• family

    Nerf Dolphina Bow Blaster: Must Have Toy for Summer

    May 26, 2014 - By 

    Pool toys are some of my favourites. We tend to use a lot of them when kids come for a swim and they frequently need to be refreshed. So I was happy when we got hold of this Nerf Dolphina Bow Blaster to test drive here for a bit of fun.   As weekends go this last two have been pretty close to perfect. Our pool is open and weather has been finally warm enough to make the water refreshing and inviting. We are rapidly getting accustomed to summer life in our new house and our new neighbourhood and frankly…

  • family

    Five Books to Celebrate the End of School

    May 20, 2014 - By 

    June brings little learners to the end of school. Whether this is the end of preschool, Kindergarten or a higher grade, it is a time of change—and the perfect time to celebrate their accomplishments thus far and to look forward to what they’ll do next. Here are five books to help mark this milestone in your younger learner’s life, to help them celebrate the past year, or the end of school, and look forward to next September and beyond. Last Day Blues (Mrs. Hartwell’s Class Adventures)  is about a class that’s excited to leave for summer vacation—but they don’t want…

  • books_about_dads
    family

    Seven Best Books About Dads for Preschoolers

    May 20, 2014 - By 

    Reading is such a joy. It’s the thing that open all the doors of imagination and potential for future. So important too cultivate a love of reading early. As a parent reading time can be such a beautiful way to bond and grow. It’s time to nurture the love for books. Dads are every bit as involved in that process as Moms are, and because it is almost Father’s Day I thought it appropriate to share some great preschool books here with Dad in mind. Here are a few books about Dads to opt for at story time.   7…

  • Health - infertility - Parenting

    Five Reasons Why Public Funding for IVF Matters to Maternal Health

    May 13, 2014 - By 

    Five Reasons Why Public Funding for In Vitro Fertilization Matters to Maternal Health:   1. The emotional and physical stress of infertility is magnified by the financial stress of having to figure out how to pay for in vitro fertilization. Infertile people often have to find $10,000 or more to pay for IVF. In many provinces in Canada IVF is not covered by provincial health care plans. In fact Quebec is the only province in which full funding for IVF exists. The impact of health care stress, compounded by financial stress, is devastating for the entire family. [tweetthis]Infertile people often…

  • Art of Leadership for Women
    family

    Growing Your Business Skills with The Art of Leadership for Women Conference

    May 9, 2014 - By 

    I am so excited to share with you news of the upcoming Art of Leadership for Women Conference. This year I am feeling the need to grow through networking and this conference is a great way to help me achieve my personal goals.    This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and The Art of Leadership for Women#YMCLeadership sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.   This is my year for growth. I am taking it to the next level. I am outsourcing, scaling,…

  • Parenting

    New Feature – #TheBlacklist Episode Recap Berlin

    May 6, 2014 - By 

    This is a completely new diversion for me here at thriftymommastips. Why? Because I have a slight obsession with NBC’s The Blacklist. In Canada, the season’s best new drama is on Global. That’s right. I’m a television critic now. Well, 35 plus years of watching television and I am finally able to say we are starting to get it right. The Blacklist kills Monday nights. The writing is outrageous and the plots are typically, though not always, top notch edge of your seat nail biting thrill rides. At the very start of this season I was intrigued by the concept…

  • the two week wait IVF
    family - Health - infertility - Parenting

    Five Ways to Pass the Two Week Wait IVF #infertility

    May 5, 2014 - By 

    The two week wait. Cue ominous music. In infertility terms the two week wait is a suspenseful, frustrating, stressful time. It’s the two week wait IVF or IUI. After what is often months, and sometimes years of treatment the two week wait is one of the final hurdles and it can be a frustrating time. Here are some ideas to pass that time without going stir crazy. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock Anyone who has struggled to conceive and undergone fertility or infertility treatment such as IVF or IUI knows the torture of the two week wait. The two week wait…

  • Public funding for In Vitro Fertilization is Efficient
    family - Health - infertility

    Taryn and Tyler’s Infertility Story – #abhc4ivf

    May 1, 2014 - By 

    This is the story of Taryn and Tyler, both members of Generations of Hope infertility patient advocacy group, in Alberta. It is the story of how a girl Taryn, learned at the age of 14 that she didn’t have a uterus and would need extraordinary measures to help her become a parent, if ever she wished to have a family. There are too many stories of patients in Alberta with health conditions that have led to infertility. And yet this province remains one without any financial support for in vitro fertilization, which is one of the most effective but costly…

  • family

    Self Esteem Booster Craft for Kids Six and Up: In Five Easy Steps

    April 23, 2014 - By 

    Self esteem is one of the hardest things to build and it can be destroyed so easily it seems. So, when I found this adorable self esteem booster craft recently I was happy to share. Because raising girls is hard work in this decade.   I heard a scary fact the other day when we were visiting a new therapist at Child and Adolescent OutPatient Clinic at the local hospital. A new therapist that helps with my daughter’s anxiety told me every single one of the girls she sees feels uncomfortable with their weight. Every. Last. One. No matter if…