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

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

It was an absolutely amazing experience. We visited two cocoa farming villages north of Kumasi and I got to see, first hand, where chocolate comes from.

When I told my two daughters about it they said, "You mean chocolate really does grow on trees!" So sweet (no pun intended). And, well yes, it starts out in cocoa pods that do indeed grow on trees.

Cadbury's is going fair trade with all the chocolate in its Dairy Milk line, which will help the farmers in Ghana tremendously and allow them to earn a more stable and predictable living from their work. And if you're a chocoholic like me, you'll enjoy the fruits of their labours!

FYI: I am putting together a story and photographs on chocolate and fair trade cocoa for our web site - canadianliving.com - and I'll let you know when it's up.

Me with some kids in Ghana - aren't they adorable?!

The highlight of the trip was bicycles. Back in the spring, Cadbury developed a great program called the Bicycle Factory and they are shipping 5,000 bikes to cocoa farming communities in Ghana. I had the wonderful chance to see the first of the bikes being delivered. They are for kids who have to walk more than three kilometres (one way!) to school each day. The expression on the children's faces was pure joy — their spirit and tenacity just warms your heart.

FYI: I'll be writing a story about the Bicycle Factory and how it is helping more kids in rural Ghana get an education in a spring issue of Canadian Living magazine. I'll let you know when it's out.

While I loved the opportunity of visiting Ghana, I'd glad to be back in Canada. Sometimes you have to travel half way around the world to be reminded that everything you really need is right here at home ... well, except for cocoa trees growing in my backyard.

Talk to you soon. Watch for a new contest on my blog tomorrow! Kathryn

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.

My kids helped with the face paint (beard and scars).

I challenge you to find another mom who loves Halloween as much as I do! I'm quite certain I like it more than Christmas. No line-ups, shopping, multiple trips to the mall — just great candy and spooky fun.

My girls love it, too ...

Sophie, 7, is capitalizing on the fact that she has lost four teeth this month and is going trick or treating as a witch. We found a great black velvet and taffeta girl's party dress at Value Village (my favourite Halloween store) for about $6. It has asymetrical layers and looks perfect under her cape.

Liv, 10, is going out as Coraline — the character from the movie by the same name. We bought black boots for $4.99 at Value Village and then spray-painted them blue. We also picked up a blue top ($2.99) and then ironed on white stars. I love pulling together costumes like these ... they're cheap, creative and completely originally.

Tonight, we are going to hang out at home and watch "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." (Worth renting!) Then tomorrow night, we'll shell out and hit the streets of our 'hood. I can't wait — feels like Christmas Eve ... only better.

What are your kids getting dressed up as?

Happy Halloween everyone!

Thanks for all the great feedback. I wish I had one for everyone.

Hmm, since I don't have a system myself maybe I'll ask Santa for one this Christmas.

One thing is certain, come this winter I'll be on a mission to find more ways to get outdoors and exercise with my whole family. This past weekend inspired me. We rode our bikes down to Lake Ontario with our girls (ages 7 and 10) and hit the monkey bars - talk about a workout for your upper arms! Then on Sunday we hiked around High Park for over an hour.

I love cross country skiing but, sadly, have barely gone over the past two years. I'm not exactly sure why ... life just gets busy doesn't it? Also, I had foot surgery late last fall and come ski season I still wasn't feeling that confident on my feet.

Well, no more excuses. This winter I am going to make the cross-country skiing happen - with kids and hubby in tow!

So, you want to know who want won the Wii Fit Plus? Congrats to Lesley Rice.

Talk to you soon, Kathryn

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

Yes, I know the risks are real but we've survived other health scares. Think SARS, West Nile and bird flu.

I don't mean to sound glib but I am personally more worried about saving for my kids' post-secondary education than swine flu ... in large part because I don't believe in worrying about things that you don't have a lot of  control over.

This morning I was listening to CBC Radio and Vancouver residents were talking about asking coughing citizens to leave a public bus. I have allergies and this time of the year, I cough a lot. And I don't have N1N1. This leave-the-bus business is taking things a bit far, don't you think?

Speaking of control ... tell me how you plan to protect yourself and your kids from H1N1. Will you - and they - get the vaccine?

Let's talk. I want to hear your opinions.

We are fortunate enough to be heading up north to the Parry Sound region, where I know the leaves will be glorious — despite the fact it's supposed to snow on holiday Monday. Brrrr! All the more reason to cozy up around my parent's wood-burning fireplace.

On the three-hour drive up, I plan to ask my daughters, "What are you thankful for?" Kids always come up with the most simple yet inspired answers, such as, " the clouds, rainbows, fresh air and sunshine."

I'm thankful that I have a healthy family. I have been especially grateful for this gift over the past month because my closest girlfriend's mother is dying and I realize how precious our health really is.

Write and tell me what you'll be saying 'thanks' for this weekend.

Enjoy the time with your family ... I'll talk to you next week.

P.S. The winners of the thing-a-ma-boob keychain are Kimberley, Jeannine and Katherine. Send me your mailing addresses and I will get them out to you

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.