CPO Insider

We’re already gearing up for Mother’s Day ’09 and we have a question…  If you could design an absolutely perfect day for yourself, TELL US what would it look like?
Use your imagination and have fun planning your perfect Mother’s Day agenda! Submit your response by posting on the Focus on Mom Board or by simply adding a comment to this blog entry.

Your reply to this question will give you chance to win a Mother’s Day Prize Pack! Three lucky CPO members will receive Aveeno products consisting of Aveeno Positively Ageless Sunscreen, Warming Scrub, and Sunblock Spray. Plus an Epicure Selections “Healthier You Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook”, a Perfect Portions Plate, Weekly Health Planner, and more!

Team CPO has been reunited….  Hailey our GM is back!  Where was she you ask?  Well many of you know that Hailey gave birth to her second child last year and has been away on maternity leave.  She returned on April 1st… no fool’n, with lots of great ideas and we can’t wait to start working on them!

Two projects we have been busy working on behind the scenes are Blogs & Facebook!  CPO Blogs are undergoing some changes, an update and some new added features.  We’ll be featuring more blogs on our homepage (watch for changes coming real soon!) and across the site.  If you don’t have a blog and would like to start one send an email to tracy@canadianparents.com.  If you have one, watch for a special announcement on the upcoming changes.

The recent changes to Facebook mean CPO fans can now see status updates and information announcements more easily.  We’ve been busy working on an update to our Facebook page and encourage you to become a fan if you haven’t already.  Our updates will mean you stay in the loop even when life gets busy!  BECOME A FAN TODAY!

Not into facebook?  You can follow CPO on Twitter - check it out now

Hey everyone - CPO is at Walt Disney World this week and we’re having a blast! We’ll be telling you all about the great resorts, the parks, and some of the hidden gems too!

So far we have uncovered some exciting new resorts and we’ve got some video footage for you to check out.
See it now!

You can read more about our visit in our blogs.
Tracy’s FIRST Disney Visit
Helen’s Disney Tips

Oh, and don’t forget to enter the CPO Celebration Vacation Contest for your chance to win a dream vacation for your family. Click here to find out more and to enter!

Happy Tuesday!

Helen & Tracy

Hey Canadian Parents!  CPO is putting together a fun project for you!  To help you get organized you will need to take some photos while you are visiting with friends and family over the holiday season.  The project is titled, “All About Grandpa” but you can feature anyone special in your life, or make a library of these cute little books!

Here’s your assignment with “Grandpa” in mind (remember you can change it to another person if you like):

1.  Take or find a really good photo of Grandpa (yours or your children’s) or several if you want to create a collage of pictures of him.

2. Think about what Grandpa means to you and find items at his home that represent those feelings.  Is it his chair?  Maybe a pipe?  How about his boots or workshop?  Take photos of anything that reminds you of Grandpa.  In our case, my father always made homemade fries for the kids.  We have photos of his potato bin, the fries cooking and my son eating them with ketchup and Grandpa is seen in the photo watching the kids.  It really captured something special.  We also have photos of his tools, his jars of nails, screws and other bits and pieces.  If possible, try to get him doing the things that remind you most of him, fixing something, sitting in his favourite chair, making breakfast?

3.  You may not be able to take some of the photos you would want for this project.  Ask to go through old photos and get copies of anything that you might want to include:  Maybe Grandpas in his garden or in our case, the hockey rink my dad made for the kids each year.

4.  If you can, ask questions.  Find out what Grandpas favourite colour is.  Ask about favourite foods, favourite memories, and anything else you might want to highlight in a special project about Grandpa.  This is a fun way to expose your kids to great stories and they will learn (and you may too) more about Grandpa in the process.

5. Some other photos to consider taking or locating:  photo of Grandpa’s house or a home he lived in as part of your memory of him.  Photos of Grandpa as a child, teen, young adult.  If Grandpa did anything special as a child or younger person see if you can find photos of him doing those things too.

With your notes and photos we will work together to create a special book that will be enjoyed for many year.  Have fun taking and collecting photos… check back in February for our All About Grandpa Project.

Helen

Save your toilet paper and paper towel rolls…. and watch for CPO’s Make Your Own Christmas Cracker Project, coming to the Memory Making section in December!

Last week we had the ultimate staff meeting! Instead of simply chatting over the phone for an hour, everyone gathered for two days here in good old Saint John NB. It was a most wonderful opportunity to work and play in a relaxed setting and reinforced what an amazing team of 6 we are! Many, many thanks to all who made this trip possible!

Our only regret is that Hailey couldn’t make it this time (due to being on maternity leave). We missed you Hailey and look forward to having you back with us!

A few comments from the participants:

Heather said: “… It was such a pleasure to have the chance to meet everyone in person, and to have the time to spend together talking, sightseeing, brainstorming, and laughing over some pretty incredible meals.”

Ildico said: “… It was truly an unforgettable trip on all levels. Big hugs all around!”

Tracy said: “… We couldn’t have asked for a more successful time together. Our team ROCKS!”

Helen said: “… This was a business trip like no other.  CPO’s team is filled with smart, energetic and creative ladies!”

Cara said: “…  It was so great getting to know everyone on a more personal level.  I truly feel honoured to be a part of this amazing team and I’m looking forward to what the future will bring here at CPO!”

We picked up the live lobsters at the market and cooked them outside on Tracy’s deck. Cara was a pro at shucking!

From left: Ildico, Tracy, Cara, Helen and Heather-

Around Tracy’s dining room table -

Visiting St. Martins, a seaside town on the Bay of Fundy -

Breakfast meeting at Shadow Lawn -

Hi Friends, Tracy again, with an update on today’s staff meeting.

As usual, we met on the phone. With summer well underway, it’s sometimes difficult to get everybody together at the same time, so it was nice to connect. 

Our main objective for today was to do some brainstorming for another upcoming CPO Club. The Clutter Control Club has become such a major success story for us that it only makes sense to add another unique club to CPO’s offering. Of course, the club’s name and focus won’t be unveiled until later, but I must mention that our favourite idea came from Cara’s brain! Now, the work and planning begins as we put it all together. We’re excited - This is going to be a fun project!! Stay tuned for more details.

We also discussed some  some technical issues which I won’t bore you with now. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention - CPO’s new Facebook Page has launched. If you use Facebook please become a fan of the CanadianParents.com page. 

On a personal note, here’s what’s on our minds today:

Heather has BIG news to share. She’s expecting her second child in January! Congratulations Heather!
Cara just returned from a quick trip to Bar Harbour with her family.
Helen is busy planning Christmas in July for her household.
Tracy is has company from Edmonton staying at her house this week. They have strict instructions not to bother her during working hours!

We’ve got 3 amazingly practical prizepaks to give away - just in time to care for those inevitable summertime wounds. Each and every time you update your blog you’ll receive one chance to win. No need to sign up, we’ll keep track. Start your blog today and that counts as your first entry. Contest closes August 15/08.

Each prizepak includes:

Nexcare Tattoo Bandages
Nexcare Liquid Spray
Nexcare Brights (80 pack)
Nexcare Brights (30 pk)
Nexcare Gel Bandage
Nexcare Heavy Duty Bandage
Nexcare Heavy Duty Water proof
Nexcare Comfort Strip Bandages
Necare Tegaderm Bandage- Knee
A 64 piece Nexcare first aid kit
Necare cold/hot pack
Nexcare Skin Crack Cream
Nexcare Liquid Bandage
Nexare Cracked Heel
Back pack, water bottle and towel

Good luck to all!

~Tracy

Hi friends, Tracy here.

We had an exceptionally long meeting today - lots of tidbits and bigbits to go over as it had been two weeks since all four of us were able to attend. All four of us were on the line; Helen, Heather, Cara, and myself. Everyone had items on their list; solutions, possibilities, and ideas were flowing. We’re all loving the fact that our site traffic is up and entries for our Josh Groban Contest are pouring in. Apparently, some CPOer’s reported that they almost cried while watching our Father’s Day video montage.

What else? We discussed ways we will be working with our sister site, Todays Parent, as both sites have unique content for all parents. I’m putting the final touches on our soon to be launched Facebook page and also pretty excited about a new Expert we’ll be welcoming to CPO next month. Stay tuned for more.

On a more personal note, here’s what’s on our minds:

Heather is on a roll. She just finished a challenging project that ended with a big presentation and has finally been able to sink her teeth into more productive work. Sounds like she is enjoying her time here with us.

Cara is meeting up with another CPO mom (Rothesayshymom) tomorrow at a local park. They met on our boards and Cara knew she needed some help with her baby sling so she suggested they meet up for a playdate and some baby sling lessons. Wow. Is she a dedicated CPO community leader or what?

Helen is still immersed in end-of-year activities with Emmy and Sam. She takes on these huge projects (like designing and distributing T-shirts for each entire class) and wears herself out! Gotta love a mom like that, eh?

Tracy is getting ready for her eldest son’s graduation from college on Friday. We’re having a big family party after the ceremony on Friday night that involves a huge surprise for all 3 of our kids - Andrea and Jay will be arriving for a 2 week visit from Ontario. Shhhh!!

I’d like to congratulate our dedicated Child & Family Therapist, Sara Dimmerman on the release of her first book, Am I a Normal Parent?, the definitive guide to figuring out what’s normal for parents in the 21st century.

The courier delivered four copies of Am I a Normal Parent to my door yesterday - hot off the press! I’ll send a copy out to the first four bloggers who leave a comment to this post - AFTER you take Sara’s quiz: Am I a Normal Parent? In your comment, tell us a little bit about how you made out taking the quiz. Are you a normal parent?

Don’t forget to include your first name and email address in the comment box below. I’ll contact the first 4 posters via email to get mailing address etc.