• Parenting

    Birthdays, Babies, Wishlists and Wendy’s House

    March 10, 2011 - By 

    My youngest daughter has a birthday this week. In the crazy business of travelling to a conference last week and then coming back just to gear up for March break, the party planning process got put on hold. Yesterday I booked her party, at a local martial arts studio she loves, and quickly filled out the invitations. Then I asked her what she wanted for her big day. The answers were classic Ainsley. It made me laugh out loud to read it, so I thought I’d share it with you. Ainsley’s birthday list:1. Golden retriever.2. Baby Alive (the one that…

  • family

    Follow Me I’m Canadian Bloghop

    March 9, 2011 - By 

    Canadian? Have a blog? Then follow me on over to the Follow Me, I’m Canadian Bloghop. Enter your blog name and http address and your twitter ID or any other details regarding your social media sites. It’s a great way to meet others who share a common geography. There are no big rules, just the fact that you are Canadian is a ticket to enter this one. Also it’s not one of those stalker type bloghops where people leave you odd messages commanding you to follow them back or else!! In fact the rule here is don’t leave those psycho…

  • Uncategorized

    Professional Bull Riders at the JLC and a Deal

    March 2, 2011 - By 

    For some reason this one totally appeals to me. And I am happy to offer this to my readers. For the first time ever, the John Labatt Centre is playing host to the top bull riders in Canada. The show is Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. But if you order on line with the special code GSAS, thriftymommastips and the John Labatt Centre help you save 25 % off the price of each ticket. That means a P2 level ticket that would normally be $51.75 is now $39.25 with the code. Holy savings! I have never seen professional…

  • family

    A Bullying Dilemma: What Would You Do Next?

    March 1, 2011 - By 

    I am torn writing this and I hope that some of you can help. One of my daughters is extremely vulnerable to bullying. She’s a super sensitive gal and very bright and creative and she sings amazingly well. But at school, it seems every year we have at least one child who picks on ours or leaves a pissy phone message or targets her for no apparent reason. I’ll be honest with you. We have tried to give our daughter life skills to stand up for herself. We advise her to say “No.” We tell her walk away. We tell her…

  • family

    Saving Women’s Hearts: Giveaway

    February 28, 2011 - By 

     Pop quiz. (Answers at end)1. What is the number one disease that kills North American women? 2. Do heart attacks look the same in women as they do in men? 3. Is Omega 3 a helpful preventative to heart disease, or not? 4. Are you at risk of developing heart disease?5. Is an African American woman more likely to develop heart disease than a Caucasian woman? Which race is more likely to die of heart disease? Last year a good friend of mine had a heart attack. She is in her early 40s. To say that her heart attack was a…

  • parenting

    Swiss Chalet’s Convenient On Line Delivery and a Chance to Win With Everything Mom

    February 25, 2011 - By 

    Deep in the throws of cold and flu season here at the Schuck casa and let’s just say Mommy hasn’t had time to cook or shop or, you know, attend to anything other than getting the family well again. But we still have to eat, right? So what’s a smart, savvy, and thrifty Mom to do? Well, here’s a thought: Swiss Chalet On Line delivery. Last week Everything Mom  http://www.everythingmom.com/ offered me the chance to review the Swiss Chalet On Line delivery process and to comment on my blog. So last night, I clicked on http://www.swisschalet.com/ordering and got started. The process…

  • parenting

    Five Reasons to Register Your Child For School Now

    February 21, 2011 - By 

    In the list of life’s big decisions that have to be made as a parent there can be little that is quite so weighty as the choice of school for your child. Private or public? Catholic or home school? French immersion or English language? French first language? Home school? The options, costs and geographical restrictions can have you ripping your hair out as you research and hope and then make the leap to deciding. There are benefits to each system. Whatever choice you make, it should be informed. Did you know for instance that JK is not mandatory? You are not legally obligated…

  • Travel

    Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Via Train Travel and Business Class

    February 20, 2011 - By 

    I am a frequent Via train traveller. For those day trips to Toronto, or the occasional trip further to Ottawa, you can’t beat the comfort of travel by train. And frankly with the cost of gas, sometimes train travel ends up being almost the same amount when you do the math. Up until recently, I always selected supersaver or enconomy class travel. I figured it was the cheapest way to go, so it made sense. I have often eyed the business class with envy and wondered what extras they might get for the price. At the end of last year,…

  • parenting

    Family Day Weekend and Friday Finds

    February 18, 2011 - By 

    Well there are so many great sales on this Family Day weekend that it’s harder to find a place that isn’t having a sale than to make a list of those who are wheeling and dealing. This weekend’s picks: Shoppers Drug Mart: spend $75 and get a $20 Boston Pizza gift certificate. Then with the Boston Pizza code you can go on line and enter a contest to win free kid’s meals for a year.Banana Republic this weekend has a 25 % off sale. Use this code: BRC25Sale Swiss Chalet for the whole month of February is giving away $10 gift…