• Health - parenting

    Losing a Parent: Every Day is a Gift, Just Not Tomorrow

    June 4, 2013 - By 

    Every day is a gift. But today I would gladly trade tomorrow in if I could. June 5th marks a month since my Mom passed away. I can barely type that without crying. One month  of sadness and anger and frustration and forgetting and movement and tears and heaviness and guilt and devastation, and heart-stopping pain. One month ago I had no idea grief felt like a stone in your chest weighing you down with sad. This weekend, I attended TBEX, travel blogging conference, and it was the first time I really felt like I had smiled and kicked back…

  • Health

    You Might Be A Caregiver If: Medicare Part D Costs #Walgreens #ad

    June 4, 2013 - By 

    (This is the second of my sponsored posts for Walgreens Part D. Thanks to Walgreens for allowing thriftymommastips.com to partner with them for this series. This post was compensated. My first post about saving money with Walgreens Part D is here. My opinion is all my own.) Caregiving is hard work. That’s reality. No way around it. It can be draining – emotionally, psychologically and physically. Walgreens Medicare Part D cost means it doesn’t have to be draining financially also. Which is good because this is what my prescription story looks like many weeks. I work 24/7 almost every day…

  • Health - infertility

    Petition Challenge – Get 6 signatures #abhc4ivf #abpoli

    June 1, 2013 - By 

    If you live in Alberta, then odds are pretty strong that you know someone struggling with infertility. Quick – write down the names of six of your closest friends. Now try to figure out which one of the six is struggling with, or has already battled infertility. It’s that close. Infertility was, up until recently not talked about in Canada. But a funny thing happened this past year. People started sharing their stories. People started standing up to say yes I am 1 in 6. I want to talk about infertility and the pressing health care issues surrounding access to…

  • Giveaways - Health - parenting

    Win $25 K for Your Park – Kraft Celebration Tour #KCT

    June 1, 2013 - By 

      It might not have made front page news, but the day they unveiled Mayor Norm Jary Park in Guelph, the world shifted just a little bit for my brother and I. First of all, we had our pictures in the local daily, The Guelph Mercury (local section). That in itself was an event – and pretty cool for a grade schooler. I recall the photo opp with the mayor. I think I might have been nine or so standing in the background and my little brother was cute as a button perched atop a slide. Aside from the school playground…

  • family - Health - infertility

    Infertility Impacts Everyone: Katrina #ohip4ivf #onpoli

    May 28, 2013 - By 

    Meet Cameron. Grandma has dubbed him “the whole family’s baby.” He’s a sweet little guy, almost 18 months old. He made his Mom and Dad parents. He made Grandma a grandmother again. But his journey here was hard fought. Mom Katrina struggled through many medical, financial, physical and emotional hurdles to conceive Cameron. She was diagnosed with endometriosis and she had a few unsuccessful IVF (in vitro fertilization) attempts. She had miscarriages and she tried various alternative and natural therapies designed to boost fertility and alleviate the pain of endometriosis. Eventually, after thousands of dollars spent and a tremendous emotional toll…

  • Health - infertility - parenting - Parenting

    Two – Interview with Curtis Shaw #creatingfamilies

    May 27, 2013 - By 

    Desmond Child, the legendary songwriter, with sons Roman and Nyro and Curtis Shaw Child. Together with surrogate Angela, the Shaw, have produced a magnificent documentary Two. My review of Two: The Story of Roman and Nyro, the documentary ran here on the weekend. Click through to read it if you are interested. This is thriftymommastips.com interview with Curtis Shaw.  1. I love the trailer and the full documentary for Two: The Story of Roman and Nyro and just want to say the message is beautiful and will appeal to many of my readers at thriftymommastips.com. I wonder if you can simply explain…

  • family - Health - infertility - Parenting

    Two: A Family Documentary for 2013 #creatingfamilies

    May 24, 2013 - By 

    “I think what gay means is two people of the same gender who love each other. At least that’s my understanding of it.”  – Roman and Nyro. I rarely review films, or documentaries here, but I received an interesting invitation this week to the International Premiere of the Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival. I couldn’t go in person, but I am more than a bit in love with the concept of this documentary Two: The Story of Roman and Nyro.I needed to share because I know my readers would want to see this beautiful story of family. In the…

  • Giveaways - Health - Travel

    Dear Mom Camp Series -May- #MuskokaWoods

    May 21, 2013 - By 

    Dear Mom:  Now I know we’ve covered most of this already and I know you’ve got some of my camps booked. And the end of school is coming fast now, in fact so fast I can almost start my countdown. But Mom, I really have to show you something cool. Remember Muskoka Woods? Well, it was one year ago when we got the awesome weekend to visit and try the big swing. I loved that place. The food was good, the counsellors Tippy and Brillo were amazing. But wait, here’s the cool part. I was playing on my iphone tonight…

  • Health - infertility - parenting - Parenting

    Memories on #MothersDay #ABHC4IVF #ABPOLI

    May 12, 2013 - By 

    This year marks my 12th Mother’s Day.  That is nothing short of a miracle for me. I mean motherhood itself is often thought of as miraculous and wonderful, and a little bit magical sometimes too. But when you wait, and struggle and pass through the sad hallways of infertility hoping and banking on science, faith, community services like Children’s Aid, and friends to help you through to the other side well, then you know that when you get the honour of actually being a mother, it will be magnificent. Twelve years ago I had my own mother to share Mother’s…