• family - Health

    My Word of the Year 2013 #Health

    January 3, 2013 - By 

      This time of year everyone and their uncle post about resolutions and goals to lose weight, quit smoking and so on. I am not the biggest fan of those resolutions, as they often set you up for failure in my opinion. I am, however, a huge fan of goal setting. Last year in 2012 I chose a word to work towards as a symbol of my year. It was abundance. And 2012 was that. Business grew, consulting projects flourished and new bylines in traditional media happened too for me here at thriftymommastips.com. It was an abundant year in many…

  • family

    Happy New Year – Here’s to White Coats

    January 1, 2013 - By 

    Last week I bought a white coat. What does that have to do with Happy New Year and 2013 and all those brand new resolution posts and articles? Well, I’ll tell you. My white coat is for me. Just me. I haven’t had a white coat in 12-15 years. Why, because I have kids. Every parent I know, every mom I know understands the complete impracticality of a white coat. Kids are messy. They sneeze and spit up and throw up and wipe various bits of junk on you even when simply hugging and spreading their love.  So, I have…

  • family

    Cooking With Kids: Cookie Ornaments #LMDConnector

    December 29, 2012 - By 

    Nothing beats a good old fashioned sugar cookie. My kids and I love to bake and so when we were asked to pick a recipe from the Life Made Delicious web site it wasn’t too hard to settle on something sweet for a treat at this time of year. We found ornament sugar cookies and I made them easily with my kids as a holiday treat. Start with a package of these sugar cookies and add what they tell you to on the package. If you don’t have the package itself, then you can easily duplicate from the Life Made…

  • Health - Parenting

    When Christmas Means Heartache #OHIP4IVF #onpoli

    December 24, 2012 - By 

    The Christmas card sent to all MPPs in Ontario on behalf of Conceivable Dreams This Christmas Eve thriftymommastips.com post is for all those who wait. For those waiting to adopt. For those waiting to conceive. For those waiting to go through IVF, in vitro fertilization. For those trying desperately to save the money to be able to afford IVF. For the kids too in foster homes waiting for families. Waiting is the hardest state. When everyone is busy reflecting on the past, or casting an eye on the coming year, I think it is important to note the people in…

  • family

    Does This Blog Makeover Make Me Look Fat?

    December 23, 2012 - By 

    Does my new makeover make me look fat? Just kidding. I am not one to ask that ever, because I just don’t believe in sharing that silly weight obsessed message with my girls.  Anyways, I had to share my new look with you. I am giddy I tell you, just thrilled that Greg was able to stay true to my ideas and change my logo to reflect health and care-giving as my themes. I asked for a more professional look and I think I got it. I asked him to help me highlight the fact that I am doing a…

  • family

    Paula’s Picks – Sports Illustrated Kids for Christmas

    December 19, 2012 - By 

    Looking for last minute gifts still? Here’s one that any kid would love and you still have time to get. One of my girls will be getting this for sure. My kids love magazine subscriptions as gifts. They already have numerous subscriptions to French magazines like J’aime Lire, and also National Geographic Kids.  I love giving and getting magazines because they are the gift that keeps on giving. Each month a new present arrives in the mail and my kids rip it open after school. My girls even take their subscriptions to school to share with friends and trade for…

  • Parenting

    Our Family Christmas Party #WordlessWednesday #adoption

    December 19, 2012 - By 

    The secret to a successful support group has been broken down and studied a lot in the last decade. Ideally annual meeting schedules should be divided: one third support, one third education and one third social. So, when a few parents and I transitioned our group of adoptive parents into a formal support group 5-6 years ago we took that to heart and made every third meeting a social affair. Christmas party, Easter egg hunt and summer picnic. This is our Christmas party. It’s often small, but an important tradition. Because when kids regularly see other kids who are just…

  • family - Health - Parenting - parenting

    Because Strangers Held My Baby First: Give to Children’s Health #MiracleMoms

    December 17, 2012 - By 

    I did not hold her first, but because they did, I hold her now. Before I even met my baby girl, she was here in the care of so many angels, nurses, doctors, strangers to me. The people hanging inside a framed picture on the wall of my eight-year-old girl would have been the first faces she saw, but as she struggled, her little body hurting, rejecting the world, others appeared swooping in administering. Her first few days were here, inside a NICU like this one at Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario. It is a place I had the honour…