How crazy is this?? $4000 Fake baby!

Women are snapping these up-the doll is called a "reborn". Doesn't cry. Doesn't throw up. Doesn't keep you up all night. Hmmm . . . maybe not such a stupid idea after all.

The Wedding March SO Last Year

For some reason I cried when I watched this video. Everyone seems so . . . happy. Maybe it's because many of my friends are getting divorced but this is how many of those marriages started out. Joyful. Hopeful. Exuberant.
See below for the video of Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson dancing down the aisle to Chris Brown's "Forever". It's become a monster hit. Eleven million views and they've hit the talk show ciruit. Wedding planners and choreographers expect dancing down the aisle to be a hot new wedding trend. It seems so simple-why didn't anyone else do it before now? Hopefully they keep dancing and laughing together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Madonna's not the only one!

A recent pic of Madonna shows her waving to her fans and a little flabby arm undercarriage waving in the breeze. If she's got bingo arms is there any hope for the rest of us? Is there any way to conquer "Bingo Arms"?
Jackie e-mailed me at Shell@qmfm.com to say that she lost 2 inches off her arms in less than a month by using the Vibetronix Whole Body Vibration Exercise platform.
She sits on it with her palms face down on the platform. No sweat and no pain. Three to four times a week for only four minutes at a time!! Jackie-can you send me a picture of your arms?? This is incredible. Sounds too good to be true. Any other great ideas? We would like to hear them and share them here.
SJ

Bingo Arms!! Ugh!!

My fave new summer drink! The Mojito! Great without booze too!

Favorite new summer drink

My friend Liz makes the best Mojito known to womankind. Last weekend she made a Mojito to die for. I thought I didn't like these drinks much-not very exciting, and after many experiments at home (ie: crushing the fresh mint INTO the drink with a blender so that the end result was a yucky slimy green smoothie that no amount of alcohol could disguise) but I have now discovered the secret is in the freshest ingredients. I was the designated driver so I had the first with alcohol and the rest of the night, utilized all that fresh mint and raspberry mulch by just adding soda water which was deliciously refreshing as well.
Her recipe? 20 leaves of the freshest mint you can find (per glass), lots of fresh lime juice (just keep squeezing), crushed raspberries from her garden (big hand full), some rum-1-2 oz (she bought a bottle that actually had the crusher gizmo attached as a party favour) and about a teaspoonful of sugar, lots of ice, and fill with soda water. Try it and let me know what you think!
Please share your favorite new summer drink and we will post it here!

Books, Potter, How to Grow Your Own Fish, and much much more!

If you have a summer book that is knocking your socks off and causing you to neglect all else (kids, meals, spouses) please send your recommendation to Shell@qmfm.com and we will post it here!
I usually throw up when I try to read in the car but on our Winnipeg road trip I discovered that if the road is not too windy I can normally block out the view and focus on the words with some success. I was squeezed for 24 hours into the back seat (child puker up front), with blankets, kid , dog and a bag of sunflower seeds with Wally Lamb and "She's Come Undone". I know, I know, it's not a new book but definitely one I would recommend for a long road trip to visit crazy family members. It made me feel that my family and all of our dysfunctional relatives far and wide are really quite normal in the whole scheme of things. I think most families have hidden secrets and understanding them and realiziing that we are not alone, helps us to be more compassionate. The book is sad, hysterical, and beautifully written.

Movie recommendation thanks to an e-mail from Janine: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
"I believe that this is the best Harry Potter movie yet, and it's a must see. There is tons of laughs along with some intense parts that satisfy every viewer. You can't miss this movie, I give it 5 stars."

I saw "The Proposal" the other night-definitely "a renter". Save your good money for Harry P.

Wanna know how to make a bush pie?
These are a family favorite on camping trips and easy to make with a bush pie maker from Canadian Tire. We just spent 8 nights around a campfire making bush pies of all description and I think we've discovered a few winning combinations.
Take two pieces of white cheap bread (don't even TRY to make these healthy)
Slather one side of the bread (like a grilled cheese sandwich) with butter.
Put the buttered side of the bread to the outside of the bush pie maker. The cast iron one's are the best. Fill the inside with raspberry pie filling, close the bush pie maker and cook lightly over the fire. You end up with sort of a sweet grilled sandwich.
My favorites are breakfast bush pies with scrambled eggs, cheese and ham or bacon, and appie bush pies with chipotle cream cheese, cooked salmon or fish of any kind, and whatever else you have kicking around i.e.: onions, cheese, mushrooms, shrimp, etc.
Use your imagination! My kids tried marshmallow, chocolate and peanut butter but I found them WAY too sweet.

Today on QMFM we talked about the brewing interest in backyard fish farms.
One Canadian university is even working on developing a simple home system.
Want more info?
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/

Globe & Mail Article on "Backyard Fish Farm"

Camping? Relaxing? Ha!

Hi there!
Back from vacation! A luxurious 14-day road and camping trip to Manitoba!!! The mosquitoes had bibs!! The horse flys wore saddles! Camping is no picnic! Why do I forget from year-to-year how labour intensive it is to camp? Must be like childbirth. Better to forget and do it again than remember and miss out on the hilarity. I'm just now recovering from the mile-high pile of dirty laundry. If there is an easy way to camp please share. I'm starting to re-think my stand on the motor home. By day 8 I was whimpering like a puppy and drooling with envy over the flickering lights from within those grand mansions on wheels while we suffered through another night of camp stove chili and cramped tent-induced arthritis.
One of the best parts of our journey was our first venture into geocaching. If you haven't tried it yet, it's the most brilliant technique to get your kids out for a hike without all the whining and bitching. It's amazing what kids will do for hidden treasure. Geocaching, if you haven't tried it yet, is like a trinket hunt in the forest using a GPS and a hidden treasure "map" off the Internet.
There is a BC geocaching association. Find out more at www.bcgeocaching.com
Many people describe this "sport" as an addiction. It's great way for young families to explore the province "one treasure at a time".

What? No cell phone? What will I do with my time?

B.C. police chiefs are asking for an outright provincial ban on drivers using cell phones including hands free devices like headphones and speakers. I can't even remember back to the days when driving was just about . . . .well, driving. Can you imagine? What will we do with our travel time? We have become so accustomed, (addicted even), to multitasking mercilessly at every available moment that the drive home from work would feel like a mental spa vacation without the good old cell. Ya know, it might be nice (if you can get past the inconvenience of having to make all those essential calls once you get home) to just relax and drive and listen to the great tunes on QMFM!!!! Brilliant ideas and epiphanies may come to you as you let your mind wander along the #1 highway . . .you may have a book or an invention just bursting to be set free.

Research shows that a driver's reaction time is nearly 50% slower when driving while talking on a cell phone. I for one, am willing to give it up. I hate my cell phone. I hate it's incessant ringing and buzzing and pleading for my attention when I'm doing something much more interesting than talking on the phone. I hate feeling compelled to answer when I'm in a driving situation that requires my full attention. I hate the sense of panic of missing an important call. And it disturbs me greatly to see teenagers caught up in this addiction to be "on" and "connected" all the time. I just think it messes with your head when you can't be in there all by yourself for a while without constant stimulation from an outside source.



Steve "The Little Contractor" disagrees. He's opposed to a ban on cell phones and explains with great cheeky humour why he's a cell phone maniac and proud of it. This was sent from his Blackberry . . . while driving !!!!!!!!

Tara's response

Tara McGuire (our morning show host and my friend) wanted to add something to the whole kid/parent connection technology debate. Her son is a teenager and she is loving texting with him. "He is a (young) man of few words in person, mostly grunts actually, but we keep in touch via text throughout the day. It helps us stay connected in a way we wouldn't do otherwise. Some people communicate better in writing than with spoken word, especially boys. We do talk as well of course but a quick "hi" or "what happened with your Math final?" or "I love you" is a nice way to engage. It's like the old "note in the lunch bag" thing we used to do. There are some rules like: no texting at the table, it goes off at night (some kids would text all night long) and in class and if you don't reply I'm confiscating the sucker."



I'll remember that great advice when my kids are teenagers. Thanks Tara!!



Family Vacation

We are going on a much-dreaded driving vacation to Winnipeg on the weekend. I have a kid who throws up at the THOUGHT of a road trip. So her enthusiasm has buoyed the whole family's anticipation of the trip (read this dripping with sarcasm). We are taking the dog, a tent, three kayaks, four bikes, a cooler and a Coleman stove and meeting folks for a family reunion at Duck Mountain. The fighting has already started and we are not even there yet!! But, it's amazing the conflict that can be created through pre-vacation e-mails. Boy! This is going to be fun! Vacation photos to follow. I promise.

I AM looking forward to tenting though. It's like being all wrapped up in a canvass womb-togetherness at it's finest. If it rains and the mosquito's are on steroids we will be less that tough I suspect, and booking into the nearest Super 8. Stay tuned.



Movie recommendations from the weekend

Rented "A Mighty Heart" the Mariane Pearl story but was foiled by a scratched disc. HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!! I am just not meant to see this movie!

Not to be deterred I had a plan B so treated my husband and movie loving neighbour-friend to another little goodie I had picked up from the video store based on rave review from the critics. "Wendy and Lucy" has won many awards and tons of praise from critics everywhere. I fear my taste in movies lacks sophistication and any sense of ratings know-how. I thought it sucked. In fact, it was so painfully boring that we felt compelled to watch it to the end in case something earth shattering happened that would make the previous 80 minutes of crippling tedium worth the wait. It wasn't.

Stuck in texting hell!!!

How many hours a day do YOU spend texting? Teenagers are reportedly peeved when their parents are not giving them their undivided attention. And, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree (no, not THAT kind of Apple). Teens send almost 80 messages a day according to a new report. It's starting to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, failing grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation. It's a terrible feeling to always be "turned on". I hate the stress of having my cell phone with me all the time. I think I forget it on purpose. One day it may find it's way into the bottom of Buntzen Lake. Read on . . this e-mail is from Don . .

Attention: Shelley Joyce. Regarding your recent on-air comment about the number of text messages the average teenager sends per day . . . I'm inclined to believe it. After a doctors appointment in Vancouver this past Tuesday I decided to go for a walk around Kits before taking the bus back home to Mission, and twice I was run into by girls so intent on their text messaging that they didn't see anyone or anything else. I hope for their sake they do better when crossing streets or they are going to get run over.

I was a VERY late bloomer when it came to buying a cell phone and I'm going to wait until the last bitter moment before I'll let my kids have one. It's like going on Facebook and MSN-once you approve of it-it's like a runaway freight train. I'm on the side of Gabor Mate-"Hang on to your Kids" ! How can they communicate with you if they are in constant touch with their friends? Maybe after 6 pm everyone in the family should lock up their cell phones in the family vault. What would you talk about?

In honor of Father's Day on Sunday . . . The Best Advice Your Dad Gave You That You Didn't Take . . . I bought a car, actually, two cars (slow learner). They were crap cars and dad was insistent that they would only end up costing me a fortune in repairs and insurance. I was certain he was just trying to ruin my life and keep me under his thumb. So I bought them . . both. And they cost me a fortune in repairs and insurance. But I learned from my mistakes. Now I have BCAA.

These e-mails came flooding in to relay similar fatherly advice rejection stories.

Dear Shelley; My Dad didn't like my boyfriend in high school. He thought he was aloof and cold. But he was SO cute. I married him anyway, and guess what? Dad was right. He's still aloof and cold, even with our three kids. I wish I'd listened to Dad.


Dear Shelley: My Dad wanted me to become a vet because I loved animals SO much as a child. I went to law school instead wooed by the "prestige" and promises of $$.
Big mistake. I'm 34 and back in school studying to be a vet. Wish my dad could see me now.

Thanks for your e-mails and keep em' comin'.

Famous Dad quotes:

Harry S Truman
I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.

Anonymous
One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is. Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be.

Drop me a line at Shell@qmfm.com we will share your stories on the air and here.

The instant you become a mother people stop taking your picture.

The instant you become a mother people stop taking your picture. Unless you’re Angelina Jolie. As mother of two girls, my job has become that of family documentarian. I suspect it’s the same in other homes.From “birth” day on, mother will snap photos of kids in Halloween costumes, dance tutus, commencement gowns and baseball uniforms. I have ten years of family vacation albums without a single snap of my smiling self.Have you ever noticed the obituaries in the newspaper? You’re liable to see a black and white photo of a young beautiful woman-only to discover upon reading the copy that she lived to a ripe wrinkly 100. Why the outdated photo? It was probably the last existing pic of herself before she became mother/house photographer.

“What my dog rolled in”This is my dog Maisey in the new feature “what my dog rolled in”. When Maisey is not counter-surfing or ripping through the garbage she is chewing my seatbelts ($1500 worth!!!) or breaking out of the house and running to the local school. All the kids and the teachers know her by name. On this day she rolled in a foreign substance that smelled disgustingly unidentifiable.Please send your photos and bad dog stories to Shell@qmfm.com

Father’s Day Tribute:

Embarrassing or annoying things your dad does in public. Our latest entry is from Julie. Thanks Julie for the great e-mail.Please submit your embarrassing dad stories to Shell@qmfm.com.
Subject: Dad’s in public . . .Just heard you asking on the air for embarrassing things your dad does in public . . .well, mine would kill me if he knew I was telling you this (and it’ll probably gross out a number of people) but he will be sitting in a restaurant after dinner and will use the sugar packets on the table to clean his teeth!!! Worse yet, he sometimes puts them back!!Told you . . . ick! Julie

Thank you to Julie for that wonderful, icky, and truly embarrassing dad story. Now it’s your turn. Send your embarrassing tales of dad to Shell@qmfm.com

Hello? Are you there?

Did you know that 95% of blogs lose momentum and die a painful unacknowledged death? That means only 5% of bloggers are able to maintain a life so filled with excitement and verve that their daily antics are worth sharing. How pathetic is that? I'm a little stressed just thinking about it. I think I'm talking myself out of this already.

It all seems so self-indulgent. My mother always said, "don't talk about yourself. Ask a lot of questions. Let OTHER people shine. Don't hog the limelight".

So to get this blog off to a rollicking good start (and to relieve my conscience) I'll need a little reciprocity-a little give and take. Some SHARING of information. I'll show you my mountain bike pictures (and close-ups of the gashes) . You send me a photo of you in your garden with the first ripe tomato. I'll share my famous recipe for Chicken Marbella (which is the best thing to serve company if you hate to cook), you contribute the secret proportions to your famous margarita recipe. I'll print the best of the best on my blog. So, really, this isn't all about me after all, is it? It's about US. So, let's get started.

Earlier this week I was asking for feedback on the movie "The Hangover". I read online that it is screamingly funny. But for who? Guys? Or do women love it too. It's a flick about a Vegas batchelor party gone bad.

I got this response from a very tuned in listener sent from her Blackberry:

Subject: The Hangover-A Woman's Perspective

A woman friend and myself saw this movie last night. Definitely hilarious; not all guy humour at all. Plus watching cute men was a bonus.

We laughed during the whole movie.

Ok . . .she sounds smart. I think this is a referral we can trust.

I'm looking for a new summer drink. Was into the extra dry apple ciders for a while . . . but I'm craving something with a little bite. Nothing tutti frutti. Any recomendations?

Have a great weekend.

Hello World and Welcome to my blog