong mom with a mission to raise money for MS in support of her husband's recent diagnosis.  Here's a exert from her blog on the event:

I'm Sarah, the mommy behind "Team Daddy". My husband Jeff (Will & Olivia's Daddy) was diagnosed with MS three years ago and since then we've been dealing with its impact on our family and our future.

We are tired of sitting back and letting MS dictate how we live our lives. That's why we're raising $10K for the MS Walk. We can't do it without your help though. Which is why we're inviting you to join in the fun.  On Sunday, May 15th Go Active Kids has generously donated their facility for a Playdate with a Purpose - a fundraiser for Team Daddy.

Bring your kids, your nieces & nephews, your godchildren, your big and little brothers, the kids you babysat when you were a teen, your surrogate kiddos, your grandchildren, the kids next door - heck, we don't care. It's only $5 a kid - you could charter a bus and we'd welcome you at the door with open arms.

In addition to the amazing indoor play structure and toys, we'll have snacks, raffles for awesome prizes, crafts and a lot of hope for a future that's full of more fun than fear.

Please tell your friends to tell their friend, who will tell the mommy she walks with on every Wednesday, who will tell the gals in Strollerfit, who will rave about it at the library, who will mention it at the mall, who will tell the mommies at Costco who will go home and force the daddies to take the kids for the day on May 15th so they can get a pedicure. As they walk out the door without a care in the world the daddy will happily head to Go Active Kids for easy play.

Spending time with the family is even better when it's for a good cause.  Help Team Daddy out this weekend by attending their Playdate with a Purpose, 'like' them on Facebook for updates,  visit their blog or email them at teamdaddyms@gmail.com if you're interested in attending the event.  

This call for volunteers is from the Prenatal Community Support Network - help support breastfeeding moms in Halifax!

The Prenatal Community Support Network (PCSN) is seeking volunteers to help them carry out a public breastfeeding initiative. We are canvassing local businesses to display the International Breastfeeding Symbol to show their support to breastfeeding mothers in our community. Participating businesses will be invited to display their logos on the PCSN website, a place where women can access information on businesses in their community that are openly breastfeeding friendly. Of course, we assume that EVERY establishment in Halifax is breastfeeding friendly until we are informed otherwise. With this initiative we are opening a dialogue between breastfeeding advocates, breastfeeding mothers and local business owners, as well as publically supporting a mother’s right to breastfeed her baby wherever, whenever and in whichever manner she feels most comfortable.

We are looking for volunteers to canvass local businesses. Volunteers will be provided with the International Breastfeeding Symbol and information on breastfeeding to leave with business owners.

We believe that one decal can make all the difference to a mother who is unsure about breastfeeding her child in public. If you think you can convince even one local business to display the symbol, we need you.

Please contact the project coordinator with any questions or to sign up to be a part of this exciting initiative.

Erin Hemmens, redhemmens@alumni.sfu.ca, 422-6429

This initiative is being funded by a Breastfeeding and Baby Friendly Initiative Grant.

Following-up from her guest post on Earth Hour, Stacey McCarthy, Communications Specialist from WWF-Canada is back with some ideas for us on Earth Day! Thanks again Stacey! And if you are looking for Earth Day events, check out yesterday's blog post for some suggestions.

Ever wish your feet were smaller? It’s a fairly common complaint I hear from my girlfriends – my feet are too big, I wish I had small feet like you (they are size 6 ½). My response is usually a smug smile and a shrug of my shoulders. I hate to boast but I do like my smaller shoe size – it has been quite beneficial at shoes sales, and boy do I love a good shoe sale!

You are probably thinking it fairly odd for someone who spends her days thinking about ways to communicate the need to protect our planet to start off this blog talking about foot size and great shoe sales. Well, it’s because today is Earth Day, and it got me thinking about the concept of lowering our carbon footprint and how to put it into terms people would understand. It also made me wonder if my footprint is as small as it could be, or could I do something to make it smaller? Which brought me to shoes – one of the things I know I can spend hours talking about!

Forty years ago, Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. Today international celebrations and activities are held on this day, demonstrating the world’s commitment to its ongoing protection. Despite the public support for Earth Day the environment is still in crisis.

Four years ago, WWF Australia invited the city of Sydney to spend an hour in the dark on March 27th as a call for action specifically on climate change - the first Earth Hour. For the past three years, over a billion people have participated internationally in this lights out event. This year, 51 percent of Canadians showed that they were ready to be part of the climate solution by turning out their lights during Earth Hour.

Why start paying attention to all the talk of climate change and its damaging affects now if we have been unsuccessful in making changes in 40 years? Why bother participating in activities on days like Earth Day and Earth Hour? Why try to reduce our own carbon footprints? Well – it’s pretty simple actually. There is scientific proof that climate change could result in the extinction of more than a million species living on land within the next 50 years, and in our oceans, the damage being caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures is affecting essential habitat for marine life, and no fish means no livelihood for millions of people around the world. If we don’t start making changes in our own lives now – our children will be directly affected.

Reducing our carbon footprint can be done by making simple lifestyle changes at home and at work. Considering what is at stake, it is not only our global responsibility, it's in all our best interests.

So here are a few simple things you can do:

• Switch to green electricity provided by companies like Bullfrog Power (offering power in BC, AB, ON, NS, NB and PEI).
• Visit the farmers market to buy local produce and meat. A new daily market will be opening on the Halifax Waterfront this summer as well, providing more opportunities to buy fresh, local food.
• Switch to compact florescent lights. They last longer than regular light bulbs so it means less trips up and down the ladder to change them.
• Wash your clothes in cold water. I was a reluctant convert on this one but your whites still get as white and your clothes really are just as clean!
• Take a walk, or dig out your bike instead of using your car for that short trip to the store or for your next play date. It’s great way to work off that extra baby weight and you can even get child seats that attach to your bike. Or if you are back at work, take the bus instead of driving. You’ll save monthly parking fees (and parking meters may be going up by $.50 downtown).

There are numerous other simple actions that you can take, and WWF-Canada has a great program called the Living Planet Community where Canadians can connect and get other footprint-reducing ideas and share their actions with others. It’s amazing to see how our actions add up when we work together.

So whether it’s Earth Hour on March 27th or Earth Day on April 22nd is irrelevant. Those are just particular dates chosen to raise awareness for the problem – to see the bigger picture - a starting point to begin lowering your own carbon footprint. Then the next time you are thinking about the size your footprint makes in the sand, you can take comfort in the knowing that even though you may not be able to take advantage of that great demo sale of designer shoes in tiny sizes, you have scored by having the smallest carbon footprint. Just think – the cost savings in your gas and power bills alone will enable you to buy those great shoes in YOUR size!