• peppermint_mocha_sugar_cookies
    Food

    Amish Peppermint Mocha Sugar Cookies

    December 2, 2019 - By 

    It’s the season for Christmas baking. The Amish know a thing or two about that. Here’s one of my favourite cookie recipes. These Amish peppermint mocha sugar cookies are sure to knock your socks off. I don’t have a lot of time for baking lately, but when I do bake, then it’s something I know everyone will love. Amish baking traditions are rich and have been around for a long time. What I love about these Amish peppermint mocha sugar cookies is that there are no really extra far out unnecessary ingredients. Most of the ingredients are actually pretty easy…

  • family

    Inspiring Imagination with Zing

    November 24, 2019 - By 

    I received Zing toys for consideration here. My opinion is all my own. Inspiring imagination is what play should be all about. When kids play, either indoors with a game or construction set or outdoors with their friends, their imaginations are what make it so much fun. In my opinion, the best gifts are the gifts that work towards inspiring imagination in our kids. Inspiring Imagination Indoors and Out Remember when you were a kid? Every game was so much bigger than what was really happening. Tag was a battle for survival. Hide and seek was a stealth opp. Those…

  • Travel

    The Cody Hotel – Wild Wyoming

    November 22, 2019 - By 

    Like the town it’s named for, The Cody Hotel is pure Wyoming. Cody is often called one of the last few western towns, and I could easily see why when I stayed there on the first night of my tour with Austin Adventures. The town itself may have grown and modernized itself over the years, but you’d never know it driving through downtown. When it comes to accommodations in Wyoming close to Yellowstone National Park, The Cody Hotel, ticks all the boxes. With great views of the surrounding countryside, comfortable accommodations, superb service and a distinctly wild west vibe, The…

  • Printables

    A Travel Printable for Kids – How I Spent 2019

    November 21, 2019 - By 

    Oh my goodness we have rarely travelled as much as we did together in 2019. Now that ski season is almost here again my youngest daughter keeps asking: “Hey Mom, can we do a trip like we did last season?” Kids Can Reflect on a Fun Year Too! Last season, for your information we took an epic trip of 12 Days, nine to ten of those were straight days of skiing!” Yes, ski season was fantastic this year! I wish we could do an epic trip like that every single year, but it seems unlikely. Sometimes, these trips come together…

  • Travel

    7 Most Beautiful Things To See In Montana

    November 19, 2019 - By 

    With its panoramic, breathtaking mountains and wide open spaces, it’s easy to see why Montana is referred to as Big Sky Country. From vast mountain tops in Glacier National Park to the badlands, Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone National Park, Montana has numerous one of a kind iconic drives and vistas, each memorable in its own right. I travelled with Austin Adventures on a hosted media trip in Montana and Wyoming this Fall. Big Sky Country Nearly 13 million tourists annually visit Montana’s Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort and other attractions. There’s no place…

  • prevent_osteoporosis
    Health

    10 Ways to Prevent Osteoporosis Now!

    November 17, 2019 - By 

    How to Prevent Osteoporosis post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. According to the American Orthopaedic Association, more than 30 million Americans have a pronounced risk for developing osteoporosis, or low bone density. So, learning how to prevent osteoporosis should be top of mind for many people. Although women over the age of 65 are more likely to develop osteoporosis, this serious health problem affects men as well, and impacts nearly 10 million adults in the United States. In Canada, those statistics are also high. Two million Canadians are affected by osteoporosis. An estimated 1 in 3…

  • Parenting

    Best Gift Books To Share This Christmas

    November 14, 2019 - By 

    It’s time for my Christmas gift guide! This year, I am starting with my recommendations for gift books. These were sent to me for consideration in the gift guide this year. My kids love to read. Do they pick up books as often as I wished? No. They often read fan fiction online but it’s still reading and literacy, so there’s something to be said for that. Over the years with teens, I have learned to pick and choose my battles. We keep bookshelves stocked full of books and we visit the library and use Kobo’s and other ereaders too.…

  • Yellowstone hot springs
    Travel

    Adopting The Pace of Nature – Group Travel with Austin Adventures

    November 12, 2019 - By 

    This fall I was on a group travel experience and media trip with Austin Adventures which means I received travel, accommodations, food and excursions in exchange for potential coverage. This story is based on that experience. “Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.” We are sharing a picnic lunch on the outdoor patio at Old Faithful Inn waiting, listening. There’s a clock inside on the main floor that projects an estimated time that Old Faithful will erupt. It is nothing if not faithful, just as it says right in the name. Old Faithful The crowd murmurs and holds…

  • family

    London Santa Claus Parades and More

    November 10, 2019 - By 

    There are several London Santa Claus Parades so the good thing about that is if you miss one or can’t make it, then you will in all likelihood be able to catch a different local Santa Claus parade. When our kids were younger this was an annual event, even those years when it snowed like crazy, and those years when it rained cats and dogs. There’s something fun about watching a parade together, all huddled up trying to stay warm while watching the faces of your children light up every time a float passes by. It’s beginning to look a…

  • watkins_glen
    Travel

    How to Spend 24 Hours in Watkins Glen New York

    November 5, 2019 - By 

    The drive from Rochester New York through to Watkins Glen is unforgettable. Curving rural roads stretch out for miles and then suddenly the landscape switches carving down towards one finger-shaped lake after another. Wineries crop up on both sides of the road and the sloping rows of vines command attention. Welcome to Watkins Glen Watkins Glen, a small village that’s part of Finger Lakes New York wine region is a geological marvel. Oddly, I had no idea it was so spectacular and so close to home. We were guests while in Watkins Glen which means we received accommodations, meals and…