Elf on the shelf is fantastic! It gives Christmas a different creative spin and brings something that adults and kids can enjoy. Or it does to begin with. By the second Christmas the ideas are wearing a bit thin, the elves either end up looking like they're in an X rated film or they spend December just climbing the tree!

It was a bright and sunny morning May 15th, 2007 as I walked into the Mississauga hospital 9 days late, with my first baby boy to be induced to give birth. That boy was stubborn, and he wanted to stay inside forever. After only one round of gel to help dilate my cervix, and 2 hours of walking the hospital grounds, I was finally admitted at 3 to 4 cm dilated. Never had I given birth before but thought I knew everything seeing as I was an avid fan of research and Mom groups and everything in between. The second that epidural was offered to me I said hell yeah. Truth be told I didn't even know what a contraction felt like I hadn't even felt one yet. “I know you're thinking lucky me huh?” Back in 2007, the epidural was quite intense, and it completely numbed me from the upper waist down to my toes. Completely dead weight, I felt nothing. This was in no way like any other births or labors I had heard about. After 13 hours of anxiously waiting the nurse finally said ‘okay it's time to start pushing.” “Great!” I said how do I do that? I mean I couldn't lift my legs on my own, I couldn't feel the need to push, I couldn't even tell if I was having a contraction. I found myself looking at the monitor every time the line went up to tell me I was having a contraction, so I knew when to start trying to push. Was I pushing? I don't know, "I think so." After an exhausting two and a half hours of mindlessly pushing, and pushing, and pushing I finally delivered my baby boy. He came out at 2:23 a.m. at a whopping 9 lb 4 oz he was huge. I remember I had family everywhere my dad, my mom, my grandma, my son's dad, his mom, my dad's girlfriends, my friend Shannon, my cousin Shandy and that's all I can remember for now. Devin was a great baby, hardly cried, slept great. I just loved him and couldn't get enough of those beautiful fat cheeks. It was him and I against the world, I mean his dad was there too, but between him working it was just Devin I most days. As Devin grew older and turned into a toddler, walking and talking, and all that fun stuff.

Children is our most prized possessions. They can make you laugh, cry, and even get you upset. How you respond to your child is the most important thing. Your response will determined how your child will turn out.

10 Christmas Gift Ideas It's this time of the year again! 2020 had every single one of us on a rollercoaster of events, including our little ones. Unfortunately, many 9-1-1 operators will not be able to spend Christmas at home with their families this year, however, it is the perfect opportunity to explain why to our kids with a very well-deserved gift. Sustema made a list of 10 Christmas gift ideas related to the public safety/emergency industry so your little ones can feel just a bit closer to you this Christmas.

Twice recently, something has happened that has made me stop and rethink my actions as a parent. Luckily for me, I walked away both times self assured that I had done the right thing, but when that happened, I was then forced to ask myself, "what the hell? I'm 35 years old and still have to worry about being told on to my mom."

When I was younger and I’m talking primary school age so up till about ten years old. I used to pretend my fingers were people they all had their own little back stories and lives. I used to use barbie clothes and toilet roll to make little outfits for them, mainly just pinkie she was my favourite. I’m going to explain their little lives and relationships with each other, it’s pretty weird but it created hours of fun.

Autistic children and adults often seek pressure in a variety of ways to calm themselves and cope with sensory overload. Oftentimes, hugs and squeezes from other people can cause more distress because autistic children or adults are often unable to communicate their needs by indicating a particular amount or length of pressure. This is both frustrating and ineffective for both the autistic person and whoever is hugging or squeezing them.

Valera was standing on the balcony outside of her bedroom, looking into the distance. She watched as the birds flew in the sky and took notice of the clouds that lazily passed by. There was a cool breeze in the morning air that ruffled her nightgown and tickled her long black curly hair against her bare shoulders; closing her eyes, she welcomed the cold air.

Throughout our lives, the thought of becoming a parent goes through our minds. For girls, it tends to happen at a very early age. For guys, it may not take place until early adolescence, if at all. The older we get, and the more serious a relationship may get, the question of when you will have kids will get asked by your parents and other relatives, to the point where you might get annoyed by the constant pestering.

My first daughter was born in 2018 via an emergency C-section due to a prolapsed umbilical cord. I wasn't able to be in the room when my daughter was born, when my wife had to be put under general anesthesia, when my daughter spent her first twenty minutes of life with a bunch of strangers.

On December 5, 2019, my life was forever changed. My beautiful baby girl made her grand entry into the world around 2:50 am. I was not prepared for the rush of emotions that would hit me as I held her for the very first time. To say that I was nervous would be a huge understatement. There was a sense of relief knowing that there were no complications during the delivery. Then overwhelming joy immediately followed. At last, I was finally meeting my baby girl and she was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

A Princess and her Monkey Once upon a time not so long ago there was a princess that lived in the clouds. She loved to play with her siblings and run and hide in makeshift forts they made out of items around the castle. Strawberries were her favorite treat and naptime was something that she did not like at all, but who could blame her? When you are young you are in charge of it all… So, she thought.