life as i know it...

Another spring, another flood here in Fredericton. We've been having a lot of rain this week, with more forecasted, and it has combined with a ton of melted snow and ice jams. Result: the Saint John river is spilling over. It looks like this year's flood will be the worst it's been since 1973!

We don't live very close to the river, so our house won't get flooded, but we may have a visitor later this week! Hubby's aunt lives a few streets away from the river, and if the water rises over 8 metres (as predicted), her basement will flood. She has already had her furnace shut off to prevent a fire overnight. This shows how much of the city will be flooded at 8 metres. The flooding elsewhere along the river is worse than in Fredericton though, and a lot of people have been evacuated from their houses already.

I haven't taken any pictures, but if you're interested, check out nagzi's Flood '08 photostream on Flickr, or the CBC slideshow of viewer photos.

Soccer fields are underwater, with only the tops of goalposts visible. Farmland and graveyards are flooding, and boats can't get under the bridges anymore (if anyone would be crazy enough to go boating with the strong current!). I also heard that several of the ramps leading to the bridges have been closed, so traffic is much worse than usual. And one poor woman at Hubby's work has to drive an hour out of her way to get to work, because the most direct route has flooded.

And the irony of it all? The Emergency Measures Office is pretty damn close to the floodplain!

Posted in: New Brunswick on April 29, 2008 0 comments    

Well, not really, but I do wish I qualified for this fantastic deal!

Microsoft Canada is offering students a limited-time deal to buy Office Ultimate 2007 for $64! The offer ends tomorrow (April 30th), so check out the details now to see if you qualify for the offer.

Other locations have similar deals - in the USA it's $59.95. Click on your flag at the top right-hand corner of the screen to see the offer in your country.

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Gillian's video of The Electric Company made me think of The Edison Twins:



Which had a link to 30 minutes of 80s cartoon openings:



A few years ago, Hubby and I hosted an 80s cartoon night. It was so much fun! We got dressed up like 80s cartoon characters and watched a bunch of cartoons, ate junk, and had some drinks. Yes, I know, totally geeky, but fun!!

There are also a bunch of clips of kid's programs on YouTube... even the Polka Dot Door! I had no idea this was a TV Ontario program!

Posted in: on April 25, 2008 0 comments    

I still haven't gotten around to trying to crochet a Klean Kanteen cosy, but I found a bunch of neat (free!) patterns for different types of crafts on Craft Magazine's pattern podcasts.

Some favourites: Baby booties, Spiderweb skirt, 'Maddy' top, and this awesome 'Zoe' dress!

Seriously, I may never be able to make these (I don't even have a sewing machine!), but a girl can dream!

Posted in: baby, crafts, fashion on April 23, 2008 3 comments    

To commemorate Earth Day, here's a 'green' roundup!

• Sign the petition to urge Clorox (the makers of the Brita water pitcher) to make their plastic filters recyclable, reusable, or to create a take-back program.
  
  
• For those of you who complain that your Klean Kanteen water bottle is too cold, check out Yvette's crocheted Klean Kanteen cosy/cover. I've bought yarn and needles, and plan to try it! (This is very ambitious for me. I bought two balls of yarn, because of the inevitable disaster that will happen to the first!) I also bought a neoprene bottle cooler, pulled out the stitching and folded it so that it fits on C's Klean Kanteen sippy cup. Functional, but not as pretty as the crocheted cover!
  
  
• Here's a cute little book for kids called Michael Recycle, which I read reviews of on the blogs Fake Plastic Fish, and Nature Moms.

• The Green Parent (and my non-affiliated pharmacist hubby) would like to remind you to bring your expired medication to your pharmacy to have it safely disposed of. You should be able to do this at any pharmacy, with prescription and over-the-counter medication. Reduce the amount of meds showing up in our water supply!

And check out Treehugger for a ton of interesting articles!

Posted in: books, crafts, environment, health, kids on April 21, 2008 5 comments    

I think.
What do you think of the new look?

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Posted in: on April 20, 2008 0 comments    

As most of you have heard by now, Canada has declared the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) a toxic substance, and plans to ban the use of the chemical in baby bottles. In my opinion, this is a positive step, although BPA is still used in many other plastic children's products (sippy cups, soothers, teethers, toys, dishes and utensils...).

This evening I found a GREAT resource to help parents make sense of the recycling symbols and the confusing claims from companies selling children's products. Head on over to Z Recommends for current and frequently updated information on BPA, PVC/vinyl, phthalates, and other nasty chemicals in children's products. They have comprehensive reviews of:

• BPA in children's feeding products and pacifiers (this is a fantastic resource - click on each company's name to get a list of which products include BPA, and which are BPA free. They've even created a text message service to get you info while you're shopping!)
  
• A guide to safer teethers
  
• A guide to safer bath toys
  

They also had a "sippy cup showdown" which rates some of the BPA-free toddler cup options on the market.

I was very happy to see that the plastic sippy cups we use for C do not contain BPA, although we're using her Klean Kanteen more often anyways, and plan to buy another one (who knows what other chemicals in plastic will be declared toxic in the future?).

Z Recommends also reviews new and interesting children's products, and posts interesting tips. A very handy site for busy parents!!

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Also handy for parents to know...

What to do when your child goes nuts with a marker:

Posted in: baby, health, kids, toxic on April 19, 2008 0 comments    

Life as I know it has changed... literally, and figuratively!

Over the past year and a half, I have dealt with pregnancy and its complications, cared for a newborn, had a year off work, jumped back into work with both feet, and celebrated my little girl's first birthday. Currently, I'm trying to balance family life and part-time work, while running after a mischievous (but oh-so-lovable) toddler!

I've been thinking of getting back to blogging, to share some of my thoughts, feelings, and great things that I run into online.

I still haven't had enough time to join Facebook, along with almost everyone else I know, but I'm hoping to be able to post here every week or so. Here goes! ;)

Posted in: on April 14, 2008 4 comments