Go Beyond Flowers this Mother’s Day

Around this time every year I ask myself: What would my mother never buy for herself but actually enjoy having? Not surprisingly the answer every year is different. Here are some ideas that I have come up with over the years:

Spa Gift Certificate – Treat your mother to a half-day of relaxation with a massage and pedi/mani combo. As an extra special gesture pick her up and drop her off at the Spa the day of her appointment.

New Duty-free limit increases cross-border shopping?

So what's changing? After a 24-hour trip, the current $50 duty-free limit will become $200. After a 48-hour trip, the limit will be $800, double the current rate. There is no current change to the no-exemption policy on same-day trips.

The increase is great for cross-border spenders, but on the other hand, retailers aren't feeling so great.

itchie said they weren't surprised at the increase proposal because they had observed President Obama's and Prime Minister Harper's talks about harmonization across the border. However, this change is not what they wanted to hear.

Mirror Mirror Movie Review

When a mirror cracks, an interesting thing happens. The fragments, each slightly askew, reflect at different angles, distorting the image. This is an accurate analogy to describe Mirror Mirror, a new retelling of the story of Snow White. It holds together as entertaining, but tries to do too many things at once, detracting from the overall experience.

Though this story has been told on film many times, Walt Disney's 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has so penetrated the collective conscious that any other version is inevitably compared to it. Mirror Mirror mixes most of the same elements up, giving its heroine more to do in the process. This is a very good thing - not to get down on poor Snow, but in most versions, she's a bit of a doormat.

Local Students Perform at Band Extravaganza

The Halton District School Board invited 1200 Halton grade seven and eight instrumental students from twenty nine elementary schools and two high schools to participate in a most exciting two day Band Extravaganza.

The Halton District School Board commissioned two original concert band compositions specifically for this event; Stormchaser by David Marlatt and Pride and Valour by Ryan Meeboer. Both of these composers are well-known and respected Canadian composers of concert band music and publish with Eighth Note Music Publishers.

Easter Dinner Wine Pairings

Easter is a holiday that (outside of spiritual belief) is filled with fresh ideas, new beginnings, and little smiles. Families gather for the first time since the winter break and once again, we prepare a meal of epic proportions – oh how I love the feast!

Hot-cross buns are traditional on Easter morning, but for obvious reasons I will avoid pairing wine with sticky-buns at 8am. Can I suggest a big glass of freshly squeezed OJ and a cup of piping hot coffee instead? My advice in this article is catered more to a point in the day when aromas of ham, turkey, or even lamb permeate through the household. Many families also enjoy beef or Asian cuisine over the holiday, and our focus today is how to pair the vast array of wine available at the LCBO with the varying flavour intensities of these entrées.

Follow these Tips to Lower Credit Card Rates

Call the number on the back of your card and tell them you have seen lower rates and chances are that you can get them to lower it. If you have been paying your minimum payment on time and they consider you a good customer they will likely be willing to work with you to negotiate a lower rate. If you are told that there is nothing they can do, politely ask to speak to a supervisor as they may be able to make the change.

In a recent test, random shoppers in a Canadian shopping mall, were all given the same script and told to read it to their credit card company, asking for a lower interest rate.

Around the Bay Road Race Highlights

It was a beautiful day for Hamilton’s Around the Bay Road Race; North America’s oldest road race, first run in 1894. This year a total of 9,200 runners took to the roads, running a distance of 30 km throughout the streets of Hamilton and Burlington around the natural harbour that joins these two cities. In addition, 2,300 runners and walkers participated in the 5k race. Beginning and ending at Copps Coliseum, crowds lined the route to cheer for their favourite runners and walkers and to enjoy the energy and enthusiasm created by the participants who chose to tackle this challenging course.

The Around the Bay Road Race includes an opportunity for everyone to participate. There is a 30k Walk/Run, a 5k and two and three person Relay teams. Rich in tradition, the race has been won by the best from around the world. Vast amounts of training spanning many weeks are necessary to run this course and many of the runners participate year after year.

21 Jump Street Movie Review

21 Jump Street was a late-80s TV cop drama starring Johnny Depp about undercover detectives working in high schools. The updated movie version keeps the basic premise and throws out everything else in favour of crazy teen-focused comedy with action elements. And while it is sporadically funny, it won't be to everyone's taste.

As high school seniors, Jenko (Channing Tatum) was a jock and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) was a nerd. But when they meet up years later at police academy, they realize they have the complementary skills to get each other to graduation, and soon become friends. All that training is for naught, however, as their first bust fails miserably, and they're transferred to a special unit that exploits their youthful appearance to put them undercover, back in high school.

Friends with Kids Movie Review

We who are fortunate to be parents love our role for the most part, but I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that we've all had moments, however brief, where we wonder why we got into this. Sleep-deprived, financially stressed, and lacking opportunities for intimate contact with our partners, romance is often put on hold while a family adjusts to the arrival of its newest members. Friends with Kids is a nicely effective comedy-drama that looks at this from a different angle.

Platonic best friends Julie and Jason (Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott) both want children, but having no current partners, and mortified at what kids seem to have done to their friends' marriages, they make an unconventional decision. They'll conceive a child between themselves and then co-parent, leaving them both free to pursue romance with people outside the equation.