"Little Man The Movie"

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This is a movie that every mom should see. Done as a documentary, this movie chronicles the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) journey of life partners Nicole Conn and Gwen Baba. They struggle to keep the balance between parenting their two-year old daughter Gabrielle and supporting their micro preemie, who is in the hospital, Nicholas.

If you have never been to the NICU, this movie will be an eye opening experience for you. Every parent that has given birth to a full term, healthy baby should experience the secret world of the NICU at least once.

My girlfriend found this movie on Rogers-on-demand and watched it a few weeks ago. After watching it she called me and told me how moved she was. Although she did have the oppurtunity to visit our son in the NICU, he was already 4lbs and almost out of danger. Seeing what we experienced, through the movie, made her realize how intense day to day life is when your child is born early.

Just watching the video on the movie’s website brought back all of the nervousness I felt when our child was born.

Little man is a must see. Get a box of kleenex – you’re going to need it!!

You may have to do some looking around in order to find this movie. Rogers on demand is no longer showing it and I couldn’t seem to find it at Blockbuster or Rogers video store.

The official website has it available for purchase if you still have no luck.

Little Man the Movie Official site

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Sleeping Beauty

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Photo sent to me by Vickie…Tks!!

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Sleeping Beauty

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Photo sent to me by Vickie…Tks!!

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Bugaboo By Bas Kosters

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Bugaboos are very popular. They come in pink, blue, green, yellow, and red. Basically every colour of the rainbow. When you are at the mall you can be sure to see one, if not a few. This is one you will probably never see.

There are only 1000 of these bugaboo’s in production. This stroller was designed specially by Dutch fashion icon Bas Kosters.

Besides the exclusive design, the Bugaboo By Bas Kosters combines all of the features of the Bugaboo Cameleon—except the adjustable handle bar—and adds a wide range of accessories.

It includes:

• A matching sun canopy, rain canopy and mosquito netting
• A matching under seat bag capable of holding up to 6.3 gallons
• A carry handle
• Easy folding mechanism
• Matching footmuff for cold weather
• Aerosleep mattress
• A matching sun parasol
• Completely machine washable fabric
• A maintenance kit bottle silicone spray, pump, container of petroleum jelly, cloth for silicone spray, cloth for petroleum jelly
• Instructional DVD

The reversible seat and two-wheel position make three different modes for all sorts of terrain and comfort levels. The swivel wheels allow for a more maneuverable steering position.

Price: $ 2808 CAD at Crocodilebaby.com

This stroller is adorable. It reminds me of when Louis Vuitton came out with the Murakami handbag a couple of years ago. Not many in production, very exclusive and very different!!

Having this stroller would guarentee no one else out shopping had the same thing.

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Bugaboo By Bas Kosters

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Bugaboos are very popular. They come in pink, blue, green, yellow, and red. Basically every colour of the rainbow. When you are at the mall you can be sure to see one, if not a few. This is one you will probably never see.

There are only 1000 of these bugaboo’s in production. This stroller was designed specially by Dutch fashion icon Bas Kosters.

Besides the exclusive design, the Bugaboo By Bas Kosters combines all of the features of the Bugaboo Cameleon—except the adjustable handle bar—and adds a wide range of accessories.

It includes:

• A matching sun canopy, rain canopy and mosquito netting
• A matching under seat bag capable of holding up to 6.3 gallons
• A carry handle
• Easy folding mechanism
• Matching footmuff for cold weather
• Aerosleep mattress
• A matching sun parasol
• Completely machine washable fabric
• A maintenance kit bottle silicone spray, pump, container of petroleum jelly, cloth for silicone spray, cloth for petroleum jelly
• Instructional DVD

The reversible seat and two-wheel position make three different modes for all sorts of terrain and comfort levels. The swivel wheels allow for a more maneuverable steering position.

Price: $ 2808 CAD at Crocodilebaby.com

This stroller is adorable. It reminds me of when Louis Vuitton came out with the Murakami handbag a couple of years ago. Not many in production, very exclusive and very different!!

Having this stroller would guarentee no one else out shopping had the same thing.

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Comfy Shoes for On The Go Moms

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I have seen these shoes all over and now I want a pair. They are perfect for my hectic lifestyle – no laces to tie!! There is only one problem, I am having a terrible time finding a Canadian company that carries them.

I swear they were designed for the on the go mom. Slip on and fashionable, what more could you want?

Toms, a shoe company owned by Blake Mycoskie, was inspired by the ancient alpagatos and the impoverished kids in Argentina while he was traveling there earlier this year.

“TOMS was created with a singular mission: To make life more comfortable. TOMS accomplishes this through it’s ultra lightweight design and the company’s commitment to match every pair purchased with a donated pair to a child in need…there are no complicated formulas, it’s simple…you buy a pair of TOMS and the company gives a pair to a child on your behalf.” Blake Mycoskie

They are cute, come in great colours and are reasonably priced. $40 U.S. You have your choice of 15 colours/patterns. All that plus you are helping our children who are less fortunate.

As soon as I find a Canadian retailer I will post it!!

See the selection for yourself www.tomsshoes.com

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Alberta’s Children’s Hospital Opens!!

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Today is a big day in Alberta for families of sick children. Alberta’s Children’s Hospital opened it doors today after 7 years of planning and 3 years of construction. The new Hospital is the first free-standing comprehensive pediatric facility built in Canada in 20 years.

“There was an incredible amount of thought that went into designing and building this hospital, and as a community we should be very proud. This state-of-the-art facility will ensure our talented staff can provide the very best care to sick children, while at the same time helping them to push the boundaries of excellence. The sky is the limit in terms of the innovative, leading-edge quality care that we’ll be able to offer.” Charlie Fischer, a key advocate for the new hospital, who co-chaired the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation’s fundraising drive for the new building

Steve Hoscheit, President and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, which raised $53 million during the fundraising campaign for the new hospital, and more than $25 million since, says, “This facility is the hospital of our dreams. It allows us the opportunity to provide state-of-the-art care for our children because it is truly a state-of-the-art building.” Pride and commitment to excellence are evident in every square inch of the $253 million hospital. Among other things, the new building features:

• The new hospital will be 50% larger than the current hospital — an increase of about 500 thousand square feet of working space to 741 thousand square feet. It has the ability to double its capacity again if needed.
• More operating rooms (from five to nine) and post operation beds will accommodate more surgeries.
• An outpatient clinic area that will eventually become twice as large as the original site.
• A specialized air flow system, inter-operative MRI and SMART technology capabilities as well as the ability to isolate a number of areas in case of an infection outbreak.
• The Emergency Department in the new hospital is designed to accommodate 60 thousand visits per year. While the current hospital was built to handle 23 thousand visits, it now handles about twice that number.
• The new hospital will have 133 beds. One-hundred-and-five of them will be single patient rooms – nearly five times more than the existing facility – an important factor in preventing the spread of infection and illness.
• The new hospital is designed to further excellence in family centred care with enhancements like daybeds for parents in patient rooms.

While the new hospital features state-of-the art technology, it is also designed to be adaptable to changing technological needs without major renovations, thanks in part to dedicated interstitial spaces between floors where infrastructure can be replaced and upgraded without disrupting the hospital’s operations.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of new hospitals in Canada. Our current hospitals need to be updated to accomodate the growing population in this country.

SOURCE:Alberta Health Region

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Comfy Shoes for On The Go Moms

---

I have seen these shoes all over and now I want a pair. They are perfect for my hectic lifestyle – no laces to tie!! There is only one problem, I am having a terrible time finding a Canadian company that carries them.

I swear they were designed for the on the go mom. Slip on and fashionable, what more could you want?

Toms, a shoe company owned by Blake Mycoskie, was inspired by the ancient alpagatos and the impoverished kids in Argentina while he was traveling there earlier this year.

“TOMS was created with a singular mission: To make life more comfortable. TOMS accomplishes this through it’s ultra lightweight design and the company’s commitment to match every pair purchased with a donated pair to a child in need…there are no complicated formulas, it’s simple…you buy a pair of TOMS and the company gives a pair to a child on your behalf.” Blake Mycoskie

They are cute, come in great colours and are reasonably priced. $40 U.S. You have your choice of 15 colours/patterns. All that plus you are helping our children who are less fortunate.

As soon as I find a Canadian retailer I will post it!!

See the selection for yourself www.tomsshoes.com

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Organics or Not?

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The organics awareness has been growing over the last few years. Major grocery chains now have a section of the store for organic products and health food stores are popping up everywhere.

Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. All products sold as “organic” must be certified. Certification includes annual submission of an organic system plan and inspection of farm fields and processing facilities. Inspectors verify that organic practices such as long-term soil management, buffering between organic farms and neighboring conventional farms, and record keeping are being followed. Processing inspections include review of the facility’s cleaning and pest control methods, ingredient transportation and storage, and record keeping and audit control.

In Canada, the organic industry has been growing at a rate of 15 to 20% annually for the past decade with approximately 3 670 certified organic farms in 2004.

The cost of organic food is higher than that of conventional food because the organic price tag more closely reflects the true cost of growing the food: substituting labor and intensive management for chemicals, the health and environmental costs of which are borne by society. These costs include cleanup of polluted water and remediation of pesticide contamination. Prices for organic foods include costs of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage. In the case of processed foods, processing and packaging costs are also included. Organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations governing all these steps than conventional foods. The intensive management and labor used in organic production are frequently (though not always) more expensive than the chemicals routinely used on conventional farms.

Because the cost of organics is almost twice the cost of regular produce, some families are not able to buy all organics for their household. Ewg.org has compiled a list of the most contaminated produce so…if you can’t buy all organic, you should at least get these ones.

12 Most Contaminated
Buy These Organic

• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

12 Least Contaminated

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Peas (sweet)

Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) has an extensive report on the pesticide level for all produce. It is definitely worth reading because we should all know which are good for our families and which are not.

SOURCE:www.ofrf.org

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Alberta’s Children’s Hospital Opens!!

---

Today is a big day in Alberta for families of sick children. Alberta’s Children’s Hospital opened it doors today after 7 years of planning and 3 years of construction. The new Hospital is the first free-standing comprehensive pediatric facility built in Canada in 20 years.

“There was an incredible amount of thought that went into designing and building this hospital, and as a community we should be very proud. This state-of-the-art facility will ensure our talented staff can provide the very best care to sick children, while at the same time helping them to push the boundaries of excellence. The sky is the limit in terms of the innovative, leading-edge quality care that we’ll be able to offer.” Charlie Fischer, a key advocate for the new hospital, who co-chaired the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation’s fundraising drive for the new building

Steve Hoscheit, President and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, which raised $53 million during the fundraising campaign for the new hospital, and more than $25 million since, says, “This facility is the hospital of our dreams. It allows us the opportunity to provide state-of-the-art care for our children because it is truly a state-of-the-art building.” Pride and commitment to excellence are evident in every square inch of the $253 million hospital. Among other things, the new building features:

• The new hospital will be 50% larger than the current hospital — an increase of about 500 thousand square feet of working space to 741 thousand square feet. It has the ability to double its capacity again if needed.
• More operating rooms (from five to nine) and post operation beds will accommodate more surgeries.
• An outpatient clinic area that will eventually become twice as large as the original site.
• A specialized air flow system, inter-operative MRI and SMART technology capabilities as well as the ability to isolate a number of areas in case of an infection outbreak.
• The Emergency Department in the new hospital is designed to accommodate 60 thousand visits per year. While the current hospital was built to handle 23 thousand visits, it now handles about twice that number.
• The new hospital will have 133 beds. One-hundred-and-five of them will be single patient rooms – nearly five times more than the existing facility – an important factor in preventing the spread of infection and illness.
• The new hospital is designed to further excellence in family centred care with enhancements like daybeds for parents in patient rooms.

While the new hospital features state-of-the art technology, it is also designed to be adaptable to changing technological needs without major renovations, thanks in part to dedicated interstitial spaces between floors where infrastructure can be replaced and upgraded without disrupting the hospital’s operations.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of new hospitals in Canada. Our current hospitals need to be updated to accomodate the growing population in this country.

SOURCE:Alberta Health Region

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