It was almost four years ago now when we travelled to Florida for my oldest daughter’s tenth birthday. We wanted, or needed, a vacation at end of the school year, which is always challenging when you have children with special needs. But this time we planned something different. Ten felt like a huge occasion and we wanted to celebrate it while inspiring our daughters to learn. So we took a full day and spent it exploring Kennedy Space Center. We dined with an astronaut and both of my kids were curious and peppered him with questions. It was one of…
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Who doesn’t love Florida? I have been a few times and every single visit I see something new, or find some new city or spot that I would love to return to. We all know the popular spots and many of us have visited spaces like Orlando, Kissimmee, Tampa, but I wondered what other Florida destinations might be just off the beaten track, so I did a little hunting. Florida Destinations – 5 Lesser Known, Less Crowded Spots Florida is a wonderful state to enjoy a vacation. Its sunny, breezy weather and absolutely beautiful beaches make it one of the…
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Mother’s Day is not a day I take lightly. I am a Mom because of a gift from someone brave and caring. Two different birth Moms gave us the gift of both of our girls. We are adoptive parents and might never have been parents without someone else’s sacrifice and brilliant gift. I am always mindful of that. My parenting experience started with a gift. The most precious gift of all. My own journey to parenthood very much reminds me of the power of the local and the global community. Each one of us depend ends on others for so many…
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Do your kids think pizza is a food group? Mine seem to believe that. My youngest could exist on pizza and peanut butter, but not together. I don’t mind pizza, for several reasons. It’s a food everyone loves. It is relatively healthy and you can change it up to be just about anything you want. Cauliflower crust? Sure, why not? Chicken and pesto? Yes, please. Plain old pepperoni? Okay. Four Simple Lessons Prompted by Pizza Dinner: My favourite thing about pizza is that you can easily make it together with your kids and it’s enjoyable to eat. My daughter’s favourite…
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Nothing screams summer like ripe melon. Cantaloupe, honeydew, canary, watermelon. Such a sweet special treat that begs to be eaten outdoors. I personally enjoy all of the melon varieties. But my favourite is honeydew. Or maybe canteloupe. How about you? You will find one or two great new things to make with melon here on the best melon recipes roundup. Best Melon Recipes: I am pretty traditional with melon. When we eat it we typically just have it sliced or chunked, or placed in a fruit salad. I love the Melon White Chocolate Shortcake Parfait and the Watermelon salad in…
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We had a PD day here last week so it was the perfect time to unbox our brand new Breville No Mess Waffle Maker and put it to the test. I mean you can’t have waffles just any day of the week. They are a special breakfast or brunch treat. So you simply must have a brilliant occasion to indulge. Waffles are perfect for a weekend, for instance, or a PD Day. A birthday or Mother’s Day. This gorgeous little number would be beautiful as a gift for Mother’s Day. You can gift it to your Mom, unbox it and make her…
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What do I love more than my slow cooker? My family actually. But that slow cooker comes close to number one on my list of favourite things in my kitchen. My slow cooker gets a crazy workout each week. It takes raw ingredients and fashions them into something while I am not even watching. That is kitchen magic. I rely on that thing so much especially during the winter months. I love my slow cooker. Maybe you are like me and you find that your slow cooker works beautifully, but you are tired of the same old slow cooker recipes.…
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Last year we were lucky to attend a Puerto Vallarta, Mexico media trip together. Our family has travelled a few times since and this dolphin excursion that Payton and I went on in Puerto Vallarta remains one of the highlights of the last 5 years for my older daughter. I have seen numerous swim with dolphin excursions up close in the last year as we travelled. This one was the best, most humane, cleanest and best run dolphin excursions that I have ever seen. You can read my full travel story about Dolphin Discovery here in the travel section of…
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If you child seems down all the time, has upper respiratory issues, or has chronic stomach issues, they could have allergies. If you suspect your child may have allergies, here are some common allergy symptoms to look for. It’s important to document any suspected allergy symptoms to have a better idea of whether or not your child does, in fact, have allergies. Allergy Symptoms There are different allergies that have various allergy symptoms to watch out for. While this list of symptoms is in no way a substitute for a visit to the doctor, it is a way to…
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It was our last night in Atlanta, Georgia after a great blogging conference last year in May when my roomies and I decided we hadn’t seen anything much of the city. That’s the problem with conferences in great cities. Sometimes you rarely have time to set foot out the door. So we determined to go shopping and hit a local restaurant, something that screamed Atlanta, Georgia. Conference food, while occasionally incredible, is also often either truly unhealthy, or dainty or overly sweet. While I loved the conference and got a ton of takeaways from it, my sweet tooth was aching…