• parenting

    Monday Mingle from Asheville

    September 27, 2010 - By 

    Well this week I am joining the Monday Mingle from Asheville’s Type A Mom Conference. Hope you all enjoyed the week and have a safe and happy one coming up. This Mingle was created by Jennifer at EightyMPHMom.com/So the way it works is you link up with the little mingle button on the side, visit Jennifer Regan’s blog. Record a vlog. Link up on her site and visit the other vloggers. This is a great way to grow as a blogger and to gain experience vlogging and maybe make a few friends too. According to a whole techie girl panel here…

  • family

    Type A Mom: A Top Ten List of Hopes

    September 22, 2010 - By 

    Well I have about 35 hours left before I escape – I mean fly to Asheville, North Carolina for the Type A Mom conference. (Husband laughed at me when I told him what it was called, as if to say Ha! You Type A. Hysterical!) Well, Type A doesn’t mean I am not domestically challenged. Silly man! P-Shawww!Anyways I am in the mood to make lists so here is my top ten list of what I really really hope to get out of my very first blogging/ social media conference. (Did I really just say that?!) While reading please sing the…

  • family

    Snow in September – mini review

    September 21, 2010 - By 

    Well the last day of summer is upon us and le premiere jour de-l’automne is here, so naturally my kids are making snow. Say what? Well Mama found this fun product several months ago and kept it for a rainy or sunny afternoon as needed. Supersnow is a powder product by http://www.dunecraft.com/ a company from Cleveland, Ohio. The snow is non toxic and recommended for aged four an up. Add water to the powder and stir. Instructions indicate that warm water makes it fluff up even faster. See picture here. My daughter, nine, who is clearly headed for a life…

  • Parenting

    Monday Mingle: Pictures of Adoption

    September 20, 2010 - By 

    Hello and Happy Monday all. So here we are again with a Monday Mingle and don’t forget to head on over to Eighty MPH Mom to visit Jennifer and the other Minglers. Don’t know how this one led me to an adoption vlog today, but there it is – maybe it is September. For my kids and for me September is a back to school transition month and for those who are adopted it can easily also be a trigger for memories – good, bad and otherwise. I think this vlog in some ways illustrates that. http://eightymphmom.com/category/monday-mingle-vlogs

  • parenting

    Monday Mingle

    September 13, 2010 - By 

    Happy Monday! Me again mingling with the ladies at eightymphmom.com. Thanks Jennifer for creating this fun way to vlog and gain some pointers on how to grow as a blogger. Type A Mom is fast approaching and meet the teacher night is this week and whew! my schedule is filling up fast. This time I am flying solo without my amateur videographer helpers. (My kids. Last week they taped me and cutely said “and cut” at end of vlog. Lots of you thought that was charming. Thanks 🙂 ) So let’s see how we did…

  • advocacy
    family - Parenting

    Advocacy – WIN THEN BUILD Philosophy

    September 13, 2010 - By 

    This is something I share when I do workshops throughout North America on advocacy. But because I know so many friends with children who can use this information I thought I would post a tipsheet on the topic. I call it the WIN then Build philosophy of advocacy. I run a non profit (Canadian Coalition of Adoptive Families http://www.canadiancoalitionofadoptivefamilies.ca/) in which I often use these tactics and I am a Mom and I have a child with special needs. This is what works my experience. Of course there’s more than one way to make things happen but this worked well…

  • school_lunches
    family

    SIX Questions and Answers about School Lunches

    September 8, 2010 - By 

    So your baby is about to start school and she or he is staying for lunch. That opens up a whole new world of school lunches. I have a bit of experience with thousands of school lunches over the years and I wanted to pull together some questions and tips that I often get asked by friends whose kids are just starting kindergarten. A friend of mine prompted this post as she found it helpful last week when I emailed her in response to a question she had about school lunches and leftovers.   Six Questions about School Lunches Q1: What lunch…

  • Back To School - family - parenting

    Activity Tax Credits, Mommies and What About Seniors too?

    September 8, 2010 - By 

    I am all for activity tax credits and fitness tax credits and anything that keeps kids active and fit and healthy. I can back that any day and, in fact, I would. I spend well over the $500 a year allowed by the federal fitness tax credit each year – $1,000 for a disabled child. I have some extremely active children and they need a lot of martial arts/ basketball/ swimming/ skating/ music/ drama etc. I claim every year the maximum I can and I tell every new parent I know to take advantage of the federal credit. It makes…

  • family

    Monday Mingle

    September 6, 2010 - By 

    Whoops almost forgot to give a shout out to my friend Jennifer over at 80 MPH Mom who started this vloggy fun on her blog. So Happy Monday Mingle. Make some new friends.

  • parenting

    Labour Day Thrills on The Cheap

    September 6, 2010 - By 

    Well, this is just a speedy post. Lucky for you my lovely readers. I was sitting here trying to sort out my nasty book blog template thriftymommasbrainfood that went insane on the weekend and I happened to think well there are a few small things I should pass on to you. Here is the top of the list. If you are the brave sort of Mommy who ventures out to restaurants with your kiddos on occasion –  I am not talking McDonald’s here, then you will want to know this. The best day of the year to take your children…