Some families have a chore board or a swear jar -- we have a yelling chart. Some days I have the most blocks on the yelling chart but some days I win the best mommy ribbon. I know my mothering isn't prefect but I'm not failing either. I'm trying.

You never really know what kind of youngster you've got until you test him out in the real world. Our recent trip to Orlando confirmed that our little junior is quite the joiner. We shouldn't be surprised by his courage, I suppose. His nickname is Turbo Ginger for god sakes.

This past week was both busy and relaxing -- what with V-Day, a short work week and a four day weekend to keep the kids busy. Oscar shocking, strangers slapping babies and some great new snack ideas were all things that caught my attention this week.

I began putting together the pieces of the puzzle: new toys broken -- no, decimated -- in under 60 seconds; clothing cut up with scissors; unfinished food smashed with a toy "hammer"-- my children had been displaying destructive behaviour. Here are some steps I put in place to get my house back, which I call SCABS for short: Supervision, Consequences, Activities, Boredom and Segregation.

Christmas. The birth of Jesus. And the crucifixion of your credit card. In spite of these uncertain economic times, we're spending more than ever on crap for our little crappers. You give your youngster a big, expensive gift only to watch him toss it aside to play with the wrapping paper. This year, save yourself money with homemade gifts...

You might think that with my husband and I being as close as we are to becoming empty-nesters, we would be done hanging out with little ones. Actually the opposite is true. As we get older, we crave our time with the youngest members of our family and the young families that are our friends.

The process of convincing a 18- to 36-month-old child to give up the freedom of a diaper and learn to use the strangely shaped porcelain bathroom furniture is not for the faint of heart. While the problems may seem humourous to many, including parents who have already gone through the nightmare, there are potentially germy consequences that need to be considered.

Having kids means having playdates -- events for which there are no guidelines, and a lot of potential problems. Here are some basic rules for making it through a playdate with your bases covered, the little ones happy and best of all: your sanity.

Every week Minnow picks five things that have caught her attention. This week, moms are really into the Nutella lawsuit, videos that are pulling on parental heart strings, design-your-own-shoes sites, and more.

As a mom who has brought up a few toddlers through to their inevitable teenage stage, I know that there can be some great things about having these older kids in the house. So here are the great qualities today's teenagers have, supported by words from their own brace-laden mouths.

If you are the parent of a child between the ages of one and four, you will spend a torturous amount of time squatting ungracefully in front of them in order to zip up coats, tie shoes, wipe noses and scrub away crusted-on ketchup. Stand in your front hallway and squat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.