The controversy *ahem* surrounding the recent lawsuit filed against actor John Travolta has got me wondering: Is there a proper way to reject an unwanted advance?

It happens to both men and women in various circumstances and scenarios. Whether as teenagers or adults, and as flattering as they may seem, sometimes these advances can make for some terribly awkward situations.

So what happens if the advance comes from someone you see every day -- a coworker, perhaps? Do you go straight to your HR department? Or do you sit the person down and politely tell them that their behaviour is making you uncomfortable? Better yet, what if it happens at work, but with a client who propositions you?

Curiosity has gotten the best of me today, and I'm full of questions about this topic.

So, dear readers… How do you reject an unwanted advance?

5 easy ways to eat for less on your vacation

"Sir, how many tea bags are you bringing with you on the plane?"

The customs agent's question was accompanied by a smirk. There I was in the security line-up at airport, attracting glares from the line-up of impatient people behind me -- and a devilish grin from the customs guy. There, splayed out for all the world to see, were the contents of my suit-case, which included a generous stash of tea bags, packets of cup of soup, dried fruit and discount energy bars.

"So," asked the wicked customs agent, enjoying my reddening face, "Would you be starting an import business or perhaps you're serving tea and biscuits to the entire plane? That's lovely."

Luckily, he eventually passed me through with no problem -- and I got to keep my stash of tea bags, packets of cup of soup, dried fruit and discount energy bars... Food for the plane ride? Not really, packing all those extra goodies is just one of the ways I save mega bucks when I arrive at my destination.

Food, dining out in particular, is an essential part of travel, whether you're going on a road trip through Newfoundland or hopping a plane for Italy. Exploring the cuisine of a place is how you're likely to experience local customs, get a taste for the region's food (quite literally) and meet the locals. But how do you do it without breaking the bank?

Here are 5 money-saving tips for eating well while travelling - and not breaking your budget:

1. Bring a handful of tea bags, instant cup of soup, instant coffee packets, energy bars and dried snacks.
Travel writer Michele Sponagle put me onto the tea bags and instant cup of soup some time ago and I've never looked back. Picture this: you're in your hotel room (where there's almost always a kettle), and you're a bit peckish late at night and the kitchen is closed. Or you're thirsting for a cup of tea but don't want to get stung with a hefty charge for ordering the expensive room service.

Solution: simply keep a few of these dried goods on hand and you're all set. You'll have what you need but, more importantly, you can save a few bucks and splurge on that fine restaurant the following night. Why pay $8 for a two-cup pot of coffee (as I had to do recently) when you can have a hot cuppa for pennies.

Another money-saving tip is to stack a few nibblies in your carry-on so you're not shelling out big bucks for in-flight snacks. (Have you purchased one of those over-priced, tasteless sandwiches or wraps on an airplane recently? I recently forked out $13 for a snack that would have cost me $4 at home.) Silly me, I had packed my discount-store energy powers in my checked luggage! Next time I'll know better.

Also, if you're waiting around an airport between flights don't expect $20 to go far when you've got the munchies. Just pack a few things at home and you'll be glad you did. Or hit a super market before you head to the airport.

2. Sign up for a cooking lesson.

Doug cooking up a storm in culinary class

Enrolling in a half-day or full-day cooking lesson is an event itself. You get to spend time with locals, perhaps shop in a local market, learn a few culinary skills, maybe even go market shopping with the chef, and you get to enjoy a full meal (in many cases up to 5 courses) for a fraction of the price you'd pay in a proper restaurant. I once paid $35 for a Moroccan cooking lesson which included a four-course dinner including tagine and wine, and it was the focus of my entire day. I even left with a doggy-bag.

Most recently, I was in Belgium where I participated in a morning cooking class at Mmmmh! Culinary Centre in Brussels. It was a hands-on experience and heaps of fun.

3. Local festivals, community dinners and church-hall suppers.

Lobster dinner in the local community hall (Photo: WikiCommons)

I've noshed my way through a mountain of scallops at a community dinner in Digby, Nova Scotia with beverage for a meagre $8. And I'm talking really delicious, fresh scallops right out of the ocean.

That meal would have easily cost me about $45 in a fine restaurant at home. On another trip I lucked out in British Columbia at a community salmon dinner. I paid $10, enjoyed a salmon steak the size of my plate, and supported a good cause at the same time. Just contact the local tourist office for details on food and cultural festivals when you're planning your trip. And be sure to check the local newspaper listings.

4. Breakfast in a local diner

Get down with friendly Calgarians at Diner Deluxe

Veteran food and travel writer Joanne Sasvari is a huge fan of NOT eating breakfast in your big-chain hotel or boutique inn. Not only does it get expensive, but for a quarter of the price, you can eat in a local diner, talk to the locals, get a feel for the city or region and not pay $28 for scrambled eggs and toast. For instance, if you're in Calgary, get up and head to Diner Deluxe, a fun retro breakfast experience. You'll think you've been transported back to the 1950s.

5. Do lunch:
Prices on lunch menus in fine restaurants are usually a lot lower than the dinner menu -- for the same dish! If you're hankering for the famous four-cheese risotto at the popular Italian eatery in Montreal, why not pay less and just have your special meal in the middle of the day. Then for dinner, you treat it as a modest lunch by grabbing a healthy take-away sandwich or some fruit and snacks to enjoy on a park bench, down by the waterfront or in your hotel room.

A budget-savvy tip for foodies: swing by a local food and produce market for in-season food and locally-produced cheeses at amazingly good prices. Pick up a freshly-baked baguette and you're good to go. Chances are you'll be getting organically grown produce as well.

Do you have any great budget travel tips that work for you?

Mom, ma, momma, mommy, mother, mum, mummy, mam.

Whatever you call her, she is the first person you run to.

Whether you skin your knees, read your first word, need a tummy rub, pass your Driver's Ed test, experience your first heartbreak or need help picking out your wedding dress, she is the one you want to share your news with. She will encourage you, praise you, console you and love you through it all.

Photo credit: Nancy Menezes

You know that your mom will be there, no matter what...

Mother is the bank where we deposit all our hurts and worries.
– Unknown

Mother is the one we count on for the things that matter most of all.
– Katherine Butler Hathaway

Who ran to help me when I fell, or kissed the place to make it well? ... My mother.
– Ann Taylor

The best medicine in the world is a mother's kiss.
– Anonymous

God could not be everywhere and therefore He made mothers.
– Jewish proverb

A mother loves her children even when they least deserve to be loved.
– Kate Samperi

All I am I owe to my mother.
– George Washington

The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.
– W.R. Wallace

These are a few mom quotes that I absolutely love. I hope you do too.

To the moms out there, enjoy your special day. Embrace those children and praise their artwork. Put your feet up, sit back and watch your handiwork. They love you with everything they've got. There ain't nothing sweeter than that.

Happy Mother's Day to you.

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Every day, I get up and start the day. Some days, I feel good and I am ready to go, others, it takes all the energy in every cell of my body to do it. Why? It depends on where I’m at in my life.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if it were just this easy?

And then I started to think, hey, maybe it is! Let’s begin with love.

Love: Set an intention every morning for your day. Don’t have one? How about this: “I'm going to treat everyone I meet today in a loving way – including myself!” See if it makes a difference.

Hope: “I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” This from the Dalai Lama. Don’t judge, but don’t despair, either.

Faith: Whoever – whatever – you believe in, do it with all your heart. And believe that it will work out: It always does, not always as we want or expect, but whatever it is, you can deal with it. Start with faith in yourself.

Patience: Ralph Waldo Emerson suggests we adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. And it’s true. As kids we rush to grow up; as we get older, we want to slow things down. Stop wasting energy, we can do neither. Accept it.

Courage: Also sometimes known as boldness, fortitude or bravery. It’s calling upon your inner strength in the face of terror – whether it’s a fear of public speaking or stopping terrorists on a mission, as did passengers on United Flight 93 in 9-11.

Understanding: This always reminds me of The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, especially this part: O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand. If we all sought to understand others, the world would be a different place.

Peace: I pray for peace, for inner calm and for world peace.

Passion: What is a life without passion? It can be anything you love that makes you joyful – from food and music to sports and activities, passion makes your life worth living. Don’t worry if you don’t have one yet, I’m still trying to find mine.

Healing: So many of us are broken or wounded from events and experiences that we have suffered in our lives. Do whatever you can to help yourself and others heal their wounds.

Strength: What did Christopher Robin say to Winnie the Pooh? You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Every one of us!

Beauty: Right now, go to a mirror, look yourself straight in the eye and tell yourself with feeling and conviction how truly beautiful you are, in your own words.

Freedom: The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Something we all take for granted unless we never had it, or it’s taken away.

How about you? What do you need today?

We know our pets keep us healthy (daily walks with the dog get us off the couch, and snuggling up with your pet can be a great stress-reliever) but did you know your pet has the potential to literally save your life? Earlier this week I attended Purina's annual Animal Hall of Fame ceremony in Toronto, where I listened in on four incredible stories that show how loyal, hard-working and tuned in our pets can be.

Here are their incredible stories:

Nanook, St. Catherines, ON

(CNW Group/Purina Animal Hall of Fame)

Siberian Husky cross, Nanook, was just a puppy when she woke owner Coleen as she neared a heart attack during the middle of the night. While Coleen and husband Gord tried to sleep, Nanook circled the bed, howled, barked and licked their faces. When she awoke, nurse Coleen noticed pain in her arm, and began to feel pressure in her chest, quickly realizing she was having a heart attack. Gord called an ambulance and by 11a.m. that morning, Coleen had been through surgery to place three stents in her heart.

Monty, Camrose, AB

(CNW Group/Purina Animal Hall of Fame)

Last March, in the middle of the night, orange tabby Monty acted unusually. Owner Patricia Peters woke up to her cat biting her fingers, and when she got up to put Monty on the floor she suddenly felt very dizzy. Newly-diagnosed with diabetes, Patricia slowly made her way into the kitchen to check her blood sugar, with Monty leading the way down the hall. When the pair got to the kitchen, Monty leaped to the counter and sat beside her blood testing kit. Seeing her blood sugar at a dangerously low level, Patricia took sugar tablets, then waited 15 minutes to re-test her blood. Monty sat with Patricia as she waited and when she re-tested her blood, it was back to normal. Patricia and her doctor credit Monty with saving her from slipping into a diabetic coma as she slept.

Bree, Blissfield, NB

(CNW Group/Purina Animal Hall of Fame)

Sleep never seemed to come easy to two-year-old dachshund, Bree. Owner Michele said she remembers waking up often to Bree's little snout in her face, or to Bree licking her face in the middle of the night. Last September, Michele woke to Bree sitting on her chest who also frantically forced her snout in to Michele's mouth. At that moment, Michele realized she was having a very hard time breathing and felt like she was drowning. Her husband called an ambulance, and when it arrived Michele was put on oxygen, and discovered her blood pressure was dangerously high. At the hospital, Michele learned she had severe sleep apnea, and that every night, little Bree had been waking her up to help her resume breathing again.

Service Dog of the Year: Titan, Oakville, ON

(CNW Group/Purina Animal Hall of Fame)

One stormy night last year, a woman called 9-1-1 and told the operator she had just gone to a wooded area, purposefully overdosed on medication with the intention to end her life. While the operator spoke to her on the phone, and tracked her general location, Constable Tara McLorn and Police Service Dog Titan raced to the woods in attempt to reach the woman before it was too late. Through high winds and torrential rainfall, Titan worked quickly to find the woman's clothes at the side of a river bank. With a stronger scent to track, Titan led Constable McLorn and her team to the woman, and they were able to help her from the water, just as the effects of the drugs began to take their course. The woman was rushed to the hospital and was saved from the overdose and treated for hypothermia. Tara credits Titan's fast action and direction with saving the woman's life that night.

Each of these animals are now recognized as one of Canada's most heroic pets, have their photo and story added to the Walk of Fame, located at Pawsway in Toronto.

In 1968 Purina began recognizing the life-saving heroics of Canadian pets, and this year added dogs Nanook, Bree and Titan, along with orange cat Monty. So far, 128 dogs, 26 cats and one horse have been inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

Tell us: What does your pet do to make you feel better? My dog Bink is so enthusiastic about getting outside and moving around, it's contagious. I certainly spend less time on the couch and more time outdoors since bringing him home.

Money is and always will be a delicate subject – in any relationship. But there are some things you just need to ask about before you pledge to a commitment of marriage or living together.

It's best to get everything out in the open so you can start fresh with no secrets.

Money secrets can cause feelings of insecurity and resentment.

Timing  and environment

• Schedule some quiet time with your loved one.
• Make sure you're not fighting and that you're stress free. And kid free.

Be honest; please

• No matter what choices you've made in the past – be honest – because this affects your partner's future too. I know I would respect someone more if they were honest about their money situation right off the bat rather than finding out about it later.

Questions to consider

• Do you have any outstanding debts, such as school loans, credit card debt, car payments or a line of credit?
• Have you acted as a cosigner for anyone else? Have you helped a family member purchase a home or a car?
• How often do you take risks? Do you play the lotto? Bet on horse-racing? Play Pro-Line?
• In general, what do you feel the importance of money is?
• What are your goals for the future?

Whatever decisions you make, at least you will be armed with the truth.

I hope the answers to these questions match your values and goals... for better or worse.

Between choices of flowers and chocolate boxes, spa gift certificates and dinners at home, there are endless ways to show our moms just how much we care about them on Mother's Day. However, I was recently made aware of a wonderful program through Oxfam Canada, where you can give your loved ones gifts that keep on giving, long after their special day has passed.

Would you buy a goat for Mother's Day? (Image courtesy of Oxfam Unwrapped)

Goats. Chickens. Seeds. Donkeys. Wells.

Oxfam Unwrapped is a program that lets you purchase gifts for your friends or loved ones, that go to people in the developing world. For example, you can purchase a goat through the Unwrapped program (in your mother's name, for instance), and it will go to a mother in Asia, Africa or Latin America. She will then use the goat to help her family get nourishment, and quite possibly become more self-sufficient.

“These sheep are my hope. They have made me more confident in my family and in society. My son loves animals and I just feel happy when I see them." - Wubalem Muluneh a mother of two in Akaki, Ethiopia. (Image courtesy of Oxfam Canada)

The gifts vary in cost -- a chicken costs $15 and a donkey is priced at $120 -- but the benefits make all the difference in the lives of so many people in various parts of the world. A gift from the Unwrapped program is literally a gift that keeps on giving.

Some additional perks of the program?

- Oxfam handles your delivery
- You get to see your gift in action
- You can choose your gift based on interests and budgets

“Now that we no longer have to spend three hours carrying water, we have more time for our family, our children. Thanks to Oxfam we have been saved from being displaced during the floods” - Sakina Katun in Mathpara, Bangladesh. (Image courtesy of Golam Rabban/Oxfam Canada)

So this year for Mother's Day, think globally, and give your mom a gift that crosses boundaries and makes a lasting impact on the lives of people around our planet. Visit OxfamUnwrapped.ca for all the details.

What are your special plans for Mother's Day?

Globe-trotting Mamas and Children

Two Christmases ago I took what I call the best 'cheap and cheerful adventure' holiday ever: I signed up for a group package with G Adventures (then called Gap Adventures) to Costa Rica. The 10 days were jam-packed with zip-lining, horseback riding, Level 4 rafting and some of the scariest heart-in-my-mouth rappelling ever.

Admittedly, my participation in a few of the activities were the direct result of peer pressure ("Doug, don't be a wuss!") from a mother-daughter duo from Wisconsin who were in the group.

Of course the physical activities were unforgettable, but some of the most enduring memories of that trip were moments shared with mom-daughter duo Karen and Brenda. This adventure trip was their Christmas gift to each other. How cool, I thought, instead of swapping identical cardigans and over-priced kitchen appliances, they opted to travel together.

Talking to them separately, it was clear that it was a special time for both of them. And they were being practical as Brenda joked, "Being in a group is safer. If we get on each other's nerves, there will be other people to diffuse the tension!" Not that I saw any signs of conflict. They were having a blast.

Wouldn't it be great if we all had that opportunity in our lives? To plant yourself in a new environment, just parent and child (of any age) and discover a new part of yourself – and maybe a new dimension to your parent-child relationship? Isn't that food for thought as Mother Day approaches.

Turns out that Brenda and Karen aren't the only ones who believe in parents and children hitting the road together.

Canadian writer Heather Greenwood Davis (Globetrotting Mama) is an incredibly courageous believer in the concept. She and her husband are travelling around the world - for a year - with their two young boys.

I interviewed Heather last November in this blog  about her reasons for taking her young children travelling around the world:

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Heather said. "It's true for Ish and I as parents and it's true for the kids. This trip will affect the rest of our lives. Since we left home there have been rare moments when an inkling of uncertainty might creep in but then we see our boys learning something new or growing as individuals and it wipes the uncertainly out of our minds."

Round the World with kids in tow (Courtesy: Globetrotting Mama/Heather Greenwood Davis)

The Greenwood-Davis foursome has been hot-air ballooning in Egypt, on safari in Tanzania, boating on the Mekong Delta, roaming ruins in Cambodia, bathing elephants in Thailand, back-packing through parts of South America, and eating their way through parts of the Middle East - not to mention falling in love with Lisbon. And, as Heather was keen to point out, learning about the world and each other.

What an incredible gift she's giving to her children.

You can follow Heather and her family as they spend their last 100 days travelling the world as a family - and get inspired. Maybe send the link to mom or your own child.

I also caught up with Cameron and Nicole Wears, Traveling Canucks, who shared some of their travel highlights in this blog last year. Then they were travel-obsessed Canadian couple living the dream. Now, they're  a travel-obsessed Canadian couple living the dream...with baby in tow.

They've also just launched a new web site where they share their hard-earned wisdom for travelling with infants. It's called, what else, Tips For Baby Travel.

Traveling Canucks: new member of the team

Say Cameron and Nicole: " Gone are the days of simply showing up to a backpacking district in Asia and searching for a hostel (at least in the foreseeable future). We now need to plan and get organized." And that's the focus of their new cyber venture.

If you're looking for gift ideas for Mother's Day or  tips on travelling with kids (and parents) of any age, check out Tips for Baby Travel, G Adventures and Globetrotting Mama.

Would you ever travel with your mom or adult child?

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all the lovely comments you shared in my post: On moms, biology and a special Mother's Day giveaway. I absolutely enjoyed reading about the unique relationships you share with your mothers, and my heart swelled to know of the special roles they play in your lives.

The contest for the giveaway has now ended and we have a winner determined by a random number generator.

The winning number (counting from oldest to newest comments) is:

And the winner of our special Mother's Day giveaway, courtesy of Canadian Tire, is:

Congratulations, Colleen Cole!

Thanks to our friends at Canadian Tire, you'll be receiving some relaxing treats to help ease all your stresses: a Revlon Paraffin Bath, a Sunbeam Massaging Foot Spa, and a Sunbeam Neck and Shoulder Wrap.

Best wishes,

Simone

Click if you’re looking for the Saturday Afternoon Book Club. 

Every day, I am surprised at how easily inspiration comes to me. Sometimes, it’s a beautiful new dessert from the Test Kitchen that I get to sample. Last week, it was the excitement over a new summer T-shirt that doesn’t hug me in all the wrong places (The Gap, $29). And this week, it’s our new intern here at the magazine, Tasha.

I love interns because they are so fresh and lovely – oozing the energy of their youth that surrounds them like an invisibility cloak they are unaware of. I like it that some of that excitement wears off on me. And so, I asked Tasha, “Who inspires you?”

Apparently, an older person, her grandmother. Some of the stuff she told me was so touching, I asked her to put it in writing. So this week, I’m turning over my inspirational post to my inspiration.

Tasha, as a baby, with the woman who’s been inspiring her all her life, her grandma.

By Tasha Zanin

For the past year, I’ve been living with my grandparents to save money while going to school. I love that she lets me live under her roof rent-free and leaves a lunch for me on the top shelf of the fridge every morning, but I hate my morning commute. What I didn’t expect to gain from my living arrangements is a role model.

When she first came to Canada, my nonna worked two jobs, Monday to Friday at a factory and Saturdays serving weddings at a banquet hall, to provide for her family, and still managed to put a healthy home-cooked meal on the table every night. And now she’s still taking care of her family, long after her own children have moved out. She’s allowed me and my cousin to move in, keeps an extra bed for visitors and even puppy-sits my uncle’s new dog.

I’ve realized no matter how busy she is, my nonna always makes time to call her siblings in Italy. If she can make that long-distance call, I can certainly find time to check in with my parents and brother, maybe even go home for dinner now and then. Sometimes it feels like I’ve spent weeks chained to a desk in the library, but I’ve learned that no matter how busy I am, there’s always time for my family.

There’s a saying Nonna has when my cousin and I complain about not being able to do something, like build Ikea furniture. “When your bum hits the water, you will learn to swim.” And every time she says it, she reminds us that when she married my nonno (Italian for grandfather), she could barely cook. Fifty-two years later, her home-cooked meals are the envy of my friends. It’s not just a lesson in cooking she’s teaching me, though my tiramisu is almost as good as hers now. She’s inspired me to dive head-first into whatever comes my way. And the Ikea shoe rack in my closet is holding up!

The most inspiring thing she’s taught me? A little bit about love. By the time she was just a year older than I am now, my nonna was married and my dad came one year after that. She met my nonno as a teenager and fell in love. Despite a 12-year age difference and a long-distance relationship (my nonno used to send her letters and money from Canada), she wasn’t afraid to take the leap of faith to move here to marry him, leaving her family and friends behind. That’s love, or, as the song goes, “That’s amore.” When you know it’s right, and you would cross thousands of miles across an ocean to live in a different country for love, it probably is.

What she’s taught me: Her love story inspires me to be brave, to take chances and trust that with a little work everything will fall into place.

How about you? Who’s inspiring you this week?