• family - Food - Giveaways - homes

    Pass the Gravy – A Canadian Thanksgiving #Giveaway

    October 9, 2014 - By 

    It’s time for Canadian Thanksgiving. Yippee! Now pass the gravy. We have so much to be thankful for this year. In fact, if you live in Canada, I am pretty sure you all need to be thankful for the gift of geography and how blessed we each are to be living in a country so rich with resources. After my recent trip with World Vision Canada, I can tell you my perspective on gratitude and life in general has changed dramatically. Canadian Thanksgiving is a great time to share your home, your heart and a beautiful meal together. But before…

  • family

    Kickstart This #Blogging

    October 8, 2014 - By 

      Shutterstock photo by Leah-Anne Thompson It’s been a while since I’ve used this space for a good rant. So it’s time. Now listen here. I am thinking about starting a Kickstarter campaign to fund my great new idea. I think it will be something epic. But right now it’s just a little vague. To be quite honest, it’s really just a concept. But it’s a great concept. See, it’s a concept I have for a brush that will automatically clean itself. Cool right? Because, who couldn’t use one of those? I mean have you seen my daughter’s hair? I…

  • parenting

    Simple Halloween Party Games

    October 7, 2014 - By 

    With Halloween fast approaching, it is time to start thinking about all of your upcoming class parties, haunted houses and fun family events. This year if you are hosting or organizing a party for kids, these Simple Halloween Party Games are sure to come in handy. These classic fun games are perfect for your kids this Halloween. The following post is a guest post from Olfa at Our Kids Guide. Thanks to her for sharing these great ideas! 4 SIMPLE HALLOWEEN PARTY GAMES Bobbing For Apples:  This classic has been around for what seems like forever.  Simple, fun and easy to…

  • family - infertility

    Raise Your Voice IVF Funding Alberta Twitter Chat #abhc4ivf #abpoli

    October 7, 2014 - By 

    It’s time, Alberta. Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST. It’s time to raise your voice and make some noise on twitter. It’s time to challenge our notion of a health care system that is accessible to all. It’s time to tweet and talk and write and visit and share this message with the politicians in your area – the MLAs you vote into office. It’s time to tell them healthy families matter to everyone in Alberta and IVF funding matters to Alberta. By now you have to know the facts. I talk about them often enough here in this space.…

  • ontario_college_of_teachers
    parenting

    Three Ways to Stay Connected with Your Child’s School – The Ontario College of Teachers

    October 4, 2014 - By 

    Shutterstock images This is a sponsored post. I have been compensated. My opinion is all my own. If you parent a child that is in school then you will be familiar with this timeless afterschool exchange. “How was school today?” “Fine.” “Anything exciting happen?” “No.” “What did you do today at school?” “Nothing.” It’s the communications challenge of parents everywhere. Sometimes staying in the loop regarding your child’s education seems like an insurmountable task. So what’s an educated, involved, parent to do? Luckily there are a lot of tools available to you these days with digital assets and email to…

  • family

    Exclusive Launch of Gifts With Heart

    October 3, 2014 - By 

     This year I am tackling Christmas with a purpose. So, while this is an open invitation to brands to send me your pitches to be considered for inclusion in my gift guide, please understand that I am only accepting a select few gifts for this exclusive Gift Guide this year. The Thrifty Momma’s Tips 2014 Gift Guide will be focussing on Gifts With Heart. We celebrate Christmas here in my home and we enjoy the time together and the moments spent creating memories, even the moments just cuddling up and watching a special movie. I love this season. But with…

  • family

    Summer Days with Cousins

    October 1, 2014 - By 

    Summer days are my favourite. I mean what’s not to love? Summer days with cousins are even better than average seasonal sunny days we already love. Always have been and always will be, simply because of moments like this. I shot this random picture of Ainsley when her cousins were visiting this summer. Cousin fun is always special and it was a gorgeous sunny day, as you can see. Summer days are hanging out and leisurely swimming in the pool and sometimes doing day camps and being outside more often than any other time of year. Being out of doors…

  • Health - Parenting - parenting - special needs

    Learning Resources For Kids with Special Needs

    September 29, 2014 - By 

    It’s the time of year when updating Individualized Education Plans and getting all the specialists lined up again takes a front seat here at my house. This past week I spent a few hours juggling the numerous doctors and people I want sitting at the table when my daughter’s new IEP is revised. She has been identified now with a learning disability in one area of math. It took me four years of pushing the school to believe that and it also took a private educational assessment that cost us a lot of money this summer. But it’s all good…

  • Giveaways - Health - Parenting

    Levana Sophia Digital Video Baby Monitor #Giveaway ARV $100

    September 29, 2014 - By 

    Every new parent is nervous, I think. But new adoptive parents are a whole different level of nervous and anxious. We are crazy from the waiting sometimes and so grateful for our precious gift of parenthood that we can be hyper vigilant about our new roles and responsibilities. I can easily recall how we (mostly I) spent many nights hovering outside the door of Payton’s nursery. I remember how I didn’t trust that Payton would keep breathing all night long on her own. I read a lot about SIDS and I worried about the things that could go wrong. I…

  • Back To School - family

    Braid Like a Boss with Goody Back to School Hair Accessories

    September 16, 2014 - By 

    This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.caand Goody #GoodyTips sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post about simple braids reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. Back to school means racing out the door with lunches made and backpacks ready, and not a moment to spare. Some days, time is so tight that we scarcely have a moment to do the hair and teeth checks as we kiss them good bye and wish them a great day. Luckily though,as a Mom of girls, and a lifetime owner of long hair myself,…