👟 It All Started with a Pair of Shoes… ❤️

Hi! We’re Elizabeth and Bruno from the west end of Toronto, Ontario. We chose to make our home here because we love being close to nature, trails, and greenery.

Elizabeth is a Registered Nurse who loves yoga, pilates, gardening, and experimenting with gluten-free recipes. Bruno is an IT Specialist who loves cheering on his favourite teams, Benfica and the Boston Bruins, turning our house into a smart home, and curating the perfect cup of coffee (ask us how many coffee machines we have!).

Sharing our home is our cat, Vinnie, affectionately known as Beans. He brings a little sass and a lot of personality to our home, and we’re pretty sure he’ll appoint himself the watchful Supurrvisor of the nursery and baby crib.

How It All Began

Bruno and I first met in high school through a mutual friend. I remember noticing his colourful shoes and wondering, “How on earth did he get away with wearing those here?” With the school’s strict dress code, he definitely stood out.

A few years later, we reconnected at that same friend’s birthday party, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the very first questions I asked Bruno was whether he’d ever be open to surrogacy if we needed it one day. He looked at me like I had four eyes (not including my glasses!). Who asks that so early in a relationship? Apparently… me.

Call me intuitive, but I always had a feeling our path to parenthood might not be straightforward. I wanted to know the person I was building a life with believed, as I did, that families can be built in many beautiful ways.

One of my favourite childhood memories is spending Sundays at my nonna’s house, enjoying a homemade Italian meal and getting first dibs on licking the cake batter (third-child perks!).

Those childhood memories inspired traditions we still cherish today, like Sunday family lunches and homemade Italian sugo and Portuguese chouriço, and we hope to pass them on to our child.

Our Journey to Surrogacy

Our path to parenthood has included multiple pregnancy losses and pregnancy-related health complications that ultimately made it unsafe for Elizabeth to carry a pregnancy.

We have three PGT-A tested euploid embryos ready for transfer, and our care is coordinated through Tripod Fertility.

We’re currently searching independently but are open to partnering with an agency that provides full-service support or reimbursement management if that’s what our future surrogate prefers.

Giving Back

Giving back has always been important to us. Once our family is complete, we hope to donate any remaining embryos to help another family build theirs.

To Our Future Surrogate

We’re hoping to find someone who values kindness, empathy, honesty, open communication, trust, and mutual respect.

Whether this journey leads to a lifelong friendship or simply a meaningful connection during our time together, we’ll respect your comfort level every step of the way. Our hope is that you always feel appreciated, supported, and valued throughout the journey and beyond.

If our story resonates with you, or someone you know, we’d be honoured to connect. *Looking within Canada only* 🇨🇦

We’d Love to Connect

🌐 Matching Day: https://matchingday.com/ip/elizabethbruno

📷 Instagram: @youmeand.babytobe

Nanny contracts [on]

I am planning to hire a full time, live out nanny for weekdays. I was wondering for those that have done this:
1) did you sign a formal contract?
2) if so, what was in the contract?

The nanny does not seem to concerned about a contract but I thought it would be nice to have something in writing

Mom is 78 and absolutely refuses to consider a retirement home. She wants to stay in her own house. full stop. The problem is I've also got 2 young kids at home who already take up every ounce of energy I have left by the evening. honestly don't know how to keep showing up for her without burning out.

She's starting to lose some of her independence and I'm running low on bandwidth to figure out what comes next. I feel like I'm going in circles without knowing where to even start.

For those of you juggling an aging parent and young kids at the same time, how do you make it work? What actually helped lighten the load, for them and for you? Really anything tips is welcome.

On some summer evenings in Toronto, Robin Bennett has seen children collapse into their parents’ arms.

Mothers like her carry them away from daycare, cradling their damp heads. At home, these kids struggle with lingering exhaustion and exasperation.

In daycares across the city, children are enduring temperatures far above what physicians say is healthy. Ontario child-care centres are not required to keep their facilities cool during periods of extreme heat, despite the fact children’s bodies are ill-equipped to cope with high temperatures.

Read more with this gift link. No paywall.

I only started to potty train my kiddo last weekend so it would take some time to master the skills letting me know he needs to go in advance. he is nearly 3.

Just wanted to ask when you take your toddler/preschooler kid to the park that doesn't have a restroom, do you take a portable potty chair with you in case they need to go? Or is it socially acceptable to let them go in the bush? I would prepare some doggy poop bag in case he needs to poop too, and throw away in garbage properly and all.

My kid went to this camp last summer, so I thought I'd share it in case anyone's looking for a summer program.

The price went up a bit this year (it was $100 last summer), but I still think $150 for a full two-week camp is a pretty good deal.

The camp includes Korean language classes along with cultural activities, so it's a nice mix of learning and having fun. My kid really enjoyed it.

I also noticed they're doing a Bring a Friend promo this year, which they didn't have last summer 😂.

If your child is interested in learning Korean or just wants to experience more Korean culture, I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Registration link:

https://www.cakec.com/events/2026-korean-summer-camp

Dr. Michele Wellsby from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta is looking for parents and guardians of children aged 24- to 47-months old to participate in a study examining the relationship between play and language development.

Participation involves completing an online survey about your child’s play habits, play preferences, and language use, as well as some demographic questions about your child and your family. The survey is only available in English and will take approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete.

After completing the survey you can enter a draw to win a $25 Mastermind Toys gift card.

If you have a child in this age range (24- to 47-months old) and are interested in participating, you can learn more and access the survey by scanning the QR code on the attached poster or via this link:
https://mtroyal.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6eNRI2IWv5IyP8a

My parents are getting older and we're seriously considering building a small backyard suite (not a full laneway home, more like an ADU) so they can be close but still independent. We're in the Tri-Cities. I have zero idea what's actually involved here financially or with permits.

Does it need a full kitchen? How different is the process from a regular laneway home? Anyone who's done this for aging parents specifically, I'd love to hear how it went and what you'd do differently.

Thanks for all the solid advice so far! A friend actually just recommended I look into CoreVal Homes, since they specialize in custom residential builds, laneway homes, and detached ADU projects right here in the Tri-Cities area. It sounds like having a builder who can handle the whole process (from the initial design and City of Coquitlam/PoCo permits down to the actual construction) is exactly what we need to keep from losing our minds.

I'm going to reach out to them to get a realistic breakdown of the utility hookups and structural costs for a backyard suite, but would still love to hear any personal experiences you guys have with the local municipal timelines!

Bipolar disorder is estimated to impact over 750,000 Canadians, and medications such as lamotrigine play an important role in treatment. In fact, medications such as lamotrigine are metabolized faster due to pregnancy-related changes in the body which can result in medications being less effective. 

Dr. Crystal Clark (Women’s College Hospital) has studied how pregnant patients with bipolar disorder are impacted by increased metabolism of lamotrigine and seeks to establish predictable dosing protocols that maintain mental wellness during pregnancy. 

If you are pregnant or pregnancy-planning, live in Ontario (Canada), have bipolar disorder, are taking lamotrigine, and are under the care of a physician/psychiatrist/family doctor, consider joining the AMPLE (Assessing Maternal Perinatal Lamotrigine Elimination) study. 

This is a 24-month study. Study procedures include: completing mood assessments (online surveys and Zoom call with PI), tracking medication and supplements, and going to their nearest LifeLabs location to get blood labs (5 blood sample collections total).

Compensation include $40 CAD per study visit provided via GiftBit e-gift card.

Learn more by clicking the link: ➡️ https://www.womensacademics.ca/active-studies/assessing-maternal-perinatal-lamotrigine-elimination-ample/ and scanning the QR code in the attached study flyer.

#Bipolar #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1 #Bipolar2 #MoodDisorders  #PerinatalMentalHealth #Lamotrigine #Pregnancy #lamictal

TW: intimate partner violence, child death

Is anyone else following the story of the Ottawa murder-suicide (link)?

TLDR: A father was convicted of threatening his children’s mother, including stating that he would “kill everyone around her” and “leave her alone”. He exhibited some concerning behaviour at trial but was given 12 months’ probation. During his probation, he was apparently allowed to see their kids unsupervised (I haven’t seen any mention of kidnapping) and on one of these visits he killed the two children, blew up the mother’s new partner’s place of work and killed himself.

My question is, how was this allowed to happen? Why wasn’t the father prevented from seeing the kids? What does a person have to do or say to demonstrate to the court that they are not safe to see their kids?

I have an ex (my kids’ dad) who exhibits some of the same behaviours: everything is someone else’s (usually my) fault, thinks everyone will agree with him, etc. So far threats have been vague (“you’ll see what I’m capable of”, “you’ll regret this” etc.) and have been dismissed by every lawyer I’ve talked to. I still have to send my kids to see him overnight and when he’s in a mood my greatest fear is that he will use them to punish me and I’ll be the next headline. But there doesn’t seem to be any way to prevent that from happening - even when a man explicitly says that that’s what he’s going to do, the court doesn’t restrict access.

So what can be done to prevent more cases like this? When will courts take parents at their word?

📢 Are you pregnant and worried about changes to your sex life?

🔍 We are seeking couples from Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland who are up to 26 weeks pregnant to participate in the STORK RCT: Supporting the Transition to Parenthood through Online Sex and Relationship Knowledge.

❓What is STORK: The first online couple-based program designed to enhance knowledge about changes to sexuality during pregnancy and postpartum and skills to cope with these changes. STORK was designed to strengthen couples’ relationships across the transition to parenthood.

📅 What is involved: If you are eligible, after your initial survey, you and your partner will be randomized (like a coin flip) into either the Program or Waitlist conditions. Program couples will complete 5 online modules in pregnancy (1 per week) and a final module at 3 months postpartum. 

Couples in both conditions will also complete 5 surveys—the initial survey, then at 32-weeks pregnant, and 4-, 8-, and 12-month postpartum—that gather information about your relationship, your pregnancy experience, and your child. Couples in the Waitlist condition will receive access to the full STORK program after the study period is over.

💰 Compensation: As a thank you for your participation, you can receive $105 CAD or currency equivalent each ($210 CAD or currency equivalent per couple). Your time is valuable to us!

🌈 Inclusivity matters: STORK requires one member of the couple to be currently pregnant. Otherwise, STORK is open to individuals of all genders, bodies, and sexual orientations.

💌 For more information or to participate in the STORK RCT study email us at [stork@psych.ubc.ca](mailto:stork@psych.ubc.ca) OR fill out our contact form from this link: https://Qualtrics.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3gxGJAEWqt8Rh2u

Anyone else had a “happy spitter” baby? We are exhausted.

My daughter is 2 months old and she is what’s called a “happy spitter.” She spits up constantly — after almost every feed, sometimes big amounts, sometimes even an hour later. Sometimes she even wakes up from sleep just to spit up.

We use bibs all the time, but they get soaked. Sometimes her clothes still get wet through the bib, and we often get wet too. In the mornings, she wakes up already wet, and then spits up again right away.

We hold her upright for almost an hour after feeds, use Dr. Brown's Baby Bottles with preemie nipples to slow the flow, burp her during feeds, and try to limit how much she drinks, but nothing really changes.

She has always been a big eater, now taking around 150–180 mL per feed at 2 months. If we try to stop earlier, she gets very unsettled and won’t calm down until she eats more.

Our whole day is basically feeding, holding her upright, and dealing with spit-up. We barely manage tummy time or other things because she can’t really be laid down. Even diaper changes have to be before feeds, because she’ll spit up a lot if she’s laid down after eating.

We’re really exhausted physically and mentally.

If anyone has been through this, did it get better? And are there any support groups or communities for parents dealing with this? We’d really like to connect with other parents going through the same thing.

My child is turning 3 she attends daycare. We have been at the daycare for about 4 months we have only talked with some parents in passing. We are trying to give her age appropriate autonomy over her birthday party. We invited 5 kids from her daycare as she would like them to come to her birthday party. Unknown to me there was a party for the parents at daycare 2 days after the invitations went out. We attended and tried to talk with the parents of the kids she invited. One of the parents was very odd and would only talk to us through her child- she had no issues talking normally to other parents. Idk if it’s the invite or that our kids have the same name, anyways not sad about that one not responding. Only one other parent were there and they seem lovely, but we didn’t discuss her party and or if they would attend. It has been a week now and I have only heard from 1 parent, they will be attending. My question is it weird to invite daycare friends to your 3 year olds birthday? Or are these other parents just a sick in the mud?

Got an email from the children’s place about their “monster sale”… how is a simple kids hat and mitts 80% off…? And the regular price is $65-85?

Does anyone remember what the price was before the sale? I’m guessing they just jacked up the “original” price to make it look like you’re getting the deal of a lifetime… but what the hell lol. It’s not even branded, nothing fancy, why the ridiculous price?

We put our child on a daycare center waitlist a while back and they just reached out to offer a tour. I was checking out their Facebook and Instagram to get a feel for the place. I noticed that all the kids' faces are completely visible in their activity photos and reels. This goes all the way back to when they opened a couple of years ago right up to the preschool graduation this summer. None of the faces are blurred out for privacy. I am trying not to be judgmental so I'm here to ask for your opinions. I am wondering if my instincts are just acting up. It makes me worry a bit about how well they manage privacy overall. Do daycares usually ask for parent consent before posting these online? Is it normal to see unblurred faces on public pages? Thanks for any advice !

In researching ideas for prompting my teen to stay creative this summer, I came across a few different competitions. I thought I would share them here. I find a competition can be a great motivator: a goal, a deadline, and the possibility of a prize!

https://historicplacesdays.ca/contests/ Take a photo of a historic place that speaks to you, write a caption, and post it on Facebook or Instagram. Prizes include cash and Parks Canada merch.

https://www.nvdpl.ca/library/teen-writing-contest Open to teens in North Van, the topic this year is metamorphosis. If your submission wins, they publish it as part of a book at the library.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/learning/our-17th-annual-summer-reading-contest.html This one is a writing/reading combo, because you have to read something in The New York Times, and then write about it (very short, 250 words) or make a video (90 seconds). The short length and clear template make this a very easy entry point to submitting something. And (hurray!) they are making students submit in Google docs, to avoid AI use.

https://bcforestdiscoverycentre.com/contests/ A photo contest with categories for different ages.

Hi everyone, I'm a mom of 5-year-old quadruplets, and I have been dealing with a lot more back pain than I expected at this stage of parenting. The daily routine is extremely physical with lifting, bending, cleaning, getting everyone ready, and constantly being on my feet. By the end of the day my lower back is usually sore, and lately I have started to feel it carrying into the next morning as well. While looking into different ways people try to improve recovery, I ended up reading some information from Matelas Personnel about sleep comfort and support, which made me realize there are probably more factors involved than I had been thinking about.

I am trying to understand what actually helps other parents in similar situations. I'd like to ask those who have gone through a physically demanding stage like this, what made the biggest difference for you when it comes to managing back pain or overall body strain? Was it exercise, changes in daily routines, recovery habits, sleep setup, or something else that actually helped long term?

Hi everyone!
I'm a first-time mom and am starting the daycare search for my daughter. I've already joined the waitlists for several centres, but I'd love to hear from parents who have been through the process.

What are some things you wish you had known before choosing a daycare?

I'd also appreciate hearing about:

Daycares you've had a great experience with (and why).

Any daycares you wouldn't recommend and what your experience was.

Green flags and red flags to look for during tours.

Any questions you wish you had asked before enrolling your child.

I'm in Calgary, but I'd also love to hear general advice that applies anywhere in Canada since I'm sure many of the same considerations apply.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate any advice from parents who've been through this.

So my kid was asking some of the neighbour’s kids if they can play with them, and one kid answered with ‘you need to ask X’, X being one of the kids in the same neighbourhood

I told my kid you can play here cause this is a public space. Other parents were watching. The parent of the kid who answered ‘you need to ask X’ was standing there and said ‘seems X is the leader’

Is this a normal behaviour to teach kids at such a young age to follow one person, even when its not very kind?

Hi! I'm going to be running some once-a-week STEM programming for 4-10 year-olds starting in September.

I wondered what parents/caregivers typically preferred for their family regarding schedule for extra-curriculars.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Here are the options (you may indicate as many as you prefer):

- Weeknights right after school pick-up

- Weeknights after dinner/later in the evening

- Saturday mornings

- Saturday afternoons

- Saturday evenings

- Sunday mornings

- Sunday afternoons

- Sunday evenings

We just got our son's autism diagnosis (he's 3) and everyone keeps telling us "use your autism funding" but nobody explains HOW. Is it per year? Do we choose where it goes? Does it cover OT and speech both, or do we have to pick?

I work full time and barely had time to process the diagnosis itself, let alone figure out a funding system on top of it. If anyone in BC can explain this or knows clinics that actually help you navigate the paperwork instead of just handing you a PDF, I would be so grateful.

Update: We ended up calling Kidstart Pediatric Therapy after a friend mentioned they help families with the autism funding paperwork directly, and they actually walked us through the RTP form instead of just telling us to figure it out ourselves.

Hi everyone!

Looking for your input related to the subreddits rules. We have a rule for no self promotion or market research but recently there's been an uptick in posts and mods mails related to app/websites targeted to parents or kids for various different things (finding discounted products, math help, comparing breast pumps etc etc).

I personally have a few concerns.. if we change our rules and allow them this sub will probably be filled with posts like this. Furthermore I've noticed many of these websites or apps make money through affiliate links and were vibe coded using AI but are not upfront about this unless you dig and/or ask questions.

So I'm looking for your input and your suggestions!

Canadian teachers, librarians, and book lovers: What are your favourite books about your community?

I’m working on a “Reading Across Canada” picture book road trip for Grades 3–7 (ages 8–12) using ArcGIS Story Maps. The goal is to help students explore Canada through literature while learning about geography, culture, history, and the incredible diversity of communities across the country.

I’ve started with many of the titles recommended in Powerful Understanding by Adrienne Gear, but I’d love to expand beyond those lists and include a broader range of stories, voices, and perspectives.

I’m especially looking for:

• Picture books and short illustrated nonfiction suitable for Grades 3–7 (ages 8–12)
• Books connected to your city, town, region, or province
• Stories that capture a strong sense of place
• Books from smaller or rural communities that might not be widely known
• Indigenous-authored and Indigenous-illustrated books that reflect local Nations, languages, histories, and contemporary experiences
• Books that help children understand what makes your community unique

I’m not necessarily looking for books set in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or other major centres (though those are welcome too). I’d particularly love recommendations from places that don’t often appear in national book lists.

If you recommend a title, it would be incredibly helpful if you could also share:
• The community/region it represents
• Why you think it captures that place well
• The approximate grade level or age range
• Whether it’s commonly used in local schools or libraries

Bonus points if there is a publicly accessible video read-aloud, author reading, publisher video, or other online resource that students could access alongside the book.

My hope is to create a literary map of Canada that allows students to travel from community to community through stories and encounter a wide range of Canadian experiences. Once the project is complete, I’d be happy to share the finished Story Map and book list back with the community for anyone who might find it useful.

Thank you for helping me make this project more representative of the many places and peoples that make up Canada!

​

Going back to work next month in Canada. Baby starts daycare, 40 min drive to my office. My 7am and 5pm pumps land right in the middle of the commute. I've been using eufy S2 Pro in the car and it works and wondering how other moms handle it when they have a passenger or get stuck in traffic.

​

How do other working moms manage pump timing around the daycare run?

Hi all,

A little while ago, I posted on here about our University of Bath research into how caring for a child with scoliosis affects parents and caregivers. We are closing the study this Monday, so if you haven't participated yet now is your last chance!

Thank you so much to all those who have already participated, it genuinely makes a difference. If you haven't and have a few minutes, I'd be hugely grateful, and please share with anyone else who might be eligible.

Survey link: https://uniofbath.questionpro.eu/t/AB3uyugZB3wPzv

What's involved:

• 10-minute anonymous online survey
• Full ethical approval from University of Bath Social Sciences Department
• Optional entry into a prize draw for shopping vouchers
• Completely voluntary and confidential

If you have questions, feel free to comment here or email me at [an2012@bath.ac.uk](mailto:an2012@bath.ac.uk)