The following guest blog was kindly provided by Antoinette Keane of Burnaby, B.C. as her submission to the Second Annual Summer Writing Contest.

Since the heat wave in Vancouver temporarily ended and we received a bit of rain, we’ve been battling the onset of mosquitoes and other biting bugs at our local playground. It’s pretty amazing the size of the welts that the children get from the bug bites. Since I already slather my kids in sunscreen before we go outside to protect them from the sun, I was hesitant to add more chemicals from an insect repellent.

Corinne Maier, mother of two, and author of “No Kids, 40 Good Reasons Not to Have Children” has created much debate in her mother country of France. This week, her book is being released in Canada and the National Post (http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1871782) and Maclean’s (http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/07/24/no-kids-no-grief/), among other media, are reporting on the ongoing discussion in our country to have or not have children.

In Canada, most moms have a full year to decide when and how to return to work. We also have momcafé where we can share our stories and be inspired by moms who successfully balance work and family.

Our neighbours to the south don’t have the luxury of time as many of them have to return to work within a couple of months of birth. Tara Weiss of Forbes.com is expecting a child soon and shares the advice she’s received on how to balance work and family.

The severe summer storm this weekend was refreshing, fun and memorable. As soon as it started raining, we found our boots and raincoats in the back of the closet and ran outside to look for puddles to jump in. Between our bouts of laughter and giggles we spotted the lightning and counted for the thunder. When the lightning and thunder got too close we ducked back undercover to keep safe from the storm and drew pictures with our sidewalk chalk on the front porch.

It’s amazing how anyone can write anything and have it posted on the internet to thousands, if not, millions of people within seconds today. Years ago, authors had to write drafts, go through a lengthy editing process and convince publishers or the media to print their work. And, instead of having to go to a library or bookstore to find a story to read, it’s extremely easy to find and share stories, news, reviews and critiques on the internet within a matter of seconds through various search engines.