Once Upon A Deadpool

Like many parents of young kids, Molly and Jack love superheroes.  Most of their play revolves around dressing up as various characters, some of the Marvel and DC universe, and others of their own creation.  With the recent pop culture fascination of the anti-hero trending, so has the minions curiosity for not so squeaky clean super abled crusaders.

This summer Jack started talking about how he 'needed to see Deadpool'.  We told him no, it was too violent, too graphic, and too laden with F-bombs.  He began to wear away at us with typical kid tactics, mentioned kids at school who were able to watch it, asked for a costume for his birthday (which we got him), and started handled other (darker) super hero movies like Thor, Dr. Strange, and Avengers Infinity War with a maturity of kids closer to ten.

via Empire

For ages we told him he'd be allowed to watch Deadpool when he was ten.  Then, one morning, after I'd been out for the night, I noticed that Jack was quietly singing the Salt N' Peppa song Shoop to himself.  BUSTED.  Chris had let him watch some highlights of Deadpool, including a really violent scene from the beginning, because 'Jack was having trouble sleeping and he was up watching the film and didn't want to turn it off."

We told him that it was inappropriate for him to watch, and talk about with other kids his age, and true to his word he didn't talk about anything Deadpool plot related to other kids.  At Halloween he wanted to go out as Deadpool, but then asked me to make him another costume (a Doctor Octopus one) for school since he got that Deadpool was something inappropriate for him to wear to school.  Both kids seemed to 'get it'.

via Slash Media

When we heard that they were releasing an edited, slightly more kid-friendly version of Deadpool 2 for the holidays to bring it from it's R Rating down to a PG13 film, all to raise money for a children's charity we knew we had to take the kids AND THEY LOVED IT.....

Here's a cheat sheet on whether or not you should take your kids....

DON'T LET YOUR KIDS SEE ONCE UPON A DEADPOOL IF....

-You don't like innuendo
-You want a film with no swearing (they've removed pretty much all of the F bombs, but there is still a lot of colourful language in there)
- They scare easily (the jail scene is pretty scary, but no more scary than a later Harry Potter movie or Avengers Infinity War).
- If they're under six or seven (Molly and Jack were the youngest kids in the theatre by a few years, but handled it fine, a year or two ago this wouldn't have worked)
-You don't want your kids to see a movie where people die or shoot guns
-Your kids are likely to repeat said bad language from the movie
-You hate Fred Savage - He's a big part of the movie in the best possible way - Think Princess Bride


Otherwise enjoy....it's not as good as the original, but Molly and Jack adored it, and is chocked full of easter eggs for fans.  Don't forget to stay through the credits to see all of the extras and know that you're doing something good because profits go to charity.

Supporting Fierce Females & Sharing Their Stories

The holidays are often where we put our money where our mouths are in terms of supporting the causes and charities we believe in most. 

One of the most meaningful projects I've had the pleasure of working on is as a writer and Managing Editor for Future Female Magazine. 

This Month We Launched a Go Fund Me Account:  To Support Us Click Here

In spring 2018, Future Female Magazine  launched as a free grassroots response to what is missing from Canada's health and life style media - sharing real stories, inspirations, tips, and more from authentic Canadian women.  

With social platforms and readership levels in the thousands, and positive feedback from our supporters, fans, and readers, Future Female Magazine's digital footprint is growing every day.  We have explored entrepreneurs, mental & physical health, beauty, body positivity, personal triumph, community, and more... 

Previously Future Female Magazine has been funded by founder Kat Leroux, in addition to a small amount advertising, and other small sources of revenue.

In our outreach to potential advertisers it has become apparent that there is a need for print as well as digital issues to get the advertisements needed to continue to run this magazine, with distribution in the Greater Toronto Area.  

By supporting Future Female Magazine you will be allowing us to pay our writers, photographers, make-up artists, and contributors fair and equitable rates for their hard work, and allowing us to continue to share much needed celebration of Canadian Women.  You will also be funding, photography studio rentals, online advertisement of Future Female Magazine and the creation of  print collateral materials to solicit advertising that will help us make our one year anniversary issue a print one that can reach even more women!

All supporters who wish to be thanked for their generosity, and supporting our small Canadian startup will receive a thank you mention in our one year anniversary issue of Future Female Magazine.

Without so many amazing contributors, supporters, fans, and friends Future Female Magazine wouldn't exist.  Thank you for helping us continue to share, educate, and help bring the stories of real Canadians to print!

To Support Future Female Magazine Click Here

If you can't support financially, please like this post, share our message, on social and personally. and read our magazine!  It's free and fantastic.  Our Fall Issue Is Online Here

Lockdown

The other night my husband and I were watching the new 2018 TV series based on the Winona Ryder/ Christian Slater film Heathers.  As we came to an episode about a school lockdown drill, we began to talk about how different things are now than they were when we were growing up, and how scary this stuff all is, particularly as parents.

Not a day later I received a notification from the school board - several schools in the area were in lockdown and hold and secure, including the one that the minions go to.  While the incident being investigated by police was at a high school nearby, many daycares, primary schools, and other establishments were shut down just in case for over half of the school day.

Image via UNO News Net

I spent the afternoon distractedly tapping away at my keyboard for work, and refreshing the TDSB social media account to figure out what was going on, whether or not everyone was safe, and when/how I'd be able to pick up my kids.  As tempting as it was to call the school, demand to know what was going on, I knew they had this, and I had to be patient.  Our kids safety is dependant on us following these instructions.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and everyone let the police do their job.  At pickup, instead of finding scared kids, they were both a little hyper, since they hadn't been permitted to go out for lunch or recess that day.  The only upset moment was when Molly realized that her brother had managed to get his hands on a coveted purchase of chocolate milk (I imagine kids in the older grades who normally leave school property for lunch were buying a ton of these to fill them up at lunch), and by the time the milk cart arrived at Molly's class they were sold out. There were a lot of tears, and we needed to purchase replacement chocolate milk. Sometimes I forget that they're only seven and important issues to them are very different than they are to us.  I wish my biggest worry was chocolate milk, but I'm happy that in what was a scary situation for us, it was not one for our young kids.

I don't love that our kids live in a world where they have to do things like lockdown drills (apparently last year their was a lockdown when an animal who was suspected of having rabies was near their school - another important use of the system), I'm relieved that the school has in place rules, systems, and communications to help keep our children safe, and us parents as calm as we can be.

This serves as a reminder for us all to review our school handbooks and find out how the school will communicate with us should there be an emergency.  Today I am thankful to our teachers, the police, and the communication team at TDSB who kept our kids safe, calm, and happy.

Everything Coming up Milhouse

For as long as my children have had age related milestones to reach, check-in meetings have always stressed me out.  Being twins, who arrived a little early (but not all that early), and having been born in the latter half of the year, they've been held to the same academic standards of kids who are six to eight months older than them,more often than not they are falling behind when it comes to what they 'should' be able to do by standardized milestones and testing.

Whenever I hear other parents complaining that the teacher didn't give them enough difference between what 'Good' and 'Excellent' means on a report card, or various other things about their child's intense academic prowess it fills me with a silent rage.  It's not like my kids aren't working hard, it's just they aren't there yet.  I mean I'm happy your kid is 'excellent', but maybe, just maybe other parents aren't appreciating your not so humble brag.

Image Courtesy of Kat Leroux

Neither kid was fast to walk (both were around 18 months).  We never thought that Jack would talk, but thanks to amazing care from their pre-school, speech therapy, and a lot of effort on his part, I can't imagine a time when he wasn't talking our ears off, despite being quite the introvert at school.

The minions have both been working hard with a tutor since April, and even worked twice a week through most of their summer.

Earlier this month when report cards came out I felt that old familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach.  As I tore open the report cards and read, I couldn't believe it.  All of a sudden things were clicking, both reports were filled with Satisfactory, Good, and even some Excellent.  There are still a couple of areas to work on, but this was by far the best report either child had received. I wanted to cry I was so happy, and at the same time I was in disbelief, with some irrational fear that the other shoe was going to fall when we attended the parent-teacher conference, but they were unfounded.  There were no surprises, just strategies we could work on together, and suddenly I felt some of this weight, some of this guilt that our kids just weren't keeping up lift.

A few nights ago when Jack read me his take home book, complete with inflection, voices, whispers, and emotion, I couldn't believe it.  It serves as a reminder that time passes, our kids reach their milestones on their own schedule, not one that was standardized. The next time I find myself getting stressed out about things they aren't or can't do yet.  I'm going to think about reading with Jack, or playing math games with Molly as she adds up her Sushi Go points, cause that's my Good and Excellent happy kids who love school and are learning, with or without academic excellence.

Season of the Witch - My Homemade Ursula the Sea Witch Costume

Being a princess is fun, but being a villain is better.  This year I decided to go out as The Little Mermaid Villain, Ursula the Sea Witch.  You know, this fabulous white haired lady, octopus, bad guy, you get the picture:

Image Courtesy of Enchanted America

Making Tentacles:

Took two pairs of old pantyhose, drew on tentacles using fabric paint ($8.49, and I have plenty left over for other winter crafts), let it dry, stuffed them with cotton stuffing that my mom generously donated, and used some craft wire from Dollarama ($1.49) to curl them up at the end.  I then secured them to a thin belt I already owned with safety pins.

Tentacles in progress

 For my hair I teased it up on top of my head secured it in a bun, and used a bunch of white Halloween hair spray ($5.99 Value Village).  I then topped it off with a crown ($5.99 Value Village), and the legendary necklace Ursula wears when she steals Ariel's voice ($1.99 for the necklace, glue gunned to another old necklace I had, and painted yellow with basic craft paint)

Ready for my evil close up

Here's where I failed, the make-up department.  I purchased cheap ($1.99 white Halloween face make-up, and purple $1.99) to mix together and wear on my face, chest and arms.  Since it was $1.99 product, I got what I paid for and it went on really splotchy, so I had to take it off and start all over again.  See my epic fail below.  Bought the blue eyeshadow from Shoppers Drug Mart for $4.99 and used Mac red lipstick, eyeliner for my brows and trademark mole, and baby powder to lighten my sea witch skin.

I've been told a primed would have helped with this, but it wasn't worth the time for me so I just started again.

Here is the final product, and I'm pretty proud of it $29 without make-up fail, $33 with (plus applicable taxes).  Add in a trident, or some potions, or her sidekick pet eels if you want to get some extra accessories with your costume.

Happy Halloween!

Paperback Writer - Sharing My Writing From Other Sites

It's been a while since I shared some of my writing from other sites and publications...So I hope that something hear interests you, teaches you something, or even inspires you to try something new.  

I continue to be inspired by the fantastic team I get to work with, and the fantastic people I meet in my work as Managing Editor and Writer for Future Female Magazine.  The fall issue is fresh off the presses (does that apply if it's online?) and is about goals...Please check it out and share it with your friends, coworkers, and some other fantastic real Canadian people!

Today for my full-time job I write and ghostwrite articles for online publications, organizations and blogs, in addition to providing public relations services.  While I can't really share my ghostwritten articles on this platform, cause then I wouldn't really be a ghostwriter would I, I can share some of the other stuff I have been working on.  

Click on the links for the topics that interest you most, and if you enjoy what I wrote please share, like, and follow, and keep parenting and reading on!  If you have any ideas for a story, a playground review, or article on any front, feel free to shout it out!  I'm always looking for new sources of inspiration!

Image Courtesy of Kat Leroux, Future Female Magazine

Future Female Magazine  

Click Below To Read The Following Inspiring Articles by me! Or click here to enjoy the entire issue and fantastic articles about and by other fierce Canadian women!

Modern Feminism Medieval Style - Interview with the Queens from Medieval Times Toronto

Interview with Chanile Vines

Photo by Kat Leroux Courtesy of Future Female Magazine

How to Go From Couch Potato to Goal Busting Athlete

Goals & Bucket Lists, Moving Beyond Resolutions

5 Minutes to Fabulous Hair Beyond the Ponytail

Image Courtesy of Future Female Magazine, Photography by Kat Leroux

Frittatas & Friendship Served up With Gals That Brunch

Goals & Bucket Lists, Moving Beyond Resolutions

Pregnancy

Image Courtesy of Babygaga

What Being Pregnant Really Feels Like

20 Things That Can Be Predicted About Baby Before They're Born 

Parenting

2018's Five Best Educational Toys for Kids 10 & Under

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Make your own Anne of Green Gables Halloween Costume

I don't like to buy pre-packaged Halloween costumes from the store.  Somehow it feels like cheating.  Halloween costumes are one of the few 'crafty' things I do as a mom and I love to figure out the best ways to help my kids make their costume visions come to life.

This summer Molly and I began watching the CBC re-imagination of the classic Lucy Maude Montgomery Series Anne of Green Gables.  It's darker, grittier, and probably a little more mature than the version I grew up with, but Molly instantly fell in love with it, watching together and talking about big themes like bullying, loneliness, sexism, and racism thanks to the show.

When Molly told me she wanted to be Anne of Green Gables for Halloween I knew that she was a kindred spirit to my childhood self, so we got working on it in the summer.


The Anne Hat - Straw hat purchased at Dollarama for $2.  Fabric Sunflowers also from Dollarama for $1.25 and secured on with a glue gun.

Anne Hat

The apron was made by purchasing an old white flower girl dress from Value Village and cutting out the back to make it into an apron for $5.99.  The prairie dress was the toughest item to get, since they aren't exactly in fashion for little girls right now and you could either order them online for $40-$50 or try and figure something else out.  Finally we went to the women's section of Value Village and found this traditional Anne style baby doll blouse that is so sensible that even Marilla Cuthbert would approve - purchased for $7.99!  Although it's a little big on Molly the apron works to keep everything together (along with some stitches to keep the straps of her 'apron' in place.

Sideview Anne

To make things authentically Anne, we're using eyeliner to give Molly darker freckles, that I placed over her own freckles.  We also purchased a bottle of red hair spray from Value Village for $4.99 to spray her red braids on Halloween.

To keep Molly warm on Halloween she'll be wearing black leotards with black shoes and her light pink ballet body suit underneath the costume.  For added authenticity Molly will be carrying a brown woven basket to collect her candy (like the one Anne uses to carry her lunch to school).

Total costume cost: Just over $25 tax included!

Authentically Anne!

To see my Wreck it Ralph & Princess Vanelope Costume from last Halloween click here and here.

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Walk on the Wild Side - How to Make Dog Walking Interesting for Kids

We've had our newest family member, Ted, for about five weeks now.  He's been good, well as good as puppies get.  Accidents in the house are fewer and fewer and we're getting used to new routines.  One of the first and best lessons we've learned is that 'a tired puppy is a good puppy' which means that little Ted gets a lot of walks.

One of the main drivers for the addition of Ted was that freelance life can be a little lonely, and it's both nice and healthy to legitimately have an excuse and reason to get away from the laptop several times a day and go for a nice walk.

As the person who logs the most hours with Ted, I also log the most kilometres with our puppy friend, just the same evening and weekend walks include some or all of the entire family.  As healthy as it is to get out there, it can be hard to convince a seven year old (and sometimes a 43 year old - ahem Chris) to go for a long, long walk - particularly when it's gross or cold outside.

Molly loves going on walks with me and Ted and enjoying the time to talk, catch up and get some one on one time, but just the same it can get tedious.  So here are some ideas we've come up with so far to help make our walks more fun, and even sometimes productive.

 How to Make Dog Walking Interesting for Kids

Molly takes charge on a walk with Ted

1. The Clean up Walk

This one was Molly's idea.  She's a proud earth ranger and we've both noticed a lot of garbage around the area, particularly when you have a little dog who wants to eat ALL OF THE GARBAGE.  Bring out a bag and have the kids collect garbage while you work to earn Earth Ranger/ good karma points.

2. The Playground Walk

This one is simple.  Walk with the playground as your farthest destination (or three quarters of the way back) and give the kids at least 10 to 15 minutes to play while you walk around with the dog before heading home.

3. Cool Hikes

Our family loves hiking.  Add in some caves, waterfalls, etc. and everyone is happy.

4. Festivities Walk

This time of year is perfect to check out some local neighbourhoods known for amazing Halloween decorations, fall colours and more with both the dog and kids along for the ride.  In another month or two you can do the same walk with Christmas lights.

Pausing on a hike for a snack and the view

5. Scavenger Walk

You can print some online or make your own, and offer prizes for the kid who finds everything on the list (10 dogs, orange leaves, yellow flowers, etc.)

6. Bring a Ball

Play catch or soccer or Frisbee and make the walk about playing a game with the kids and the pup.

7. The Errand Walk

This one benefits everyone.  It requires more than one adult, or kids that are old enough to run into the store to pick up your take-out order or grab that bag of milk, return those library books, but it's productive and with purpose.

8. Go Fly a Kite

Literally...Do it.

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Things My Kids Say As Shared On Twitter

We spend a lot of time with the minions and I'm fortunate enough to record the things that they say and do so I can look back on it and laugh.  Some of it makes the blog and other smaller moments don't.  One of the brilliant things about Twitter is how it's the ultimate parenting "elevator speech", because you have to keep it short. Below are recent Tweets, conversations, parental musings and things that the minions have done or said over the past month, for your reading pleasure that haven't made it to the blog.

Image Courtesy of Giphy

1. M: What's a mime? J: Someone who doesn't talk, pretends to be in a box, and touches you - whether you like it or not. (7 year old definition of a #mime) #parenting #ThingsKidsSay

2. When you puke before taking the kids #BacktoSchool because you discover a surprise old (unidentifiable) camp snack in a backpack #parenting (no tears, just vomit) 3. Me: why are you fighting? J: she keeps touching me with her cucumber M (interrupting): by accident! #summerbreak #parenting

Image Courtesy of Tenor

4. Me: It's raining and I don't have a raincoat (grumble grumble). My daughter: It's raining which means I'm more likely to see a #rainbow today, YES!!! #parenting #perspective



5. J: Mom look, someone threw out a bunch of cotton candy! Me: Those are bags and bags of dirty diapers. J: Ew, that's disappointing. Me: Did you think I'd let you eat random garbage cotton candy? J: It was worth a shot. #parenting

Image Courtesy of Giphy

6. J: Is there a version of Romeo and Juliet, but with #robots who shoot birds? #parenting #ThingsKidsSay

7. M: What are you listening to? Me: #LeonardCohen M: He sounds like he's a ghost who is haunting me through his music. Can you turn it off? Me: No.  And I think he'd of enjoyed the idea of being a ghost haunting you through his music #parenting #musiceducation


8. M: So #pirates are half human and half what? Me: They're 100 percent human. M: You mean they don't have any super powers? Me: Nope. M: Well that's the most disappointing thing I've heard today. #parenting #ThingsKidsSay

To read more blogs featuring the wacky things my kids say as featured on twitter, follow me @Sarabethbug & click here, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, & here.