Monthly Archives: May 2022

Why Garlic Fingers Should be More Known Across Canada

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If there is one important fact that anyone should know about me, it is the fact that one of my top three favorite foods is garlic fingers. I know some of you who are not on the east coast of Canada may have 0 idea what garlic fingers are and that is okay. I am about to tell you what they are and maybe even influence you to try to make it a big deal where you are living if they are not already. Not to mention, you can easily make them at home if you know a simple recipe for any type of pizza dough too. They dont even take that long time wise to make if you even include the raising of the dough too.

Image from http://saltwaterdaughters.com/east-coast-honey-garlic-fingers/

If you don’t know what Garlic Fingers are, they really are quite simple. You take pizza dough and roll it the exact same as you would a pizza. Instead of sauce you put a garlic butter on it. Sometimes you can use store bought however if you prefer to make something fresh with garlic and butter and herbs yourselves that does get the job done just as well too. Then you put mozzarella cheese on. You can also add bacon for example, our old neighbors actually would put bacon and pineapple on it also. Then it gets baked and is doughy and crispy goodness. And super greasy depending on how you like it too. I prefer to even have the dough half baked because I really like the dough to be just that, doughy!

Now, not all garlic fingers are created equally. Some are different than others. Some have thinner dough, not garlicky enough butter, not enough cheese or bacon when asked. My personal favorite is a really doughy crust. A very garlicky butter but I’m not a fan of excessive use of parsley. Sparingly is fine but sometimes it can be over powering. I don’t mind herbs in it but it depends on the day because an overpowering herb can ruin a garlic fingers. I also love double the mozzarella cheese too. Bacon I will get occasionally however it really just depends at this point. Since moving back home from Quebec and enjoying garlic fingers again I really have not ordered any that did have bacon on it though. If I could I would have garlic fingers ever day however that is unrealistic so we may order in once a month.

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Some places have it, however not all places are the same. That is for sure. Even places that I loved growing up are different now and not as tasty. For example, Pizza Hut doesn’t have Garlic fingers but they do have garlic bread sticks. They are more of a herb version and while still good they are not the same. Domino’s does have a garlic fingers as we were able to get it in Quebec (Not everywhere has Garlic fingers as Ill explain later) however they tasted generic and just place gross. The best garlic fingers I have found is the little shops that are only around the towns or a one and done place. Not the huge franchises.

As I mentioned before, I feel like this is more of an east coast dish since when we made it to Quebec there was nearly nothing in terms of Garlic Fingers to be found. Domino’s did have some but only for the reason that Domino’s is across Canada so I believe it was clearly a menu item that was just everywhere. However the small pizza places we tried in Quebec to explain what they were didn’t make them right. Even though they did have garlic butter for their garlic bread when they had pasta dishes though. Never had we found a true Garlic fingers like we did when we moved back home.

Now you may be wondering, why do you love them so much isn’t it easier to just find pizza around instead of this? You may be right but I surprisingly enough don’t like pizza! That is a whole other story for another day though. For some reason growing up I just loved garlic. Naturally i would also grow to love these. It was a fairly inexpensive treat that my mom would also make. Instead of buying them she would make them on smaller pie plates so that if I wanted one and she was at work I was able to throw it in the over from the freezer and it was just that simple to make. It was something that i looked forward to regularly though which was also great.

If you aren’t feeling up to making the dough there is plenty of substitutions that you can do also. I use the Pillsbury pizza dough from the can with garlic butter and a cheese of choice. I also prefer the Pizza Delight brand of garlic fingers. Dr Oetker has their version, which does have a lot of herbs but I do enjoy it occasionally because I can add some extra cheese to my liking and just throw it into the oven.

So with that being said, I will die on this hill that garlic fingers is such a great food it really should be known worldwide. If it was as popular as pizza was or is than I think people would really get an understanding on why I love it so much. Though with age I have developed heartburn from eating it, nearly every time I still tell myself it is worth it! It is something that I hope to even get my two son’s to enjoy when they are big enough. Not to mention also it is a great opportunity for them to help make since who doesn’t love to get messy in the kitchen too!

Accepting Random Breast Milk from Strangers a new fad

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If you are someone who has accepted random strangers breast milk on the daily for your little one you might as well click away because this blog is a lot of truths and a lot of things that you obviously don’t agree with if you are risking your babies life. There is going to be some ranting (In typical Stacey fashion) and a lot of truth bombs coming at you. You may even be surprised if you are in a group of people who had no idea this was happening. Consider yourself lucky and welcome to one of the strangest and most reckless practices that has been known in recent years with raising children.

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Firstly, I would also like to state that I am not talking about accepting breast milk donations from reputable sources. Whether this be a hospital or a proper donation bank. These types of places have screening for the milk to ensure that the quality is there when giving it to babies. They have specific processes to go through and different things that people can do in order to make sure that what they are giving their baby is in fact safe to give. The storage is properly handles, testing is done, quality, as well as many other things before giving it to parents for their little ones.

What I am talking about here is people using facebook groups to get breast milk from normally random strangers (not friends) and then using that milk to feed their children. For whatever reason, whether it be they don’t want to give formula or many they dont have enough of their own supply. People who just connect via messanger and think that it is totally alright to accept breast milk from someone they have no idea their history or background and give this to their babies. I am sure you are probably thinking, but what is the issue here? Let me explain.

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Let’s jump into the not so obvious first. Storage. This can be something that as innocent as it may sound could be a huge cause for concern. Maybe the milk was left out too long and bacteria grew. Or maybe the storage bags or containers somehow got contaminated. Then you have the not so obvious maybe the pump parts that said mother used have not been properly cleaned and therefore are causing some concern there on whether or not the milk is able to be used. Just this alone should have some sort of cause for safety before you even begin to think about giving it to your baby.

Next you have the pretty obvious stuff. Maybe the person is on some sort of medications or maybe they are on illegal drugs also. I am not talking about weed or alchol either. I am talking about perscription drugs or maybe even harder illegal drugs. Things that people don’t normally divulge when it comes to admitting their faults.



One thing that stuck out in my mind when questioned about this to moms who in fact use random breast milk for their children was this “If this mother gives it to their baby why wouldn’t it be safe for mine?”. Though this could be true, how are we even to know if this milk has not been tampered with or maybe they don’t really give it to their babies. We really do not know that. Maybe this mother is disgruntled because they have an over supply and were only able to conceive the baby they have, while others have many kids. The fact is when someone asks a mother a question and or a series of them, they have to then take their answers at face value. They may be correct and I am sure a lot of the time they are, but that does not mean they always will be.

The fact is in today’s day and age accepting anyone for their face value cards can be risky at best. Then there were people who also stand by the “Mom circle of trust” crap like “well they know the struggles and they wouldn’t do that to another mom”. The fact is we do not know someones intentions. Though a vast majority may have the best intentions for donating milk to random strangers you really do not know that.

Then it also comes down to this, if you are someone who breastfeeds your baby and takes the risk of donating your over supply of breast milk to someone you don’t even know, how would you feel if that breast milk by chance made their baby sick? Could you handle that knowing the reason was your fault even if it was not on purpose but by some other reason too. This is entirely possible and could happen even with something as simple as having a baby having a dairy allergy and you consuming it enough to make them sick. Even if you do limit yourself and don’t think there is enough for them to really be sick from it you still took that chance and made them sick.

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The bottom line is that any doctor in their right mind would not be recommending that someone get random breast milk from a stranger off the street to give their baby. i mention this because yes, someone did say their doctor told them to get breast milk to rule out an allergy to some type of formula (I kid you not) and they went straight to a stranger for this. I will state also if your doctor does this maybe you should be looking at getting a new doctor because this practice is not safe.

The bottom line is this practice of people being so against formula is disgusting at best and reckless. Whether or not a study has shown breast milk is better or whatever, the point is even if you asked this person 100 questions there is no guarantee that they are actually giving you the right answers or the ones that they think you want to hear. And unless there is a proper screening and testing you really have no idea what is in the breast milk that you are not giving to your baby and risking their life for your own personal gain. If this blog post offended you, I can only assume that you are someone who would risk your little one’s life for a personal vendette.

Choosing an Org or Stream Team

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Why join an org/team?
Thinking about joining an Org or Stream team can be a daunting task. You hear of MAJOR teams such as G2, TSM, FaZe and plenty of other ones but there are some smaller Orgs/Teams out there that are more the willing to give people their 1st shot as well as help them grow as a content creator. It goes without saying though, not all teams, especially the smaller ones will have your best interest at heart. Most are simply trying to make it bigger, and bring as many people along the way to help them promote the team for free.

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How to pick one?
My first stream team that I was on was pretty young in the progression process. I was part of a support for support community and they branched out into E-sports, Well they wanted to. The reason why I left this team was because there was a lot of empty promises as well as negativity coming from the owners. Putting blame on the stream team when their viewer numbers were low. I decided to leave somewhere else and find the current one what I was with named Vanquish. They are established, They have some Pro teams currently and a lot of content creators. They did a lot of charity work at the time as well as helped the streamers. However when some of the bigger admins and leaders changed the team lost a bit of sight from that.

When picking a stream team you need to look at where the team is and what you want to be doing. For example, The first team I was on, obviously wouldn’t be as established as they were since they were just in the beginning stages of growth. Barely having a twitter, talking about a website, clips for YouTube and whatever else. They were just starting with not a lot of experience in the field. I felt like I was being held back since you cant really promote another team while on one (See more on this in the next paragraph). I wrote out a quick thank you for the opportunity and applied to Vanquish. I choose Vanquish (And they also accepted me of course!) because I knew a few people who were also on the team. I haven’t heard anything bad about the team and they seem to be doing things. They put their streamers on front page for charity events. They are around for the competitive scene with certain games like Fortnite, Apex, and games I had no idea about due to never hearing them before. They help one another and even have a sponsor through GamerSupps drinks. They have merch and have been established as well. I felt what better way team to be a part of though than this.

*** If you are someone who is really enjoying the blogs and has the financial freedom to want to support this through tips, you are more than welcome to do so by clicking on this link to bring you to my personal Ko-Fi page. Never will you ever be pressured to support in this way however the option is there if you wish to do so! Your continued support regardless of financial or not is greatly appreciated.

When picking a team, pick a team that will suit YOUR needs. If you want to be part of a professional/competitive scene, choose one that is known for that. If you want to join one with similar lifestyles then choose another one like that. If you want to join one with more of content creation side choose that one!
There are many teams out there however remember that they also probably have requirements to join ie: Stream x number of hours per week, Have to be affiliate, use a webcam, above a certain age, stream x number of hours on their verified (or not) channel, and other ones as well too.

Respecting the Team?
When joining a stream team or org it is important to learn about the team and respect the team too. Number one would be respect the other members. There most likely will be different streamers for all walks of life, playing many different games from the most popular to indie ones. No one person is better then another and you should respect everyone on there, regardless of what games they are playing.
Another thing is focus on ONE team and not multiple ones. Nothing looks more unprofessional then when you are representing a team but you have multiple others in your panels or bio’s across social medias.
Also, If your team you are representing has a sponsor ie: Say you are being represented by GamerSupps on your team. And you have a panel there, Do not start drinking a competitor on streams. When you do this it looks extremely wonky as well too. If you are personally sponsored by a company talk to your team about it being a conflict of interest. Show that you are fully dedicated to the team instead of sending mixed messages of conflicting sponsors. Not to mention from a sponsor standpoint, They may be less inclined to extent the sponsorship status to the team if they see these types of things happening as well too.

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Leaving an Org?
This also ties into the previous paragraph as well too. Be respectful! If you feel like an Org isn’t going the way you want it or that it is holding it back, leave. But do so respectfully. I have seen in certain situations where a person would write this huge story and publically post it in hopes they go down in a blaze of glory. Don’t do this. Not to mention if another org you are trying to get in happens to look at your socials and sees you being rude like this towards a previous org it doesn’t make you look like an appealing member they would want to bring on to the team. Keep it classy when trying to leave somewhere as well. If you need to say something and a reason for leaving then direct messaging someone would be a great way to start instead of doing it in public!

How to make the most out of an Org/Stream team
The major misconception that people make when joining a team is they EXPECT support. That doesn’t happen. Remember that teams can be extremely helpful, but you will only get what you put into them. If you don’t visit streams or support other members then don’t expect them to visit you. Though teams are a great tool to be a part of meeting a lot of different individuals who might have the same ideas for streaming as well too. If there are events happening mention you would like to take part in them, If they have an official channel to stream on, stream there, You will only get what you put into it!

Why You Should Never Join a Mommy or Parents Facebook Group

Parenting, ,

I know what you are thinking, Mommy groups on Facebook are great! They are a good spot where mom’s can talk about different things and bounce idea’s off of other mom’s or parents so that they are able to see different solutions and how to care for your little one. especially if you are a first time parents and have not many resources at hand they can be a good spot to find out what may be troubling your young child.

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that being said, they are not always as great as you may think that they are. Sometimes, well a lot of the time they are filled with a bunch of not so nice things. which is natural due to the fact that there are many things that parents may or may not know about their kids. There is a lot of sarcasm at times, myself included.

Mommy groups on Facebook are toxic a lot of the times. They are filled with parents who sit home all day or have a lot of time on their hands and they keep posting or commenting on different things. They sometimes even belittle people in the process. An example of this is whenever someone mentions feeding. As a formula feeding parent I know and see this pretty regularly in the groups that I am in. A parent automatically assume that the other person posing the question is breastfeeding. This is just another example of how as a society we need to normalize formula feeding again (which I wrote about and you can read about it on my blog here!).

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Another way that I would not recommend is that if you do decide to join, make sure you turn off notifications or even hide posts until you physically open the group yourself. When you are looking at your feeds and you see this being posted it can be extremely addicting to keep up to date on what parents are talking about and getting the “in” on things. I found myself being consumed by what everyone was posting even if the same things were being posted every single day multiple times.

That also leads me to another aspect, I find that the groups are unaware or maybe don’t care to, search the group for different questions. The repetition alone on asking questions can be exhausting to keep track of. Popular topics that people talk about are a) breast feeding b) how their child slept perfectly but now doesn’t (Not researching sleep regressions, or sleep training just assuming they sleep trained once and baby is good to go which is not the case) and then you have the ever popular (at least where I life for the local group) c) should I take my baby XX or should I go to the emerge or walk in? The questions that get asked daily are actually mind numbing and a simple search of the group would provide all of the answers needed.

One of the big things is judgement (also guilty). There is so much judgement when it comes to these groups that if you are light heated i would suggest not even getting involved in them. There is very triggering posts in there also that some people have no idea how to handle and will attack other people for having an opinion. Case in point, I posted a hot topic about how I dont think accepting random breast milk from strangers should be allowed. I was genuinely trying to see how people could come to that conclusion and while my intentions were kind and after the rash posts of people supporting this practice (Which is highly unsafe and damaging to a baby potentially which I also wrote about here) people grouped up and told me I was wrong when I was trying to see how someone could give their child something that have no idea but the word of a stranger on how it is good.

Another hard part of these groups is whether or not they are directly meaning to do this they can make you feel like you’re doing too much or too little of something. For example, a lot of people post about these different approaches to things or certain styles maybe “gentle” parenting. To the point if you even mention you have raised your voice they will come at you and make you feel like you are not doing the best you can even if different styles do in fact work (shocking I know). I know for me, there are posts where people talk about getting a crap ton of sensory toys or even those special (expensive) black and white toys to help their babies and their kid is nearly 3 months old. Or people posting how they feel like a bad parent for not entertaining their child 24/7 either. Even if not directly pointed at you, they are filled with things that can make you feel like you are not up to the society standard of what a parent should be.

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Another thing that I have noticed is a lot of people just like any other social media group, talk a lot of talk when behind a computer screen. A lot of the times I find people are not as genuine as they would be had you met them some where else naturally instead of this group. I find people are fake and that they will a lot of times tell you what you want to hear. One thing I noticed is that I find myself being too blunt and not sugar coating things which can obviously not be helpful to people who want to hear a very specific answer to their questions.

Just like anything there are some benefits. It should be seen as a resource on maybe if you need help or something you can look at it. Though they are typically filled with drama it is really best to avoid them if you can or even try to limit how much you spend browsing the pages also because that can be a tricky part in itself too!

Frowned Upon Parenting: Part 1

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The following post has been made thanks to the app Peanut (Not sponsored) where you can ask and interact with communities and groups of fellow Mom’s. One day I had asked one of the groups that I was in something that they would be doing that they know as a fact other mom’s or parents would be frowning upon. These were some of the things they said. For me, I will be also giving my opinion on each of the situations and hopefully you get a chuckle out of them. Some of them I know that I do or will do in my parenting journey, others I completely disagree with.

If you want to see the previous part’s as they are released they will be added here:
Frown Upon Parenting 2
Frown Upon Parenting 3
Frown Upon Parenting 4

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Pro screen time can be a touchy subject. For me I grew up in the 90’s when we were sat in front of the TV with shows like Mr Rogers Neighborhood, Barney and Sesame Street. Now there is a huge discussion with sitting your children in front of the television is a huge taboo subject. They also say that having your child watch any TV before the age of 2 can stunt their knowledge. That being said, as much in life, I believe everything is good in moderation. When we were growing up there was never really any type of limiting and I feel like people grew up just fine. Now we live in a world with technology literally in our hands a lot of the time we cannot expect for our children to not be familiar with technology though either. For us, I do limit how much time my son’s get to watch TV however we do believe there is some benefits to it. You can see where I talk more about that in my top 3 shows that we watch with our son’s and the 3 shows we would rather avoid watching. Anything in moderation is great for me!

Another user said that they let their kids eat whatever and whenever they want. I know growing up as a teenager even or a child in school we did not eat anything and everything and that is a lifestyle that I think I would adapt with my own kids when they hit that age. My reasoning for this is what they should be eating things of some nutritional value. Does that mean I never give treats or snacks? No. It just means that I wont be giving my son’s bowls of crackers of chips or cereal endlessly so that they keep eating and eating and eating the entire day. There is specific times for snacks and meals there is no unlimited supply of snacks. We all can related to having kids over from school and being the house that always gave snacks and treats away. I won’t be that house especially with the price of food now a days!

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Bed sharing is also a controversial subject. I am pretty clear on the subject as you can also read when I talk about this here in the blog where I disagree with it. In short, I dont believe in bed sharing because of so many safety reasons. I know people who do it continuously til they have children about 3 or more years old, if that is for them so be it. Growing up I was never in the same bed as my parents sleeping and there was three of us. I know growing up I wouldn’t be doing it with my children either. Does that mean that I have never done it before? No. I have if I am totally spent and looking for the extra hour and a half after my partner has gone to work before my oldest wakes up. That is not something we do regularly though because just as their safety is important, so is our sleep too.

One user said they would totally be frowned upon for finishing their kids homework. They said they have gone to bed and they have finished their homework because they may not have done it before going to bed and they didn’t want them to have to rush it in the morning. I can say with confidence this is not something I would be doing for my kids when they hit school age. Why? Because I finished school and they are the ones who are learning. That is a line straight from my mothers mouth because she or my dad had never finished our homework. That being said was there arguments because I didn’t want to do them, yes, but they still never did it for us.



Dessert first is something that one user said which I can say sometimes this had happened. Occasionally we would get take out normally McDonald’s or something and we would get an ice cream with it. Sometimes my mom would tell us we could eat the ice cream first because if not it would melt. That being said she always told us not to tell my dad (which we did!) and it was just a little fun thing she used to do with myself and my siblings. I wouldn’t say we would eat dessert every night first however there will be instances where I think this would be a fun treat for my kids!

As you can see there really is a lot of things that parents frown upon others which is why I asked the question and figured that I would be make a mini series of what things parents know to be maybe not the normal lifestyle choices for raising kids! And why not put my own opinions within this too, because you never know how people may feel about these specific circumstances! Was there anything in the list above that you do or know you will have others frown upon your parenting style? Let me know in the comments below, maybe your point will be featured in the next set of Frowned Upon Parenting blogs!

Infant and Toddler Milestones, Stop stressing!

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I know this may be a shock to some who have not had children for the past 5 or 10 years or so, however did you know that there are actually infant and toddler milestones that you are supposed to be hitting with children? I know completely insane right. I know that some of you reading this also need to hear this too… STOP STRESSING!

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When you have a baby especially in this day and age there are many many many milestones that you are supposed to be hitting. Some of them could be something as simple as your baby finding you from across the room or even turning their head towards your voice. Then you have more advanced ones like when they are old enough to say hold their head and or crawl and then standing and walking too. To be completely honest trying to keep up with all of them is exhausting.

The fact is, your child may never hit the milestones when studies or whatever says that they are supposed to. Is this a good marker to keep track of things may they have some sort of disability in the future? Sure. At the end of the day though there is no singular test or milestones that will be hit by everyone at the same time. Sometimes you may have a child who hits them all perfectly, even advanced, than you may have another one that is a bit behind in hitting them but is still hitting them. If they are hitting them even at their own pace there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that.

**If you like what you are reading through out these blogs, and are looking at ways to financially support the blog, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi link here. You will NEVER be pressured to contribute to towards put any type of money towards the blog however if the thought has crossed your mind, here is a great way to help a stay at home mom provide some financial relief for her family.

My first son was a bit of a late bloomer. He took a while to really say words. However his comprehension to things has been phonemonal. He also was a late bloomer when it came to walking too. However he flies by now when he runs around the room. My current son even though he is not even close to being a year old seems to be doing milestones also relatively quickly in comparison. I swear as soon as he was outside of my body he was trying to hold his head up for multiple reasons. Not to mention his growth is seemingly off the charts as he is growing like a weed!

I think it is important to note, when we were all children the milestones that children had to hit may not have been as known. Most of us turned out pretty alright even without those markers. Dare I even say raising kids was more relaxed in a sense because we were not comparing our kids as much as we do now, thanks to media and the advances in that for part of the reason for the shift now. Sure, they are a great thing for us to use when it comes to diagnosing certain things in children or infants. I think there were also some people who also may have gone untreated by this too.

I will mention this, having a second child I am far less worried about the milestones as I was with my first. I feel like the mentioning of this constantly can also cause even more anxiety and worry in a parent that if their little one may not be hitting them bang on like they are “supposed” to on paper that they immediately panic. I know, I was totally worried if my first son was missing a milestone here and there. You know what though? He eventually did hit all of them!

One problem now a days with parenting is that everything needs to be so technical. From these silly little milestones to even how they play. From the montesseri or whatever have you way of learning. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do anyways as parents? Why does there need to be certain ways for us to help our children learn? Not everything in parenting needs to be so thought out and done. Honestly the best thing you can do as a parent is just to go with the flow. Am I saying that routine or structure is bad? No. Of course not! But there can be some relaxation in the process. If you are a bit off schedule one day or if you have the TV on a little bit when you want to try to get something done, there is nothing wrong with that either.

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As parents we find ourselves stressing about anything and everything, and even though as we have more kids we find ourselves becoming more relaxed there is enough stressors that we really don’t need to add anything else. If your child is missing milestones a lot or maybe is far behind than obviously there is some cause for concern though but in the grand scheme of things it is completely okay for us to let things happen naturally. As I mentioned my first son has been a late bloomer in terms of talking, however now at 2 years old I swear every day he repeats a new word that I had no idea he would. The fact is, none of his doctors ever seemed alarmed by this, we as his parents were the ones who were more stressed.

Before you focus on milestones, know that you are a great parent. You are doing everything you feel right in their lives and if milestones take a bit longer than Jimmy down the road that is completely normal and okay. We need to enjoy the life we have created and watch them grow instead of trying to fit them into this timeline of when things should or shouldn’t be happening. A cause for concern should happen when the time comes, and if a doctor whom you hopefully trust, isn’t concerned than you really shouldn’t be either!

Are Canadians REALLY That Polite?

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Obviously this is going to be a very subjective post since it really in all honesty is where you go in Canada. Just like any other country in the world there are usually nicer people in different places than others. I, someone who grew up on the East Coast found that people are incredibly nice compared to say people in Quebec. However that could be me being bias because I really did not enjoy myself there.

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Around the world people are always talking about how polite Canadians are, eh? Well you may be in luck, a lot of us are just that polite. I am talking about the people who would hold the door open for a line of people, or maybe they are someone who opens the door prematurely and you are still half way across the parking lot. My uncle was visiting for the first time in over 10 years a little while ago, He lives in Quebec. Even he stated he needed to go back to Quebec because the people here were too nice! Which I had to laugh because that is something that I do love about Nova Scotia is how nice and polite the majority of people are.

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I say this with love because there are many many places around the country where there are people who are not so nice or have some sort of hate on for the world and that is totally okay for them. Even places around Nova Scotia have some haters so to speak.

Some examples I would like to mention that you rarely see around the globe (And if you are from outside of Canada and have seen or heard of them PLEASE comment and let me know!) are like this. And I mean that seriously, some things happen here that I always wonder if they actually happen anywhere else in the world or if it just happens here!

Sometimes when you are paying for Tim Hortons, people depending on where normally smaller towns will have a pay it forward line up. This is where someone in the beginning has just paid for their order and they offer to pay for the one behind. Does not matter the price or does not matter how many they just offer to pay. To keep it going the next person would do the same until it finally stops and you can see how far it goes. Another thing I have seen as well is people who have maybe 50 dollars and they will give it all to the cashier and say to pay for as many people behind them as possible til it runs out.

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Another instance I found fascinating and did not find it really that interesting until i had moved to Quebec and came back to Nova Scotia was how talkative people are. When we had moved back I was nearly half way through a pregnancy. Any where I had gone in Quebec people barely talked with anyone outside of who they were with which is very strange. Having moved back the first place I went was a doctor’s office for the walk in clinic to get the proper paperwork to be able to have a OBGYN follow me for my pregnancy. Just waiting to see this doctor there were a few people that I had struck up a conversation with. This also falls into the categories of people who pump gas and talk across the pumps to one another. My dad was notorious for doing this when we were younger and nearly every time we would ask who it was he would say he didn’t know. Even something as small as waiting for the same bus with someone and talking about the weather is something that happens quite frequently here I would thing too!

As someone like me who is in fact chatty when it comes to people I was super relieved to be back in a place where that type of communication actually happened. I don’t remember a time when I was in another province where someone would actually keep a conversation going. Sometimes you can try to get one started or making small talk in a grocery store line up however it was quickly met with a word or two and a short answer and almost a snub where they obviously did not want to keep on conversing!

Like I mentioned before, I think a big issue is where you may have traveled in Canada to see who is the friendliest. I think we also get the stereotype depending on where we travel in the world. A big part of this I think is how our country as a whole handles world matters. Not that we really get our nose into anything but a lot of the times we will go towards these situations just to have our flag seen but we aren’t there to get involved so to speak. We just want to kind of be a buffer.

So really, Are we that polite? Well on the East Coast I would say that the majority of us are. Also small towns may have really nice folks there too however you may get the flip side and find some not so nice folks there too. Quebec I find folks to not really be super nice and New Brunswick they are pretty nice if they are English speaking and if they are French well, That may be a different story! I have heard that some spots on the West Coast may not be as friendly though.

I would like to point out that just because people are polite or kind does not mean they will be that way if you make them mad either. Don’t mistake politeness for being a push over either. A lot of people are in fact polite but they will snap back if you want to push them to the point of no return (okay maybe not that far but you get it)!

Graphics, Are they important?

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Graphics can be a great way to showcase who you are and what you like when it comes to your stream. Normally partners on any platform, as well as anyone wanting to showcase their brand through photos normally customized to their ideas. This can be panels, online and offline screens, intros and outros and overlays as well too. Though this might sound overwhelming don’t be alarmed, Everyone has to start somewhere and you don’t need to have the fanciest things to begin with. A lot of streamers start with basics and move forward as they progress in the streaming world or when more money comes in. As any type of graphics will normally cost money. Getting something for free can be a good way to wait a long time for them.

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First, If you are a new streamer, make sure that the first thing you do, IF ANYTHING is to change your profile picture. Far too many times I see people tweeting and trying to get viewers, when they don’t even have a profile picture. Whether you put a photo of food, or your photo, adding a profile photo and not keeping it the default photo is a great way to show what you are about. Maybe you have a custom logo made, maybe you have a pet or something else you enjoy, changing your profile photo demonstrates you know what you are doing (even if you are pretending!).

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Secondly, Don’t pay a crap load of money for panels JUST YET. There is a lot of free sites out there such as Nerd or Die where you can actually make your own panels. Nerd or Die is a prime example of a website that you can make even very basic panels for your live streaming needs. They are available to anyone so there isn’t much customization BUT its a great way to put place holders there and show that you are growing in the industry. I actually used this site and made my panels that way. Its easy to change and helps you not to stress over the customized graphics (Just yet) when it comes to building your channel.

Next is overlays. You have overlays that again, you can pay money for and have a decent overlay customized for you. Or you ca go to some sites where you can purchase an overlay that is also available to other people too so customization may not be as personal. Some sites even have packages for specific panels and overlays that you can buy for a cheaper price. I would check if possible, the popularity of the package though. You don’t want to use the same panels and overlays as all of your friends or people you watch either. You can have an overlay on your screen as well as a cam boarder. This is where you can display your stats like recent followers, subscribers, tips as well as other things that you wish.

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Another thing I would suggest when it comes to thinking about the graphics for your channel. Go into this with an idea of some sort. Not saying that artists aren’t creative or anything but if you go into this with an idea or a concept then it can make things run a lot smoother. When I went into wanting my emotes made I had the names and a few examples of something similar that I wanted. I sent them to my emote artist and she did a fantastic job on them. It can also do a lot in helping the artist as well save time. If you give them a basic concept, And they do something you aren’t fond of then they now have to go back and revise what they did. Now, yes that is part of their job is to refine what you asked but it can save so much time in the long run if you go in with a particular style or even a mascot with who you want. I am going to be personally saving my twitch pays for the next few months I would estimate perhaps.. 6-9 months given that I get pay outs every 3 to save to re-invest into the stream. I’m in no rush because for me I typically sketch out an idea and refine it over time so that an artist has a pretty clear idea of what I want and they can then put their own style onto it!

A HUGE thing to remember when looking for an artist. Nothing in life is free and you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a cheap and easy artist chances are you will get the run in to a lot of various issues with creating your design. Artists take a lot of time when making these creations for our streams some even have many years of schooling behind them. Do you have a friend who has had their graphics done and you loved the work their artist has done? Hit that artist up. One thing that is huge in getting your name out there as an artist is word of mouth. From sharing and having great emotes and overlays and things. Look at AdmiralBahroo, He is known not just for his streams but his iconic emotes as well too. You may have seen them around, the ones with the panda mascot. The power of great graphics is similar to having a great impression via word of mouth. If you use a site like Fiverr as well too, Make sure you check the artist reviews, what they will provide, revisions and whatever else you are looking for. If you get a weird feeling from someone by reading their profile or portfolio (which you should be asking for examples as well too!) If you don’t like something keep searching. There is no rush when finding an artist to make your vision become a reality.

Also this almost should go without needing mentioning, If you cannot afford emotes/graphics/overlays DO NOT STEAL THEM! If you see someone on twitch or where ever with the same emotes as you, report them. Ask how they got them. Question things. So often you see people using others designs because they wanted an easy way our. Streamers and artists are also responsible for this. Streamers if you notice that you have a product that is plagiarized then remove it. Question your artist. And Artists if you use someone else’s artwork. Shame on you as well too.

Regardless of how you want your vision to come to life remember, Not everyone had the money to pay hundreds of dollars for graphics their first stream. Save your money and invest in someone who you trust and you enjoy their work! Ask around and don’t be afraid to ask your artist questions as well too. Don’t spend a lot of money on a “Maybe” if the artist isn’t sure they can produce results!

Ear Piercings and Kids

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I already know the controversy that this subject entails and so be it. I just feel like since having children this subject comes up far too often and I thought why not share my thoughts about it also. Especially in parenting groups on Facebook it seems to be a subject that pops up every few weeks which clearly divides the community.

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Growing up, in the 90’s, not to date myself, many parents would get their little girls (or boys maybe on traditional reasons) ear’s pierced. There were specific reasons for doing this so young. I, myself, had my ear’s pierced by my mother when I was maybe 6 months old. I still have them in today, in fact I have a few more holes not just in my ears too! The reasoning for this was because of the fact that I was so young the chance of infection was lower. Why you may be thinking? That would be because as a baby you really aren’t interested in your ears and are playing with them far less than you would be if the child was older. There is also the cosmetic reason where girls should have piercings in the eyes of society. Or maybe the boys or girls get them done based on cultural or religious views too.

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One of the recent debates that is up for discussion nearly any time I see this posted anywhere locally is “Where can I get my (insert age) child’s ears pierced?”. Which when it is seen almost immediately you see the troves of people saying “Get it done when they can consent to it.. blah blah blah blah”. Why is it all of a sudden we are caring about a child has to consent to this being done? Is this a wave of different things in the world that causes parents to be waiting for everything and not making decisions on this.



Then there comes the argument of “But I want my child to be able to have a say if they want their ears pierced or not”. This though valid, can be see the other way too. If a child does not want their ear’s pierced and can voice that they don’t want them, can they not remove them and have the holes grow over too? Can’t it go the other way here.

I also have noticed when it comes to these types of posts so be it the same people comment in the smaller groups for parents and what not, that the same people who are shaming others for wanting to get their children’s ears pierced are the same people who live a meat free or vegan lifestyle. They are completely against having any cow’s milk for their kids and will typically use some alternative like almond milk or maybe cashew milk. Why is it that these particular parents are sometimes trying to say “Their body their choice” but then deprive them of different food groups to suit their mindset. Sure you can get nutrients from everything and anything but sometimes the other alternatives just does not have the same effect on a growing human though.

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As with many other things, there is also the heritage reasons for this where some cultures require both sexes to have it done or maybe they are to have it done based on becoming a certain age too. I feel like this may be a subject that is acceptable in different parts of the world however in Canada I would say that the opinions here are pretty split in terms of it is something that is acceptable to have done with your kids.

It should also be noted, myself included in this, that growing up when kids did get their ears pierced they were done with a piercing gun. This can also be the way people choose to get a child’s ears done now however more and more people are saying they should go to an actual piercing studio to have them done with a needle. Apparently now a days the gun causes some sort of trauma to the ear that a needle does not. The main difference is that the gun you can have two people doing it at the same time making the piercings themselves happen a lot quicker than if it was a needle. Thus also being known that if you go to a piercing studio you can basically guarantee that they will not do it unless the kid can consent to this though. Where as with the guns you could probably go to a smaller store spot like maybe a Claire’s store. Which these people are not trained in the a lot of areas that a professional piercing artist is.

Though at the time of writing this I cannot confidently say whether or not I would get my girl’s ears pierced due to the fact that I dont have any daughters, if I was decide today if I would, I feel like I would be leaning towards yes. If at a later time they did not want to have their ear’s pierced they are more than welcomed to take them out. I dont believe this is a mutilation that is unable to have be reset so to speak. You can simply take the piercing out and have the hole grow over. Though I am not really thinking about that type of decision and it would really depend what I choose when the time comes!