• homemade_granola_recipes
    family - Food

    25 Healthy Homemade Granola Recipes

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    I am not a crunchy granola Mom, but I do like to have options. And I really love having different healthy homemade breakfast and lunch recipes available to my family. Each of the members of my family love granola. So, I occasionally try to add it to their meals, or create something new for them with this great ingredient. These are 25 of my favourite healthy homemade granola recipes. The top of this list os Peanut Butter Granola from Bunny’s Warm Oven. My youngest daughter is the world’s biggest peanut butter fan. Combining peanut butter and granola will make her…

  • cruise_wreckers
    active family travel - family - Travel

    6 Cruise Wreckers – Things That Can Ruin Travel Plans

    January 24, 2017 - By 

    This post may contain affiliate links as a service to my readers. If you make a purchase as a result I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.   Cruise wreckers can jeopardize your entire trip. Don’t let that happen. There are numerous things you should know before you cruise, and I have written about many tips and tricks. But cruise wreckers can make or break a cruise for you. For instance, if you do this one thing wrong then you might miss your sailing entirely and that would be the worst possible way to begin a vacation.…

  • family - parenting

    Empower Kids with These Two Great Books

    January 23, 2017 - By 

    It’s important to empower kids. As parents and adults in general, it’s our job to help today’s youth grow up to be confident, well-adjusted members of society. One of the ways we do that is to empower kids by nurturing creativity and self esteem. I’m a big believer in this, and recently a couple of books that do just that caught my eye. Empower Kids with Learning and Creativity Although these books are quite different, their outcome is the same. They empower kids to use their minds and teach them that any goal that they set for themselves is achievable.…

  • cruise_checklist
    active family travel - family - Travel

    Cruise Checklist – 5 Things to do Before The Cruise

    January 17, 2017 - By 

    A cruise checklist like this one is essential to starting your cruise out on the right foot. You look forward to that holiday and you’ve saved for months. Don’t let a lack of preparation ruin it. Before you cruise, you should have all of your ducks in a nice, tidy row to ensure that your time is spent relaxing and having fun and not trying to work out unnecessary kinks in the trip. Successful cruises, like many amazing trips, often are the result of weeks of planning. I mean that’s often a huge part of the fun. Having a cruise checklist…

  • gluten_free_crockpot
    family - Food

    25 Gluten Free Crockpot Dinner Ideas

    January 14, 2017 - By 

    Post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I don’t know about you but I love my slow cooker. It’s a year round powerhouse. With a busy schedule like ours I need to set it and forget it. And let’s be honest is there anything nicer than the aroma of a stew cooking all day? Anything cooked in the crockpot fills the house with the sweet smell of something delicious for dinner. I know my crew loves coming home to that. I know a lot of my readers are gluten free, some by choice and some out of…

  • mindfulness
    family - Health

    MINDFULNESS – What’s Your Word of the Year?

    January 12, 2017 - By 

    Mindfulness – it’s the quality or state of being aware or conscious. To me, it’s being here, present, grateful and aware. My word of the year for 2017 is mindfulness, because I think that personally everyone in my family can work towards being present, when together or even when on their own. Being open and mindful of all our blessings daily as they happen is a gift. Every year I try to come up with a word that will guide my personal and professional life. It’s not a resolution exactly, but a mantra or philosophy. It helps me to move…

  • adaptive ski
    active family travel - family - family travel - FASD - parenting - special needs - Travel

    Adaptive Ski Programs for People with Disabilities

    January 10, 2017 - By 

    Children with special needs face challenges that other kids don’t. Whether their disability is physical, mental or neurological, children and adults with special needs require extra support with certain activities. Many ski resorts are getting excellent at meeting this need. I have seen some adaptive ski programs at family friendly resorts like Smugglers’ Notch in action. Some are super impressive so I thought I would share a list for families like ours. Adaptive Skiing Shines at These Ski Resorts Children and adults with special needs face barriers too many places still. So when I find a resource with adaptive or inclusive programs sometimes…

  • winter_driving
    active family travel - family

    Winter Driving Travel Tips – Staying Safe in the Snow and Cold

    January 9, 2017 - By 

    Winter driving tips are super important for so many areas of the world. It’s that time of year. The weather is frigid, the snow is falling, and along with all of that, the ice is here. Traveling in winter is about staying safe and protected from all of these things – ice, snow, and cold. These winter driving tips will help you get where you’re going and get there safe. Winter Driving Tips to Keep You Safe In my opinion, one of the biggest contributors to winter accidents is that people forget that you need to approach driving differently in…

  • family - Health

    Cure Holiday Hangover – Realistic Resolutions for a Healthy 2017

    January 5, 2017 - By 

    This post has been generously sponsored by Bayer.  The start of a brand new year is something to celebrate. A brand new start, or a clean chapter. But let’s be honest holiday hangover is also very real. You’re still tidying up the decorations, in the midst of cold and flu season and your health is bound to take a hit. So stack the deck and prepare for a month of hard work, fighting back with realistic resolutions. Instead of resolving to do something huge – like weight loss or dramatic fitness overhaul – how about several small but attainable resolutions. Let’s start…

  • 2016_refections
    family - Travel

    2016 Personal Travel Reflections

    January 1, 2017 - By 

    Every day is a gift and an opportunity to live, love cherish, explore and grow. Sad celebrity deaths and strange politics aside, I choose to celebrate 2016. As a consultant, tech, health and Canadian travel blogger, as a business person and a Mom, this past year exceeded my expectations. These are my personal travel reflections as the year ends. Travel was my 2016 word of the year. And I challenged myself to travel once a month every month for 2016. So how did that go? It went amazingly. I earned a prestigious Shot @ Life fellowship and travel journalism flourished. Here…