Well my darling followers it is still children’s mental health week here and there have been multiple workshops and various other offerings in and around town and still it feels like nobody seems to care. No press in the rag about town. Minimal audience at the various events I have attended and sadly this is making me crazy. Can anyone else say inducement? Or irony for that matter? Children’s Mental Health is a topic I am passionate about but it is making me crazy. Breathe with me. In 2 3 4. Out 2 3 4. There, that’s better. One in five children are…
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Looking for a fun way to spend a rainy April afternoon? Why not drive to Toronto and head over to the Art Gallery of Ontario to take in the King Tut exhibit. The exhibit originally slated to close this week has been extended through May 2nd, so if you missed this one due to timing you have one more chance. Trust me, it’s worth it. The last time the exhibit of Tut’s treasures came to town was 25 years ago. The ancient Egyptian ruler has captured collective imaginations for many years because he was so young when he ruled at…
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So it appears daughter number two is content to follow in daughter number one’s footsteps. At least when it comes to asking the very serious heart-stopping adoption-related questions. Up until now – she recently turned six – she has been relatively passive about her adoption story. She hears it but does not question it, at least not usually. Sometimes I wonder if she is even hearing me. But I repeat the words and rehearse the script, full of phrases common to our family now. Part of telling the story is learning how to get comfortable with it yourself. My elder daughter…
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This should be the review of the PG-rated movie The Tooth Fairy. But instead it is a post about flexibility. Not the kind that comes from doing pilates or yoga or any of that. The kind that comes from being a parent, especially well known to those parents of children with special needs. Anyways, what started out as noble intentions last week – a family movie with Grandma and me and my sweet kids, home for the March break, turned out to be what I can only guess was a full sensory assault to my little one, who as some…
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Love that morning cuppa, well this one is just for you. Although I really prefer my timmies in the a.m. I may be hitting Starbucks this morning for my free pastry before 10:30 a.m. Today (Tuesday) all Starbucks coffee shops are offering free pastry with the purchase of a handcrafted coffee. Make mine a tall cuppa breakfast blend and as for the free pastry, I’ll see what they’ve got that tickles my fancy. After all thriftymomma loves freebies. Cheers and enjoy your coffee.! P.S. Print this coupon or show it to the Barrista on your mobile phone.
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What would you do with a $13,000 Renocation? That’s the question Royale is asking in their grand Renocation Contest. Luckily this thriftymomma is part of the Royale Mommy blogger tour thanks to Jen at Mom Central Canada. Well, I have to think for all of about three seconds on that one. My cupboards in my kitchen are hideous and slate blue – remember when slate blue was in? Early 90s maybe. Anyways my kitchen is a dreary little room with one redeeming feature – gorgeous hardwood floors. So for us, here at our house, a renocation would begin in the kitchen. Kitchen cupboard…
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Looking for a fun diversion this March break for your school aged child? This week through Saturday Original Kids Theatre Company is running a production of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty For Kids: The Musical at Wolf Performance Hall in downtown London that is one of the best plays I have seen from OKTC. The spacious downtown theatre accommodates the grandiose production which, although only 45 minutes, is somehow still larger than life. Maleficent, the mean fairy, is a fantastic role for the young actress playing her. The costumes, props and set design are all incredibly professional. My kids were hypnotized. This is a…
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The quest for affordable family fun this year led us to Cancun, Mexico and a great new resort called Great Parnassus Resort and Spa. This one stunned us with the service, staff, family activities, food and great price. Everything exceeded our expectations from start to finish. The Parnassus is a 12-storey sprawling family destination on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The food was remarkable and the flavour very cosmospolitan. Many tourists here hailed from all over the globe and spoke a variety of languages, which was lovely exposure to numerous cultures for our children –…
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Today I registered my fiver for grade one. It’s a monumental occasion for many. It’s a big deal for me and for her. Everyone who has a child with special needs will get what I mean when I say that my heart is in my throat and my fingers are crossed as I tentatively prepare to ship her off to public school. I have had a big knot in my stomach since I left the school this morning. And to think there’s another six months before she starts. It’s not that I don’t have faith in our public schools –…
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As we rapidly approach Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the need to orchestrate your child’s Valentine’s card exchange or bake sale or various other important crafts that seem to take over this time of year. I find this time of year challenging – two kids with two class lists, various goodies and cards to buy, multiplied by lists that also come from various extracurriculars (Brownies, for instance and Original Kids). When it comes right down to it this means chaos this week as my children write Valentine’s for at least five different groups of kids while also juggling homework.…