• Parenting

    New Feature – #TheBlacklist Episode Recap Berlin

    May 6, 2014 - By 

    This is a completely new diversion for me here at thriftymommastips. Why? Because I have a slight obsession with NBC’s The Blacklist. In Canada, the season’s best new drama is on Global. That’s right. I’m a television critic now. Well, 35 plus years of watching television and I am finally able to say we are starting to get it right. The Blacklist kills Monday nights. The writing is outrageous and the plots are typically, though not always, top notch edge of your seat nail biting thrill rides. At the very start of this season I was intrigued by the concept…

  • the two week wait IVF
    family - Health - infertility - Parenting

    Five Ways to Pass the Two Week Wait IVF #infertility

    May 5, 2014 - By 

    The two week wait. Cue ominous music. In infertility terms the two week wait is a suspenseful, frustrating, stressful time. It’s the two week wait IVF or IUI. After what is often months, and sometimes years of treatment the two week wait is one of the final hurdles and it can be a frustrating time. Here are some ideas to pass that time without going stir crazy. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock Anyone who has struggled to conceive and undergone fertility or infertility treatment such as IVF or IUI knows the torture of the two week wait. The two week wait…

  • Giveaways

    Mother’s Day $50 Posterjack #Giveaway

    May 2, 2014 - By 

      Still hunting for the perfect personal gift for Mother’s Day? Or perhaps you just need a fresh new look for your home for Spring. Posterjack.ca makes it easy to personalize your own art, or gift a unique present to someone you love. Canada’s photo art experts, Posterjack, makes it pretty much foolproof to build great art.   I’ve made several pieces with Posterjack. Specialty prints, poster prints, canvas prints. Whatever your heart fancies. Mom will adore these. I made a lovely canvas print last year. It’s happily on display in my new home. For a limited time I am…

  • Public funding for In Vitro Fertilization is Efficient
    family - Health - infertility

    Taryn and Tyler’s Infertility Story – #abhc4ivf

    May 1, 2014 - By 

    This is the story of Taryn and Tyler, both members of Generations of Hope infertility patient advocacy group, in Alberta. It is the story of how a girl Taryn, learned at the age of 14 that she didn’t have a uterus and would need extraordinary measures to help her become a parent, if ever she wished to have a family. There are too many stories of patients in Alberta with health conditions that have led to infertility. And yet this province remains one without any financial support for in vitro fertilization, which is one of the most effective but costly…

  • Health

    I Ran 1.5 K For the First Time #health #fitness

    April 30, 2014 - By 

    I ran 1.5 K for the first time. Oh sure I know many of you can run a lot farther than that and faster too probably. But of all the sports I enjoy running is NOT ONE OF THEM. AT all. I enjoy fitness and pilates and centergy and yoga but I do not run. In fact, I would almost run to get out of this particular sport. shutterstock photo Last night I ran 1.5 K. I am not a runner. In fact I mostly hate running. Ask me when the last time was that I ran anywhere (save for…

  • family

    Self Esteem Booster Craft for Kids Six and Up: In Five Easy Steps

    April 23, 2014 - By 

    Self esteem is one of the hardest things to build and it can be destroyed so easily it seems. So, when I found this adorable self esteem booster craft recently I was happy to share. Because raising girls is hard work in this decade.   I heard a scary fact the other day when we were visiting a new therapist at Child and Adolescent OutPatient Clinic at the local hospital. A new therapist that helps with my daughter’s anxiety told me every single one of the girls she sees feels uncomfortable with their weight. Every. Last. One. No matter if…

  • Food

    Spring Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats

    April 21, 2014 - By 

    The best part of unleashing my kids in the kitchen is watching them get creative. Late last week we got an Easter shipment of Kellogg’s products and a suggestion that we might want to bake something fun. We brainstormed today after the kids spent a huge amount of the day playing outside, riding bikes, hanging out at the park and enjoying the weather. I suggested that for Easter we could make some treats shaped like eggs. So here’s what we came up with – Spring Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats.  My girls outdid me in creativity. Payton is sometimes a hoot…

  • family

    Harlem GlobeTrotters World Tour #PTPAGLOBIES

    April 18, 2014 - By 

    When the Harlem GlobeTrotters come to town you know it. Their shows are always entertaining and sheer fun, with a strong hit of audience interaction. As a Mom I love that my kids enjoy watching the talented basketball team perform trick shots and whoop it up playfully for the crowd. I also enjoy seeing that they give back. My family at the Meet and Greet session before the Harlem GlobeTrotters show at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario   When the Harlem GlobeTrotters come to town they make the rounds, usually visiting hospitals, doing radio call in shows and interviews and…

  • blogger_outreach
    family

    On What Planet is Toothpaste Compensation for Work?

    April 16, 2014 - By 

    Today I am feeling ranty about Blogger Outreach that just didn’t hit the mark. And I am a little bit stabby. But yesterday was worse. Let’s start with the why. Yesterday, I landed two amazing absurd, totally missed the mark, offers to blog about dental products. So far so good. Teeth are important and that kind of blogger outreach program could be done well potentially. These pitches came from two different boutique PR agencies. Well, clean teeth and healthy living are subjects I love to write about actually and I am heading to the dentist this evening because I have a…

  • Parenting

    Always Time to Shop in Your Pyjamas at Walmart.ca

    April 16, 2014 - By 

    I am an on line shopper. I don’t have time to run around from store to store comparison shopping. I need my shopping experience to be as efficient as possible. We moved this winter to a bigger home. We jettisoned a lot of old furniture and clothing and we need replacement items for our growing family.         I hit several furniture stores in London, Ontario shopping for my daughter’s new dresser and night table to match her bed purchased ten years ago. No white or cedar or maple, or pine. I needed off white. Finally I found…