• family

    Spring Fever: Nerf Rebelle and Nerf Bash Ball – Review

    April 2, 2014 - By 

    Bye Bye Winter. It’s Hurricane season. Hurricane Ainsley season that is. Spring fever has hit hard here – FINALLY.   I am not complaining. It was a long snowy, cold winter and we are still not entirely free of the season. There is still frost on the rooftops here most mornings and it’s April 1st! But the first hint of spring in our area of Ontario, Canada and my kids were racing outside knocking on doors in our new neighbourhood trying to make new friends. New Nerf toys like Nerf Rebelle helped start new friendships.   We moved into our new…

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    family

    Grief Finds You in the Card Aisle

    March 31, 2014 - By 

    It hit me hard in the card aisle. Grief. Such a sneaky emotion. Tricking you and then hiding behind obstacles in the open. Like a thief hiding behind doors and in alleys waiting to pounce out and holler. Friday was my Mom’s birthday. The first birthday we haven’t spent together and also the first birthday since she passed away. It rained a lot here and it was, without doubt, the hardest day I have had since she left us. Way harder than Christmas. Grief Finds You in the Card Aisle One week ago I was standing in the grocery store…

  • Giveaways

    Get Ready for Swim Season with Hapari Swimsuits

    March 27, 2014 - By 

    Time to start planning for summer and stocking up on pool and beach gear. Hapari Swimsuits are helping me do just that this season. Hapari swimsuits are some of my favourites because of the price and the adorable styles. Also they stay put and are good quality. Spring is here or so they keep telling us. It’s pretty hard to find any evidence of spring here in my new neighbourhood, where everything is still covered in snow. Many of my readers know we moved recently. Our new house has a pool, so we are pretty excited about our first summer in…

  • Travel

    Our First Ever Family Trip to Disney

    March 27, 2014 - By 

      I remember this as if it was yesterday. Our first ever family trip to Disney was a super special memory for all of us to treasure now and for life. Disney is a rite of passage and a journey that everyone hopes to take at some point in their lives. Our First Visit to the Magic Kingdom I felt like posting this Throwback Thursday today. Lately, I am craving travel madly. Craving travel to Disney even more than usual. I miss the happiest place on earth. Plus I think we need a break. Anyways this was our first family…

  • beauty products

    When is it Okay to Start Wearing Makeup?

    March 25, 2014 - By 

    Mom, when can I wear makeup? My oldest daughter started asking about wearing makeup when she was ten. In my head I call her my breadcrumb daughter. She always leaves me little clues as to what she has been up to, almost as if she wants to be caught when she does something out of character or defiant. And around that time, my tubes of mascara went missing. Without much detective work, I could quietly find them in her desk drawer, or in her backpack. I mostly chalked that one up to curiosity. But the questions started then – at…

  • family

    Midnight Castle Sweepstakes – Win an iPad Mini

    March 24, 2014 - By 

    Midnight Castle game is family friendly and pretty enjoyable for all. My 12-year-old has been using her iPad mini obsessively since she got it last summer. This past week my oldest daughter and I both discovered Midnight Castle game and we have been playing together ever since. Head over to the Midnight Castle Facebook page to learn more.  Up until now, when daughter wasn’t using iPad for homework or building a Prezi presentation for some assignment, she was glued to games that drive me mad. Most of her current games in rotation on the iPad are wholesome enough but vapid.…

  • family

    Four Reasons I am Attending Mompreneur Conference

    March 21, 2014 - By 

    This weekend I am heading to the Mompreneur conference in Toronto. As you all know this is not my first conference. I attend about 6 social media workshops and conferences throughout the year. But this one is different. First of all, it’s a business focus. In particular, a women in business focus. Why is that important? Simply put, I am a business. And I am a woman. I run a social media strategy and marketing business in addition to the health blogging and marketing that I do here at Thrifty Momma’s Tips. Business has grown and I know full well…

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    #DisneyLive at Budweiser Gardens #ldnont Review

    March 19, 2014 - By 

    All roads lead to Disney lately at our house. This entire March break was filled with song and dance and theatre. Oldest daughter was Tinkerbell in an Original Kids Theatre troupe production of Peter Pan. Before that we saw Disney on Ice featuring Peter Pan and then at the end of March break we ran into half a dozen families we know at Disney Live. That, in itself, was a hoot.  I never ever mind time spent enjoying Disney movies, shows, books, toys. There is something to be said about the quality of time spent together as a family. Disney…

  • family

    Available Today: Disney’s Frozen on Blu-Ray and DVD

    March 18, 2014 - By 

    This Disney’s Frozen post contains affiliate links. I received product for consideration here. If I had to pick a runaway hit of the year, Disney’s Frozen would be it. Today, it’s available on Blu-Ray and regular DVD. Amazon.ca and Amazon.com are both selling copies now. I am an Amazon affiliate so if you click through to this Frozen DVD on Blu-Ray https://amzn.to/2VTRdC4 now you can purchase a copy fast. The music was fantastic and my kids have downloaded the entire soundtrack from iTunes. But the story of two sisters who become solely reliant on themselves after their parents die, is one that…

  • family

    Barbie My Dreams Express Your Style Contest

    March 18, 2014 - By 

    I asked my kids if they wanted me to post some more stories about Barbies. They hollered great whoops of joy. “Wait, what’s that? You girls still like Barbies?” “YES!!!!!” They hollered loudly and in unison. Such are the conversations in my house.    I make no excuses ever for our unabashed love of all things Barbie. There was a time I thought my girls would be tough sporty girls (and they are). They would never like pink. (My Mom bought one exclusively pink clothing for the first 6 years of her life and it still remains a favourite colour…