• parenting

    Teacher Appreciation Week Free Printables

    April 20, 2016 - By 

    Did you know that it is Teacher Appreciation Week coming up May 2 – 6? Teachers can and often do make a huge impact on a child’s life. A really dedicated and kind, caring professional can change the course of a child’s future. I believe in rewarding people and other classmates who help my children at school. So, for instance, with certain classmates of my daughter, I make sure to buy Christmas presents, or send an extra snack once in awhile so my daughter can share. When we were KinderCanada ambassadors a couple of years ago I would have her…

  • inn_at_mount_julian
    Travel

    Viamede Resort’s Inn at Mount Julian – Best Meal I Have Ever Eaten

    April 19, 2016 - By 

    Food as an Adventure The Inn at Mount Julian is an unassuming, intimate, cozy space. A part of Viamede Resort, the Inn is part of a century old, newly renovated family and couples resort, on Stoney Lake in the Kawarthas area just north of Toronto. A fine dining experience, grounded clearly by the area’s landscape and the abundant local farms and resources, the Inn at Mount Julian is exceptional. The resort and The Inn subscribe to a locavore food philosophy that means all the food is locally sourced. This is the story of the meal I almost didn’t eat. It was…

  • active family travel - Travel

    Viamede Resort is a Gem in the Kawarthas

    April 18, 2016 - By 

    I’ve been dancing around this post for a couple of weeks trying to decide what is Viamede Resort? Is it a family resort? Is it a romantic weekend getaway? A summer cottage destination? Conference centre? It’s all that and more. The beauty of Viamede Resort is that it becomes pretty much what you want it to be. On Easter weekend my family and I were invited to visit Viamede Resort, a gorgeous spot on Stoney Lake with a world class fine dining restaurant that is on its own entirely worth the four hour drive. You can read more about The Inn…

  • dirty-oreo-cupcakes
    family - Food

    Oreo Cupcakes Are Perfect for Your Two Foot Tornado

    April 15, 2016 - By 

    Do you have a little mess magnet? Chances are if you have children, then you have a mess magnet! I have one of those. She’s a little tornado inside any room she enters. It’s hard to maintain a clean kitchen or living room, or any other space when she’s around. Once in awhile it’s okay to indulge that chaos and even embrace it. That’s what these worms in dirty Oreo Cupcakes are all about. These Dirty Oreo Cupcakes would be great for a birthday party, or a bake sale. But I really like the idea of making them for Earth Day.…

  • flowering-trees
    family - homes

    Five Flowering Trees – Put a Splash of Colour on Your Lawn

    April 14, 2016 - By 

    Flowering trees are beautiful. They can add a pop of colour and a three dimensional beauty to any yard. The problem with landscaping with flowering trees, however, is the sheer number of trees to choose from. Today, let’s take a look at a few of the trees that can add beauty to lawns in Canada and the U.S. 5 Flowering Trees – Hardy Beauties for Your Lawn There are many, many different trees to choose from, but not all trees are created equal. Only some will do well in certain climates, so it’s important to know if a tree can withstand…

  • water_challenge
    family - Health

    Take The World Vision Canada Water Challenge #WorldVisionWater

    April 13, 2016 - By 

    All children should have the chance to grow up happy and healthy. Kids who do not have access to clean water don’t have that opportunity, which is part of the reason I am happy to take the World Vision Canada clean water challenge. A few weeks ago my family started the World Vision Canada water challenge. The goal was to get everyone here thinking about children and families around the world and the scarcity of clean water as a resource. It was also my intention to help my kids to see how many sources of clean water we have available to us here in…

  • spring gardening
    family

    Spring Garden Prep – Get Ready for the Growing Season

    April 13, 2016 - By 

    Spring garden prep is important whether you grow veggies or flowers. The groundwork you do now for spring will absolutely determine how successful your garden is this coming year. With that in mind, there are some things you can do in your spring garden prep to help you get a jump start on your beds. Spring Garden Prep can Make or Break Your Garden If you’ve done any amount of gardening, you know that proper preparation is the key to any kind of successful garden. Whether you grow your own vegetable or fragrant blossoms, laying the groundwork now will produce…

  • multi_generational_travel
    active family travel - family - parenting - Travel

    5 Benefits of Multi-Generational Travel #travel

    April 12, 2016 - By 

    Listen to me closely. If you are in your 30s and 40s and thinking why on earth would I want to take my children’s grandparents along on a trip with us, there are a few things you need to know about multi-generational travel. Both sets of our parents have passed away and I wish more than anything that we had had the time and money to include them on our big annual trips together to see the world. My husband and I both always managed to go to the cottage together with our respective families and that was one sort…

  • REALice technology
    family

    This Earth Day Why Does REALice Technology Matter? #RealiceCA #Earth Day

    April 11, 2016 - By 

    When we can do better we should always try to do better. In our cities, our provinces, and our homes. In our arenas too. When we find a tool like REALice® technology that is better for the environment and saves money, then we need to take notice and begin to use it when and where we can. That’s common sense to me. I have always said if you live in Canada you might as well embrace winter sports. We are not a hockey family, but we are skaters and skiers. We embraced skating again as new parents, because it’s a great way…

  • summer_vacation
    active family travel - family - Giveaways - Travel

    Hold On To Summer Vacation With #ParkbridgeLife – Twitter Party Over $1200 in Prizes

    April 8, 2016 - By 

    Every parent and grandparent knows that summer vacations whip by at breakneck speed. At best you get maybe 17 or 18 brilliant blissful summers together as a family. Then kids become adults and they have their own lives. You want to hold onto those special times, build magical summer vacation memories that last. You can do that at Parkbridge Resorts, year round, but summer time is when Parkbridge Resorts shine. This week we are sharing our Parkbridge Resort memories, and learning a few new things about Parkbridge Resort amenities and locations. We are also giving away the chance to have your own three…