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.-
How to Make Money Now – Best Affiliate Programs
Blogging can be a lot of fun. What other job out there offers the freedom to set your own schedule, be flexible and work as much or as little as you want? Sounds pretty awesome, right? If you are a blogger, then you probably know this already. Being a blogger may sound as though you spend your days writing about anything and everything that you want, while waiting for people to read what you’ve published….but, it’s so much more than that. Blogging is a job. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into every blog post. Successful bloggers do make a full-time income from their blog. I…
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Straight Up Advice to My Teenage Daughters
Recently, we’ve have had a string of wicked hot summer days. High humidity and all that goes with it. Doesn’t bother me a bit. My favourite seasons are summer and winter for the outdoor sports and the travel opportunities. I live for shorts weather and I hate sacrificing comfort for trends. Bring on the heat and the lighter clothing too. In summer months I’d be happy to wear a swimsuit and occasionally a coverup and work by the pool all season. But I settle for shorts and nice T-shirts. This season as the temperatures soared I have started noticing a weird phenomenon again and it is disturbing to me as…
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How to Choose the Best Products for Curly Hair
Curly hair is beautiful. I didn’t always think so. When I was a child I had super curly, often frizzy hair. It took me years to understand how to take care of my curls and honestly it took me a while to figure out that it was one of my favourite physical features. Thank goodness for hair products. As a child I was stuck with frizzy unmanageable hair. We never had conditioner in the house because my Mom didn’t have curly hair and had no idea mine needed conditioner. In fact moisturizing products and curl tamers are my mainstay now as an adult with curly hair. Choosing the Best Products…
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Back to School Shopping Doesn’t Need to Be Scary
I have partnered with YMC and Staples and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. The closer my kids get to college or university the scarier life gets for me as a parent. My oldest starts Grade 12 this year and my youngest is heading to Grade 9. Both kids are in high school. Which gets me thinking about the costs involved in attending college or university. Lately I lay awake at night or I break out in a cold sweat randomly throughout the day thinking HOW will we ever afford college or university? Have we saved enough? High school, which is basically preparation to get your…
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The Proof is in the Laundry – Birthday Cake Fail
This post has been sponsored by OxiClean and I received compensation. The proof is in the pudding. Or in this case the birthday cake plus laundry stain remover. Let me back it up a second. This story starts with a birthday party and ends with laundry. Doesn’t every real-life story eventually end with laundry and stains? Travel ends in memories and laundry. School ends in smarter children and laundry. Play equals laundry. Work also equals laundry. See what I mean? Everything ends in laundry. But I digress. June and July here are party months. Birthday party months that is. From June on we have a series of birthdays, anniversaries and…
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How Do I Answer Hard Adoption Questions?
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase via one of the links I receive a small commission. Mom, did I grow in your tummy? Why didn’t my parents want me? What was wrong with me? How come nobody gave them money or helped them? These are all hard adoption questions I have been asked over the years as an adoptive parent. And I have answered them all, sometimes precisely and sometimes in very young vocabulary for a five year old or even younger. Talking to your child about adoption doesn’t have to be scary. The scariest part of adopting is going through the actual adoption – so…
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How to Create a Stunning Photo Gallery Wall Now
This post has been sponsored by BestCanvas.ca. A photo gallery wall is a great way to help commemorate the most important times and memories a family has. Whether it’s a collage of several different events or a themed wall, this kind of photo setup helps keep memories alive and showcased for visitors and family members, alike. Over the past two years we have been building and adding to our photo gallery wall in our family room. Piece by piece it is shaping up to be something I am happy with. Today, I’m ready to share it with you. I thought I’d take some time to provide a few photo gallery…
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80 Tools to Help You Succeed at the Hardest Job Ever
Raising kids is awesome and being a parent is a gift. Children can make you laugh with their hilariousness. They can make you melt with their cuteness. They can inspire you with their kindness. But raising kids is also really REALLY hard. Haven’t you often wished you had a parenting bible or toolkit? I know you have all joked about wishing that kids came with a manual. Friends and parenting resources are VITAL. Between temper tantrums, the constant noise and mess, teaching them all the life skills they’ll need as adults, and continually wondering whether we’re screwing it all up… well, raising kids can actually be one of the hardest…
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Be a Queen Every Day with Chamilia Earrings
You know how you save those pretty pieces of jewelry for a special occasion? Same can be said of the fancy shoes, the expensive purse or smartest jacket. As women, we do that. Save it for the special event, the unique opportunity to show it off. Well, what if that special occasion never comes? Or what if it doesn’t come more than four times a year? What if you are the special occasion. And life is everything every single day. Bring it every day. I mean what are you waiting for exactly? How about today? Buy something just for you, or wear it just because you are a queen. And…
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Husky Enacts Pay Before You Pump Policy
What if making one small change improved safety for many? Would you do it? Actually I like to think most people would adjust and make the small changes necessary to help others. That’s what Husky’s pay before you pump policy is about. The pay before you pump policy is common sense and ensures safety of both gas station attendants and customers. It’s a pre-emptive move against gas theft incidents that could cause injuries to attendants and customers. Pay Before You Pump Helps Increase Safety If you’ve filled up at a Husky station, you’ve probably noticed their new policy. They’ve been implementing this policy since the fall of 2017, and now it’s in…