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Pumpkin Patch Photo Challenge
It’s the most awesome time of the year. Well, pumpkin spice and pumpkin season does make me happy. I know it makes you feel the same way. Anyways, if you plan to visit a pumpkin patch this year then you might consider taking this pumpkin patch photo challenge with you for fun. Looking for activities that appeal to all ages and can keep the kids busy while on a road trip, or maybe just when you are cooking dinner? The printables section above is ideal for that kind of content. There are many full sized learning activity booklets here that you can save and print for your family. Don’t miss the seasonal…
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Pumpkin Investigation Science Activity
The best science activities in my personal opinion are the ones where kids don’t even realize they are learning about science. As a lot of you know I have always had one child here who is a reluctant science student. My oldest is all hands on science and social science and always has been. My youngest however finds it abstract somehow and never really enjoyed the topic. So, hiding some science activities under the guise of play always made the most sense for them. This post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I make a small amount of money off of purchases made via qualifying links. That’s…
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On Goal Setting and Making Magic Happen
As a writer and a business person I have always been invested in goal setting as a means of keeping myself accountable and moving forward. For me, this works. The year that I levelled up my freelance writing and carved out more time for pitches and bylines, I made good on those goals. Here’s how. Over the course of a career I have at times been employed on staff at magazines and newspapers. As a staff writer sometimes, the goals were obvious: get the gig as a columnist. (Which I did for a bit as a business writing columnist.) Or get the job as a beat reporter on the court…
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What Can You Do With Just One Dollar Children’s Book Giveaway
What Can You Do With Just One Dollar? When my kids were small we had a zillion books in the cutest library. They loved to read and it was important to me to have that library full of books about diversity and social issues. While What Can You Do with Just One Dollar wasn’t around then, it is now and it will make the perfect addition to any children’s library. This post is sponsored which means I received compensation for it. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful. From the time my kids were small we wanted them to learn about giving and caring about others so…
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Turning 18 – My Latest for CBC Parents
Both of my kids now are technically an age where the world considers them adults. This year, my youngest was just turning 18, when my nephew asked me if both of the kids were adults yet and that gave me pause. I mean first of all what is an adult? At what magical age or stage are we all adults? Happy Birthday! Second of all, I think most of you know that my kids are not neurotypical. They are neurodiverse kids aging during a pandemic and frankly that just hits different. So I wrote a little something about what is turning 18 anymore and what does it mean. This is…
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Colourful Summer Spelling Cards
Kids climbing the walls by now? Are they ready to start school, or getting ready to start school? Then these summer spelling cards might help them to stay sharp or get and edge in the early years. At the very least, these cute and colourful spelling cards may help keep them busy for a bit. Everything helps in the summer. How to Use These Summer Spelling Cards Download here Print out these flash cards on what card stock and use them until they run out. If you are super clever you might want to laminate and see how that makes them last. When our kids were small we used all…
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Luxear Fridge Containers Organizing Fresh Food
If you are anything like me at all then you buy a fair bit of local fresh produce. But, you don’t always get around to eating it before it spoils. Well, Luxear Fridge containers are changing that. I received product for consideration here. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful. My fridge can sometimes be like the black hole. Food goes in but gets lost in there sometimes. This year, we are all about the Produce Guyz fresh produce delivery so we always have fresh fruit and vegetables on hand. I like the convenience of the delivery and the cost is great too. Now, with Luxear Fridge…
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Tackling Interzip, the World’s First Interprovincial Zip Line!
Many thanks to Tourisme Outaouais for the gifted experience at Interzip, the World’s first interprovincial zip line. This past year when travel was a bit less predictable, we embraced camping, skiing and driving to Quebec to enjoy all the spectacular outdoor terrain. The Laurentians are a big draw for us always, in any season and Quebec is a manageable drive from London, Ontario, and several other Ontario cities, so it is a natural choice. Gatineau is one of our favourite Quebec cities to visit. It’s just the right distance to spend a couple of days in and then launch deeper into Quebec, which is how we planned our itinerary. In…
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So Where’ve I Been for the Last Year?
So Where’ve I Been this last year? Two years ago this week we were practically standing at the door ready to roll on our trip to Vermont I was writing here 3-4 times a week, a regular contributor to CBC Parents and Content Coordinator at Neighbours of Sunningdale. But the pandemic upended a lot of that. Travel ground to a standstill two years ago this week and that was that. What is a travel writer without the ability to travel? I pivoted fast to writing about pandemic parenting and that worked for several months. Frankly, that first year just being able to keep paying the mortgage was a big accomplishment.…
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Learning Emotions Activity Book
Learning emotions for kids can be a game changer as they grow. That can also be a game changer for adults as well because when kids understand emotions and can use the right words to describe the right emotion it makes a world of difference in all the family relationships. My kids have both struggled with emotional regulation and dysregulation over the years. One has anxiety disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the other of course has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD.) I have talked about that disability many times over the years. But if you are interested in learning more then check out the piece that I…
