Summer around here means birthday after birthday followed by an anniversary or two, so in honour of a really great summer I am throwing a blog bash. Brands/ Sponsors: To take part brands need only contact one of the publishers below and offer a product for a giveaway. I am looking for one sponsor here to donate a great prize for one of my lucky readers. Suggested items: books, electronics, toys for school aged children and tween products. Also clothing items and summer travel or fitness related things. You must also send one of your book or toy or object to the Mom…

Ainsley one year at the Kids Expo Well there is no shortage of things to do this Father’s Day weekend if you are staying in town. The Fringe Festival is on through the weekend and so is Kid’s Expo. Kid’s Expo is a fun event at Victoria Park for kids and families. There are rides and treats and fun face-painting type things to do for the weekend and the weather looks perfect for it. If you are seeking a gift for Dad there are still a few ideas. Shoppers Drug Mart has some excellent deals on things like a Wii system…

Here, Home, Hope is a charming and easy read, a lovely addition to your list of summer reads      Here, Home, Hope is a charming, funny, culturally relevant story for everywoman. It is the story of what happens when your kids start to need you less and you question where do you go for your second act. Kelly Johnson can’t stop grinding through her bite guards and she is suddenly a weeper. She has what appears to be a perfect life to most of her neighbours and friends and yet, when her boys leave for their annual summer sleepover camp…

Free bowling all summer long!! Yes, I thought that might get your attention. When I was a kid we did a lot of bowling in the summer. My Mom was a teacher so we took the whole summer off together. Our small family often spent a lot of time searching out fun and thrifty ways to stay occupied without spending too much time on the sofa surfing the channels, barking: “I’m bored.” So we went to the beach and we visited Storybook Gardens every year. We mini-golfed once a week and we bowled at least once a month. This summer AMF bowling…

I have been in love with these vitamins for awhile. My kids like them so much they sneak them into the grocery cart when we are out shopping. When was the last time your kids snuck vitamins into the cart? Lucky Charms and cookies maybe. But vitamins? My kids over the years have used a lot of different vitamins. We have tried a lot of different brands and we have had both kids on Omega 3s for a long time. It’s good for their brain and their growing bodies. But no particular brand was really any different than the last…

So much to do today and I can’t choose. Well I missed my deadline for my Friday Finds. But I decided this week I would try something a wee bit different. I don’t want anyone to miss a couple of these amazing deals and events.  Today is the Ninth annual Birthday Party for the Children’s Safety Village at Fanshawe Park Conservation Area. It is on now from 12 to 4 p.m. and it is a lot of fun. Head over. Some years they do the trade in your old bicycle helmet for a brand new one. All free of charge!…

Got backyard? Then Veggie City wants you.I posted about this last week over at http://www.OurLondon.ca but I love the idea so much that I wanted to give some of my other London readers a heads up about this excellent London initiative called Veggie City. They have a blog too – if you are interested and want more information – visit http://www.londonveggiecity.com/ The group of young people who are employed for the summer through Youth Opportunities Unlimited to execute the concept of Veggie City and do the gardening for you Veggie City is a concept that originated in Guelph where it is called…

Happy Wednesday. There is so much to love about Wednesday. The first thing I love about Wednesday is my new cynergy class at lunch at the Y on Sunningdale Road and then there is my favourite show on TV. My guilty pleasure – otherwise known as America’s Next Top Model. Oh I know it is really sad, but I love it. Can’t argue with that, can you? My youngest child does riding lessons at SARI on this evening and I love watching. Occasionally I love not going to watch and taking a moment to blog books over at http://www.thriftymommasbrainfood.blogspot.com/ or…