• family

    Weekend Finds

    Hey sorry these are late. Send me your finds so I can note them here for others. I am at Blissdom and sneaking these in before a session this morning. Children’s Place has 25 % off.Aeropostale: This weekend only upto $25 off purchase. You have to spend $100 to get the $25 off or you can use $10 off every time you spend $50. My kids love this store.Groupon has a great Style 360 deal this weekend too apparently. Style 360 is a great consignment shop in London that my friend Margarita has told me about. @DownshiftingPOS Michaels has a…

  • Health

    Me – On Being Thankful and Cancer Scares

    It is Canadian Thanksgiving and this year I have even more than usual to be thankful for, especially after my experience on Friday. This past year has been challenging – even more so than usual. My mother was ill over the summer and in and out of hospital. We moved her closer to us and have been directing her health care from here. That is both a challenge and a blessing. Some of you readers know we have a child with special needs and that means each and every day carries with it more challenges. There are also more grace notes too.…

  • family

    Weekend Bloghopping

    Weekend Hop                                            If you have even a couple of extra moments this weekend, try to do some new blog exploration to connect with some potential friends and grow your audience. The rules are simple click on the blog hopping button above and link your blog up. Then visit a couple new friends and leave a comment directing them nicely to come and visit. Always follow the first two people on the list, or the cohosts ar the very least. Also please remember your manners. Don’t demand followers, but leave polite commentary, perhaps a nice compliment or idea for the…

  • Back To School - special needs

    Shining a Light on Our Bullying Stories: Part One

    This is Ainsley. In my eyes she is perfect. Not every day, but most. Like today when she hopped out of the minivan and blurted: Rachel (not real name) said yesterday that the only reason I have any friends is because I have a disability. Rachel is a classmate. I listened to her words and the sounds of my heart breaking. As it does regularly – because I am a Mom. Biting cheek and tongue. I think I might have said, “Hmm. well that wasn’t too nice. What did you say?” Answer: “Nothing.” For the last week Ainsley has been asking me why…

  • family

    Five Ways to Hit the Conference Circuit Without Breaking the Bank #SCCTO #Blissdom

    So here’s another list for all of you because I am in love with lists right now. They keep my thoughts orderly. (I need a lot of help with that.)I am not a newbie to conferences. I have been doing this for a few years. I frequently speak at conferences where the topic is child welfare and adoption. I also travel often to learn about children with special needs. It’s research. Last week at Shes Connected 2011 I was inspired, but I was also conscious of costs to myself and my family. Because even when there are sponsors, and even…

  • family

    Top Five Things About Shes Connected #sccto

    Shes Connected 2011 panel on monetizing your blog Alright awesome readers who couldn’t hop in my pocket to make the trip to Shes Connected, I hope that I helped you follow along with the tweets, photos and Facebook messages. Right off the top I want to say a huge thank you to all the brands, the Sheraton on Queen Street, the team of Shes Connected who set everything up, Donna Marie Antoniadis and Mark Grindeland. It was a great experience last year and an even bigger experience this year. I have to say there were moments of really great insight,…

  • family

    My Weekend Finds

    Children’s Place has some decent sales right now with buy $75 worth of merchandise and get 30 % off for the weekend only. Also buy $50 worth and get 25% off purchase both in stores and on line. Banana Republic is clearing clothing out and has upto 70 % off. At that deep a discount you might be able to stock up on some cute pieces. The Gap has 30% off in stores and on line and free shipping deals right now too. Toys ‘R Us has some good deals on Sony Playstations – and all related playstations gadgets and…

  • family - Parenting

    Ten Ways to Carve Out Family Play Time in the Fall and a Contest too!

      The race cars in the new Kindertoys are a big hit here Well my last #KinderMom post was all about my summer bucket list and I am happy to report that, with the exception of manicures and pedicures, my kids and I managed to cross off most of the items on our To-Do bucket list. Labour Day weekend was a whirlwind. But play doesn’t stop just because it is September and we are back to school routines, homework, Original Kids, martial arts, swimming and riding lessons. Whew! Did I really just say all of that? I am tired just typing…

  • family

    5 Tips To Shop Smart For A New Van

    About one month ago I began shopping for a new van. Our 2007 Dodge Black Caravan was fine and we were fairly happy with it, but the lease was up. We took someone’s lease over two years ago. I have always been a fan of leasing because I like trading my vehicle in every couple of years or so. Also we never ever go over the mileage allowed so we never have any extra costs. Anyways, the lease was up and as usual we were up against a tight deadline. So I started researching. Luckily, these days customer reviews are…