• Back To School

    Five Back to School Necessities for Tweens #TMMBTS

    August 27, 2014 - By 

    Zwipes It’s so close to the first day of school I can almost hear the ringing of the bell from here. Oh wait, maybe that’s the ringing in my ears from the horrific screams of my children wanting to stay home a bit longer. In any case, school is so much sweeter when you start a new grade with the right tools. Lucky for you, I can tell you what they are. Five Back to School Necessities 1. Zwipes: Hello, how perfect is that for my teen? She can customize with accompanying pen and doodle how she wants. This binder…

  • school_year
    Back To School

    Start the School Year with Mabel’s Labels #TMMBTS

    August 25, 2014 - By 

    Getting ready for school starts with some of these waterproof bag tags from Mabel’s Labels   It all starts here. The Back to School routine for me every year starts with Mabel. Because kids are forgetful – some more than others. And stuff goes missing every school year, but not for long with Mabel. Mabel’s Labels Ultimate Back-to-School Combo is perfect for every family. We label most things here the week before school. I love that you can personalize the labels easily as kids grow. My Ainsley started her preschool career with a symbol. She was a bumblebee. So Mabel’s…

  • Back To School - parenting

    Last Chance for Back to School Week #TMMBTS

    August 24, 2014 - By 

    Ainsley’s backpack is from Hilroy Canada Well here we are almost the end of August. Tear. Tear. Sad panda face. I love me a good summer break. Mostly, I love beautiful weather and gorgeous hot sunny beaches. But I can see the writing on the wall and it spells: Back to School. So this coming week is all about Back to School at Thrifty Momma’s Tips. This coming week, or two if I need to go longer with the amount of stuff I want to highlight here, will be dedicated to bringing my readers all the best products. The cutest…

  • FASD - Health - Parenting - special needs

    It’s almost Back to School Time. Hold Me.

    August 22, 2014 - By 

      shutterstock Is that the sound of my sanity snapping? I think it could be. Here I am ALMOST at the end of August. In denial? Sure. Freaking out? Absolutely. WHERE DID MY SUMMER GO? So here it is, almost back to school time. The most wonderful time of the year. Right? RIGHT?? You know that commercial with the “That Was Easy” theme. Press a button and send them back to school with new supplies and then do a little happy jig that summer is over. Well, I kind of wish they had a version of that for special needs…

  • active family travel - family

    The Beach #WordlessWednesday linky

    August 20, 2014 - By 

    Every summer we travel to the beach with kids. Most summer vacations mean that we all get together and meet up with cousins in Georgian Bay, Ontario’s cottage country. It’s not possible every single year but it is something we enjoy doing as often as we are able. The beach is a happy relaxed place where we can always connect with family and just chill. Last week we went to the beach with my bother-in-law and sister-in-law. The highlight of that type of break is always all about seeing the cousins play together. This year there was swimming, but as…

  • family - homes

    Office Chairs That Work #InkscrblrATWork

    August 15, 2014 - By 

    This is the second post in a series about decorating my new home office. Thrifty Mom Media headquarters is now almost 100 % complete. I have maybe two more things to hang on the walls and I am still hunting madly for some drapes that are the right size and colour. Then it will be complete and all will be right with the world.   The final office space BEFORE Office Chairs – now resides in my daughter’s room I have been a freelancer for several years and so I have worked at home in one capacity or another for…

  • active family travel - family - parenting - special needs - Travel

    Five Tips for Train Travel with Special Needs Children

    August 12, 2014 - By 

    I love to travel by train – usually. I can work all the way and my wasted time is minimized. Plus, typically train travel is very economical. This summer my kids and I travelled to Montreal and Ottawa by train. That’s a substantial amount of time spent riding, and also a lot of transferring to different connecting trains. We travel every year by train together at least once. As some of my readers know special needs kids require a bit more planning when travelling anywhere, in any mode of transport. I have one anxious child, and another with a brain…

  • family - Health - parenting - Travel

    Cottage Road Trip Memories #travel

    August 11, 2014 - By 

    Cottage Road Trip From the time I was a baby I spent my summers at the cottage. I have seen the pictures of me sleeping in the portable crib, and I remember the many years we took this week for family time, indulging in the opportunity to grow together. The routine of road trip and cottage travel is well mapped on my memory, etched on my skin in every single freckle and carved deep in the veins that lead to my heart. A school teacher relishes summer like no other professional I have ever known. They seize it and wring…

  • butterscotch_pudding
    Back To School - Food - Giveaways

    Back to School Butterscotch Pudding #giveaway

    August 9, 2014 - By 

    Bring on the butterscotch pudding. By the end of September every parent around will be searching for new lunch ideas and snacks to pack in children’s lunches. It doesn’t take long to run out of ideas each school year. But this year I have a great butterscotch pudding snack I am happy to have found for the kid’s lunches. Puddin’ SqueeZ pudding on the go snacks that will clearly kick things up a notch. Let’s be honest. Back to School is not my favourite time of year. Reason number one: the fall signifies the start of the miserable weather slide that ends…

  • family - Health - parenting - Parenting

    A Mother’s Arms #WordlessWednesday

    July 30, 2014 - By 

    My daughter Payton took this picture of me with Ainsley. It makes me happy because this was the day we were heading to see Katy Perry in Ottawa. It was our girl’s week in Montreal and Ottawa, right before the kids went to camp. It was also a reminder that your arms are never empty when you are a mother. That is one of life’s biggest blessings.