Happy Friday!

Before I announce the two winners of the Taylor Swift CDs, I want to let you know about some great music I heard last night.

My dad and I went to see Gordon Lightfoot live at Massey Hall. It was a wonderful evening ... the company (when was the last time I went out with my dad?), the venue (I think Massey Hall is my favourite place in Toronto) and, of course, the music were all just superb. I still love Lightfoot's oldies the most and it was magical to hear him sing The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald and If You Could Read My Mind live.

I read in the house programme that Lightfoot is embarking on a country-wide tour in spring 2010 so watch for him in your town.

And now for the winners (drum roll please ...)

Congratuations to Alison (I, too, love Loreena McKennitt's To Drive the Cold Winter Away) and to Josie.

Thanks to everyone for all the great song suggestions. I have two favourite holiday tunes: The Huron Carol (especially when sung by my kids' school choir) and the original Band Aid's Feed the World - Do They Know It's Christmas Time?

Have a great weekend everyone. Watch out for another contest next week. Kathryn

Are any of you Taylor Swift fans?

I confess I'm not, but my eldest daughter, Liv, likes her music and she's a lot classier (Taylor, not my Liv!) than a lot of young music stars out there today. (Don't I sound like the prudish, judgmental mum?!)

I'm also happy to report that, in addition to Taylor, my daughter has a fair share of Abba (you gotta love Abba), The Beatles (best band in the whole world!) and ColdPlay (great to see live) on her beloved purple iPod.

My favourite CD these days is Dolores O'Riordan's "No Baggage." Dolores is the lead singer in the fab band, The Cranberries. If you haven't listened to her latest solo recording, it's a must. (Bonus: This Irish songstress married a Canadian and is now a mum who spends most of her time living in northern Ontario.)

Back to Taylor Swift ... I'm giving away two CDS:

Taylor Swift Fearless - the CD/DVD Platinum Edition

(includes videos plus six brand new recordings — is that a great plug, or what?)

You could win this CD/DVD

The second CD is Christmas on the Open Road, featuring two Taylor Swift tracks

that haven't been released yet in Canada!

You could also win this CD!

What do you have to do to win? Tell me what your favourite Christmas tune is ... and why.

Good luck! Kathryn

Hello, isn't it nice to have an extra hour sleep thanks to the time change?

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. My two girls were sick - cough and colds - but managed to get out trick or treating for almost an hour. I know they were disappointed but I think they have enough loot to last them to Christmas!

Liv was trick or treating with a friend, Vivi, when she started to feel unwell and needed to go home. I took her back and then stayed out with Vivi.

I felt a kid again, going door to door with Vivi and treat or treating along side her, saying I was collecting the candies for my sick daughter who had to pack it in early. "Honest, this isn't for me!" I emphasized. What us moms won't do for our kids!

Well, I am off on an amazing work assignment until Nov 13th. Heading to Ghana with Cadbury's to see their fair trade chocolate operations and the delivery of hundreds of bicycles to children in rural villages who will use them to get to school. Very inspiring and exciting. I will miss my kids terribly, though.

I'll tell you all about it when I get back ... and there will be more contests.

Take care.

Hello! I want to share some exciting news with you ... nope, not about the Wii Fit Plus just yet.

I have lost two inches off my waist line. Yeah for me! Big round of applause.

The loss didn't come easily. I have been working out with a trainer once a week since late April (a great guy who lives in my neighbourhood) so it's the accumulation of about six months of hard work. But boy does it feel good. I'll admit that I still have a "muffin top"(that little protrusion on the front of one's tummy) but I can see that the sides of waist are much more defined.(Can you tell I'm happy?!)

What I love most about my new work-out routine is that I don't go on the scales. I'm not interested in how much I weigh but in how my clothes fit, how I feel in them and that I'm building up my muscles and strengthening my bones. I happen to know that I whittled away two inches of my waistline because my trainer took some measurements in April and then again this week.

Enough about me and my waist. Now let's talk about Wii Fit Plus.

I don't own a Wii (sniff, sniff) but I have girlfriends who do and tell me the fitness workouts are amazing. What I do have in my hot little hands is a copy of the new Wii Fit Plus — and I'm going to give it away to one lucky blog reader.

What do you have to do to win? Subscribe to my blog and tell me why you deserve to have your very own Wii Fit Plus.

Talk to you soon! Kathryn

Thing a ma ... what? Thing-a-ma-boob!

It's a brilliant little idea — a key chain that helps you remember to do breast self exams and raises money for breast cancer. The key chain is made of pink beads of different sizes; each one represent the size of lump that can be detected through a variety of breast screening methods.

The smallest beads represent the average size lump found during regular mammograms. And the biggest one is the average size lump found by women checking their own breasts. It's a real eye-opener.

So-o, where can you get one of these funky and functional key chains? You can buy them through the Canadian Cancer Society ... or win one of three that I am giving away.

What do you have to do to win? Write to me!

Tell me what you love best about your body - and why.

I can't wait to read your responses.

Happy Friday!

Congratulations to Kiki and Roseanne who are the winners of my Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection contest. I hope you both love the book.

For those who didn't win, watch for it in bookstores in October - you'll love it!

Thanks to everyone for your great comments. It's nice to hear there are so many men helping out in the kitchen. (Way to go ladies!)

Talk to you next week. Kathryn

I'm excited to annouce a new contest ... read on!

One of my biggest mum dilemmas is keeping meals healthy, easy and yet not serving the same old thing week after week. Can you relate?

If you haven't used one yet, you must try a slow cooker. You can make amazing one-pot meals, get your kids involved in the prep, and ... the best part ... you don't have to worry about rushing home from work to get stuff in oven. Plus, there's no multi-dish clean up. What's not to love?

Do I sound like a slow cooker pusher? Well, I am. I'm completely sold on the concept. Once you have a slow cooker, all you need is some great recipes. That's where my contest comes in.

I am giving away two copies of  the Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection worth $22.95.  This book isn't out on shelves until Oct 20th so two lucky winners will get an advance peak.

What do you have to do to win? Tell me how you get your kids and/or guy to help out in the kitchen.

Talk to you soon.

Congratulations to Sue and Cheryl who have each won a copy of The World Needs Your Child - How to Raise Children Who Care and Contribute (me to we books, 2009) by Craig and Marc Kielburger and Shelley Page.

Here are 8 parenting pearls of wisdom from this great book that I would like to share with you:

1. Of course your children are gifted: Your challenge and joy is to help them discover their talents.

2. Give the presence of time: Don't rush. Let your child discover her own abilities at her own speed.

3. Make room to explore: Your talents are your talents. Give your kids the freedom to find their own way to shine.

4. Take an interest in their interests: If your child is fascinated with dinosaurs, take him to the library or the natural history museum. No matter the flavour of the month, help him explore.

5. No pain, no pain: Dragging a kid to practice only works for so long. Help him find his groove.

6. Encourage effort, not results: Marks and scores are important to a point. A the end of the day, the real goal is for your child to feel a sense of accomplishment.

7 . Model optimism: Tell your children that you have faith in them and believe they can succeed.

8. Show and share: Encourage kids to share their talents with friends, family and community.

If you have any other tips, please share them. Talk to you soon.

For the most part, the first day back to school went smoothly in our home.

My oldest daughter, Liv, 10, was a bit anxious last night. But she calmed down when we assured her that her grade 5 teacher wouldn't mind that she had forgotten how to do long division and spell the days of the week in French over the summer. She woke up this morning, ready to take on the new year.

Sophie, 7, skipped from our house to the school yard - five minutes away. But she froze and turned ashen when another mom announced that the grade 1/2 teacher had broken her leg last night (what timing!) and there would be a supply teacher for at least a week. Sophie wouldn't let go of my hand until the last child in her class was finally marching in the door and she had no choice but to follow.

Oh, how I hate going to work knowing one of my kids is not happy or stressed.

The good news is that my husband picked the girls up at 3:30 and called me to say they both had a great day. (Sophie loved the supply teacher - her older sister used to call them "surprise" teachers).

The best back-to-school story came to me from a former co-worker who left Canadian Living magazine last week to pursue a degree in environmental studies. Miriam went to orientation day at University of Toronto this afternoon and then and emailed me  to say a lot of students brought their parents ... and it was the parents who were asking all the questions.

Yes, this is university! Talk about not being able to let go.

I hope the first day back to school went well for your family. Write and tell me your stories!

- Kathryn

P.S. Tomorrow I'll announce two winners of book contest.

Happy Friday ... especially because we are headed into the last long weekend before we kiss summer good-bye.

As I promised, I have a new contest ... but first, let me digress ... something that I must admit I'm very good at!

One of my favourite aspects of my job as the life & health editor at Canadian Living magazine is working with a wonderful organization, Free the Children (FTC). Started by two Canadian brothers, Craig and Marc Kielburger, FTC has built schools for hundreds of thousands of kids all over the world and been an advocate for children's rights.

(Check out our annual Me to We awards program with FTC online at www.canadianliving.com)

Why am I telling you about this?

Because the contest involves a new book that the Kielburgers have written called, "The World Needs Your Child - How to Raise Children Who Care and Contribute (me to we books, 2009). It's an inspiring read full of  heart-warming stories and incentive to nurture a sense of compassion and community in kids of all ages.

I'm giving away two copies of The World Needs Your Child.

What do you have to do to win?  Tell me about an act of kindness that you or your kids did recently!

I can't wait to read your replies!