• first cruise tips
    active family travel - family - parenting - Travel

    Why I am Hooked on Cruising – Our First Cruise

    January 9, 2015 - By 

    e have travelled a fair bit as a family and yet we have always avoided cruising. Why? Well, I always thought it was a lot of work booking the cruise, then the flight and then figuring out all the logistics. I also thought it was too expensive. My husband has always been reluctant to cruise because of rumours we heard from friends. We heard that you wait for everything because of the number of people. We heard that the rooms are way too small and they make you feel claustrophobic. We wondered out loud if we would all get seasick. I wasn’t…

  • family - Giveaways

    K-Tel’s Mini Pops CDs 11 and 12 for Kids #Giveaway

    January 7, 2015 - By 

    My kids are 10 and 13 now and they are all about the music and the computers and gadgets too of course. My youngest loves listening to her Ipod Nano and she also has a pretty busy social calendar which means a lot of car time. In my mini van I have a TV but I don’t always want my kids watching TV on the road so I love to have music handy and books too. My husband has no entertainment system in his car and he often pops in a family friendly CD for road trips and even for…

  • Disney Live
    family

    Disney Live Rocks Budweiser Gardens #Ldnont

    January 6, 2015 - By 

    This is a review by a contributor to Thriftymommastips. Thanks to Tabitha Pye for attending this event while I was away on vacation. Tabitha is a London Mom of four and a blogger. Visit her blog at http://www.notquiteahandful.com/ Today my son and I got to take a couple of our friends to see Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival at Budweiser Gardens and it was a fantastic show! We had floor seats and I am telling you they are well worth the extra cost. The energy in this show is infectious. From start to finish you couldn’t help but get involved…

  • budget for the New Year
    family

    How to Set a Budget For The New Year

    January 3, 2015 - By 

    Budget for the New Year The New Year is coming up quickly and you might be wanting to start a budget as your New Year’s resolution! There are many others, like you, who want to set a budget for the New Year but don’t know where to get started. If you’re struggling to start your budget and you need some tips to help you get it started, look no further! These tips are sure to help you set a successful budget for the New Year – a budget you can stick to. Look back at how much you made last…

  • New Years Eve Tradition Ideas
    family

    5 New Year’s Eve Tradition Ideas

    December 30, 2014 - By 

     New Year’s Eve Tradition Ideas Just like Christmas, New Year’s Eve is a great time to think about setting traditions for your friends and family to participate in! There are so many different types of traditions you can set anywhere, from activities to games to competitions. Family party? Or adults only? Party in or party out? New Year’s Eve Tradition Ideas are endless. We have typically involved our kids in the creation of our family New Year’s Eve Tradition Ideas. Some years we skate and watch fireworks in the park. Some years we also do number five on this list.…

  • Children's New Years Resolutions Printable
    family

    Children’s New Year’s Resolutions Printable

    December 29, 2014 - By 

    myresolution ps This time of year, when snow days seem inevitable and school lets out for holidays, there are bound to be moments when you might want to tear your hair out. Kids get bored easily in my experience and they seem to need a lot of things to do. So where to start? You might consider googling snow day activities or free printables. There are so many brilliant and fun printables or coloring pages available on blogs like thrifty momma’s tips. As New Year’s Eve approaches, it can be a totally fun opportunity to get the kids in on the…

  • IVF funding
    family - Health

    IVF Funding: What’s Happening in 2015? #ohip4ivf #onpoli

    December 25, 2014 - By 

    Usually the holidays roll around and the season itself is cause for sadness among those who are trying to conceive, struggling with infertility. That may be the case still for some people, because infertility is emotionally, physically and financially draining, but this coming year there is good reason to hope and be optimistic and thankful too. So as we close 2014 I thought it was important to take a moment and reflect on what we have accomplished in Ontario and remind people of what’s happening with IVF funding in 2015. So here’s what we know about Ontario’s IVF funding program in…

  • 25 Must Have Puzzles
    family

    25 Must Have Puzzles

    December 22, 2014 - By 

    Are you a puzzle fan? We are too. My one daughter and husband love to do puzzles.  25 Must Have Puzzles My youngest daughter is a puzzle fanatic. From the time she was a toddler we would gift her puzzles and she would effortlessly put them together. It was a captivating thing to witness. My youngest child has special needs. She was born with sensory processing disorder and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and she struggles with a lot of things. Reading came slowly, but she gradually caught up. She ran almost before she walked and she still has a lot…

  • close up of christmas decoration hanging on tree
    family

    Free Printable Christmas Tree Coloring Page

    December 19, 2014 - By 

    As Christmas Day inches every closer you might be hunting for things to keep the kids occupied. I have always found coloring to be a simple and calm activity to get kids of all ages engaged in. When I ran a home daycare for a brief period when my kids were small, I often gave the kids crayons and coloring pages to calm them down before and after school. I loved the quietness of coloring. Plus for some of the kids it was their opportunity to just be still and occasionally it gave them a great little chance to just…

  • 25 most popular dolls
    family

    25 Most Popular Dolls Gift Roundup

    December 18, 2014 - By 

    I am the Mom of girls. I am more than familiar with dolls and brands of dolls and all their glorious accessories. From pretty much the moment my girls could speak, they were asking for dolls. Dolls for Christmas presents and dolls for birthdays too. This year there may be a couple of dolls on the Christmas lists too. Not saying which ones because my kids sometimes read this blog. Anyways, over the years I have formed some opinions on the dolls that are trendy and the dolls that are timeless too. Barbie never gets old. She is pretty much…