Mom Knows Everything

I come from a very large family. I have four brothers and three sisters, so in total there are eight kids.  Because of so many siblings there are varying age differences between some of us. Some of us are only 18 months apart and some of us are almost 20 years apart. No matter the age difference we all love each other. I am especially close to all my sisters. One of them there is only an 18 month age difference so we basically grew up together as best friends and my two other sisters are much older than me and are mother figures to me and also best friends to me. There are different dynamics with my sisters and we all have our roles. One of them is who I get accounting advice from, one who I get medical advice from, and one who I know I can always depend on no matter how stupid the thing I need is. I'm the one who's the middleman, the one who mediates everything and with so many siblings sometimes a little mediation is required.

When it comes to medical advice, whether it's first aid, if there is any viruses going around, or even natural menopause treatments there is one specific sister I go to. She works at the hospital for a specialist doctor and I know I can always depend upon her for any medical questions I that I don't want to call my doctor and bother him with. Another great thing about having a sister who has a wide range of medical knowledge and connections is that I don't have to be embarrassed to ask her female questions. Because we are all so close I'm not embarrassed to ask her anything and can talk to her about anything. So when the time comes to find out about menopause and menopause supplements I know she will give me the best information and advice. I always tell my children when they argue with each other to remember that your siblings will always be there for you when you need them and they should be nice to each other. They will always love you.

Sorry for the absence in posting the last few days. Due to a family medical emergency I have been absent from my computer. Hopefully things will get back to more normal in the next few days. Thank you all for you well wishes for my husband. He is doing much better and we will find out more information on Thursday.

It's almost Victoria Day which means a long weekend here in Canada. In many communities there will be special events celebrating Victoria Day. One thing my family does on Victoria Day weekend is get together and have a family barbecue and after the barbecue we have a campfire. Since Victoria Day is the unofficial first long weekend of summer we also like to have fireworks. Besides the barbecue, campfire, and fireworks, we also like to have music. This could be something as simple as singing around the campfire or having a family jam session where everyone brings their guitars, E Mu keyboards, and other musical instruments. Music just makes the party even better.

Kick off the first unofficial long weekend of summer with family, friends, fun, and music!

I recently had a request for my chocolate chip cookies recipe again so here it is. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup softened margarine
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Cream all above ingredients well. In a separate bowl add the following ingredients.
2 1/2 cup white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/s teaspoon salt
Stir to blend and add the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix together well with spoon and add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded spoonful onto un-greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until light brown. Do not over bake.

Because of the computer age we live in things have certainly changed. Everything is now electronic, including bullying. Now a days children's bullying has become cyberbullying. Remember when bully was something stealing lunch money or someone saying someone has cooties? Now a days bullying has hit the internet full on. There have been cases in the news and on television shows about cyberbullying and even to the point where children have decided to end their lives because of this bullying.

Here in Canada a case of cyberbullying on Facebook is going to the Supreme Court of Canada. In this case a young girl became aware of a false Facebook page of her someone made scandalous sexual commentary of a private and intimate nature".  Wendy Craig, a cyberbullying expert at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, stated that "in Canada, about 19 per cent of youth report being victimized by cyberbullies". These are the only ones who reported it. Imagine the number if all the kids reported it! Craig also states, "The impacts on victims of cyberbullying tend to be stronger than traditional bullying, and can include depressive symptoms, anxiety, social isolation and substance abuse."

If you are worried about cyberbullying, and as parents we all should be, there are options we can use to help. There are online services such as  reputationdefender that can help you control over the information about you and your children that’s available online.They provides a monthly report on what people are saying about you/your children on the Internet and can remove negative comments.

I encourage all you parents to talk to your children about cyberbullying. Find out if they have been a victim of it. Let them know that cyberbullying is wrong. It's hurtful and really cause serious damage. Bullying is bullying and as parents we have to protect our children and stop bullying.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there from Mom Knows Everything. You're all supermoms!

Now that the cold weather has gone I am no longer knitting hats, mittens, and sweaters. Instead I'm knitting toys, and it's costing me next to nothing to make them. I simply use leftover yarn, some fiberfill, and free patterns I've found online.

In no time I've made these cute toys for next to nothing, and the kids love them. The little boy with his dog is a replica of my son, who has blond curly hair, and his dog Drake.