A One-Year-Old Norwood Boy Named Jonas Has The Best Toy Plane Ever
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OMG, too cute!
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Parenting Expert Ann Douglas To Deliver Presentation At Queen Mary Public School
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Peterborough-based parenting author/expert/writer Ann Douglas has a new book out Parenting Through the Storm—a definitive guide to parenting a child with a mental health, neurodevelopmental or behavioural challenge.
Douglas will be giving a presentation based on the book Thursday (June 4th) at Queen Mary Public School from 6:30 to 8 pm. It is a FREE community event.
***Topics to be discussed include parenting strategies, advocacy skills, self-care, self-compassion, creating a support network, and lifestyle matters (nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management, and making time for fun).
This is a presentation that will be of interest to all parents, whether they have children who are struggling or not.
More info here.
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Living With Autism: A Wells Family Christmas
/MUST READ... Beautiful piece by Kate Wells
Read MorePeterborough Crossing Guard Told To Stop High-Fiving Students
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Now one of our most discussed stories ever...
Read MoreBreastfeeding Welcome Here Campaign Launches In Downtown Peterborough
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Window signs and information sheets are part of a new initiative by Breastfeeding Welcome Here and the DBIA to let nursing mothers know that downtown businesses welcome families in their stores, restaurants and offices.
Breastfeeding in public is natural—and it’s protected through law under the Ontario Human Rights Code. “Forty-nine percent of local women told us that they were quite uncomfortable breastfeeding in public spaces such as restaurants, so we know that we had to do something to make them feel more welcome, and as well to let the general public know that this is normal and okay,” says Dawn Hanes, chair of the Breastfeeding Coalition.
The program, organized by the local Breatfeeding Coalition, includes:
- A window cling that businesses post on their front doors or windows to let families know that they support their choice
- Information sheets that businesses are sharing with their employees to give them practical suggestions to welcome breastfeeding families, and to create a supportive atmosphere
- Encouraging conversations with business owners and their staff about breastfeeding to help normalize breastfeeding in public.
If your business would like to sign up for the program, contact Dawn Hanes here.
This is World Breasfeeding Week. Learn more here.
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A Beautiful Story About A Peterborough Woman's Plan To Retrace Her Late Dad's Bike Trip In Ireland In 1973
/[UPDATE (July 7th): Huffington Post picks up our post.]
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ORIGINAL POST (July 6th)
Peterborough's Megan Murphy was broken and lost when her mother and father passed away—her Dad, Marty, in 2004 at age 57, and Mom, Mary, in 2012 at age 65.
She was depressed after their deaths—both lost battles with cancer, and Megan had been by their side all along—and had lost her spirit for life. She could barely breathe. And so, she did this a lot...
Her parents had been everything to her...
On the eve of her 35th birthday, she found herself returning her engagement ring to her newly titled “ex”-fiance after a five year relationship, packing up her small car with all her belongings, and moving back to her childhood home after her Mom's death...
Once there, she began going through all her parent's old belongings...
Among the belongings, tucked away in a long ignored box, was a diary of her Dad's she’d believed had been lost years before in a house fire. She read the diary. She was enthralled. In the wonderfully descriptive journals, her father wrote about a solo bicycle trip he had taken through southern Ireland in 1973 at age 26 when he was trying to "find himself". The diary chronicled his trip in the beautiful country, his ancestral home, and how this essentially became his journey into manhood.
Megan also found his 1973, 10 speed Peugeot hanging in the rafters of the family garage. It was on this bike, she writes, that her father discovered on his Ireland trip "the beauty of the country that was his ancestral home, the sacredness of solitude, the sting of loneliness, the joy of laughter and the value of his fellow man. He stopped. He took a moment to stand on the precipice and just breathe."
Megan became obsessed with the idea of re-creating her Dad's trip.
"Maybe if I go backwards and recreate this journey, I can find my own path forward," she writes. And live again. Be this Megan again...
Megan took that old, 40-year-old bike with such a rich history and refurbished it. And now it's this...
She brought it back to life and is training on it because she has an amazing plan. A beautiful plan. She's taking the bike, his journal and a film crew to Ireland to retrace his steps. To find her lost spark—"to find my whimsy again," she says.
Megan now, her Dad then
Megan, an actor, comedian and radio show host in Peterborough, is calling this documentary she'll be doing in Ireland, appropriately enough, Murphy's Law. She's funding it through inheritance money from her parents, and by raising money through an Indiegogo campaign. Her goal is $25,000, and she has raised more than $8,000 so far. She needs your help to keep the momentum going, and there is plenty...
Because really, her journey isn't just a personal one about finding herself and learning more about her Dad, her parents, her life, and what makes her happy. It's a universal one we all go through with finding ourselves, finding the meaning of life—and where we're supposed to fit in that. One Hollywood ending could have her meeting an Irishman and riding off into the Irish countryside on that bike with him...
And maybe marrying that Irishman, and having an awesome wedding and marriage like her parents...
Another narrative could be Megan just finding her true purpose in life. And being this again...
...and not this..
3 Peterborough Siblings Shave Their Heads To Raise Awareness For Pediatric Cancer Research
/So many kids around Peterborough have been having their heads shaved and pony tails cut for a great cause: Pedal For Hope. This takes place each April and May, when members of the Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police shed their uniforms during their holidays, hop on a bike and pedal more than 1,000 kilometres as "Cops for Cancer" to visit schools around Central Ontario to raise money for pediatric cancer research and awareness about kids living with cancer. Since the first tour in 2005, the Pedal for Hope team has raised more than $2.4 million for pediatric cancer research.
This year's 10th anniversary tour wraps up Saturday (May 17th) with an event at Adam Scott, but on Friday (May 16th) Pedal For Hope bikers arrived at James Strath Public School in Peterborough, and more children had their heads shaved—including Eileen and Joel Kimmett's three kids, Quinn, 10; Riker Kimmett, 8; and Kedron, 6. "I still can't say enough how amazing the Pedal For Hope Team is," Eileen tells us. Her kids are amazing, too. All the hair cut goes to make wigs for kids struggling with cancer. See pics below of Quinn, Riker and Kedron from today...
Kedron, Quinn and Riker
Kedron, Quinn and Riker
Kedron
Kedron
Kedron
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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Social Worker Stephanie Moeser
/Often, people move on from smaller towns to larger metropolises for work. Stephanie Moeser and her family did the exact opposite last summer when they uprooted and moved from Toronto up the 115 to Peterborough.
The draw of an active arts community, vibrant downtown atmosphere and natural environment provided all the incentive they needed to pack up and leave their comfort zone. The slower pace of life, and friendlier atmosphere that the Lift Lock City could provide for their children also helped in the decision.
Stephanie is a social worker with a particular focus on supporting teens and adults with Asperger Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. She worked previously at Geneva Centre for Autism in Toronto for 13 years as a social worker and later as a supervisor. She also managed a service for adults with a dual-diagnosis. Currently, she still remains an affiliate of the Redpath Centre in Toronto.
More recently, Stephanie decided to take a leap of faith and work for herself. She is now a social worker in private practice here in Peterborough and couldn’t be happier with this decision.
Stephanie has expertise in providing clinical support to all those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. As part of her work, she supports families understanding of their child’s diagnosis and how it effects their child and family as a whole. She also provides counseling to couples where one or both spouses have an autism spectrum disorder through offering support and guidance navigating some of the complexities of intimate relationships.
Stephanie works directly with teens and adults with Asperger Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder, supporting them through many facets of their lives, including (but not limited to):
- understanding their diagnosis
- navigating the social environment
- emotional regulation and relationships
- supporting individuals who are experience mental health issues
Through her many years of work, Stephanie has always been amazed at the strength of the individuals she has met. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder have taught her to embrace thinking outside the box and have shown her how to look at situations in new and unique ways. Through these interactions, Stephanie knows the importance of embracing difference and using our strengths and passions to reach our goals.
In working with families, Stephanie has been awed by their strength, love and resilience. Families fight for the best for all of their children, and at times do this while putting their own needs second. Stephanie has worked with families to help them find balance and support so all members can thrive.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Stephanie Moeser and what she is now offering our community, she can be reached at:
Email: stephanie@rediscovery.ca
Facebook: Rediscovery Counselling
Website: RedpathCentre.ca
Twitter: @re_discovery
Phone: 705.927.1318
If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email sales@ptbocanada.com!
Peterborough, Have You Seen This Adorable Giraffe Stuffed Toy?
/UPDATE (January 30th): The giraffe has been found!
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A child lost their beloved giraffe inside the Peterborough Dollar Store on Monday. If you've seen this cutie, email us or tweet Gary Burness. Let's see if the power of social media can bring it home to the child. Share on Facebook and Twitter.
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