• Health - Travel

    Under Five Day at Simonga Clinic in Zambia

    November 14, 2016 - By 

    About an hour outside Livingstone, sits Simonga Clinic, the first of several clinics we will visit while in Zambia. Simonga clinic is busy already with under five day. Babies breastfeed while toddlers play with each other tugging on clothing, and scoping visitors out warily. A tiny girl in pink tries to drag Mom’s purse across the concrete floor to show a friend. She bursts into tears when Mom lifts the bag out of reach. Another toddler wanders over to the immunologist in our group and he waves repeatedly engaging, until she holds out her hand for a high five. Then he is suddenly…

  • cash_giveaway
    Giveaways

    $400 US – Ho Ho Holiday Cash Giveaway #HoHoHolidayCash

    November 14, 2016 - By 

    Everyone can use extra cash during the holidays. I haven’t shared a big cash giveaway in months so I figured it was time to share some love with readers here again. It’s your lucky month, or at least it could be. Here’s a chance for you to win $400 US to help with the Christmas presents and other expenses this time of year. It’s that time of year. Time to make your list and check it twice and we want you to have some extra money to make your Holidays a little easier. Jen from Ninjamommers and Jennifer from 1Heart1Family have…

  • broccoli_cheddar_soup
    family - Food

    OH SO Good Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe

    November 11, 2016 - By 

    Broccoli cheddar soup is one that I know many people love. Soups at this time of year are perfect for many reasons. They are easy to cook and sometimes easy to share. Cook them in a big batch and save some broccoli cheddar soup for later too. Serve this beauty in a bread bowl and it is really a scrumptious and healthy meal. Perfect for one of those chilly Fall, or Winter Days. I love soups in the cooler months because it seems like I am always cold then. Broccoli Cheddar soup is comforting and it warms everyone up. (Even…

  • family - parenting

    Conversations With My Canadian Kids About The US Election Outcome

    November 9, 2016 - By 

    It started this morning when my youngest got a text from a friend that stated: “The World is Ending.” “Mom, what does this mean?” “Well,” I said, “I believe she’s referring to the US election outcome.” Picture a giant question mark hanging between us. “Donald Trump won last night. It was close.” I think she said “No Way” or something to that effect and we ate breakfast in our home, in a suburb in Ontario, Canada. I told the news to my eldest daughter before she left for high school. Because I wanted her to hear it from me first. Throughout the…

  • gemmies
    family

    Gemmies Crystal Creations for Crafty Kids #TMMGG16

    November 9, 2016 - By 

    Gemmies Crystal Creations are the craft du jour for crafty kids this year. If you have a crafty tween or teen then you know the struggle. I am always hunting for things to keep them busy. Oh it sounds nutty, but my thinking is this – give them crafts and things to keep their hands busy and they will be less likely to build baking soda volcanoes in the bathroom. Laugh it up, but that’s exactly what my kids would do. Craft kits like Gemmies Crystal Creations are crucial to my sanity. In fact, craft kits are a big part…

  • shot@Life
    family - Health - Travel

    Every Child Deserves a Shot at Life -Vaccines Work

    November 8, 2016 - By 

    Every child should have a Shot at Life. All children have a right to health. But, in developing countries around the world many families face overwhelming obstacles to accessing life-saving vaccines. Shot@Life is an organization that helps and advocates for funding to deliver lifesaving vaccines to those in need. I visited Zambia as part of a fellowship with Shot at Life through the UN Foundation recently. It was an  amazing experience. Over the next few weeks I will share posts about that trip and the many clinics and aid organizations we visited. Yesterday I shared my first post about Preparing for…

  • zambia_fellowship
    Health - Travel

    Zambia Fellowship – Preparing For The Journey #VaccinesWork #travel

    November 7, 2016 - By 

    I’m sitting in a travel clinic getting a typhoid shot and a prescription for anti-malarial pills. Today this is what work looks like as I prepare to visit Zambia in October. It’s a Tuesday morning and I am talking typhoid, Twinrix, safety precautions, Canadian embassies and Malaria. Not my average day in the office. A few weeks ago I learned that I was one of the lucky journalists who received a Fellowship with the UN Foundation and an advocacy group called Shot@Life. Together with 2 other bloggers and a doctor with a regular column in a US newspaper, I will travel…

  • pom_pom_wow
    family

    Pom Pom Wow! – For the Tween or Teen Girl on Your List #TMMGG16

    November 3, 2016 - By 

    Are you shopping to please a crafty teen or tween girl this holiday? Then I have the perfect gift for you. Pom Pom Wow is a quirky, fun, craft kit with potential for hours of enjoyment. I should know – my girls have been decorating everything with Pom Pom Wow! since the kits arrived here a couple of weeks ago. Who doesn’t like Pom Poms? Pom Pom Wow! has numerous different kits and accessory bundles. We received several to try out. My daughter Ainsley, 12, got her hands on the Pom Pom Wow! Decoration Station one night after school. Now,…

  • carved_turkey_sandwich
    Food - Giveaways

    Try Subway’s Sublime Carved Turkey Sandwich and Give Back to Food Banks Canada #NationalSandwichDay #Giveaway

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    I missed Thanksgiving this year. Oh, don’t feel bad for me. I missed out on a big delicious turkey dinner because I left for a fellowship in Zambia the Friday before Thanksgiving. While you were eating turkey I was spotting zebras and elephants and visiting clinics to talk about health care policy in Africa. When I returned to Canada, I heard SUBWAY® had a Carved Turkey Sandwich out and I figured I might get a little turkey time after all. This past weekend was show week here. My kids are ridiculously busy girls. My younger daughter was performing all weekend in…

  • cold_Q
    family - Health

    Cold and Flu Season – Prevent Getting Sick with Cold-Q #ColdQtotheResQ

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    Cold and flu season is going to be vile this year. How do I know that? Well, that’s simple. My younger daughter and I have been sick on and off since school started! What started as a cough with my daughter spread to me. Then one of us had bronchitis. After that the two of us got a cold. Actually, we got the flu, but we thought it was a cold. Yes, cold and flu season is here, and it has not been kind, already. That’s why I got excited when I heard about Cold-Q. Make Cold and Flu Season Easier…