• guacamole
    family - Food

    Memories of Mexico and Easy Summer Nachos with Guacamole #BornOnTheFarm

    July 7, 2017 - By 

    Summer in London, Ontario is all about the festivals. When we moved here 15 years ago and I started my job as a daily news reporter I was immediately taken under the wing of one of the senior editors. She’d come from Kitchener too. Over time, she told me about the area’s best restaurants. And she highlighted a few things to do at crucial holidays – for instance New Year’s EVE at Western Fairgrounds. But the biggest highlight that still stands out – all of the summer festivals. From May through to Labour Day this city’s parks are lit up…

  • beach_hacks
    family

    Beach Hacks to Decrease Headaches and Increase Fun

    July 6, 2017 - By 

    Beach hacks are hot right now all across the web, and why wouldn’t they be? We are smack in the middle of prime beach weather. And while the beach is a great place to spend the day, it can wreak havoc on you and your stuff if you aren’t careful. Between the sand and the water, the beach can be a dangerous place for property, especially when it comes to electronics. As a beach lover, I decided to bring my readers my top beach hacks to make any day at the beach better. Beach Hacks to Save Your Stuff and…

  • london_ontario_lifestyle_bloggers
    family - family travel

    London Ontario Lifestyle Bloggers – Local Influencers

    July 5, 2017 - By 

    London Ontario Lifestyle Bloggers are actually quite a force of nature. In fact I have seen so many over the years since I began writing on line. As some of you know Thrifty Mommas Tips began in 2009. It was a way to get back into writing after a lengthy absence from my job as a journalist at the London Free Press. Happy to say I am still here and loving what I do. I attended an event in Arva last night and met a new blogger and we got talking. She asked are there many London Ontario Lifestyle bloggers? Well,…

  • Summer_Fun_Word_Search
    family

    Free Summer Fun Word Search Printable

    July 3, 2017 - By 

    It’s summer and I am pretty stoked about that. Not going to lie. My one daughter will be working most of the summer as a camp counsellor. So that’s new. She will be very busy. My younger daughter has a couple of camps she is doing so she’s also pretty busy, but still she needs extra things to do when the schedule becomes a little less structured. That’s where this summer word search and books come in handy.   If your kids are like mine at all, they need a high level of activity. Mine are not the languish in the…

  • butter_tart_recipes
    Food

    15 Outstanding Homemade Butter Tart Recipes

    June 30, 2017 - By 

    The number of butter tart recipes in Canada could fill a book on its own. I mean is there anything more Canadian than Butter Tarts? Every single Canadian Mom or Grandma has butter tart recipes to boast about. In fact butter tarts are one of my favourite desserts. They are even yummier than my second favourite – lemon tarts and desserts. So let’s talk butter tart recipes. Butter Tart recipes are generally pretty simple to find and if you start to ask around you will see that everybody has an opinion on what kind they love. Soupy, liquid, buttery gooey…

  • camping_apps
    active family travel - family - Technology - Travel

    Ten Camping Apps to Make Camping Go Smoothly

    June 29, 2017 - By 

    Camping apps? Yes, there are even apps to make you camping experience run a little smoother, if that’s your mission this year. Camper, glamper or weekend warrior – no matter what your camping style there’s a camping app to help. Most of my readers know by now that I am more of a glamper than a camper. I enjoy the outdoors and I love a good road trip. But I don’t do tents. Luckily there are a million and one different ways to get away in the summer. And whether you are camping, glamping, cottaging, or heading out of town…

  • Teletubbies
    family

    Teletubbies are Back in a Big Way

    June 28, 2017 - By 

    Teletubbies are back for a second season. I couldn’t be more excited about this. When my oldest daughter was a toddler she was 100% all about these giant plushie baby toys and their adventures. She had so much fun watching Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po go on all of their adventures. That was way back in the day of the original Teletubbies, but now they’re back for the second season of their reimagined series.   Teletubbies Turn 20 This year is the 20th anniversary of one of the most classic and iconic children’s shows in recent memory, and they’re celebrating…

  • motion_sickness
    active family travel - Health

    Motion Sickness – Tricks to Getting Through It When Traveling With Family

    June 28, 2017 - By 

    Motion sickness is no fun. If you suffer from it, you can look forward to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and generally feeling awful. All those symptoms are compounded if you’re wrangling kids at the same time. I’ve put together some tips for combating motion sickness when you are traveling with family. The Lowdown on Motion Sickness Also called sea sickness or car sickness, this annoying and sickening problem actually has nothing to do with your mode of transportation. It’s an inner ear disturbance. The motion of a vehicle or boat causes an imbalance within the inner ear, which in turn disrupts our…

  • sherkston_shores
    Travel

    Weekends are a Blast at Sherkston Shores

    June 27, 2017 - By 

    Waterslides are our jam. So, when I heard that Sherkston Shores on the banks of Fort Erie near Port Colbourne had waterslides, and cute cottages, and beachfront, well I was in. Same can be said for my teens, and trust me teens can sometimes be a hard sell. That’s the lovely thing about Sherkston Shores – it’s a beautiful beachfront location that truly is fun for all ages. Our Family Retreat Sherkston Shores welcomed several influencers for a blogger retreat this month over a four day weekend. The drive was manageable at a bit over 3 hours from London, Ontario.…

  • Two kids in colourful jackets looking out at the fall horizon
    parenting

    Raising Anxious Kids in Anxious Times

    June 26, 2017 - By 

    If parenting was a ride at the amusement park it would be the biggest of all Behemoth coasters. One that catapults you from bed, hurls you out the door and plummets you 7 stories down before your eyes are even open. Daily. But it would also throw in some 3 D effects, just enough to rip your heart out, before it stops and you wobble away, stomach trailing five stories behind. And it would yell SAVAGE and probably blare Musical.ly videos at you too. Looking Back In my daughter’s room I have a framed picture of her on her first…