Adoption and Family
Parenting by adoption is bigger, louder, and often harder to start with. From the assessment and waiting process to the adoption probation period, it can seem endless and like it will never happen. Then you get the call and your life changes forever in a miraculous way. But what next? Sure there is often a honeymoon and parenting is a blessing no matter how you get there. It is a new adventure every single day. AND also adoption comes with numerous other ups and downs.
Find Your Supports Early and Stick With Them
Very often there's minimal support for adoptive parents and families after they leave the courthouse finalizing their adoptions. Consider this your supportive honest space where we share what's worked, what doesn't work, and all the challenges in between. Share your stories, learn and grow together.-
Adorable Magician Writing Prompt for Kids
Here’s to your little writers and content creators. Let’s celebrate and nurture the creative souls with this Magician Writing Prompt Printable Activity. Easy Indoor Activities for Creative Kids First, if your kids are hunting for activities that are quiet and indoors this winter, then here’s a thought. Why not offer up some writing prompts to get them creating content? Writing is a great way to express imagination while exploring literacy through spelling and grammar. And second of all, this Magician Writing Prompt is simple and fun. Who doesn’t adore magic and magicians? Writers Will Write One millliiiiooooooonnn years ago, in grade school, I discovered a love of writing. Obviously, I…
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Twenty-one Things I Am Proud of in 2020
So what are you proud of in 2020? What was your greatest accomplishment? What are you proud of in 2020? People keep asking this question. Part of me wants to be a total smart ass when I read the question – I mean 2020 accomplishments at the end of the year were dramatically different than our expectations at the start. Let’s be clear. I got up, got out of bed and kept going in a year full of anxiety and stress. That was enough many days. My 2020 Moments Instead of making it a negative or griping or dismissing the entire year, I keep saying the same thing, which leads…
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Best London Christmas Lights to See Now (Have a Drive Through, Socially Distant New Year!)
So where are the best London Christmas lights that are safe to see from the car? Are they still open? Can you make that part of your New Year’s Eve tonight? Read the information below to find out. Obviously parades and the holiday season went virtual this year around Ontario and in many places throughout Canada. But, what about New Year’s Eve? And what about social distancing? Good news. There are still a few London Christmas lights and homes to drive by and enjoy. Check out some of the Best Drive Through London Christmas lights and holiday light displays before they end! Drive Through London Christmas Lights (And Surrounding Area)…
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Five Ways to Organize Your Child’s Day + Printable Planner
What does your child’s day look like right now? Is it a bit like a battle getting them out of bed to start? This post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission via purchases from qualifying links. For Some Organizing and Planning Can Be Hard When my daughter was small she needed a lot of help getting organized. She still does actually. But, she can, for the most part, organize using strategies that we have used over the years. So, the difference now versus when she was in elementary school is that she now is old enough to be able to remember some of…
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My 2020 Christmas Gift Guide – Celebrate With Me
Happy Holidays! My 2020 Christmas Gift Guide is ready to share. I couldn’t be happier to spread some joy this year and share a few of my favourite things with you. My 2020 Christmas Gift guide contains affiliate links. At no extra fee to you, I receive a small commission off of purchases made via qualifying links. I received product and compensation in some cases for features in this guide. Well, here we are almost at Christmas and this year I am doing a few things differently. One thing I am doing is shopping slowly and in chunks to spread out the cost. We definitely have a budget to stick…
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Your Mask is Completely Inappropriate and What Happened Later
A week or so ago I wrote this Your Mask is Completely Inappropriate post for CBC Parents. Here’s what happened afterwards. As some of you probably already know, I freelance and publish content in many other spaces. This year, a lot of that content has appeared on CBC Parents. Happy to hang my hat there sometimes. An Excerpt From My Recent Post on CBC Parents This past week we were walking through a grocery store near my home when my teenage daughter spied something scrawled on a face mask. In fact, I heard her speaking to a stranger before I even saw why. So Why Did She Speak Up? This…
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Cute Children’s Christmas Letter to Santa Writing Prompt
I think we can all easily recall that time during childhood when we believed wholeheartedly in magic and in Santa Claus. Back before pandemic was even a word in our daily vocabulary, as children we wrote at least one creative and joyful letter to Santa each year. Dear Santa Letter Writing an annual letter to Santa was something I looked forward to for weeks before Christmas. It was my chance to plant suggestions in my home, and send them directly to the North Pole. As an adult, I have enjoyed many years of creating that illusion for my kids. I kept that tradition going for years longer than it actually…
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How to Bleach Dye a T-Shirt in a Few Easy Steps
So, a few weeks ago my daughter was all about this bleach dye phase. We had seen it on several sweatshirts and hoodies and thought that it looked cool, but the finished product always seemed expensive. So, we wondered if we could do it ourselves. How hard could it be? Post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission off of purchases made via qualifying links. Then we saw t-shirts and long sleeved shirts in Michaels one day on sale. Fate. Serendipity. Whatever you want to call it. It’s all good and it clearly was a sign that we had to do this craft.…
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Ten Reasons Harry Potter Movies are the Best to Binge on Right Now.
By Ainsley Schuck Note from Paula: This Harry Potter movies post is by my daughter Ainsley. We have been Potterheads for years. But, during the pandemic the kids have asked to watch the Harry Potter movies from start to finish repeatedly. So, I have asked them several times why Harry Potter movies right now? Post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. I may receive a small commission via qualifying purchases. Why Harry Potter Movies are Perfect to Binge on Right Now Near the start of the pandemic the kids were asking to watch Harry Potter movies so often that I finally broke down and bought the boxed set.…
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My Daughter Has FASD – My CBC Parents Post
My youngest daughter has FASD. I have occasionally written a bit about that here, but I am adding a bit more content about this invisible disability and publishing in major national outlets to grow awareness. My CBC Parents Content Over the last two years I have been writing a lot of consistent content on CBC Parents. I am happy to be able to reach a wider audience and frankly freelance, of course, is where I began years ago when I started writing. A few of my posts have centred on our journey parenting kids with special needs, or mental health issues and disabilities. For whatever reason, that content resonates with…
