• summer at the lake. blue lake and mountains in the background
    family - Printables

    Summer Survival Activity Pack

    June 11, 2026 - By 

    Summer vacation is right around the corner for many of you and might have already started for some depending on where you live. Boredom Busters Now that summer has officially arrived, it won’t be long before the kids are bellowing for something to do. I’m bored. Amuse me. I mean I am paraphrasing here but you know exactly what I mean. While we all cherish those long, sunny days and the break from the school-day hustle, every parent knows the boredom bug usually makes its appearance within the first week. So what’s a mom or dad to do? Well, maybe…

  • family

    My New KURU Summer Sandals

    April 23, 2026 - By 

    Summer is right around the corner and that means after a brief spring cleaning stint, I am now fishing out all of my summer attire. And taking stock of my shoes too. I am a firm believer that good shoes matter. I wasn’t always that way and couldn’t always afford good quality footwear. This season, summer 2026, is all about these pain free Kuru summer sandals. I received product for consideration on Thrifty Mommas Tips. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful. When I was younger there was nothing I loved more than high heels with a…

  • brown haired boy in blue and grey striped sweater looking thoughtful and holding his face in one hand. Looks worried
    parenting

    Pause the Panic Card Deck to Help with Anxiety

    April 20, 2026 - By 

    Watching your child navigate the world with a heavy heart can be one of the toughest parts of parenting. Eventually they all hit an age where life stops being all about playgrounds and starts being about performance. That shift can be jarring. For many families often, and indeed for ours, age nine seems to be a significant turning point. This is the point often when little kid worries transform into something more complex, often peaking during those high-pressure teenage years. This was definitely the case in our family. I’ve written about our struggle with childhood anxiety before here several times.…

  • parenting

    Still Life: Ten Crime Stories

    April 13, 2026 - By 

    I received gifted product for consideration here. Post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. Listen, I am a fan of escapist fiction. Thrillers, romance, mystery, psychological thrillers – these are my go to. It has been a while since I picked up a book of short stories. So, when Still Life: Ten Crime Stories arrived for consideration, I was excited to pick up this collection of stories. After all, short stories are the perfect length before bed or for a quick read in the middle of the day. And who doesn’t love crime stories? There’s an art to…

  • suede slippers
    family

    Why Dream Pairs Boots Are My New Obsession

    December 31, 2025 - By 

    Is there anything more “Canadian” than the eternal struggle of finding shoes or boots that actually look cute but won’t leave you sliding across a frozen Tim Horton’s parking lot? I’ve spent years cycling through boots that are either “industrial-tundra-chic” or “fashionable-but-frozen.” Product was provided for consideration and affiliate links are included as a service to readers. I make a small commission via qualifying purchases. The last pair I had were great and a well known brand, don’t get me wrong, but sexy they were not. Fashionable, NO. Functional only and I feel like there’s space for both function and…

  • parenting

    Small Santa, Big Heart: My Little Santa Claus

    December 21, 2025 - By 

    What happens when Santa Claus is the one in need of a gift? When young Magali meets a tiny, lost Santa on Christmas Eve, she discovers that the greatest holiday magic comes from compassion in My Little Santa Claus. I received product for consideration. Amazon affiliate links are included in this post as a service to readers. Any purchases made via the links within result in compensation. Available in English for the first time, this rediscovered gem, My Little Santa Claus, by beloved author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent is a masterclass in simple storytelling through kindness. If you know me, or spend…

  • whimsical_girl_gifts
    parenting

    Whimsical Girl Gifts for Christmas 

    December 12, 2025 - By 

    This is a collab with my daughter Payton, the queen of whimsy in my house. As a member of the oldest daughter’s club and someone who is chronically online, I feel it is my duty to help those who don’t know what to buy for the girl in their life. Stick with me and I will help you find the perfect Christmas gift. You’re welcome in advance. But also, if you hate anything here on this roundup of whimsical girl gifts I abdicate all responsibility. I broke this out into shopper personas, so if you know anyone your daughter, sister, bestie…

  • last_year
    family

    So Where’ve I Been for the Last Year?

    March 14, 2022 - By 

    So Where’ve I Been this last year? Two years ago this week we were practically standing at the door ready to roll on our trip to Vermont I was writing here 3-4 times a week, a regular contributor to CBC Parents and Content Coordinator at Neighbours of Sunningdale. But the pandemic upended a lot of that. Travel ground to a standstill two years ago this week and that was that. What is a travel writer without the ability to travel? I pivoted fast to writing about pandemic parenting and that worked for several months. Frankly, that first year just being…

  • pandemic_school_year
    Parenting

    Why I am Celebrating Finishing the Pandemic School Year

    July 25, 2021 - By 

    Kudos to all the university, college and high school kids who finished this challenging pandemic school year. Here’s why I am celebrating that achievement.  Pandemic learning was a huge challenge this year as was school in general. Socially, I feel like we haven’t given our kids enough credit for getting through the volatile and discombobulating pandemic school year they just had. Imagine being a teen or even an elementary child adapting to all of the stress and change that’s been thrown at them this year. If anything, I am surprised so many kept going to the very end of June.…

  • gratitude jar
    family - Parenting

    Eight Ways to Teach Gratitude and a Gratitude Jar Craft

    June 7, 2021 - By 

    Gratitude is a funny thing. It’s hard to teach at times, but such an important value to hold close for life. Without gratitude life can ring hollow. For me, gratitude ties in closely with mindfulness. That’s why I like this gratitude jar kids’ craft idea for families. I’ve talked about self esteem before and self esteem crafts that help kids to grow more self esteem, but what about gratitude? How do you build a sense of gratitude from a young age that permeates a lifespan? Eight Ways to Show Gratitude Here are several ways to help build gratitude in kids…