• 15 great gardening ideas
    family

    15 Great Gardening Ideas

    April 18, 2015 - By 

    15 Great Gardening Ideas will help you make the most of your outdoor space this year. This post also contains an affiliate ad at no extra cost to you.  Spring is here! I love growing things. It is one of the passions I only discovered when I bought my first house with my husband. Until then, I joked I was a serial plant killer. I could kill pretty much any houseplant given to me. BUT, given an outdoor garden and a genuine yard, that all changed. I started off growing the things I loved and quickly found that I enjoyed…

  • simply-scrumptious-apple-cinnamon-muffins
    family - Food

    Simply Scrumptious Apple Cinnamon Muffins #GayLeaMom #Giveaway

    April 18, 2015 - By 

    I have been looking at Gay Lea Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Spreadables for a long time wondering what I could use it on, or in. Then last weekend I really had a craving for some muffins, so I decided I would whip up a muffin recipe using the Gay Lea Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Spreadables. What I ended up with was entirely scrumptious so I thought I would share. This Apple Cinnamon Muffin Recipe is pretty simply to make and what I love about it most is that the Gay Lea Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Spreadables product gives it a…

  • teen_mood_swings
    family - parenting

    Face Time and Weird Conversations You Never Dreamed You’d Have #Teens #tweens

    April 16, 2015 - By 

    This is another entry in the ongoing teen/tween mama diaries. Life is never dull with teens and cell phones. Raising digital kids is a special kind of universe. I heart my beautiful kids. But they also drive me around the bend regularly and sometimes on purpose, I think. I strive to not be mental from it, and yet there are days when I look in the mirror and think who is that frizzy-haired, wild eyed maniac mom looking back at me. Then I realize it’s me and start thinking up ways that I can get back at them when they…

  • chicken piccata recipe
    family - Food

    One of my Favourite Dishes: Chicken Piccata Recipe

    April 16, 2015 - By 

    One of my favourite dishes ever to order when we go out is this: chicken piccata. I love the flavour combinations of capers and lemon and wine with chicken served on a bed of noodles. Of course there is always just a tiny hint of olive oil in the mix to make this dish, and the chicken, super moist and succulent. I wish I had a dish of it handy right now actually. This, and chicken masala, are two chicken dishes I could exist on. No question, chicken is a staple in many family homes at dinner time. It is…

  • family - Health - parenting

    Five Earth Day Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

    April 15, 2015 - By 

    Everyone should know a few Earth Day Facts. Climate change is a matter of great interest to many globally. We have been talking about the environment, the climate and Earth Day here for several weeks. One of my kids is working on an assignment that has an environmental component so this is top of mind. These Earth Day Facts are not well known to many, so they might be new to you too.   Five Earth Day Facts You Probably Didn’t Know Earth Day has been around for a long time, (the 70s) but it seems like it just started getting…

  • losing a pet
    family - parenting

    Farewell Hope The Guinea Pig – Losing a Pet

    April 14, 2015 - By 

    I know I am not supposed to have favourites but this little critter was my fave of all the guinea pigs. Hope was just a tiny little thing when we brought her home from the pet store. She was Payton’s guinea pig. She sadly passed away on Easter weekend. It was a really sudden event. Farewell Hope Losing someone or something you love is never easy. Losing a pet can be super sad for kids. My daughter was heartbroken. For those of you who remember we have had a slew of guinea pigs here at our house. The kids each…

  • Cherry_Desserts
    family - Food - parenting

    The Best Ever Cherry Desserts

    April 14, 2015 - By 

    Cherry Desserts remind me of being a child again. Cherries in general also do that for me. My Mom was the world’s biggest fan of strawberries. She loved cherries too. I think that was partly because her parents had a berry farm many years ago and she grew up eating both often. As a kid I loved cherries and some of the best cherry desserts too. My daughters both love blueberries and strawberries, but they crave cherries the most. There is nothing so simple, refreshing and healthy as fresh seasonal berries, just picked and ready to eat. I personally can’t…

  • family - Health - parenting

    New Limited Edition Mabel’s Labels Camp Combo

    April 14, 2015 - By 

    NEW Limited Edition Camp Combo **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I love these things! Mabel’s Labels Camp Combo rocks. I wouldn’t do camp without them. I need these every single year. They save my kid’s stuff. Summer is just around the corner, and for many kids that means summer camp! Mabel’s Labels wants to help ensure that your kids have a fun-filled, worry-free time at camp, which is why they decided to bring back their Limited Edition Camp Combo! This camp combo value pack is full…

  • What-does-ten-years-old-look-like
    active family travel - adoption and tweens - family - Parenting - parenting

    What Does Ten-Years-Old Look Like?

    April 12, 2015 - By 

    This past month my youngest girl turned 11 and we celebrated with a Minecraft cake and a sleepover and a family dinner at Lone Star Texas Grill. We all learned to ski together as a family in Tremblant the weekend before her birthday party. In many ways, that was the perfect start to sporty spice’s birthday week. This is the daughter I still joke never met a sport she didn’t like. The one who wandered off at Disney when she was four and nearly gave me a heart attack on the spot. The one who sported my eye shadow the…

  • IVF funding in Ontario 2015
    family - Health - infertility

    One Year Later: Happy Anniversary to Infertility Patients And What is Happening with IVF Funding in Ontario 2015

    April 11, 2015 - By 

    One year ago so many infertility patients in Ontario breathed a huge sigh of relief. I remember ecstatic voices and many tears too. I remember this post from last year and the patient reactions. It was an exciting time to be involved in this advocacy effort striving to generate support and IVF funding for infertility patients in Ontario. When the announcement came I remember being here watching it all unfold on television. Right before an election was called. The election plunged everyone into a period of high activity, anxiety and nerves too. It was a roller coaster ride added to…