• Health - Travel

    Zambia Fellowship – Preparing For The Journey #VaccinesWork #travel

    I’m sitting in a travel clinic getting a typhoid shot and a prescription for anti-malarial pills. Today this is what work looks like as I prepare to visit Zambia in October. It’s a Tuesday morning and I am talking typhoid, Twinrix, safety precautions, Canadian embassies and Malaria. Not my average day in the office. A few weeks ago I learned that I was one of the lucky journalists who received a Fellowship with the UN Foundation and an advocacy group called Shot@Life. Together with 2 other bloggers and a doctor with a regular column in a US newspaper, I will travel…

  • family

    Pom Pom Wow! – For the Tween or Teen Girl on Your List #TMMGG16

    Are you shopping to please a crafty teen or tween girl this holiday? Then I have the perfect gift for you. Pom Pom Wow is a quirky, fun, craft kit with potential for hours of enjoyment. I should know – my girls have been decorating everything with Pom Pom Wow! since the kits arrived here a couple of weeks ago. Who doesn’t like Pom Poms? Pom Pom Wow! has numerous different kits and accessory bundles. We received several to try out. My daughter Ainsley, 12, got her hands on the Pom Pom Wow! Decoration Station one night after school. Now,…

  • Food - Giveaways

    Try Subway’s Sublime Carved Turkey Sandwich and Give Back to Food Banks Canada #NationalSandwichDay #Giveaway

    I missed Thanksgiving this year. Oh, don’t feel bad for me. I missed out on a big delicious turkey dinner because I left for a fellowship in Zambia the Friday before Thanksgiving. While you were eating turkey I was spotting zebras and elephants and visiting clinics to talk about health care policy in Africa. When I returned to Canada, I heard SUBWAY® had a Carved Turkey Sandwich out and I figured I might get a little turkey time after all. This past weekend was show week here. My kids are ridiculously busy girls. My younger daughter was performing all weekend in…

  • family - Health

    Cold and Flu Season – Prevent Getting Sick with Cold-Q #ColdQtotheResQ

    Cold and flu season is going to be vile this year. How do I know that? Well, that’s simple. My younger daughter and I have been sick on and off since school started! What started as a cough with my daughter spread to me. Then one of us had bronchitis. After that the two of us got a cold. Actually, we got the flu, but we thought it was a cold. Yes, cold and flu season is here, and it has not been kind, already. That’s why I got excited when I heard about Cold-Q. Make Cold and Flu Season Easier…

  • family - Health - Travel

    Your Period and How Travel Affects It #travel

    Your period is a normal function of your body. How your reproductive system is functioning can be an indicator of a bigger health issue. So it’s natural to be concerned if your very regular cycle is sometimes thrown into chaotic late, or abnormal heavy or even extreme light flow. Of course the first thing you wonder if your cycle changes or a period ceases to happen, is whether you are pregnant. But you might also start wondering if you have an illness. The truth is that if your period is late or you missed it all together while traveling, it’s probably JUST the traveling.…

  • Food

    Breville Tea Maker – Getting My Tea Fix in a New Way

    The Breville Tea Maker is a new way for me and tea lovers like me to enjoy their favorite beverage. I’m a tea lover. I have been for as long as I can remember. My mom and grandmother were both big time tea drinkers, and I got that love from them. I love all kinds of tea – iced tea, hot tea, chai tea and tisanes too. You name a tea, I have probably tried it. That goes double for loose leaf teas. You just can’t beat them, especially in the cold weather. With the Breville Tea Maker, I can…

  • family - parenting - Technology

    Online Safety and Snapchat

    Online safety is a big deal, and Snapchat has become one of the more concerning apps for parents of tweens and teens. Because users of SnapChat can specify a time frame that a picture will stay on the server, online safety is a concern with this app.   What is SnapChat ? For those of you who don’t know, SnapChat is a video messaging app which allows users to take photos, videos, and add text or drawings and then send them to other users. This media – known as “Snaps” can be set up with a time limit on how long…

  • family - Health

    Oral Health – Don’t Let the Kids Neglect Their Teeth This Halloween

    Oral health is so important to our overall health, and it’s vital that we make sure our children have good oral health habits like brushing and flossing 2 to 3 times daily. This is even more important when Halloween rolls around. All that candy coming in may be tasty, but it’s also terrible for the teeth. This Halloween help your kids remember their oral health with Philips Sonicare and Furball Pal Sparkly. Oral Health for Better Health Oral health is key to keeping our entire body healthy. Did you know that poor oral health can lead to damage of organs…

  • Travel

    Six Anniversary Trips that Totally Rock

    Anniversary trips can be just the thing to ignite a renewed sense of romance in your marriage. They can also be an extension of the romance that never really went away. Whatever they are for you and your spouse, one thing is certain. Anniversary trips can and should be memorable experiences. Otherwise, you might as well just have a staycation with a bouquet of flowers. There are so many great ways to spend anniversaries really. If travel is involved I don’t think you can go wrong. 6 Anniversary Trips that are Totally Worth It The only trip you should take…

  • Health - parenting - Travel

    Ten Facts About World Polio Day #WorldPolioDay

    This week as we mark World Polio Day I wanted to share a few facts about polio and the vaccine that saves lives. Just one week ago I was in Zambia doing a fellowship with the UN Foundation’s global vaccine program called Shot @ Life. On our last day in Livingstone, we visited the Mahatma Gandhi clinic where moms and dads brought their babies to receive the appropriate vaccines needed for their age group. Many babies were receiving the oral polio vaccine, as shown below. It’s the type of global vaccination initiative that Shot@Life supports in many countries around the world.…