• Parenting

    London International Children’s Festival

    June 7, 2009 - By 

    Another June and another series of great London festivals set to unfold. One of the greatest draws of living here in this other London – the many festivals that dominate the summer parks and outdoor spaces. My DD – 5 – and I hit the 19th Annual London International Children’s Festival yesterday on its final day. My daughter, as always, enjoyed it, but I have to say this year although it’s still worth the trip I was even more disappointed than usual. And it wasn’t just me. Thriftymommastips talked to half a dozen other parents at the festival who all…

  • Parenting - parenting

    Brownie Camp and Where Have Seven Years Gone?

    June 6, 2009 - By 

    Well one week worth of packing and running around hunting for labels for my daughter’s belongings and Brownie camp appears to have gone smashingly. We dropped my seven-year-old off at Brownie Camp Friday night together. The whole family gave her a send off and wished her well, even if it was only for a very short weekend away. There’s a small camp site just outside London, close to St. Thomas that the local Brownie camp uses every year just outside London. She has been looking forward to this for weeks, so we worked hard to make sure it would happen…

  • homes - parenting

    The Fridge Door no More. How to Save the Kid’s Artwork

    June 4, 2009 - By 

    My darling daughter’s beautiful artwork. What to do with a mountain of art? My kids are crafty in more ways than one I guess, but really what to do with the art? I have come up with, and stolen a few ideas from various other Mommies. So here is my list of places and people on which I pawn off my Picasso’s pieces.   Ways to Save the Kid’s Artwork 1. Hang it on the fridge. Not really inventive right, so…2. Take a picture of it and post it on your web site or blog or twitter or flickr or…

  • active family travel

    The Other London #LDNONT

    June 1, 2009 - By 

    This is my TOP Ten greatest hits for the other London aka London, Ontario, my home. I have lived in several southwestern communities, small liberal artsy towns like Guelph and Kitchener, the lovely technical hub and home of Oktoberfest and I’ve grown to love them all. But London is another story. If London were a child it would be one of those kids with a face only a mother could love. It takes time to get to like this oddly backwards Conservative Reform uptight dot on the map. After almost 10 years of life in the other London I can…

  • parenting

    Shoe Lust and Why Good Shoes Matter to Moms

    May 26, 2009 - By 

    I have never been a shoe gal. Well, short of a very brief experiment in high school when I devoted all of my after school job paycheques to buying high heeled pumps dyed to match my blouses. Even those fashionable shoes though during that brief transgression, were most often purchased on a budget, found scouring Shoe-per store or Payless. My Teens In my teens there were more than a few bad choices. Anyone remember jelly shoes?  Now as an adult I know the value of quality products. Those old cheap shoes typically lasted one or two seasons at most and…