• Travel

    Bruce County Travel – Exploring the Bruce

    August 19, 2013 - By 

      All the summers of my childhood were spent with my Mom and brother on the beaches along the Bruce Peninsula. They were leisurely Bruce County summers spent sunning ourselves, swimming, growing.   Exploring Bruce County Travel Attractions  From the time my kids were little, we maintained the Bruce County summer tradition. This year, before we headed up to the beach for a week at a rented cottage I checked out a few web sites to see what was new and what we might add to our week. Tweens are fun to travel with and mine have been visiting the…

  • Travel

    Old School, Meet Digital #WordlessWednesday #travel

    August 14, 2013 - By 

    This was an epic moment for me. Chicago and Blogher13.  I just had to see The Chicago Tribune. A long way from the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, and Ryerson Journalism school and London Free Press. I’ve had bylines a lot of places over the years: from The Kamloops News to the Free Press, the Record, the Toronto Sun, Today’s Parent and Canadian Family, and dozens of small dailies, plus my favourite moment, a few published essays in the Globe and Mail. But standing inside the lobby of this grand lady, I remembered why I got into this business of writing. 

  • FASD - Health - special needs - Travel

    A Word Called Inclusion: #Specialneeds at Camp

    August 13, 2013 - By 

    Remember this? Two weeks ago, when I was heading off to Chicago, I was still agonizing over whether Ainsley, my busy, sporty girl with special needs, could handle sleep away camp. I wrote a whole post about children with special needs at camp. Parents of special needs children are used to worrying. We worry about finances, and school, and life when we are gone. We worry our kids may never be able to cope fully, and enjoy, and be supported in the world without us. We worry with good reason, because frankly I have seen systems and systemic failures for children…

  • Food - Travel

    Cheezborger #Travel #WordlessWednesday #Linky

    July 31, 2013 - By 

    Cheezborger, Cheezborger. Chips no Fries. Our last afternoon in Chicago we wanted something fast to eat and the Embassy Suites bell boy recommended this place, which I had never ever heard of, but is apparently a legend from Saturday Night Live Days. We walked in (Margarita Ibbott and I ) and it was totally skeevy. I tried to order something other than a cheeseburger and I thought the cook was going to lunge across the counter and strangle me. Good thing I didn’t ask him for french fries which is what I was really craving. This is a Wordless Wednesday…

  • family - Travel

    Win a Family Trip to Syracuse ARV $950

    July 30, 2013 - By 

    Welcome to the Syracuse Family Getaway Giveaway! This Giveaway is made possible by the Syracuse Tourism Organization! HOSTED BY: OTTAWA MOMMY CLUB CO-HOSTED BY: CANADIAN BLOG HOUSE ~ JOURNEYS OF THE ZOO ~ LIFE IN PLEASANT VILLE ~ SHANNON’S VIEW FROM HERE GETAWAY PACKAGE: 1 room with 2 double beds for 2 nights at Double Tree Hotel by Hilton for a family of four with buffet breakfast for four each morning based on availability. Valid through 4/30/14 4 Tickets (2 adult & 2 children) to the Pole Position Raceway in DestinyUSA 4 tickets (2 adult & 2 children) to the…

  • family travel - Travel

    First Day in Chicago #Blogher13 #travel #health

    July 28, 2013 - By 

    Day One in Chicago and we celebrated with a Sea Dog Cruise at Navy Pier, hosted by Madame Deals. The architectural and fireworks cruise was a fantastic way to see the night landscape in Chicago and a fun chance to catch up with some blogging friends. I woke up super early and grabbed a taxi to Margarita’s house where I knocked on the door at 4 a.m. and had no answer. Panicking just a wee bit, thinking she left without me, I rang her doorbell and she answered: “I hit snooze.” Half an hour later we were on the highway…

  • active family travel - Health - infertility - Parenting - parenting - special needs

    Hoping for Okay: Sending A Special Needs Child To Camp

    July 23, 2013 - By 

    Sending kids with special needs to camp is never simple. You have to vet camps hard to find one that might be capable of handling your children. Oh I know most make mention of inclusive policies and such. But, I have seen how this works in practice sometimes and it doesn’t. So, forgive me while I hold my breath and pray that this camp works this time. This morning, I woke fingers crossed and holding my breath. Today I have both kids at camp. No fires to put out. No demands beyond work. No calls from the camp stating: “What…

  • Travel

    Almost Ready My #Blogher13 #travel To Do List

    July 19, 2013 - By 

    It’s almost time again for #Blogher13 and I am happy to say I am almost ready. I have spent a large part of this week getting things in order. Of course it helped a wee bit that my kids have been enjoying Modern Martial Arts day camp in town. Awesome week for them equals much work done here.  My Conference Prep List. 1. Hair. Check. Cut and Freshened Up (I’m not about to say dyed so get over yourself.) 2. Pedicure. Done. Chicago Champagne shade of OPI nail polish (how could I resist as I am heading to Chicago for…

  • Travel

    Blue Mountain Resorts Summer Activity

    July 8, 2013 - By 

    Skiing, snowboarding, skating. Blue Mountain Resorts and winter go hand in hand, but what do you know about summer at Blue Mountain Resorts? What can there possibly be to do in the summer? Turns out there’s activity around every corner at Blue Mountain these days. My kids are nothing if not active, so when Blue Mountain Resorts invited us to stay with them in June and test drive some of their great activities, well giddy up I said. Bring it on. What Can You Do in Summer at Blue Mountain Resort? We arrived on a Wednesday in a spell of…

  • Giveaways - Travel

    Global Resort Homes Great #Giveaway #GRHCanadaNow

    July 5, 2013 - By 

    Follow my blog with Bloglovin Imagine a place where the pool never closes. Just close enough to all the major Orlando theme parks. Your own private home with kitchen and as much privacy as you wish. Thriftymommastips.com is sharing this epic giveaway opportunity with you. Here’s hoping one of my lucky readers hits the jackpot.I hope to be able to visit this hotspot myself some time this year. Several friends have been to Global Resort Homes and have nothing but excellent memories of their stay.  Kidsumers has been there twice now and has a great post on what to expect…