Welcome Back to Girl World - Steering my Girl Through the Most Dysfunctional Time of Life

11

I dread this age.  I thought my daughter was succeeding with navigating through the gossip infested waters of "Girl World", but here we are today, trapped in an eddy of trouble.  First, let me give you some background.  Our family lives in a big city, and we are renting a large apartment in a lovely part of town.  We have moved three times in the last five years to accommodate the need for space.  My daughter - whom I'll call E. has changed schools three times since kindergarten, but she has managed to foster wonderful, long term relationships with girls and boys at her previous two schools.  Birthday parties are a lot of fun because it's a chance for her to have all of her friends together in one place, at the same time.

This year started out no differently than the others.  Instead of trekking her three kilometres to her old stomping ground, we decided to have her switch into the local school so that she could make friends with kids in the neighbourhood.  She was a little nervous starting a new school, meeting new people.  But she had the confidence that she would meet some great kids, just as she had in the past.  I stood by the fence as I watched her walk into the play yard and line up with her class to enter the school.  By end of day, when I  met her at 3:30pm, she informed me that she spoke to a few girls, and one boy who told her that, "...[she] would never fit in [here] because she wasn't there since kindergarten".  Nice welcome, young sir.

I asked her about the girls she met, and she told me there was one girl you didn't want to get on the wrong side of.  Already, I regretted the decision of switching schools.  I asked her to elaborate, and she informed me that there were a couple of cliques (yes, she used the word) and S. was the centre of one of them.  Immediately, I let her know that she did not have to be pulled into S.'s world, that there were lots of people to meet.  She was one step ahead of me, because she answered, "I know mum.  I met M. today and she's great!  She came up and gave me a big hug and told me that it was great we're the same height".

M. and E. began to hang out constantly after school.  They both own dogs, so it was mutally beneficial to meet up with the dogs after school to excercise them and play together.  When apart, they texted one another, so much that I had to activate unlimited texting on her phone account.  My daughter seemed really happy - she had made some friends and was feeling great about herself.  Around spring, things began to change.  Ellary began to change.  She began to tell me that she was feeling ill on school days - non-descript symptoms of stomach ache, head ache and nausea.  There was no fever involved, but she stayed home to recover.  Around this time, I asked her why she didn't go to the park with M. anymore.  E. told me that M. got into an argument with one of their friends, L. and E. was asked to pick sides.  E. announced that she wasn't on anyone's side - the disagreement between L. and M. had nothing to do with her, so in true Swiss fashion, she said she favoured both, or no one.  In any case, she was still both girls' friend, and that they should work out their differences.  M. took this to be a betrayal of their friendship, and started asking people to side against E.  Are you still following me on this?  E. stood for her belief that she should be able to maintain the two friendships as the arguing parties work it out (or remain at odds).  Well, as a result, she was shunned by M. and as a result, her friendship with L. grew.

E. and L. get along very well, and the friendship is collaborative and equal.  They communicate their differences and respect each other for them.  They try to keep out of the gossip mill, but it is impossible to avoid it indefinitely.  M. talks about the girls when they are within earshot to see if they will react.  It is this very aspect of Girl World that makes me cringe - the deliberate whisper screams, edited messages and half truths meant to bend pliable girl minds against E. and L.  Together, they support each other, defend each other and speak up when others are being wronged.

Last night, as we were finishing our dinner, I got a call from the lobby of my building.  M.'s mum is downstairs, asking me to come down to discuss something urgent.  I tell her I will be right down.  My husband accompanied me and when the elevator doors opened we saw M, her mum and her older sister.  I greeted them and led them to the waiting area.  There, they informed me that M. was devastated because her Instagram account was hacked, password changed, and they believed that it was E's doing.  They proceeded to show me a screen and told me that the user name was changed, and the profile name was altered to my daughter's name.  Under my daughter's name, it said "i am a stupid person so don't follow me and i hate bulldogs soooo much instead i like schnauzers".  They proceeded to accuse her of hacking into the Instagram account and posting negative comments.  I asked M. if she had ever given her password to anyone.  She said no.  My husband pointed out that the comment seemed directed at E - saying she was stupid, and that M's hijacked account was the medium to do it.  M's sister became very agitated and kept saying that because the profile name was our daughter's, she was the "prime suspect" and that M. was the victim of cyber bullying.  We agreed that there was bullying and informed them that they should inform Instagram that the account was hacked and that they had no access to it.  They refused, the sister going so far to say there was no way to do that.  I informed her that these organizations have user policies and agreements (the box we always check but never read) and that Instagram would launch an investigation.  We agreed to meet with the principal of the school the next morning.  We went upstairs and talked at length with her about the situation.  She reiterated that she did not do that, would never do that and that she was afraid that people would think that this was her doing and retaliate.

The next morning, I met with M's mum, sister, principal and vice principal of the school.  There, I pulled out three documents.  A summary of the previous night's meeting, a print screen of Instagram's help page of what to do when an account is hacked, and the help page of how to report an impersonation account.  Again, accusations flew at my daughter, even blaming my son for involvement because "he's older" (they thought he was 20) and apparently he's a computer whiz (if Minecraft is wizardry).  This made me laugh a little as I corrected them about his age - he's almost 13, and his IT skills.  The principal looked at the blurb and told them that anyone reading that would see that the person the negative comment was about was E, and that it was on M's page.  This did not please M's family.  I restated that until they report this to the company, there would be no investigation to see what IP address the hack came from, if indeed it was a hack job.  I told them that I believed M. when she told us that she never divulged her password to anyone, and in return they should believe that E. did not contaminate her account because she said she did not do it.  But no, because her full name is on the account, they want to hang her out.  I let them know that just because one sees a man standing over a dead body, it does not mean that he killed that person.  I left the meeting with their assurance that they will report to Instagram and start an investigation.  The school is going to have a seminar on cyber-bullying and why hacking is bad.  I will be following up with the family to ensure that the account has been closed and that E.'s name has been removed.    If it hasn't by the time I touch base, I will report that my daughter's name is being used without her consent on that account.  Personally, I think that M has something to do with this, because she has been spreading it around the class.  E. is doing her best to ignore it, but when asked directly, she answers "NO".  It has just started, and I'm sure that before this blows over, there will be lots of tears and frustration.

Everyone knows the saying, "kids can be cruel".  It's an inevitable utterance that will come out of every parent's mouth when dismissing the behaviour of school aged children.  But I think that is where the problem starts.  We know kids can be cruel - some more so than others, but I tell you, I would take a punch in the gut any day over a visit back to Girl World - I'm amazed that I made it out with my brain intact, and not scrambled.

What are your thoughts?  Please share with me any experiences you have had with you or your children being bullied.  I'd love to have your feedback.  Thanks so much for reading.

The Bay - NOT my Canadian store anymore

...or should I call it The Hudson's Bay Company?  The Bay has been really busy over the last few years trying to rebrand itself to stay relevant with the ever growing luxury retailer Holt Renfrew & Co, and distance itself from Sears.  In my day,  Holt Renfrew was the hallmark of unattainable - the go-to retailer downtown  for the very distinguished (read: rich) older white lady who enjoyed tea in the in-house restaurant and bought broaches for their granddaughters' graduation gifts.  It certainly wasn't the place my mum would take me when I needed a new pair of corduroys.  That's where the other major retailers came into play - Simpsons, Eaton's and of course, The Bay.  Sears was always lurking in the back, personified as the not so trendy, not so extroverted plain jane cousin, tauting her thick book of things.  The Bay was a solid retailer for the middle class, everyday suburban family.  As a kid we got our Krickets clothes, Osh Kosh B'Gosh, Wrangler pants and Trim Fit hosiery at what my mum called a fair price.

Flash forward to today and the landscape has changed a bit.  Holt Renfrew & Co. is still the purveyor of luxury goods, but it is BIGGER.  Like a goldfish that was moved from a small bowl to a large tank it grew to adapt to the size of its surroundings.  That's what credit cards do!  All over town I see and talk to pretty young things who can barely afford to pay their rent or buy nutritious food to eat because they're sporting the new and on-trend Gucci bag.  The Bay has been busy this decade as well.  Zellers fell under its wing as the "value branded" category, and in the 90's, Simpson's was gobbled up by The Bay.  The number of retail stores doubled and Eaton's was left in the cold.  Eventually, Eaton's locations became Sears, and in time, Sears worked really hard to shed its "Sears" image and managed to distance itself from the burgeoning K-Mart.  Well into the first decade of the 21st century, discount retailers like Giant Tiger, Wal-Mart, and now Target have become the staples for everyday needs, including basic items and cosmetics.  What's a store like The Bay to do?  Look for competition!  Find another audience!  Go for more money!  But keep the shitty customer service where it is.  The bricks and mortar stores look better (though still like The Bay), have floors of their stores dedicated to particular brands and designers, but honestly - CAN I GET SOME CUSTOMER SERVICE HERE?  Why is it that when I feel this absurd need to spend $300 on a shirt there isn't a single person who can direct me to where I need to be?

The truth is, The Bay - to the core - hasn't changed.  I mean, yes - you have Bonnie "my voice sounds like nails screeching down a chalkboard" Brooks doing horrible Bay Day ads for the radio and they have elevated their lines to be in direct competition with Holt Renfrew - but honestly, same old same old.  Crappy customer service (with a smile) packaged in a semi-presentable store.

Just recently, I ordered from thebay.com and even though my sale went smoothly, I did not receive a confirmation e-mail (as promised) that the order went through.  I had to call their 1-800 number and talk to a CSR.  Though polite, I felt she did not quite understand the situation.  And her voice had a strange twang to it.  Now, the website says that if an order is placed before 1pm, then it will be shipped out that same business day.  Great!  But I did not receive an e-mail confirmation (as promised) to let me know that my package was on its way.  So again, I called the 1-800 number.  This time, another twangy lady voice told me that my package has shipped, but there are problems with the system and no e-mails are being sent.  Don't you think that a blanket statement on their website would be there to inform customers about this e-mail outage?  Nope.  My order was delivered yesterday, and when my husband tried on the pants, we found that they are cut smaller - lady sizes tend to get cut bigger and bigger, maybe men's get cut smaller and smaller.  So I thought, "No problem - I should be able to return the pants the way I got them.  By mailing them back to the e-store, on their dime.  After all, that's what Gap & Co do.  They send you a return shipping label in case something doesn't fit, or you change your mind.  And I got a return shipping label from The Bay as well!  Sweet!  But...the label did not have an expedited parcel number ID on it.  Back to The Bay customer service - a third lady told me that unless they made a mistake in packing the order, I have to ship it back at a cost to me.  And this is where old "The Bay" rears her ugly head in the modern age of online shopping.  I said, "Oh - that's too bad.  I know I can drag my butt out and return it to a retail location, but if I could do that I wouldn't order online.  By the way, is this call centre located in Canada?"

The sweet CSR lady cleared her throat and replied, "No Ma'am - we're located in the US.  The stores are in Canada, but we are in the states."

Why are we outsourcing call centre ops to the States?   But I guess everything good here ends up down there, literally and metaphorically.

The Hudson's Bay Company, incorporated May 2 1670 - a Canadian retail icon, just not my Canadian store anymore.

The Long Road to Keeva - Part Two: It Came Down to Two

During my search for a canine companion that would not render me a slave to the antihistamine manufacturers of North America, I learned a lot about myself - mainly that to put myself through an almost daily punishment of hives and respiratory distress, meant that I really wanted a dog.  Or that I would exercise every option to could to ensure that a dog was not a possibility for me.  On a sunny autumn afternoon, I was sitting on the porch of my house when I met Guy.  Guy is a tall man with a broad frame, and he wore a porkpie hat and a long goatee.  As he walked by, I noticed that a dark figure trotted beside him, prancing calmly like a horse.  It was the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen!  Approximately 18 inches high, she was of medium build, her dark coat glossy and muted with grey and black tones.  I bolted from my bench and made my way to the side walk.  I stopped the man and his dog, "Hi!  Do you mind if I ask you what kind of dog you have?".  I looked down at the animal and she looked up at me and I stared deep into her eyes.  Her bearded muzzle nudged my outstretched hand and her wet nose tapped my palm.

"She's a standard schnauzer.  You don't see too many of these."

He was right.  Throughout my search, I encountered many giant and mini schnauzers, but never the breed that these two originated from.  The standard schnauzer, or "Mittelschnauzer" is a medium sized dog - usually between 17 inches and 19 inches in height, and between 30 and 45 pounds (a bit bigger for males).  They are generally recognized in two colours:  black and pepper/salt.  Schnauzers have a double hair coat - a soft under coat and coarse guard hairs on top.  The coarse outer coat serves as their "waterproof" layer - it keeps the water, sand and dirt from going further down to their insulating coat and skin.  Like our hair, it falls out, usually a few times a year.  In order to keep the harsh coat, the dog has to be hand stripped - that is, it has to be pulled out when it has grown out.  A lot of schnauzer owners find this tedious, so they instead clip the coat.  The coarse hairs eventually do not grow back, so you are left with the soft smooth coat.  With a black schnauzer, the coat fades to a dark grey, and the pepper/salt coat loses its colour banding to become a soft light grey.

                                      Black Schnauzer, natural ears                                  Pepper Salt Schnauzer, natural ears

Guy's standard schnauzer, Duza is a beautiful and calm girl.  She is a 5 year old schnauzer that has a soft dark grey coat.  That day, I pet her and let her lick me.  I was even so bold as to rub my eyes with my hands after contact with Duza.  There was no reaction - no hives, itching, watery eyes, wheezing.  No reaction!  This was really thrilling for me, and over the course of four months, every time I was Guy walking down our street, I bounded after him, repeating the process of petting Duza, letting her lick me, and then placing my hands all over my face.  Each time, no reaction.  I was ecstatic - I had found not one, but two dogs I did not react to.  It was now time to make the choice:  poodle, or schnauzer.

Mike and I talked long and hard about this.  We both wanted a dog that was big enough to live comfortably in a small house, but also able to walk among the big dogs.  We wanted a dog that did not bark excessively and would not be overly suspicious or jumpy among strangers.  As a family with an active lifestyle, we wanted a dog that would love romping outdoors on hikes and camping trips.  Obedience, intelligence, loyalty and the prospect of training for Good Canine Citizen certification was also important.  Both the poodle and the schnauzer met all of our hopes.  When it came down to it, we went with the standard schnauzer - their soulful eyes had it.  Their eye contact really made a connection with us - proof?  Look at the picture just above!

Once our decision was made, we started looking at rescue groups.  After all, we wanted to do the right thing, and give a much needed home to a schnauzer that needed one.  We contacted a couple of rescue groups and we went to interviews.  The bottom line:  because we are a family with young children who have never owned a dog before, it was recommended that we NOT rescue a schnauzer, but find a reputable breeder and get a puppy.  At first, I took this rejection quite badly.  I wanted to do the right thing!  But after speaking to the rescue co-ordinator, she assured me that a puppy would be the best and happiest decision for us.  Many rescues have behavioural issues that come about over time, and it takes someone who really knows and understands the breed to work through them with the animal.  The last thing we would ever want to do is to bring home a rescue, and then not be able to handle everything that goes with the dog and end up doing more damage by returning him/her.  

By now, it was spring 2011, and we had been researching breeders in the province, through the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club).  We also started to see a couple of other standards in the neighbourhood.  We asked the owners where their schnauzer came from and 3 of the 4 (including Duza) were from a small kennel called Dinsdale Schnauzers, in Grafton Ontario.  

http://www.eagle.ca/~dinsdale/   

I went onto the website and everything you wanted to know about Dinsdale Schnauzers, the breeder Lori, and schnauzers in general was all there.  A lot to read, a lot to absorb.  I devoured all the content, and was especially thankful for the "Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" section.  It let you know what it's really like to live with the breed.  I sent Lori Elvin the breeder an e-mail inquiring about puppies.  I also did as was requested, and left my contact information and gave her some information about my whereabouts, my experience with dogs and what my lifestyle was like.  I got a prompt response from her, along with a long "interview" sheet.  She asked a lot of questions that would give her a feel for who we were as a family, our responsibilities and the capability of welcoming and keeping a schnauzer healthy and happy.  I could see how this would be a deterrent to some, but for me and my family, it was a confirmation that we were dealing with a responsible and caring breeder.  She wanted to make sure that we knew what we were getting into, and she also wanted to be comfortable with selling us one of her puppies.  We were informed that all her puppies had been spoken for, and that she planned on one more litter in the fall.  We took our time answering all the interview questions, as we spoke with our children and discussed how we would care for the puppy we planned to take.  A couple of weeks later, we received word that we had been accepted, and we would be placed in line for a fall puppy!  We were so excited!  Remember my severe allergies?  Well, even in this happiness, I still had fears and doubts - what if we got puppy home and I started to react?  I e-mailed my concerns to Lori and her solution:  come up for a visit.  She had four standard schnauzers living with her and her husband in her farmhouse.  If any allergies cropped up, it certainly would occur in that environment.  Flash forward to August 2011 - we decided to take a camping trip to Sandbanks Park, near Grafton.  On the way, we would stop by Dinsdale for a visit with the dogs.  I was really nervous, because I felt that even though I was so close to dog ownership, I knew that if there was any reaction to the dogs in a closed environment, the dream of having a dog would be dead.  When we walked up to the door, before we put a finger to the door bell, we heard two short gruff "Woof Woofs", followed by the pattering of paws.  It was Hexe, a black schnauzer.  She waited at the door until Lori opened it, and then she let out one bark to let us know that we were entering her abode.  Edee, a really sweet pepper/salt  followed, and Daisy, another pepper/salt brought up the rear.  They were all curious about us, and we stopped to let them smell us, opened our palms to them, and when they nudged us and tails started wagging, we knew they accepted us and we greeted them with pats and belly rubs.  It was quite a sight to see!  Once we were settled onto the sofa in the sitting room, the dogs came up to us, sat on our laps (remember, full grown they are up to 40 pounds), perched on the top of the sofa, or lay at our feet.  There was even a puppy, Poppy - a pepper/salt  who was being crate trained.  We talked with Lori for over 2 hours, and she addressed my allergy concerns.  We went over worst case scenarios and it was made clear that if for any reason, a Dinsdale schnauzer could not stay in a home, it would be returned to Dinsdale - not surrendered, or given away or re-sold.  It was very important that her dogs were well cared for, from cradle to the grave.  We really appreciated that, as it solidified her credibility as a responsible breeder.  

When it was time to leave, I noticed that nothing had happened!  I was perfectly fine walking out as I had been coming in.  This final test sealed the deal.  We were getting a Dinsdale schnauzer!  Lori told us that sweet Edee would be the next one to be bred in December, and if all went well, pups would be ready for homes in March.  We were number one on the list for a pepper/salt female!

The Long Road to Keeva - aka how a dog allergy sufferer finally found her dog. Part One: The Jumping Point

I have always loved furry animals...from afar.  I, like hundreds of thousands of Canadians suffer from animal allergies.  Big or small, cat or dog - if it had fur, or licked itself and then me, I'd break out in hives and my windpipe would begin to swell.  I knew a play date was over as soon as I started wheezing and my eyeballs started to swell and protrude from its sockets.  I hated always having to ask if there were pets in the house before I decided if I would be able to hang out, or even worse, have them exiled to the backyard during my visit.  Even that wasn't enough, as their dander and fur were all over the house, floating in the air, and sticking on upholstery.  As it were, I was fed Benadryl before leaving my house, so by the time I got to my friend's, I was halfway gone, heavy under the antihistamine's slumber effect.  I never really remembered what we played - I have images of my friend Nicky bouncing along vivaciously, me following like a stunted Zombie four steps behind, drooling from the corner of my mouth.  It got easier as I grew up - our worlds got bigger so it was easier to meet outside of the home - go to the movies, hang out at the park, the mall, the pool - pet free sanctuaries for me.  But I was always envious of those who were able to pet a dog without feeling the prickle in the back of their throats.  I wished that the scratchy lick of a cat's tongue wouldn't cause my skin to break out into tiny blisters and itch and that I too, could feel how nice it was to have a dog's wet nose nudge my palm for treats.  Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely that I would ever have a furry companion by my side.  But that's ok.  I met my husband, had two amazing kids and life went on.

Mike and I were the first couple in our group of friends to have babies.  We were in our mid-twenties (me 27, he 28) when our son Atlin was born.  Just shy of two years later, we had a beautiful girl, Ellary.  The "million dollar family", as my aunts and uncles called us (though I'm still waiting for my million dollars!).  Life went on, and suddenly we found ourselves in our mid-thirties, with a seven and nine year old asking why we didn't want to have other kids - after all, our friends were now just starting their families!  We thought about that for a moment, and laughed!  We were clearly done with the diapers, the night feedings and the schedule juggling to avoid pricey daycare.  We were a tight family unit.  We were happy.  Until..."Mum - how come you have to be allergic to dogs?  We'd like a dog - we're old enough and we will help take care of it.  Please mum!".  And with that, my deeply buried itch to have a pet you didn't have to keep in a bowl or cage resurfaced.  

I started looking on-line about people who suffered from pet allergies but still owned pets.  What did they do?  What did they take?  I read about "hypo-allergenic" dogs, tonics that you could rub on fur to decrease dander production - all that jazz.  But after a very serious family conversation, all four of us came to the following conclusion:  owning a pet is forever - from the day the animal comes home, until the day the animal dies, that pet would be our responsibility.  I am too familiar with the stories of people buying a dog or cat, bringing them home and then either not being able to care for them, or discovering that they have allergies to them.  It is heartbreaking how many of these animals end up in shelters or humane societies because of this.  We decided on a dog.  But which dog?  And how would I know I could live with it without the allergies destroying my quality of life?  Three words and two years, which really made me think hard about how bad I wanted a dog:  Process of Elimination.

That's right, for TWO years, I walked around the city, Reactine in my pocket and Ventolin in hand and every time I saw a dog, I would approach the owner and explain that I was trying to find a breed that would not trigger my allergies.  Most people were supportive and invited me to pet their dog, allow their dog to lick my hand.  From there, they would give me a wealth of knowledge they had about their dog's breed.  Hair vs. fur, how much shedding they encounter, behaviour, health, breed specific issues...people love to talk about their pets - the good and the bad.  Here is a brief summary of the hundreds of dogs I had the "not so pleasure" to have had exposure to:

• Retrievers (Golden, Labrador, Chocolate etc) - wheezing, hives within 5 minutes of meeting.  I love these dogs, and could "air-pet" them, but their dander/saliva is very reactive to me.
• Jack Russell Terriers - smaller dogs I could pet;  in a closed room, my breathing begins to become laboured after 10 minutes.  In the outdoors I am fine, but I have to wash my hands before touching my face, or I break out in hives.
• Dachshunds, mini-pinschers, chihuahua - surprisingly, the smooth coated versions of these dogs made me react really severely!  The tiniest of teacup chihuahuas in a big room was intolerable for me - the wheezing and itching began as soon as I entered the room!  I was told that their coats produce quite a bit of oil and it traps dander.
• Poodles - all sizes.  I did not react to them!  Outside, inside - no wheezing, no hives or itching.  This one was definitely in the running!
• Doodles - these included the so-called "hypo-allergenic" cross breeds, such as the Labradoodle, Goldendoodle, Cockapoos - anything mixed with a poodle.  Hit and miss, really - it depends on which breed the dog takes after more.
• Mixed breeds of any sort - can't do it - there is no way to tell what I am reacting to.
• German Shepherds, Huskies, Akitas, Australian Cattle dogs - great to hang out with outside, not so good for my airways in a closed room.  
• American bulldogs, Staffordshire Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, Cane Corso - Essentially these are the larger breed dogs people are a little afraid of.  On the contrary, I loved them!  But I could not live with one - another type of fur that I reacted to.  Here's my opinion on them - these dogs are the type of dog that need a very firm and disciplined owner.  By this, I mean that there is consistency and kindness (consistency is the key) and it has to start from day one.  They are so cute when they are pups, but bad behaviour that is cute when they are young can be destructive when they are older.  I live in Toronto where there is a ban on Pit Bulls - but anytime there is an incident with a dog (any dog for that manner), we should be looking at the owner and his/her behaviour when assessing the dog's behaviour.

The list goes on and on, and I thought for sure - we are going to end up with a poodle.  I didn't react to any of the 15 that I had met, they are smart dogs, they have curly hair that doesn't shed much (when people tell you their dog doesn't shed, trust me, they do - just not as much as others).  We started looking at rescues and breeders, and then....

   

A Computer Illiterate's Experience With Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security (compliments of BzzAgent)

I was born in 1973.  My childhood memories revolve around running outside with the neighbourhood children until the street lights came on.  I remember that as a kid, seatbelts were optional and your dad wasn't poo-pooed if he let you sit on his lap and steer the car while his foot was on the gas.  I also remember when we got our first computer - a VIC20 in 1981.  With a chocolate brown keyboard, accented with a pasty coloured housing, this thing plugged into your TV and you could type basic commands and run a primitive version of Pac-Man off a peripheral that resembled a tape recorder.  Back in those days, there was no internet, no "world wide web" and thus, computing at home was very safe, and very boring.  Fast forward to today, where our computers are portals to different worlds, and adventures afar.  From this small screen, with the tap of a few keystrokes and the push of the "enter" button, I could pay my bills, order a pizza, and book an all-inclusive resort vacation.  While I love surfing the 'net and playing on-line video games, I also realize that my computer can also be a security risk to me and my family.  Viruses and spyware lurk behind seemingly safe installs - why are there so many casino pop ups when I go to shut my computer down???

As a Bzzagent, I was fortunate enough to be invited into their Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security campaign to try out the program.  I got a one year subscription, and access to protection of up to 3 devices.  This is what you get:

Real-time updates
Parental controls + AntispamLight demands on system resources
Data theft prevention
Easy to use and understand
Protection if your PC is lost or stolen

Strong, fast, and easy-to-use protection
Trend Micro™ Titanium™ Maximum Security uses cloud technology to automatically stop viruses and spyware before they reach your computer, so it won't slow you down. It's a whole new way to protect your PC from Internet threats.


It costs $49.95 to $69.95 (depending on where you buy it) and it is really simple to download and use.  I've been using it on my smartphone and my home computer for the last couple of months and it does a great job for home use.  The virus scans run in real time, and it doesn't slow my computer down.  It's a great program that gives my family peace of mind when we're online!  

BzzAgent Daily Bzz Campaign: Sodastream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Starter Kit

This is today's Daily Bzz Campaign from BzzAgent:  The Sodastream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Starter Kit!

SodaStream allows you to prepare great-tasting, fresh, fizzy beverages precisely to your taste - with no bottles, cans, or electricity! With the SodaStream Jet Starter Kit, you've got everything you need to turn tap water into sparkling water in 30 seconds--saving you money while also helping you stay environmentally friendly. The starter kit includes SodaStream Jet soda maker in black/silver, one carbonator (good for making up to 60L of soda), and one BPA-free plastic bottle.


My family and I enjoy sparkling water spritzers and mocktails - you know, mixing San Pellegrino or Perrier with some Ribena  or other cordials - delicious!  But the price we pay for it is just staggering as well as the endless sea of glass and plastic bottles.  The Sodastream would end that! 


 I would love to try the Sodastream Fountain Jet Soda Maker.  It not only makes ordinary tap water turn sparkly, it also makes a bevvy of your favourite soda fountain flavours!  Cola, lemon-lime, rootbeer - and they also have diet mixes as well!  For those of us who don't like to drink "pop", there are also mix flavours such as pink grapefruit, cran-raspberry and green tea-citrus.  All this is also pretty economical.  One CO2 cartridge makes 60L of sparkling water - That's five cases of Perrier/San Pellegrino, which costs about $85 BEFORE taxes!  If you are making cola or another type of soda, that translates into 16 12-packs, or about $96 (when on sale) to $120!  That's a lot of money for bubbles!


If you like a fresh and snappy drink with your own flair, but don't want to pay an arm or a leg for the fancy waters or brand name sodas AND you want to cut down on glass and plastic waste Sodastream is the way to go!  I sure hope I get to try this one out!

Are your kids' THERMOSES really clean??? I thought mine were, but I WAS WRONG!!!

This morning started out like any other Monday would in my house.  I woke up at 7:15am, put my feet onto the cold wood floor and made my way out of my room to rouse my children.  My daughter is 8, and she is a pretty easygoing child - you give her a morning hug and tell her it's time to get of bed and like a flash, she is dressed and down for breakfast.  My 10 year old son is a different story.  I think there is some kind of time shift that happens to boys at this stage of life - as if their bodies have kicked them into the Pacific Standard Time zone (we're in Toronto, which means everything is 3 hours back in BC).  He can't get to sleep until 11pm, and won't comfortably wake up until 10am - which means at 7:30am he is one really grumpy kid. 

Anyhow, I get the kids to spring into action and while they're getting ready for school, I head to the kitchen to make their lunches.  It's a mighty cold day today, so I figured a hot lunch was appropriate.  I gathered their food containers and began heating up some water to fill them up to warm them.  I suddenly noticed that there was an unpleasant odour coming from the Thermoses.  I looked at them and they were clean looking - shiny, gleaming stainless steel.  I poured the hot water out and washed them with a sponge and soap - still smelly!  Then, like a lightbulb turning on, I focused my attention on the silicone seam that separated the steel from the plastic screw top.  I brought the Thermos up to my nose and sniffed - EWWWWWW!  It had a rotting, almost ammonia smell to it.  I took out a bamboo toothpick and ran the tip of it along the top and the bottom of the silicone seam, and out came this black sludge - it was literally a sludge of composted matter that got stuck in between the seam that separates the steel from plastic of the Thermos over the year.  All I could think about was, "what kind of bacteria and other harmful things are growing there, leeching into the kids' food?  Could this have been avoided?".  What made it even more disturbing to me is that when it comes to cleaning these things, I am thorough.  VERY THOROUGH.  I go over it with a sponge, then work it over with a brush - this sludge that I pulled out only came out with 2mm of toothpick inserted into the thin crack, and then pulled along the length of the silicone band.  After I removed the toothpick and rinsed out the jars, the sludge oozed out on its own (see below).  I then looked at the lids - they also had a thick silicone band, and when I reamed a bamboo toothpick in them, the black sludge came out as well.

This was something that really freaked me out so I called Thermos Canada and I spoke to a customer service representative.  I explained the situation and added that I was really disappointed in the product.  Her initial solution was to use a brush and baking soda.  I told her that the brush would not be able to infiltrate the area between the silicone seam and that solution was unacceptable.  She then told me that I could bring the food jars to the office and that once they got my jars, she would ship out replacements that don't have the silicone seam - there are new jars that have metal all the way up in a continuous fashion - no silicone seams.

 

So if you have Thermoses that look like these, check that little strip of grey separating the metal from the plastic on the Thermos - chances are, if you've been using these for a while - you've got some sludge built up.  The picture below is just a fraction of the stuff I pulled out of 2 inches of seam - I wonder what kind of stuff is growing in that!  I am going to take Thermos up on their offer to replace these food jars with their new ones.  I'll let you know how it goes.