• ted_talks_for_teens
    Health - Parenting

    Inspirational TED Talks for Teens

    April 20, 2020 - By 

    Inspirational TED Talks can be great for anyone, but teenagers, in particular can really benefit from these 18-minute or less talks that can cover almost any topic. Teen years are hard slogging and watching them struggle sometimes as parents is so challenging. If you can remember your teen years, you’ll probably easily recall the angst and fear and general uncertainty. Right now, that angst and anxiety is running even higher for most because of the pandemic. That’s where inspirational TED Talks come in. Inspirational TED Talks to Ease the Teen Years From zits and breakups to proms and makeups, the…

  • family

    All of the Best Hope Quotes to Lift You Up

    April 16, 2020 - By 

    These days hope is either nowhere or everywhere you look. I choose everywhere. Now is not an easy time at all. Many are worrying over jobs and health and the global pandemic of course. So, I thought these hope quotes could be slightly comforting right now. Of course, I am fully aware that hope quotes are mighty small arrows in the quiver when it comes to all the insults being hurled our way right now. Without hope we are all aimless wanderers on a shared planet. I choose hope always. What’s your favourite hopeful quote? Famous Authors “Hope is the…

  • germany
    family - Printables

    Germany Colouring and Printing Book

    April 15, 2020 - By 

    Let’s play five things you didn’t know about me. One. I am afraid of snakes. They creep me out big time. Two. I grew up in Guelph with my Mom and brother. We were a tiny family of three. Three. I didn’t take my first trip by plane until I was about 23. I paid for it myself and went to Margarita Island in Venezuela for spring break with several girlfriends. Four. My Mom grew up in England. Five. My Dad’s family came from Germany. Enjoy this adorable Germany colouring and printing book for kids. I’ve never been to either…

  • family

    Embracing Nature with DK Canada on Earth Day

    April 13, 2020 - By 

    Embracing nature is something my family has always done. We love to go camping, hiking, skiing, and just generally be out and about, enjoying the earth. Unfortunately, that’s not really something we can do right now. That’s why I’m loving these books from DK Canada that are all about embracing nature. I received product for consideration here. There really couldn’t have been a better time for these books to arrive at our home. For a family who’s all about embracing nature, the social distancing scenario has been tough. That is especially true for the kids. I wanted to find books…

  • easter and a womans hands doing crafts at a table with chocolate bunnies wrapped in gold foil in the foreground
    family

    So How Are We Doing Easter During a Pandemic?

    April 10, 2020 - By 

    But are we even doing Easter this year? We’ve gone back and forth on this actually, a few times this year. I mean honestly no judgement at all if you are taking it easy and simply getting through. But this week, I did a fair bit of reading and a whole lot of thinking. What would Easter look like in the middle of a pandemic? Would we be doing Easter? Our original plan was to drive to my brother’s home in Toronto. But that was back in February before we’d even heard the term Covid-19. Before spring vacations were cancelled…

  • bee_on_blue_forgetmenot_flowers
    Printables

    Easy Bee Life Cycle Learning Kit

    April 10, 2020 - By 

    I know many of you have been thrust into the homeschooling mode this past few weeks. You are probably looking for resources that are affordable. Here’s a Bee Life Cycle Activity that will help kids studying early science and life cycles. As many of you know, we are dealing with teenagers here and high school is totally different than elementary school, of course. But, even so, I have kids with ADHD and ADD and learning disabilities, so my reality is that I need to supervise my kids if anything is to get completed here at all. Easy, Educational, Activity Books…

  • Printables

    Bright Canada Colouring and Writing Book

    April 7, 2020 - By 

    A few of you know I am Canadian, born and bred. I have never been more proud to be Canadian than I am right now. Despite a global crisis, I feel like our Prime Minister and Premiers are handling the situation well. It’s not easy and I wouldn’t, even for a million dollars, want their job under the best circumstances. A Little Slice of Canada Have you ever visited Canada? It’s always astonishing to me how many have not been to the Great White North. If you are working on teaching your kids a bit more about Canada right now,…

  • living_with_gratitude
    Travel

    Living with Intention and Gratitude Even in Hard Times – Getting Spiritual in Durham Region

    April 6, 2020 - By 

    “Wake Up Every Morning with the Thought That Something Wonderful is About To Happen,” – Winston Porter Living with intention and gratitude is something I choose every day, even when the days are hard, when the silver lining is hidden so far back behind the clouds you doubt that you could ever find it. Here’s how a trip helped drive this new mindset. My visit to Durham Region was hosted by Central Counties Tourism, Durham Region and the Hive Bee and Bee through Toronto Bloggers’ Collective. Travel changes you in many ways. Sometimes it’s a relaxing, restorative, experience after a…

  • family

    Best Live Aquarium WebCams and Underwater Livestreams

    April 2, 2020 - By 

    Last week, I posted a list of live zoo webcams and that was a big hit. So, in that spirit here is a list of live aquarium webcams and Youtube videos that delve into underwater worlds providing entertainment and education for all of you. Aquariums are Soothing For So Many Reasons Let’s be honest, the research for me was awesome last week when I hunted down a huge list of zoo webcams. I am totally addicted to the live webcam of the Edinburgh Zoo pandas and have been watching it every day. Who knew that pandas could be so entertaining…

  • Health

    Mental Health Resources To Access Right Now

    March 31, 2020 - By 

    It’s no secret here to most of you that I have children with mental health diagnoses. One of my biggest concerns at the start of this pandemic was my older girl’s anxiety disorder and my younger girl’s aggression, which is a result of her FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.) Both teens do therapy on a regular basis and the youngest was in crisis for most of 2019. She might have turned a corner on that just recently due to therapy she’s finally been able to access. But jeopardizing any progress also was a concern for me. Keep These Mental Health…