• Health - infertility - Parenting - parenting

    Memories on #MothersDay #ABHC4IVF #ABPOLI

    May 12, 2013 - By 

    This year marks my 12th Mother’s Day.  That is nothing short of a miracle for me. I mean motherhood itself is often thought of as miraculous and wonderful, and a little bit magical sometimes too. But when you wait, and struggle and pass through the sad hallways of infertility hoping and banking on science, faith, community services like Children’s Aid, and friends to help you through to the other side well, then you know that when you get the honour of actually being a mother, it will be magnificent. Twelve years ago I had my own mother to share Mother’s…

  • family

    For Grandma – on #MothersDay

    May 11, 2013 - By 

    Yesterday my daughter asked me if we could keep the messages on the phone from Grandma so we can hear her voice. And I cried. Not knowing it would be the last time we might hear her, I erased them all last week. On Sunday my mother, their last living Grandmother, passed away unexpectedly.  I will miss a million things about her this weekend. My first Mother’s Day without my Mom. Today we buried my Mom, listened to tributes from her sister-in-law and brothers. And my brother and I both found strength to say a few words about a great…

  • family

    But I Am Not Done with You Yet

    May 5, 2013 - By 

    In the end, you think about the many times she danced through the living room holding the cat, with those tiny cat antlers it used to hate. The times she dressed at the vanity in her room draping jewelry on and your eight-year-old eyes thought it was magic. You dreamed she was beautiful and then wished years away so you could grow fast forward. You asked her to twirl. She did and spun you around. She held your hand and said I love you and then she gave you a kiss before heading off to the dance with a friend.…

  • family

    Five Social Media Lessons Learned From My Clients

    May 2, 2013 - By 

    Some of you know my job has evolved rapidly over a period of several months, from blogger for hire, to social media consultant and community manager. I love that social media strategy challenges me every day. I love many of my clients and am extremely passionate about what I do here. I started out on this path with a love of social media, pure enjoyment from tweeting, and a keen love of writing. I have moved on to understand marketing and public relations, and government relations too. Many of my clients have taught me a lot about best practices for…

  • family - Travel

    My Week Away from Twitter – Mostly #travel

    April 27, 2013 - By 

    I’m baaaack. Yes, Twitter you magnificent little vehicle for messaging, connecting, advertising, marketing, promoting and building friends I am back. I took a week off twitter, well mostly off twitter, Facebook, blogging and other social media, because of these guys. We haven’t had a vacation in over one year and let’s just say it won’t be that long next year. Kids grow too fast and Mom and Dad well, with work, school, extra-curriculars and so forth we were just a wee bit overextended there at the end of March. So I jumped at a holiday booked for us. I prepared…

  • family

    Kisko Freezies #LinkedMoms twitter party RSVP

    April 18, 2013 - By 

    Q: What’s more refreshing than a Kisko Freezie after the big game? A: A twitter party about Kisko Freezies, in which you can also win $300 worth of prizes.We are so happy to bring to you this great brand, a Canadian icon Kisko Freezie pops, as our guest May 8th at 8 p.m. EST. Kisko is well known at schools, because of their fundraising potential, and if you have kids then you probably also know they are 100 % safe for kids with peanut allergies. They are the go to Freezie pop for so many events and occasions.  LinkedMoms, @inkscrblr…

  • family - Health

    Dear Mom Camp Series – April – #MuskokaWoods

    April 15, 2013 - By 

    Dear Mom: This month for our third post about Muskoka Woods I am not going to hound you, or remind you about signing me up. I know you are looking after that and I can’t wait. Soon I will start my end of school countdown. I am getting so excited. I am going to let you talk this month here because I know you have a lot to say and I know you are still thinking about whether Ainsley can manage overnight camp yet or not. So, over to you and Tada!  (I always wanted to say that.) Your daughter,…

  • family

    Before You Ask Bloggers to Write For Free #blogging

    April 12, 2013 - By 

    A collage of a few of the brands I work with, or provide social media strategy for, as a business at thriftymommastips.com (Every week my email in box fills up with perplexing public relations pitches and blogger outreach programs. Many of these go unanswered. Then today I also received a telephone call – follow up from a local London company – that asked if I need more information about an email in order to post a tiny discount code for my readers free. I am compelled to share a letter I recently sent to a contact about the business of…

  • family - FASD - Parenting - special needs

    My #WordlessWednesday and a Linky #specialneeds

    April 10, 2013 - By 

    I am posting this because it is Wordless Wednesday and it’s past the time in Ontario where we should be doing this right. Supporting children with a disability is not a suggestion or an extra-curricular, or an add on for systems. It is the job. Period. Full stop. If you have cancer and you go to doctor, do they say to you sorry my friend we don’t do that. And yet consistently in Ontario where we receive this diagnosis we have no follow up, no support or help. Very often we do not even have schools that support our children’s…