The Optimistic Crocus.

Just when you thought winter was going to last forever...

April Fools!

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JC's Top 12 Winter Safety Tips!

Hi guys!

I noticed that some of you are getting snow and ice and freezing your butts off. Now that the novelty has worn off, you're probably really hating it. I bet you're wondering how we manage up here in Canada!

Welp. I want you to be safe and warm, so I put together a handy list of Winter Tips for you. I am nice.

1. If your kids are playing in the snow, check them often. Sometimes kids get stuck while burrowing in a snow fort. Danger!


2. Snow can be heavy, particularly if it has been ploughed into a pile. It's dangerous to burrow, because it might collapse on top of you, especially if children are playing on top.


3. If your car has been snowed in, clear the exhaust before you turn it on. Or the exhaust may back up into your car interior. The results can be deadly.


4. If you have to shovel snow, take it easy. The weight of snow can hurt your back and I've heard of people who have done a lot of digging sometimes have a heart episode the next day because of over straining. Shoveling snow can be strenuous exercise. Check this video out.


5. If you're walking down the street you should pay attention to icicles forming along the edges of roofs. Icicles have been known to fall onto the sidewalk below - a friend of mine was struck by one. It gave her some new ideas but she was not happy.


6. Ice storms can produce beautiful formations on trees and it's tempting to photograph them. But they can be heavy! Trees do shed heavy boughs covered in ice so please take care.


7. Driving: DO NOT use your car as a "coat". If you get stuck in the snow and have to walk to safety without a real coat, you'll be intensely cold. Also, keep a few blankets in your car....and a bucket. You never know.


8. Roads might not seem slippery, but ice can be invisible and patchy. This is known as "black ice" and it's a killer. Black ice and speed do not mix well. Brakes do not work on a slippery road. If you have to drive, you should reduce your speed. See Transport Canada for valuable winter driving safety tips.


9. Regular or "all season" tires can be pretty useless in snowy conditions. Especially true if the roads are neither cleared nor salted/sanded/graveled. Snow tires are essential for getting up and down hills. It's no fun at all to be that person spinning your wheels on a hill and going nowhere. The people behind you will honk at you.


10. We have these great things that I call "Crocodile Teeth", (which is a way better name than "folding steel traction aid", duh). If your car gets stuck, you put them under your wheel and the sharp teeth grip down into the surface so that your wheel can roll across the top. Totally great! But read the directions carefully: using these the wrong way can cause them to fling up into the air when the wheel spins. It can hit someone and really hurt them. And believe me, the last thing you want is to have to go to the ER when you're stuck in the snow.


11. Temperatures below -10°C can be dangerous if you're not dressed properly. In Montreal in can go down well below -24. This is seriously cold. Thermal underlayers are great for keeping warm and snow pants will keep you warmer too. You definitely need good mittens and warm, dry boots. Everything waterproof! Hats that cover your ears are best and a scarf to cover your face. I always tell my kids, "your nose doesn't grow back". Frostbite, frostnip and chilblains can happen! Read this.


12. Don't eat yellow snow.

BE CAREFUL. Have fun. Build a snowman. And repeat after me:

"Fuck is it cold!"

You're practically Canadian now.

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EPIC blog tour for #TheLastSnowman!

Right. So here's something: I'm doing a virtual book tour.

From today all through the month of February, the 27 wonderful writers listed below will be offering up their impressions of The LAST Snowman picture-book and along with each, the chance for their readers to win prizes and swag-stuffs.
Tadaaa! I overcame my shyness enough to approach to some of my favourite brands.

Boiron® are a featured sponsor of this blog tour! They're a world leader in homeopathic medicines for the whole family. Since the book is winter-themed and winter is cold and flu season, The Boiron Prize Pack* is a selection of 'winter essentials' to help you stay healthy so you can get outside and build a snowman in this polar-vortexy-wintry wonderland.

The prize pack will include Oscillo, Coldcalm, and Chestal for giveaway winners in the USA, and Coryzalia, Stodal, Oscillo and Cicadermine (great to relieve a red and irritated nose!) in Canada.
*These homeopathic medicines might not be right for everyone. Always read and follow the label.

I'm so pleased to be able to offer this to my blog hosts readerships in both the USA and Canada! These are brands that I use myself all the time, especially the Oscillo and also their Arnicare gel, and I trust them. It is a real thrill that they also love the book.

Dot & Lil are a featured sponsor too! They create luxurious bath & beauty and skincare products with a fresh, young feel, all handmade in their Montreal studio. Dot & Lil are designing a custom soap just for The LAST Snowman blog tour - a "Hot Chocolate Swirl" limited edition soap! Creamy chocolate scented with chocolate-soap sprinkles on top, and the book cover design on the label. Fun right? 

Because after playing in the snow (or just freezing your buns off out there) the best thing ever is to come inside and soak in a hot bath with soap that will leave you smelling good enough to eat.

You won't be able to buy this actual soap because it's specially made for this giveaway. So definitely enter for a chance to win!

Also included in Dot & Lil's gift bag will be the Shea Rescue Butter for lips and nails. This is just what you want when the extreme cold leaves you dry and chapped.

Dot & Lil's spring line is about to launch - surfing their Instagram and Pinterest is a real tease for the new products. You can almost smell the lusciousness...

Ahem. In addition to the above swag, I'm also gifting:

A cute mug featuring one of the illustrations from the book: perfect for a little hot chocolate after playing in the snow.

And of course, a paperback copy of The LAST Snowman.

This blog tour is going to be EPIC. Because all these people are in it:

Resplendent By Design
Mundane Magic
Life With Roozle
The Guavalicious Life
The Angel Forever
Kat's Book Buzz
Ginger Sass
Good Day Regular People
Jefferson Parish Parent
Pajamas & Coffee
Where's the F#*cking Mommy Manual?!?
DadNCharge
That's What She Said
Last Shreds of Sanity
The (mis)adventures of Mamakujo
Musings on Motherhood & Midlife
The Smartness
Brookly Berry Designs
World's Worst Moms
Dragondreamers Lair
A Day in the Life of Kat
My Book Addiction
Don't Take the Repeats
They Call Me Mummy
Frosted Fingers
Am I a Funny Girl?
Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva

All different, all special and each with their own diverse readerships. I love them forever.

Go check out them out! Enter the giveaways! Tell them I said Hi!
The LAST Snowman is available on Createspace and Amazon. If you've read this book and you feel moved to do a short review on Amazon or Goodreads, it will be very much appreciated.

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Spring. And dogs.

Ah yes! Spring in Montreal! The long hard winter is over and the snow melt reveals some pretty amazing gems.

I say “gems” but I really mean (dare I say it) ...dog poop. Let's stick with "gems" shall we?

Usually I pick up after the dog soon after she goes out in the garden. But when the temperature drops, the idea of venturing out into sub-zero Canadian winter in my pajamas is less than appealing. So as the dog lays her eggs, I let the snow fall and cover it.

I warn the kids of the dangers of building a snowman. I wait patiently until spring. I look out the window and admire the pure, white, freshly fallen blanket of snow masking the evil that lurks beneath.

The spring thaw yields layer upon layer of treasure. It resembles an archaeological dig: the snow melts enough to expose a few sparkling jewels at a time and I remove each layer over a period of weeks.

It’s normally hard going because the gems are cold and soggy; some even need to be dug out of the ice with a trowel.

An emphatically unglamorous activity.

This year however, I decided to refrain until all the snow melted. I waited for a dry day (today). Armed with my usual protective gear...

...and a zillion plastic bags... I went out to face what would surely be a bumper crop.

To my surprize, there were only half as many and the ones I found were half-sized hard little nuggets. Also, being dry, they didn’t smell.

Why, in twenty years of living with dogs, am I only just now discovering this?

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Pickle Weasel January.

That loveable rascal Pickle Weasel is hi-jacking my blog posts again. This is from The Last Snowman.

You can wait to see them month by month or support your local bloggy-animator (me) and buy the calendar.

YEAH!

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The LAST Snowman.

Last week it snowed. It was prolly one of the last snows of the winter, and it was lovely sticky snow, really perfect for making a snowman. I was in the kitchen making dinner and I watched the 14 year old girl through the window. This scene unfolded before me...

When she noticed that I was watching, she waved shyly. I thought, "that's so sweet; she's fourteen but she's still a child..." When I showed her this drawing, she denied being embarrassed, but a mother knows these things.

* * * * *

DISC SCRATCH!

There is more to this story but I've removed it from the blog and here's why:

The LAST Snowman has been expanded (more drawings) and released as an ebook! Find out more about it here or just go straight to Amazon. Because stories! And hot chocolate!

Thanks for reading and stay tooned.

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