About

Carly Foster

Mom to Lucy, 4 (born Feb. 27/06), Alice, 1 (born Oct 31/08), and Spencer Dog, 10-ish. Wife to Eric, a former engineer turned project manager.

Journalist and entrepreneur. Lover of books, Golden Girls, Archie Comics, stand-up comedy and ketchup. Hater of mornings. Proudly living in the Boonies of north Durham Region.

Durham Region Kids

A blog and free resource site for parents, including local business, product and website reviews, a frequent newsletter and regular contests.

The story

In 2006, as a young, internet-savvy new Mom — part of what I feel is a new generation of parents who seek advice and connection online — I found it frustrating trying to find local information on the web.

Having my first daughter changed my life. Suddenly, I had less time, but more and different needs than ever before. I wanted to learn everything about this strange, wailing, pooping being: where to go, who to talk to, what to buy, when and how to do it all.

My doctor and family were incredibly supportive, but only so much help. The real gems of information lay with the other parents I met, and I found connecting with them online incredibly rewarding.

So, here we are.

My goal: a fun, personal, interactive local resource for this new breed of parents. With some reviews of products I love and love to hate, along with neat websites and community events such as baby shows.

This is a continuation of the Pregnancy Adventures (while pregnant) and Life with Lucy (our first year together) blog I started in September, 2005 as a reporter with the local Metroland group of community newspapers. From 2003-March 2010 it was known as Durham Region Baby. It has now grown into Durham Region Kids to encompass my growing daughters and readers’ interests.

Five years since I started, I’ve moved into my forever home, and given birth to my second and final baby. I have met the most wonderful women here. It is ingrained in my life in ways I never imagined, and the comments from other parents make my heart sing. It’s worth every second.

In November, 2009, I co-launched a company called Sweet World Media with business partner Kirsty Kernohan. We publish a community magazine — Uxbridge Town Talk — in north Durham Region, write and maintain Durham Region Kids, as well as offer graphic/web design, logo creation/branding, marketing materials and social media consulting for small business from our offices in Uxbridge, Ontario.