• family

    Cousins #WordlessWednesday

    Wordless Wednesday is a photo linkup. Last week we had the opportunity to get the kids together with their cousins. There’s something about being with your cousins that brings out the monkey in every child.

  • family

    Business Blogging Part 2: Why Like Us on Facebook is Not a Social Media Strategy

    Like Us on Facebook is not a Social Media Strategy for Business. There’s a sweet little spa down around the corner from my house that I frequent from time to time. I enjoy it there. It’s quiet. The owner is calm and the atmosphere soothing. Business trickles in and out and it is never overbooked. When I get a paraffin pedicure I can relax because it is so quiet. Recently, I noticed their sign out front was changed to read: TRIPLE A Spa (not its name) Like Us on Facebook. I have driven by it daily and walked by it…

  • family - parenting

    Science Girl #WordlessWednesday Linky

    This is Payton. She loves science. She is also a trained observer and a very intense sensitive kid. She hollered the other night when we were putting dishes away from dinner. “Come quick! You have to see this!” Sometimes she drives us all the tiniest bit nutty with her dreamy creative side that means she is always drawing or reading when she should perhaps be listening or cleaning her room. This time it was worth it. The cicada seen here was shedding its exoskeleton right in front of our eyes. This morning it was gone.  This is a wordless wednesday…

  • family - Travel

    The Westin Trillium House Review

     Last week we were invited to take part in the Blue Mountain Family Blogger Retreat 2013. We stayed three days at the Westin Trillium House. While there, we tested out many of the great activities at Blue Mountain Resort, and some in Collingwood too.     The Scoop on the Resort Itself   I have so much to share with you that I am breaking it down into instalments. This is my review of the Westin Trillium House. Sharing some of the great activities in the Collingwood area soon.    Blue Mountain      For those of you who don’t know…

  • family

    Part 1: Business Blogging:Five Ways to Find Your Voice

    I have taken on a new client recently and am helping her to explore and build her business blog. The client has a blog already and has taken certain steps to identify how to improve business on line, but there are still areas in need of improvement. For instance the blog is sort of an add on to the main entry point – web site – portion of her business. It is not as seamless as it should be and it isn’t sharing well to social media right now. (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest). Blogging is not an add on to a…

  • family

    Blundstone Boots Review

    Still searching out that perfect Father’s Day gift? Is your spouse an outdoorsy type? Does your Dad like to hike? Does he appreciate a well constructed pair of shoes? There’s still time to buy him a pair of Blundstone boots. Blundstone partnered with thriftymommastips.com and provided us with a pair of boots for review. Next week we plan to put these to the test hiking while on a blogging trip to Blue Mountain in Collingwood.    Blundstone is a name I had heard often but never really had a chance to inspect up close until this week. There are numerous…

  • family - Health - infertility

    Infertility Impacts Everyone: Katrina #ohip4ivf #onpoli

    Meet Cameron. Grandma has dubbed him “the whole family’s baby.” He’s a sweet little guy, almost 18 months old. He made his Mom and Dad parents. He made Grandma a grandmother again. But his journey here was hard fought. Mom Katrina struggled through many medical, financial, physical and emotional hurdles to conceive Cameron. She was diagnosed with endometriosis and she had a few unsuccessful IVF (in vitro fertilization) attempts. She had miscarriages and she tried various alternative and natural therapies designed to boost fertility and alleviate the pain of endometriosis. Eventually, after thousands of dollars spent and a tremendous emotional toll…

  • family - Health - infertility - Parenting

    Two: A Family Documentary for 2013 #creatingfamilies

    “I think what gay means is two people of the same gender who love each other. At least that’s my understanding of it.”  – Roman and Nyro. I rarely review films, or documentaries here, but I received an interesting invitation this week to the International Premiere of the Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival. I couldn’t go in person, but I am more than a bit in love with the concept of this documentary Two: The Story of Roman and Nyro.I needed to share because I know my readers would want to see this beautiful story of family. In the…

  • family

    What You Miss Most When A Loved One Dies

    After a loved one dies the things you miss surprise you. Small sucker punches all day long to the heart. They creep in the week after the funeral and you think I had no idea I would miss that.          Sensory Things After a Loved One Dies Of course you miss her smell, and it is visceral, the way you seek it, find it lingering on her shirt, a blouse, a blanket, even on a pair of sunglasses. That was my Mom. That was how she smelled and I never really noticed it until right this second.…