• Health - parenting

    Five Ways to Get the Kids Outside and Active

    April 19, 2013 - By 

    Once the gorgeous temperatures replace the nasty overcast snowy days it seems logical that children will naturally seek time outside away from screens, exploring. But, what if they don’t? We all want to encourage our children to be active. We all want them to be healthy. And most of us also want our children to engage with the environment, disconnect and just play outside. If your kids are at all like mine, they can all too easily fall into this pattern of forgetting to seize the moment. Too often they reach for the TV remote, or the computer, or the…

  • family - Health

    Dear Mom Camp Series – April – #MuskokaWoods

    April 15, 2013 - By 

    Dear Mom: This month for our third post about Muskoka Woods I am not going to hound you, or remind you about signing me up. I know you are looking after that and I can’t wait. Soon I will start my end of school countdown. I am getting so excited. I am going to let you talk this month here because I know you have a lot to say and I know you are still thinking about whether Ainsley can manage overnight camp yet or not. So, over to you and Tada!  (I always wanted to say that.) Your daughter,…

  • Health

    My Fitness challenge $100 Lululemon #giveaway

    April 14, 2013 - By 

    I am an active mom. No two ways about it. With two very busy girls, I have to stay active. Fitness and healthy living are ways of life here. Ever since I turned 40 I have noticed a few things: metabolism slows, maybe not the second you hit forty, but I tell you it does, slowly and surely. This winter, I worked out consistently, ate the same as ever, and yet, I cannot shred this five extra pounds that settled on my hips and butt. That doesn’t make me happy. I work out to maintain health, stay fit, slender and…

  • Health - parenting

    Bra Shopping is a Metaphor for My Life

    April 11, 2013 - By 

    The Bra is a metaphor for my life.  I took my Mom to get her perm today. Phone bonging all the way with emails coming in fast and furious, tweets and Facebook updates, last minute travel things to care for and the threat of freezing rain. Two hours it takes for a perm to set from start to finish and well with my iphone in hand, hint of bad weather – which makes my mother extremely nervous – and numerous gift cards burning a hole in my wallet I thought I might as well stay and shop at Masonville Mall…

  • family travel - Giveaways - Health - parenting - special needs

    The Ultimate Blog Party #UBP13

    April 8, 2013 - By 

    This is the second year I have taken part in this great event hosted by 5MinutesforMom.com. It’s a fun annual event and a great way to get to meet a few new bloggers, expand your circle and build some connections. So what’s involved, you ask? Well over $20,000 in prizes and a massive group of bloggers who write about various topics: from review bloggers to niche bloggers that focus on special needs. There are Dad bloggers and Mom bloggers and even some parents in waiting bloggers. So, for those taking part in the party who are new to this blog…

  • Health

    Tria Beauty Series – Post 5 – Home Laser Hair Removal

    April 7, 2013 - By 

    It’s working!! It’s working! It’s been numerous months since I started using this Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X. I first read and heard about it at last summer’s Blogher event in New York City. I agreed shortly after to write several posts about the laser witnessing over time whether it worked as intended to remove hair in problem areas. Happy to say I am now seeing the results of my efforts. For the first two months I used the Tria Laser almost every day. I built in 10-15 minutes a day to use the wand which is extremely safe…

  • Food - Health

    Energy Bits Review

    April 5, 2013 - By 

    Several weeks ago I heard about these energybits on twitter and was interested. I am forever trying to stay on top of this thing called 40, and those of you who know me well know I may not be super coordinated, but I make up for that in ambition and good intentions. So I exercise a lot and I am open to trying new routines, exercise programs and nutrition ideas. So I gave these algae bits a shot to see what they might add to my routine. Let me just start with a small disclaimer: energybits will probably not be…

  • Health - Parenting - special needs

    If This Child Were Blind #specialneeds

    April 4, 2013 - By 

    Photo from Today’s Parent, this was an article I wrote for them that was published in 2008. This is Ainsley. Some of you know her well. Others have never met her and that’s okay. You just need to know she has multiple disabilities, aka special needs. That’s the sad fact of prenatal alcohol and poly-substance exposure. It hurts your brain, in fact it can often cause brain damage when you are in utero. (before you are born). I have seen children with FASD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, whose brains are essentially mapped with holes in places where another child would…

  • Giveaways - Health - special needs

    La Roche-Posay Itch Free Day Drawing Contest #100families

    March 25, 2013 - By 

    My daughter Ainsley doesn’t have eczema, but she does have extremely sensitive skin. That’s part and parcel for a child living with sensory processing disorder. She is easily irritated by many things and synthetic fabrics make her even itchier. Her skin is extremely dry also, so we use cream often.  When Ainsley was little we experimented with many cosmetic options and lotions. But lotions that are overly greasy or scented also irritated her. It took us months and a whole lot of trial and error to figure out what worked. Lipikar Baume AP is one product that is gentle enough…

  • Health - infertility

    Silly #Infertility Myths #ohip4ivf #onpoli

    March 16, 2013 - By 

    I found this on Pinterest the other night and just had to share. It’s cute graphically, but really a wee bit sad that some people still think some of these things true. Like infertility is just a woman’s issue. In fact 40 % of infertility is male factor infertility. Reminds me also of the myth that if you want it bad enough it will happen. Well, no amount of wishing, hoping or praying can fix a genuine medical condition. But what can help sometimes, when medically recommended, is in vitro fertilization. People need help sometimes getting pregnant and that’s where…