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For most of us, celebrating Family Day is about spending time with family. Getting outside to skate, or sitting in the living room catching up. But for one family, their family has a broken heart. Alexander Edwin Brown IS a hero, and now that hero has a quest of his own. This family may have a broken heart, but they certainly know how to see The Brighter Side of life.

This truly is a remarkable, TRUE story, and it all starts like this…

Once upon a time, not that long ago lived a little warrior, named Alexander. Alexander was a beautiful, brave and precious two year old little boy, who lost his life to an aggressive, rare and cancerous brain tumour. Sounds like such a sad story. Well, sad as it may be, little Alexander will live on forever, through Alexander’s Quest.

Alexander’s Quest is just that. It is Alexander’s “bucket list” that started this outstanding organization. A list that will help other children who are terminally ill with cancer gain life experiences that fill their final days with joy. As tough as this story is to cope with, it truly has a happy ending, through the ongoing love of Warrior Alexanders parents who have dedicated their time to full filling his quest. Mom and Dad (Jonathan & Tara), were NOT about to let his cancer win!

With that being said, not only are they helping children with cancer enjoy the brighter side, they are also on a mission to find a cure for cancer! As Alexander’s tumour is still alive in a lab, they are confident they will find a cure! (Bless them for all they’ve been through)! Remarkably, Alexander’s tumour is growing in the lab and is the first ETANTR tumour in HISTORY to do that! (I seriously just took a deep breath, held it, and released in my awe of the strength of this family and of the Warrior known as Alexander!)

This is an ongoing story, that will only get bigger and better. To find out more about Alexander’s Quest, visit their website. Thank you Alexander for coming into this world to teach us so much. A Warrior for sure, a Teacher no doubt, but most of all a Hero.

Alexander’s Quest online http://www.alexandersquest.ca
Bonus Code: QUEST

One of the perks of being a girl is to have great hair. Our mother’s fuss with it for us when we are little, then we fuss with it when we are older. We spend hundreds at the hair salon to try to make it perfect. But imagine losing your hair. And not just when you are older. Vanessa McWilliams, founder and owner of Confident Curls, knows all to well about this.

Her story starts at 9 when she was diagnosed with Alopecia. It’s a medical condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp. And by the time Vanessa was 11 she had lost all but a little of her hair. I can’t imagine what she went though at that age to have such a huge loss. To most, it’s just not comprehensible.

Throughout her tween years she wore wigs that were too old, and too heavy for her small frame. It wasn’t until she was in her late teens where she took it upon herself to find the right wig. Not only did the wig fit, but so did the idea. She knew, based on her own personal experiences, she had to help other women and children. As Vanessa says, “Discreetness without embarrassment, a comfortable atmosphere, and getting properly fitted with your ‘Dream-Do’ by another wig wearing woman, is the ultimate ‘personal’ shopping experience!” That’s how Confident Curls was born.

The one thing I’ve seen through Vanessa is her passion. And I’ve always said that in life we should always do what comes natural and what we know. And Vanessa is doing just that! All at the same time helping other to put smiles on their faces! Thank you Vanessa for sharing your gift from the heart.

For more on Confident Curls, visit http://www.confidentcurls.ca/ Here you can find out more about her great products, more about Vanessa and how you can donate.

Confident Curls on Facebook
Confident Curls on Twitter
Bonus Code CURLS

One of the most common questions I get is, “How do you balance work life with home life?” I always respond saying the key word is balance. Balance means to keep things even, but in reality, it’s a juggling act. How do we juggle to keep the teeter totter in tack?

We have to do research to find the resources and options that make our own lives work. If you’ve decided to go back to work, now you have to find childcare that works with you AND your pocket book.

Do you do a dayhome, daycare, nanny or a sitter?

With our first child, we hired a live out nanny. She showed up at 8am and finished at 4pm. Her duties were to take care of our child and tidy up after themselves, plus maintain the baby’s laundry. Since her duties didn’t include house cleaning, we also hired a housekeeper to keep up with what I couldn’t get to (IE: the bathrooms). But it got too expensive for us. So, after 7 months we moved my son to daycare.

That kept the costs down, but still had the housekeeper to tidy up as we both worked. Daycare was GREAT. My son loved it, they loved him, and he had great interaction with other children. The only downfall, which was a big one, was when my child was sick, he couldn’t go to daycare. And, we all know that you can’t really stay away from the germs that spread in a daycare. No matter how clean and tidy it is, there are germs. And once one child gets a cold, it will eventually spread to your child. So now what? Where are you going to take your child? You can’t miss out on work. You don’t want to use up your vacation days. You can’t always use family and friends every time your child has the sniffles. And you don’t want the guilt of taking your child to the daycare, pretending you didn’t know they had a cold and being THAT parent that always gets the other kids sick…. So FIND A SITTER.

But you’ll have to do your research. Not all sitters can work during the day. Where do you find one? There are several resources for you. One is to get to know your neighbours. Perhaps there’s someone who is retired, and wouldn’t mind helping out. Or, look in your local community news letter. Maybe place an ad looking for someone who would be willing to “occasionally babysit” during the day.

OR… go online and sign up with Canadian Sitter (Known as Canadian Nanny) This is a great website where you subscribe to find the best sitter for you. You place an ad looking for someone who is available during the day for occasional babysitting. Only the ones who are interested in your ad will email you. You meet with the sitter, and decided if she/he is right for you. Now, know that Canadian Sitter does not screen the people who sign up, that’s up to you. You should always ask for references.

In the end, we had a list of 4 sitters who were willing to work during the day. One was a fight attendant who was available when she wasn’t in the air. Another was a retired preschool teacher, who was looking to keep herself busy. And the other two had part time jobs who may be available. This way you have other options that will reduce your stress when your little one needs a day to recover from the sniffles. Plus, the sitters even worked out to babysit during the evening when Mom and Dad needed a date night. There’s nothing wrong with having a “List of Sitters”. If one isn’t available, try another. I had a great experience with Canadian Sitter, and hope you will too.

Now you can work towards that balanced teeter totter. If there is such a thing! But it’s going to take a bit more juggling than a sitter, but it’s a start! And you are just working towards what’s best for you and your child!

Go to http://www.canadiannanny.ca to find a sitter!

Bonus Code: Sitter