playdate

BlogHers Act Canada: SNAP

There is a program that was started in Toronto that tries to teach children with serious behaviour problems how to solve their conflicts without resorting to physical violence and without losing their temper.  The program called SNAP (Stop Now and Plan), and is currently being used in programs around the world, as well as in a summer camp in the high-risk Jane-Finch area of Toronto.  The program gives children who are prone to violence (many of whom have been referred to the program by the police because of a history of such behaviour) the necessary tools to resolve conflict without striking the other individual or using loud or abusive language.

Baby's Got Back

by Racy Red

The other night the hubs and I were wrestling on the couch. I'd love to say we were reliving our youth and getting ready to bump uglies on the family sofa, but the truth is we were wrestling over who got control of the remote. Sadly for him, I won. (The difference between him and me wrestling:  I fight dirty and don't feel bad about it.) Nursing a bruised inner thigh and an injured ego, my husband settled in beside me muttering how he should have marketed me in mud wrestling instead of marrying me.

Canada's Youngest Convicted Multiple Murderer

Earlier this week, a 13 year old girl was found guilty of first-degree murder, making her the youngest convicted multiple killer in Canada's history.  The murders of her parents and younger brother occurred when the convicted girl was 12, and were committed with her boyfriend who is 10 years her senior.  The boyfriend remains in custody and awaits trial for the same crimes.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), the girl cannot be named, and because she is an offender under 14, she faces a maximum sentence of 10 years, but no more than six of those can be in custody.  Read that again: six years for three murders.

Keeping Up With the Jones

by hot mama

When I came clean that my sex life has been a little lacklustre since becoming a mommy, several of you voiced your familiarity with the situation. I’m pretty sure a lot of us are in the same boat in this department, but I’m a curious gal, and I can’t help wondering exactly how often other folks are doin’ it. If I’m doing it more than that, maybe I’ll feel a little better; if less, maybe I’ll be more motivated to kick it up a notch. I’m usually not the sort of person who really cares what anyone else is doing, but for some reason, when it comes to sex, I want to know.

Please take a moment to answer the following:

Caution: Some Scenes May Contain Nudity

On the heels of a fabulous night at Spelling Bee, the Husband and I took in another Broadway production, Spring Awakening.  If you move in any sort of theatrical circles, I'm sure you've heard of it already.  For those of you who don't, Spring Awakening is Broadway's hottest new musical.  Based of Frank Wedekind's 1891 controversial German play by the same name, with a score by Duncan Sheik (music) and Steven Sater (lyrics), it was nominated for 11 Tonys and scored 8, for  musical, book, score, direction, choreagraphy,featured actor, orchestration and featured actor.

Missing Girl "Not Ready" To Come Home

News outlets started breaking reports yesterday about a missing 15 year old girl.  According to reports, she left for Canada's Wonderland on Thursday and has not returned to her home.  She is suspected to be with an older man (approximate age 19, according to reports).

Here's what makes this story a lot more interesting, at least to me: she called her parents on Saturday, informing them that she "wasn't quite ready" to return.

wine not

One of my favorite places to eat in Niagara-on-the-lake is Hillebrand.
I've been going for years, and every visit, with the exception of one time last summer was an excellent dining experience.
We had the misfortune of being served by a waitress who would be better suited to be working in a burger joint or a truck stop than at one of Canada's nicest wineries. I won't go into too much negative detail, other than what should have been a great meal wasn't and only because of the poor service. But the food has always been excellent.
But it's a new summer and the place has been freshly renovated.
Chef frank Dodd originally hailing from the U.K. is now running the show.
There's an enviable wine cellar in a glass display right as you walk in the front door. They bring diners inside to sample specific bottles, which I thought was a nice touch.

Pumpkinpie's Picks for July

My daughter, Pumpkinpie, chooses her books for storytime every night. We regularly bring home an armload from the library, read those a lot for a few nights, and then return to choosing from the large piles that grace our living room. Sometimes the "new" books make the cut, sometimes they reach the bottom of the heap in a hurry. But this made me think that while I can talk a lot about books that I like, and while I bring home books that I think she will like, it's ultimately up to the kids, isn't it? So maybe my three-year-old can help you find some things that your young one would like, too. Welcome to the first installment of Pumpkinpie's Picks, a new occasional feature here at Pick of the Litter.

Wherein MamaDrama SUCKS at Spelling

Last weekend, the Husband and I flitted off to New York City to catch some shut-eye sans toddler, and see a couple of Broadway shows.  The first night, we had tickets to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  For anyone unfamiliar with this little gem, it's a show that started out as a non-musical play (C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E), was turned into an Off-Broadway musical with the help of composer William Finn, and due to enormous success, has now moved up to Broadway.

BlogHers Act Canada

Things are a little different around here today: there's no news article linked to.  I'm still spouting my liberal minded opinion, just on a different topic.

MBT has started a new project of sorts, taking on a Canadian form of BlogHers Act, not so creatively titled BlogHers Act Canada, and have asked all regular contributors (and in fact, all women bloggers - more on that in a second) to come up with a cause that women bloggers ( i.e. not just mommy bloggers) would be interested to get involved with.  It's a form of activism, really, specifically targeted at women bloggers.  (I promise that is the last emphasis I will place on the word women.)