Now this is dangerous.  Shopcastr is a new Toronto website that features products from local businesses, arranged in an easy-to-see format like Pinterest.  Select your neighbourhood (I picked Leslieville, of course), and see some great items for sale from local vendors. Nathalie-Roze & Co, Timmie Doggie Outfitters, Little Peeps, Baby on the Hip, Atomic…

Here's the updated version of my Free Baby Activities in Leslieville chart. 

I've compiled a handy "week at a glance" style listing of the free activities for babies in Leslieville.  I know, the Edgewood Connection and the South Riverdale Parent/Child Centre aren't "technically" in Leslieville, but they're close enough.

You can download my PDF here.  And please let…

Now that the weather is turning, I've been looking into playgroups and drop-in activities in the 'hood for those days when the cabin fever sets in.

I've compiled a handy "week at a glance" style listing of the free activities for babies in Leslieville.  I know, the Edgewood Connection and the South Riverdale Parent/Child Centre aren't "technically" in Leslieville, but they're close enough.

 …

In my last blog post, I told you all about my travel addiction, and one way we've discovered to make things a little more affordable... by doing house swaps through homeexchange.com.  I said I'd be back with Part Two of the story in a week's time, but that was back in June... oops!  Now it's almost the end of July.  Turns out that taking…

You know I love Leslieville.  But sometimes a girl's gotta get away.  Ian and I love to travel, and we try to take 3-4 trips a year.  It can be an expensive habit, but we've figured out a couple ways to knock the cost down.  

We've discovered that a lot of people want to visit Toronto, and Leslieville in particular (must be that…

A Lovely Weekend in Leslieville

category:In the 'Hood posted:  7 June 2011   …

Public libraries are such a good idea. I know that sounds simplistic and kind of obvious, but think about it. If libraries (and the infrastructure for them) didn’t already exist, it would be nearly impossible to start up today, don’t you think?

Anyway, on to the point of the post. We have some really good public library branches in Toronto (S. Walter Stewart is my personal fave), and some that are just so-so. I used to think the Jones library (my local branch) wasn’t anything special,…

When the weather was so lovely last week, I put Clara in her stroller and took lots of walks around the ‘hood.  On Thursday we strolled to Little Peeps, a kids’ store on Queen (between Broadview and Logan).  Little Peeps carries Skip*Hop products, which I love, so I wanted to see if they had a Skip*Hop playmat.  While in the shop, I struck up a great…

I'm not usually one for trashy food, but sometimes it's just soooooo good.  Last night Ian and I picked up some fried chicken from Chick 'n Joy, and it did not disappoint.  It's just like KFC, but actually home-made.  And much better tasting (although, probably not much better for your health).…

Like most people, I love having fresh flowers around the house.  Makes everything seem brighter and prettier – which is essential on these grey rainy days.

So I like to treat myself to a walk down Queen Street to Florabunda every once and a while – they have great flowers at amazing prices.  Seriously amazing prices.  Like 5 bucks for a small bouquet.  The owner is almost always behind the till, and he is really friendly and helpful.…

Just around the corner from my house is a fantastic antique furniture store called GUFF. It stands for Great Used Furniture Finds. They have mostly mid-century modern stuff, but there are a few other things thrown in there too. I love the pieces they bring in, and the best part is the pricing - these are seriously reasonable prices.…

I just renewed our summer share for the CSA program from Kawartha Ecological Growers. What's a summer share and a CSA, you ask?



“Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution; a system that connects people craving farm fresh local produce directly to the farmers growing their food. A CSA consists of a community of folks who commit to supporting a farm before the growing…

I sit in front of a glowing box (aka – my computer, which I refer to as “the hot snot” – but that’s a story for another time) for hours and hours at a time.  And that eventually takes its toll on my neck, back, shoulders, and forearms.  I love my regular Pilates, which usually works out the kinks… but every once and a while, I need a serious tune up.…