A lot of us use emoticons in our communications these days, a crown, bishop, or skull is way more fun than a ☺. That’s why fashion editor Alexandra Suhner Isenberg is obsessed with CopyPasteCharacter.com: they’ve got all sorts of fun ic❄ns you can stick into your emails, although I don’t suggest sending them to your boss. Unless you are ♘☠✏☂ off!
www.copypastecharacter.com

Calgary editor Jaelyn Molyneux likes to peep into the closets of the rich and stylish and read the stories behind how they came to own such covetable items.
www.thecoveteur.com

I don’t know if people were actually cooler back in the day or if black-and-white photos just make them look that way, but I can’t get enough of the attitude on The Impossible Cool. theimpossiblecool.
tumblr.com says lifestyle editor Kelsey Dundon. While beauty editor Anya Georgijevic chimes in agreement, "this Tumblr has Françoise Hardy rubbing elbows with Mark Twain. I could scroll for hours."
www.theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com

Naomi has her $10,000, and Montreal Editor Christine won't get out of bed until she's had her smoothie, iced latte and WhoWhatWear newsletter.
www.whowhatwear.com

Toronto editor, Athena Tsavliris, can't resist the siren call of 1stdibs.com. From Galanos gowns to Bertoia bronzes, this is fervent fantasy shopping ground.
www.1stdibs.com

Not everyone is a fan of games at a baby shower, but we need to keep the mom-to-be entertained while we drink all her champagne.

1. Match the celebrity and their baby. Print out lists of celebrities and their baby’s (ridiculous) names, ask the players to match each child with their parent. The one with the most correct matches wins. Do you know who Bear Blu, Moon Unit, and Princess Tiaamii’s parents are? The fun begins….

2. Decorate onesies while mom-to-be opens gifts. Unwrapping presents can take a long time, so provide a few sets of plain onesies and let the guests personalize an outfit for the baby. Non-toxic fabric paints and printed fabrics (for appliqués) make for some very memorable onesies.

3. Baby bingo. A great opportunity to hand out some fun little prizes, you could make your own bingo cards, or go the easy route and order these cute ones from Etsy. We love nail polishes or antique tea cups and saucers as prizes, and if many of the guests aren’t parents yet, baby making kits (sexy panties) are fun too.

—ASI

Inside time means quality time with your child and your iPad. Herewith, Canada’s media moms share their favourite kids’ apps.

Baby GO! (toddler) Free
Fabulous because it reinforces the letters along with the child’s keystrokes, and the girl's voice is adorable to boot.
Katherine Holland, VitaminDaily.com contributor and blogger at www.katherineholland.ca

Talking Carl (pre-schooler) $0.99
Fun little monster that repeats everything you say in a silly voice. Sort of like a real child!
Erika Pantages, VitaminDaily.com guest editor and blogger at www.thisishowistroll.blogspot.com

Pocket Pond and Cake Doodle (baby to adult/kindergarten) Free/$0.99
This realistic, serene koi pond lets you swish the water and make the fish change direction with a satisfying sound. Hours of zen. Got a little Cake Boss on your hands? With Cake Doodle, they can tip and shake the iPad to add ingredients, then mix, bake, ice, decorate and “eat” their cake creations.
Sarah Bancroft, VitaminDaily.com Editor-in-chief

Pocketphonics (pre-schooler) $1.99
I love this app because it helps children recognize letters and their sounds through repetition. It also tweaks their fine motor skills by having them trace letters. It involves three of their senses and thus reinforces learning. Just keep the volume down low because the mechanical voice makes you crazy.
Laura Keogh, co-founder of www.sweetpotatochronicles.com

Horse's Collection and Audubon Owls (pre-schooler to elementary) $1.99/$0.99
Budding equestrians will love identifying the different breeds of horses in this addictive memory game while little naturalists will be all over Audobon Owls, which is like an interactive field guide with pictures, fun facts and video.
Susie Wall, Vancouver reporter, eTalk.

Total Baby (moms) $4.99
A lot of moms I know rave about Total Baby. It keeps track of everything baby related (feeds, poops, naps, doctor appointments) so you can keep your head above water when you're too exhausted to remember your name.
Athena Tsavliris, VitaminDaily.com Toronto editor

If you’re aiming to put yourself out there more this year (or just looking for another guilty pleasure), let us introduce you to your new nightlife gurus.

“SA” and “WT” are two anonymous Vancouver gals kissing and telling, with a few life lessons thrown in, on the blog Tales From A Bar Stool. Every week they recount their real run-ins with men, and provide take-away tips for both sexes looking to better their bar game, like “Give everything a second chance, but never a third.”

Even if you aren’t on the market, it’s a juicy read.

www.talesfromabarstool.com

As a kid you couldn’t hit your bratty sister, but you could whack a piñata. In adulthood the same rules apply, but you can commission a piñata in the spitting image of your sibling with Your Piñata.

Call on Meaghan Kennedy, a Vancouver fashion girl turned couture craft girl with flame red hair and Flo-Jo nails to fix you a custom, handmade paper-mâché piñata of any person. She’s made Steve Martin, Kim Jong Il and a spot-on Perez Hilton for will.i.am. If the subject you want spoofed has tattoos, wears designer dresses or has dreadlocks, she delivers on those details. They can be stuffed with anything saccharine or sassy and take 3-7 days to create.

Smashing has never looked so smashing.

From $200, Your Piñata, 604-250-6307, www.yourpinata.com

Does the thought of your daughter looking up to socialite panty flashers keep you up at night?

Creating an outlet for bright and funny females is web series Smart Girls at the Party. Hosted by Amy Poehler (of Saturday Night Live fame), the short webisodes are filmed with a wink towards Inside the Actors Studio, but instead of celebrities, you get intelligent females, like 7-year-old skateboarder and feminist Ruby.

This is Girl Power we can get behind.

Watch Smart Girls at the Party here.

What if Goldilocks went to the ball with the big bad wolf and Gretel shacked up with the three little pigs? 

Put a little twist in classic fairy tales with whimsical toys from Toronto design house Fidoodle, makers of original wooden puzzles, blocks, and interactive mobiles.

Our little one loves the quirky Cinderella puzzle whose pieces turn into stick puppets for endless hours of imagination and play.

Plus they’re made in Canada with all-natural materials.

Now that’s what we call happily ever after.

www.fidoodle.com

Not only has the mother of two been traipsing around premiers in ultra minis and sky-high shoes, but Gwyneth Paltrow has also found time to launch her own website, GOOP.

Billed as a “collection of experiences,” Gwyneth spills on her favorite tuna sandwhich recipe, best jeans (Grey Ant), and London hot spots. From philosophy (Deepak Chopra) to Philosophy (beauty products) it's like walking a mile in Gwyneth's lace-up booties as she dishes tips on how to find a little black dress, or whip up a perfect batch of buckwheat pancakes.

But nowhere does it mention how to survive on sashimi or if she really is the one in the house who gets to clean up the goop….

www.goop.com

Ever watch America’s Next Top Model and think, I could do that! (Pose like a pro we mean, not put up with Tyra’s inane comments.)

VitaminV.ca is on the search for fun and fabulous girls to be the new look on our website for a year. You don’t need Heidi Klum’s bod (and please, no Naomi Campbell tempers): We want girls who are comfortable in their own skin and love having their photo taken.

Thirty lucky girls will be chosen for a professional photo shoot with fashion photographer Evaan Kheraj, including hair and make-up styling, a swag bag from our sponsors, a chance to mingle with our editors and other subscribers and a souvenir shot from the shoot.

Now strike a pose.

To enter our "Be a VV Girl!" contest, simply send a picture of yourself to the Vitamin V page on Facebook. All chosen models must be available the evening of November 19th and 20th.

While you may not find any of these words in the Oxford dictionary, you’ll certainly find them in the Vitamin Victionary.

Dumpster Driver: A person who pulls up to your recycling box in a car (usually in an affluent neighbourhood such as West Point Grey or Rosedale) and proceeds to pile your pop cans into their luxury SUV.
“When I put the recycling out this morning, the neighbourhood dumpster driver was waiting in his Land Rover.”

PC Break-up: Press Conference Break-up: An ex who very publicly spills the beans on your split.
“Did you see John Mayer on TMZ? I can’t believe he PC Broke-up with Jen!”

Naus-talgia.: Remembering something with a sick feeling.
“I was just thinking about that date with Tony and I got a bit of naus-talgia.”

Risickulous: When something is sick and ridiculous.
“The new LV bag is 4 g, but it’s totally risickulous!”

Gaza Strip: A bikin wax gone bad.
“I went to that new spa down the street and they gave me a freaking
Gaza Strip.”

Ponis: A male ponytail.
“I noticed Kevin finally cut off his ponis.”

And since we’ve discovered our knack for new verbiage we’ve been working overtime to push our vocab to the next level of pop-culture relevance.