Archives for October 2011

Snow, Polar Bears & a White Coke Can

October 26, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

I know, Halloween isn’t even over yet but bear with me while I talk about Christmas for a minute.

Chances are good we’ll have a white Christmas this year. You’re probably thinking, “What?! Doesn’t she live in Canada?” Yes, I do, but I live in a part of Canada that doesn’t get a lot of snow. But not for long! It looks like we’ll be in Calgary just in time to really enjoy winter. (Whose idea was this…?)

I am ridiculously excited about having more snow this winter (though feel free to talk to me in March and see if I still feel that way). Just yesterday morning Connor and I were watching Backyardigans and in this particular episode they were snowboarding. “Look, mama! Snow!” he said. Oh kid, you’re in for a wonderland of fun this winter.

There are certain things that always make it seem like Christmas to me. One of them – I kid you not – is the Christmas Coke commercials. You know the ones with the polar bears? I love those. Especially the ones with the sliding baby bears. Those ones are awesome.

I don’t know why I love those commercials so much, but I do. Maybe because they’re cute. Or because they’re happy. Or because I drink a lot of Coke…

Or maybe it’s because I think polar bears are magical. My brother spent a couple of seasons WAY up north in polar bear country, and one of my sisters was there for a season too. Their stories and photos are incredible.

Photo credit: Greg Hounslow (my bro)

After hearing about their experiences I understand more how tragic the threat to the polar bear habitat is. (And yes, I’m going to get all “do good things!” on you now.)

Coke is turning their red cans white this holiday season as part of the “Arctic Home” campaign, another thing I think is awesome. It makes total sense to me for Coke to raise awareness and funds to support World Wildlife Fund (WWF) efforts to protect the polar bears’ Arctic home.

Coke will contribute $2 million to WWF over the next five years, and donations from consumers made by March 15, 2012 will be matched – up to $1 million USD – through the Arctic Home campaign.

I love seeing companies do this. A white Coke can with polar bears on it? That will totally get people’s attention. I hope it generates donations (need a Christmas present for someone environmentally-minded?) but I think the awareness is important too.

Coke will be doing “Arctic Home” commercials as well as other advertisements and promotions, and they’re also working with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker MacGillivray-Freeman Films on a new IMAX film called To The Arctic 3D. (You can see some preview footage from the film in the video below.)

You can find out more on iCoke.ca, where you can explore, experience and learn about the polar bear and its Arctic home. You can also watch video chats with WWF scientists, track virtual polar bear sightings, and make donations online.

This whole endeavour is something I applaud, and I will be supporting the campaign, sharing it with others, and checking out the polar bears (I can’t resist photos and info about these bears). I will also totally be in the theatre for that IMAX film. Probably with popcorn and a white Coke can in hand.

Filed Under: Better world, Stuff I like ·

The Secret to a Clutter-Free Life

October 24, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

Thanks to Tervis for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website to learn more about the world’s first smart cup.

If you were to peek inside our cupboards right now, you’d think the most ~~anal~~ organized people ever lived here. And they do! (But there is a bunch of stuff in boxes at my parents’ house.)

I’ve told you about how we’re moving, right? And how we’ve done a ton of work around our house in preparation?

One of the big things we’ve done is get rid of stuff. Not that we belonged on an episode of Hoarders or anything; we do a fairly good job of getting rid of superfluous crap every few years, mostly recently right before Connor was born. But after this most recent spree I’ve found the formula for a clutter-free life: baskets (or containers) + trash bags = HALLELUJAH.

We already had some sweet systems in place, but by getting rid of the extra stuff we had hanging around, it really feels like we have more space. We don’t, really. We just have less clutter.

We’ve done a few things over the last few years to beat back the insanity that is a normal family’s house.

A year or so ago my husband tackled the kitchen. Our pantry basically consists of two cupboards in our island, and we had a tendency to just chuck stuff in there. (Please tell me we’re not the only ones.) So he went through and purged all the unidentifiable bulk-aisle bags, the boxes of crackers with only crumbs inside, and about 243 escaped raisins. He sorted, put everything in its own container and labelled them all. And see? Totally ~~anal~~ organized!

Then you have the hall closet. It’s been more or less like this for a while, but we got rid of a few extra coats and did the whole thing up in spanky wooden hangers and voilà!

I told you – baskets = brilliant.

Want to see the drawer formerly known as “junk?”

Little baskets! That clip on to each other! I feel more sane just looking at this. (And this, incidentally, was my system. My husband made it better by ditching some stuff… Hey! Where’s my iPod…?)

And last, but certainly not least, I give you this:

Why yes, I did just show you a picture of the cupboard in my bathroom. With baskets, thankyouverymuch. Everything I need in the morning is in that basket in the front, which means it’s not cluttering up my bathroom counter.

Baskets, I tell you. It’s as simple as that.

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I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Tervis, visit their website: http://www.tervis.com.

Filed Under: Happy things, Randomness, Stuff I like ·

5 Things That Make Me Smile

October 23, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

Today I’m hosting the Be Enough Me link-up on Just.Be.Enough. The topic is 5 things that make you smile and I’ll tell you one thing about what’s on my list: it’s not my son (though he does make me smile). Want to see what’s on my list? You’ll have to come over there to find out.

And while you’re at it, write something and link up with us!

Filed Under: Happy things ·

On the Move: Guest Posting at The Mommy Matters

October 20, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

A lot of things about my life aren’t as expected after my experience with PPD, as shared (in abundant detail) here. One of the things I didn’t bank on was the effect PPD would have on the spacing of my kids.

I’m sharing my thoughts on that in a guest post on The Mommy Matters today. I can’t even remember how I first met Courtney, but I’m very glad I did. She’s an absolutely beautiful person and a great writer. She’s one of those honest types I cherish. Her photography is amazing. As in I-almost-don’t-want-to-look-at-it-because-it-makes-me-feel-inadequate amazing. But I overlook that because she also does amazing design work and offered a blog design giveaway, which I won! Whee! (I’m WAY excited about that.)

Anyway, this isn’t about my artistic inadequacy. It’s about Courtney being a wonderful host. She’s started a new series called Feature Friday and has invited me to kick it off. I’m incredibly flattered and have shared a post that is very close to my heart. Please come and read.

Comments off here today. Come and talk to me at The Mommy Matters!

Filed Under: Guest posts, Hard things, Motherhood, Postpartum depression · Tagged With: expectations, family, hope

Love in a Pickle Jar: A Review of Love at First Bark

October 20, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

Julie Klam, author of Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help You Save Yourself, is undoubtedly, definitely, for sure a dog lover. She’s just not a writer. (I say this while acknowledging she wrote You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness, which is billed as a bestseller. I haven’t read it so can’t comment.)

In any case, while it’s not great literature, this book is a fun read. The book starts with Klam and her husband spending a significant amount of time on a street corner trying to figure what to do with Morris the pit bull, who appears to have been abandoned. Klam is clearly committed to saving dogs, and I was interested in finding out to what lengths she would go.

To great lengths, it turns out. After dealing with poor Morris, Klam gives shelter to a sweet-sounding dog who is unfortunately somewhat incontinent. (Uh, is there another word for it when it comes out the other end too?) Anyway… Clementine sounded like a perfectly lovely dog, and I’m glad there are people like Klam willing to give dogs like her a home.

The third story in the book finds Klam in post-Katrina New Orleans helping a group that rescues dogs. The book jacket boldly claims she dove under a train to save an injured stray, though I found the actual event to be more evocative of Incrediboy than Mr. Incredible. But still, valiant dedication to saving a dog with a pickle jar on its head.

My main complaint with the book is that Klam’s writing appears to be totally free-form. She narrates the events as if the reader were simply along for the ride, sharing her every thought and including jokes that don’t come across terribly well in writing. She includes sidebar stories that, while interesting, don’t relate to the main plot and could easily have been set aside in favour of additional reflection about how the experiences with the dogs affected her personally. Early in the book Klam describes her family’s apartment in New York – which, admittedly, I wouldn’t want to live in either – but I really didn’t get the impression that she needed “saving.” She’s just a dog lover with a soft spot for undesirable dogs, and the love that comes through in her storytelling is enough to make this a nice, feel-good book. As long as you’re not totally fussy about grammar and sentence structure, that is.

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Want to hear other bloggers’ opinions? Check out Love At First Bark on BlogHer.

Have you rescued or adopted an animal? Join the discussion.

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own. I’m picky about writing but I do really like dogs. Oh, and this post contains affiliate links. Just so you know.

Filed Under: Book reviews ·