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Author: Stefanie Tong

5 Ways to Navigate Through the Loss of Miscarriage

October 15, 2015
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| Categories: Parenting, Personal
I post to Facebook nearly everyday and would love to connect with you there.

Thirteen months ago, I experienced my first miscarriage and it has been a whirlwind of a journey since then. There was nothing that could've prepared me for the shock and heartache I lived through, that I continue to live through. Next month will mark the due date of my second miscarriage. I cannot even look at a calendar in the same way. It is now filled with dates that are forever imprinted on my heart, dates we found out we were expecting, dates of our losses and due dates, which I now call my babies birthdays. The first two weeks after our...

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Thank You For Year One

May 18, 2015
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| Categories: Ask ECE Mom
thank you

I can't believe that it's been a year since the crazy idea of ecemom.com started. Thinking back to the conversation where this began, my husband, Brian, said that he wanted a new wallet, and I said, "Sure, if I can purchase a domain name." I wanted a space where I could share about our daughter, the activities that we did together and how my work as an early childhood educator influenced the way that I parented. Three hundred and sixty five days later, the voice of this blog is quite different, a place where I can really share my heart...

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On The Day You Weren’t Born: The Story of my Miscarriages

May 13, 2015
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| Categories: Chasing Light Book
miscarriage blog

It has been nearly one year since I've started this blog and I feel like I've been lying for the majority of the time we've had together. The biggest part of my life this past year, I've omitted from my stories, mostly because I've lacked the courage to share. I feel like I've been lying every day when asked, "How are you doing?" because honestly, the truth hurts too much. A mother relishes at moments to share about her children and I am no different. I share about our three-year-old weekly, her stories, her quotes and her quirky moments that I manage to catch...

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To the Invisible Mom

May 7, 2015
| 2 Comments
| Categories: Parenting
heaven

Mother's Day is just around the corner, a day where mothers everywhere are celebrated and honoured by their children and the community around them. The florist down the street from us said that Mother's Day is her busiest day of the year. Flowers, cards, cosmetics and sugary treats are brought to the forefront of stores. I Love Mom, Best Mom, and #1 Mom are a few phrases we see on mugs, shirts and other merchandise. While mothers are visibly being celebrated, my heart breaks for the invisible mom. The mom you see being celebrated, surprised with gifts and embraced is the...

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Easter Egg Dyeing Recipe

April 3, 2015
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| Categories: Ask ECE Mom, Parenting

Our three year old has sensed that Easter is around the corner, not because we have told her, but because she's seen chocolate bunnies in every store and in the flyers that we receive.  She had her first taste of chocolate last Easter and since then, she's been a sugar addict!  Thankfully she is still a lover of fruits, carbs and milk. I've incorporated some non sugary activities into our week including an invitation to shaving cream with foam eggs and egg dyeing.  This was the first time that I've dyed eggs with Maliya, and as a lover of EVERY...

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My Three Year Old Made Me Wear It

March 13, 2015
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| Categories: Parenting

I am so very thankful for each one of you who read this blog.  You've sparked some great conversations and inspired many topics for me to write about, however, this is the first time I've been dared by one of you!  Now I could've just pretended that I didn't see it, but I love you all, am so glad you're here and value what each one of you have to say, even if it's at my expense. The dare was to let my three year old dress me for a week.  I did see this on another blog, so I...

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How Gel Can Buy You Ten Minutes

March 1, 2015
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| Categories: Parenting

Every morning we face the battle of getting ready for the day, waking up, getting out of bed, getting changed, washing up and finally making it to the breakfast table.  My little one likes to cuddle in the morning, and by cuddle, I mean climb on top of me and wedge herself between my arm and my side and wrap herself around my arm.  This is after she has woken me with her series of "Mommy.  Mommy?  Mommy!!"  She will then begin to go through her repertoire of songs, including, but not limited to, Family Finger, ABC, Bingo, and back to...

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Love Is All

February 24, 2015
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| Categories: Parenting

For the past five months I've been able to rely on my three year old for my monthly music recommendations, but she's still listening to Living on a Prayer on repeat and has been no help this month.  Since we've had Valentine's and Family Day recently, I thought a song about love would be appropriate.  Love is All begins with a chorus that paraphrases 1 Corinthians 13:4, a bible verse that is often read at weddings.  Let me try and unpack the four lines we hear in the chorus. Love is everlasting This tells me that love is not a...

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Child Led Play

February 17, 2015
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| Categories: Ask ECE Mom, Parenting

After breakfast was eaten and the crumbs were swept, Into the closet, a little girl crept. She asked for red and yellow and blue, With painting on her mind, yes that's what she wanted to do. "Shall we paint outside" is what I asked, Socks and shoes, she made her own task. We grabbed the brushes, and canvas and paint. Out the door we headed, without a single complaint. The invitation to paint were all colours she chose, two brushes and small recycled wood pieces as her canvases. Without wasting a minute, Maliya came and began doing her thing.  She...

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Hugged by an Angel

February 13, 2015
| 16 Comments
| Categories: Parenting

In my work as an Early Childhood Educator, I've had the blessing of meeting many different families with diverse stories, cultures and dynamics.  Over the past ten years I've been in the field, my message to parents remains the same, you are the biggest advocate for your child!  If something in our classroom is not working for your child, tell us, if you require a referral to a pediatrician, present facts to your doctor, if your child learns differently than what is perceived as "normal," then speak up on what will help your child to be successful. Recently on Facebook,...

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