That’s why we were delighted to discover A Bear in War, co-authored by Stephanie Innes and Harry Endrulat, and beautifully illustrated with original oil paintings by Brian Deines.

Told from the perspective of Teddy, a stuffed bear sent to the front lines of World War I, A Bear in War is the tale of 10-year-old Aileen Rogers who lived with her family on a farm in Quebec. Aileen’s father, Lawrence Browning Rogers, enlisted in the First Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1915 and went to Europe to serve as a medic. In an effort to cheer him up, Aileen parted with beloved Teddy and sent it to her father, who kept it with him in his pocket as he was tending to wounded soldiers. Sadly, Teddy wasn’t enough to protect him, and he died at the battle of Passchendaele on October 30, 1917.

And 85 years later, Lawrence’s granddaughter found the hundreds of letters the family had exchanged, along with Teddy and other war memorabilia packed away in a large briefcase. She was able to delve deeper into the story of how one Canadian family lived through the war. Inspired by the incredible story of Teddy’s experiences, her daughter, Lawrence’s great-granddaughter, took the discovery further and co-authored this wonderful book.

The post A Sweet Remembrance Day Story Book appeared first on SavvyMom.

For young fans, especially those who invest their hearts (and wardrobes) into a team’s season, a loss can feel devastating. Tears are shed. Shirts are tossed. “It’s not fair!” is a recurring exclamation. As parents, it’s our job not to minimize those feelings. And we need to help them work through them.

Here’s how to support your child when their favourite team loses, and turn sports disappointment it into teachable moments…

Acknowledge Their Feelings

Before jumping in with logic (“It’s just a game!”), pause and validate their emotions. It might seem like an overreaction, but for kids, this is real grief.

Try:
“I know you were really hoping they’d win. It’s okay to feel upset.”
“You’ve been cheering for them all season. Of course this loss hurts.”

Validation doesn’t encourage wallowing. It lays the groundwork for emotional regulation.

Model Good Sportsmanship

Whether you’re watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs or a U9 soccer final, your reaction matters. Kids mirror our behaviour, even (especially?!) when we think they’re not watching.

We need to model good sportsmanship when dealing with sports disappointment. If you’re frustrated or muttering about bad calls, they’ll pick that up. Instead of yelling at the TV, try to model disappointment without blame.

Try:
“They gave it their all, and sometimes that’s just not enough to win.”
“I’m proud of how hard they played.”

Shift the Focus to Effort, Not Outcome

This is a great time to reinforce growth mindset thinking. Ask questions like:

• “What do you think they did really well this season?”
• “What would you do differently if you were the coach?”
• “What was your favourite moment from the season?”

This helps kids process the overall experience more fully, and reminds them that the journey matters as much as the score of their final game.

Make Room for Ritual

Having a post-game ritual, whether they win or lose, can provide structure and emotional safety.

Some ideas:

• “Win or lose, we go for ice cream after a big game.”
• “Let’s do a quick gratitude check… name one thing you’re thankful for about this season.”
• “Let’s rewatch some favourite plays or highlight moments.”

Creating predictable rituals helps kids know that the disappointment is temporary and your connection lasts.

Put It in Perspective (Gently)

When the tears dry and the jerseys are back in the drawer, it’s okay to talk about bigger lessons.

 Try:
“Part of loving something deeply is feeling sad when it doesn’t go your way. But that’s also what makes the wins so sweet.”
“Even the best teams lose sometimes. That’s why we keep watching and keep believing.”

Let Them Feel Passion—Even When It Hurts

In a world that encourages apathy and disconnection, it’s actually pretty amazing that your child cares this much about something. Passion is a powerful thing. The goal is not to dampen their enthusiasm. This helps to teach necessary resilience alongside it.

Let them love their team fiercely. Let them cry when things don’t go their way. Then help them dust off, cheer again, and maybe even take a shot on goal themselves.

Eventually, the team will win. And they’ll lose. And your child? They’ll be stronger for having stayed in the game.

Do your kids get emotional when their team loses? Do you?! What’s helped your family deal with post-game heartbreak? Share your tips in the comments!

The post They Lost?! Helping Kids Cope with Sports Disappointment appeared first on SavvyMom.

That’s why many women have started turning to safety razors as the sensible alternative. They’re made to last, are way cheaper for refills (you just replace a 10 cent blade), and cut cleanly at the surface of the skin.

The problem is that they take practice. The blade angle and pressure matter, and getting used to that can feel awkward if you’ve only used cartridges. Especially for sensitive or tricky areas.

That’s where the Henson Razor comes in; it’s designed by engineers from Canada’s aerospace industry, and it combines the benefits of a safety razor with the ease-of-use of a cartridge. The result is a smoother, more comfortable shave without the expense of constant refills.

How much money do I save with a Henson Razor?

The numbers are staggering, especially when you look at how much you’d be spending with cartridge refills the rest of your life.

A typical cartridge razor sells for roughly $15 upfront, with replacement heads priced around $8 to $13 per pack. On average, that’s about one pack per month — or $60 to $150 in refills over the course of a year. Over five years, that adds up to thousands spent on disposable plastic that ends up in the trash.

The Henson Razor turns that math completely around. Its handle is a one-time investment, precision-machined from aerospace-grade aluminum or titanium, and replacement blades cost about ten cents each. Even with a fresh blade every week, you’d spend no more than $4 or $5 a year.

Over a five-year span, the comparison on replacements is clear: thousands on cartridges vs roughly $25 total for the Henson blades. It’s more than just a lower-cost option — it’s savings that keep growing every year.

But will the Henson razor work for sensitive areas?

Let’s take a step back: cartridge razors cause irritation because of how they work. Multiple flexible blades pull each hair slightly above the skin before cutting it, then slice again as it retracts. It feels close at first, but that lift-and-cut motion leads to redness, bumps, and ingrown hairs — especially in sensitive areas like underarms or along the bikini line.

Traditional safety razors improve on that by using a single blade that cuts cleanly at the surface. But they can still feel harsh if the blade isn’t held at the right angle and with the right pressure. Even small vibrations, known as “blade chatter,” can leave tiny scratches that you feel as post-shave irritation.

The Henson Razor eliminates that blade chatter movement. Its head clamps the blade so firmly and evenly that there’s no room for vibration at all — think of it like tightening a guitar string until it can’t buzz. The edge stays fixed, so it glides across the skin instead of skipping over it.

The result is a smooth shave that feels consistent, even on areas where the skin is most delicate.

How does Henson make its razors?

Henson got started before making razors by making aerospace parts, including for the mars rover. The same level of precision in aerospace manufacturing is used to make the razor.

The razor works because each one is machined to tolerances (think margin of error in the manufacturing) measured in microns — the same level of accuracy used in aerospace manufacturing. That means the gap and angle that hold the blade are controlled within one-tenth the width of a human hair.

It’s like the difference between machining a part for a satellite and stamping out a disposable toy.

That consistency matters. A perfectly supported blade doesn’t vibrate or flex when it touches the skin, so it glides smoothly rather than scraping. The lack of “chatter” — those tiny edge vibrations that cause micro-cuts — is what keeps irritation to a minimum.

In testing with MIMOSA Diagnostics, skin shaved with a Henson showed lower redness and faster recovery compared to multi-blade cartridges.

2 billion razors in landfills

Each year, roughly two billion disposable razors and cartridges are thrown away in the United States alone. Most are made from layered materials — plastic, rubber, and metal — that can’t be separated for recycling. Once dull, they’re simply tossed, and every part of them remains intact for decades.

Because of that mixed construction, nearly every razor ever sold still exists somewhere: in landfills, incinerators, or waterways. The convenience of cheap refills comes at the cost of long-term plastic buildup that won’t break down in any meaningful timeframe.

The Henson Razor eliminates that waste stream. Its handle and head are machined entirely from aluminum or titanium — metals that don’t degrade and can be fully recycled. The only disposable part is the thin steel blade, which can be safely collected and recycled with other metals.

A single Henson replaces a lifetime of plastic cartridges, removing an entire category of waste.

The last razor you’ll ever buy

A Henson Razor isn’t designed around product cycles. It has no springs or plastic parts that can wear down or fail. The geometry that makes it precise today will remain the same decades from now.

Metals like these don’t fatigue under normal use, and there are no moving pieces to replace. With minimal care — a rinse and left to dry after each use — the razor will continue performing as it did on day one.

It’s a tool you can use for the rest of your life, and then passed along to your children and grandchildren.

You can see the different models and color options for Henson razors right here.

The post Why More Women Are Switching To Safety Razors appeared first on SavvyMom.

I love all of that stuff, but the best part about Halloween is how terrified my children are at the prospect of it not happening.

Have you guys seen the movie The Sixth Sense? You know how for 95 per cent of the movie Bruce Willis is basically just talking to himself because none of the living people can hear him. (Oops. Sorry. Spoiler alert)? Well that movie pretty much sums up every conversation I have with my children ten months of the year. But as soon as school starts and the Halloween decorations come out, I can make my kids do (or not do) pretty much anything with these magic words: ‘I won’t let you go trick or treating.’ F-Santa or Elf on the Shelf. The best threat is no Halloween.

Fights stop. Rooms are cleaned. Homework gets finished. Adult women get hand massages. I don’t know why this simple threat resonates so much better than every other threat, but it does.

Before you start judging me for using threats as the main part of my parenting strategy, I will have you know that is absolutely not the case. I also use bribery. But threats work much better. The problem is that I am generally terrible at threatening my kids. They can tell when I’m bluffing.

But with this Halloween business, I am not bluffing. Maybe it’s because they know that trick or treating with two kids is easier than trick or treating with three and that trick or treating with one kid is even easier than trick or treating with two. This is a punishment that I would actually follow through on.

It is no secret in my house that I am terrible at coming up with punishments in the moment. They range from the absurd (I’m calling that lady from Craigslist right now! She said she wanted a son to go with her cats!’) to the inane (‘I will write to the BBC and tell them to cancel Peppa Pig. Just watch me!) to the short-sighted. Like the time I threatened to take away my son’s birthday party if he didn’t stop a tantrum. After the invitations had gone out. So when the tantrum didn’t stop, I had to decide between being mean, looking weak or finding some kind of crazy loophole. I have also taken away (and given back) the school fun fair, Hanukkah, and dinner in perpetuity. Based on the number of loopholes and last-minute reprieves happening in my house, you might think that my kids have Johnnie Cochrane and Robert Shapiro on retainer.

Of course I wish that I were better at discipline. I worry that every time I dole out a crazy punishment as a means of gaining control, only to take it back when I realize that I don’t want to cancel Hanukkah (or leave my kids at the Miami airport) I am diluting my authority and my credibility. But sometimes I don’t know what else to do. I mean, isn’t adult life also largely about punishment and rewards? Sure, we do some things out of the goodness of our hearts (see: leave Miami airport with fighting children, despite better judgement) but don’t most people work for the reward of money? And don’t we adhere to the law (or at least the laws of traffic and parking) because we are worried about a stiff fine?

Though the writing of this piece has made me reflect a little on my parenting skills. I need to stop taking the easy way out. For example, there is something that I have wanted to do for quite some time but I have been worried about how hard it would be to implement. And also, I really hate asking for help. But as Hillary Clinton said …it takes a village. So I am going to do it. I am going to ask my village for help and I am going to plan three more Halloweens per year, every year. Because without that, I really don’t know what I am going to do for the next eleven months.

The post Why the Day After Halloween Is the Saddest Day of the Year appeared first on SavvyMom.

Safely Managing Your Leftover Food:

Meat, chicken, fish, eggs:

• Must be properly cooked in the first place
• Stored in the fridge as quickly as possible after dinner and in under two hours
• Kept cold until ready to eat or reheated thoroughly (cold chicken sandwich is good; half-heated microwaved chicken sandwich is not so good)
• Can be kept in the fridge for up to three days max (fully cooked eggs five days)

Soups and stews:

• Allow to cool on the counter until it stops steaming and then put directly into the fridge away from other perishables
• Must be reheated completely to steaming
• Shallow, rectangular containers work best; they cool quickly and fit in the fridge or freezer better
• Nothing should ever be re-heated more than once

Now that we have that out of the way, the possibilities for your leftovers are endless!

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