What a difference a year makes. Readers of thriftymommastips.com know all about this journey we have been on with my mom. It started one year ago and led us down a really rough path for a long period of time. It was tragic, drastic, devastating emotionally and financially, and it has left us all changed. Last summer, my Mom spent the greater part of two months in London hospitals as we tried to figure out what was going on. She was hallucinating and she was confused. Meanwhile her symptoms escalated. It was a sad and exhausting time _ one I…

Odds are good that if you are a parent and your kids are home this summer, they want to craft. I know mine do. All the time. Sometimes it is actually overwhelming trying to find crafts that keep us all engaged. (This I admit is not my strength.) So happily, this week our #LinkedMoms chat has great guest host Cynthia Gagen joining us (@cyngagen on twitter is well known as a crafty gal and a savvy social media practitioner. Oh and she’s local. Cyn(thia) Gagen honed her creative skills in cooking, crafting, teaching, parenting, and loving life by being a (sometimes annoying)…

School Is Out. Wahoo! Do a Little Dance or a Little Jig in Your Head. Truth is this year I have never been happier. I like having the kids home. They worked hard all year and it wasn’t an easy one. Too much change for little people can be strenuous and exhausting and this year, too many personnel at school changed over. Consistency was not the rule and my kids were stressed out. I am tired of Mommy taxi duty, and lunches, and I am more than tired of the need to advocate all the time for my children with…

Cooking With Kids feature is ready to go. This week we are  healthy again. I know, I know, what’s up with that? Well relatively healthy anyways. My kids love cauliflower, but mostly they love it cooked this way. Call it cauliflower casserole, if you want. My kiddo loves to grate cheese and the two girls could honestly eat a whole casserole dish of this stuff. No joke. Here’s the recipe: 1. Head of cauliflower. (Boil it 5-10 mins.) 2. Drain. Grate cheddar or mozzarella cheese – 1 cup 3. One cup mayonnaise and 4. One tsp of dijon mustard 5.…

Welcome to The Great Canadian Blog Bash, an event hosted by numerous blogs and put together by Kat’s Confessions, Good Girl Gone Green, Whispered Inspirations, Mom Vs. The Boys, and of course Pampered Patty. This week long event is in honor of Canada Day. Every blogger taking part is hosting a giveaway, so pop by to enter and to learn about some Canadian companies you might not have met or known about before. Enter on individual blogs. Link up on the giant linky posted on each blog participating. All bloggers are Canadian, all companies involved are Canadian and all the giveaways…

Is tax talk taboo in your family? Is your Mom mum when it comes to sharing information about money? Some families have a difficult time sharing important details about finances and wills. We are often told from a young age that talking about what people make or asking questions about money is impolite. So no big shock that some families guard their estate secrets closer than the royal jewels. But waiting for an emergency or a health crisis to hit is not the way to manage an estate or carry out a loved ones retirement or health care wishes. According…

Hi! And Happy Late Thursday post…I know. I know, it’s Friday. Life is busy. But I promised a healthy meal this week. This is our recipe for meatloaf. And it’s a goody. Take about one pound of ground beef (lean) Put in a mixing bowl and add two eggs Add one cup of bread crumbs Add one small onion (chop very fine) If you have the special meatloaf seasoning from a brand you like add it. Tiny dash of salt and pepper. One half cup of water (sometimes I vary this by adding soya milk instead) Bake at 350 degrees…

Last weekend I was invited to attend a camp on Lake Rosseau, called Muskoka Woods. It was a jam-packed, active, fun-filled event with bloggers, traditional media, moms and their school aged children. At camp, we had a weekend to explore activities like skateboarding, swimming, canoeing, climbing and the big swing. Adult Essentials gummies give me the energy to try new things with my kids, because you can’t preach active living and healthy eating if you don’t walk the walk and have a little fun while you are at it. So, this is me skateboarding. Because I knew if I was…