This Mom Loves

In this episode, author Laurie Gelman talks about her new Class Mom sequel, the hilarious novel You've Been Volunteered, as well as parenting her teen girls, marriage advice (her husband is Live! with Kelly and Ryan executive producer Michael Gelman), what she misses about Canada and more! To purchase or find out more about You've Been Volunteered Laurie Gelman on Instagram and Twitter Also discussed in this episode: The 5 Love Languages of Children (a recap of the 5 languages, how to figure our your child's primary language and how to "speak" it)

Designer Sarah Richardson is here to talk season 2 of Sarah Off the Grid - in the season finale of This Mom Loves! We also chat parenting (our girls are the same ages), sustainable design, Wayfair's very cool image search feature (I wish they had this when we were doing our huge reno!) and Sarah answers some listener questions too! In case you're interested, this was my first interview with Sarah Richardson back in 2010, and this was the one I did from my car in 2017! Also in this episode: The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson, and I share some best practices for sending birthday party invitations to school! This Mom Loves will be back soon with more favourite things, lifestyle ideas and fantastic guests!

Caron Irwin, founder of Roo Parenting, answers questions about siblings: ideal gaps, preparing a child for a sibling, sharing rooms, fighting, birth order theory, twins and more! You can find Caron at Roo Parenting, and on Instagram and Facebook. The "9 Minutes" advice I spotted on Facebook: In the "Favourite Things" segment I attempt to convince you to try massage therapy - or do it more often! Thank you to my podcast editor, Lukas Wojcicki!

Mom, teacher and Canadian small business owner Kerrie Hansler gives us the scoop on her company, Sweet Reads Box, including the highs and lows of starting a business, how the box contents are selected, and how she fosters a love of reading with her twin boys. You can find more details about Sweet Reads (a really fun box which comes with a novel as well as a drink, treat and item that correspond to it in some way) on their site as well as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Also in this episode, I give my take on Rachel Hollis's new book Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals, and I try to convince you to get some nice photos of yourself!

Lisa Durante is a consultant who empowers moms in the workplace, and she has great insights to share for working moms and the businesses that employ them. You can find Lisa at her website and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. In this episode I shared some behind-the-scenes details from my recent appearance on The Morning Show in Toronto. I forgot to mention that afterwards, I drove straight home to change, then back to school for the afternoon. The kids were intrigued by my heavy makeup! I also talked about how sometimes you just need to stop putting it off and just get yourself to the doctor. Thanks to my podcast editor, Lukas Wojcicki!

In this week's episode, longtime parenting author Ann Douglas answers questions about her fantastic new book, Happy Parents, Happy Kids. Plus, I share my latest read, and chat about growth mindset: what it is, and why you want it for your kids (and yourself). Ann Douglas's new book is Happy Parents, Happy Kids. You can find Ann on her website as well as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Some Growth Mindset information (from www.biglifejournal.com) Thanks to my podcast editor, Lukas Wojcicki!

My very special guest, online lifestyle maven Jillian Harris, answers questions about her business success, her Instagram strategy, the biggest design mistake people make, the misconception people have about her and more! You can find Jillian on her website, as well as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The new season of Love It or List It Vancouver premieres April 1st on HGTV Canada. You can find the show on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. In this episode of the podcast I also share my tips for improving your smartphone photos, including using Jillian's photo editing presets. I purchased them for mobile and love them! You can find the presets here. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to ask Jillian all of the questions sent in by listeners. I will save some for next time! If you're interested, my previous Q & A for the blog with Jillian and fiancé Justin in 2017 is here. On an interesting note: the first time I interviewed Jillian back in 2013, I asked her for three items from her bucket list. Her response: "Definitely a couple of kids, more travel (can’t get enough!) and finishing the reno on my house in Kelowna." I think she's done well! If you're new to the podcast, you can find previous episodes of This Mom Loves (with guests like Kortney Wilson, Cynthia Loyst, Tracy Moore, Debbie Travis, Natalie MacMaster and more) here! Thanks as always to my podcast editor, Lukas Wojcicki!

Best-selling author Francine Jay (Miss Minimalist) is here to talk about her new book, and she shares a wealth of ideas for how we can all live more "Lightly". Also in the show, I talk about our sweet Thumper (and I'm not even a pet lover!) as well as inspirational message fatigue. You can find Francine Jay on her website, Miss Minimalist, as well as on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I'm following her everywhere! Her new book is Lightly: How To Live a Simple, Serene and Stress-Free Life. Here are the looks that convinced us to bring Thumper home (I share the pros and cons of pet rabbits in this episode): And Thumper fully grown: Thanks to my podcast editor Lukas Wojcicki!

Farah Nasser, anchor of Global News Hour and Global News at Noon, talks about her career, including her recent TEDx Talk, being a Muslim woman on television and declining a big TV offer in the US. She also opens up about family and her difficult road to motherhood, as well as her latest #momfail and #momwin. Also in this episode, I share my favourite productivity tips and a couple of book recommendations - of course! When I met Farah and her coanchor Alan Carter in 2015, she was pregnant with her daughter... ...and she even let me sit in her spot at the anchor desk! I did a behind-the-scenes interview with Farah and Alan that day: here are Part 1 & Part 2. Thanks for the great chat, Farah! You can find Farah Nasser on Twitter and Facebook. My recommended books in this episode: The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel by Heather Morris Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney My post with 8 Ways to be More Productive. Thanks to my wonderful editor, Lukas Wojcicki!

In this episode, I share all of the favourite things that my amazing listeners sent in, plus of course a few of my own - including an easy way to choose between me and I! The books I recommended: The Suspect by Fiona Barton The Temp by Michelle Frances An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen Please remember that it means so much if you rate and/or review This Mom Loves wherever you listen to podcasts. Much appreciated! Thanks to my wonderful editor Lukas Wojcicki!