• Travel

    My New Baby Blogger Brooke

    August 12, 2012 - By 

    Instagram courtesy of Brooke Berry (with her son)Brooke writes at http://www.hiretoinspire.blogspot.ca/ My blog thriftymommastips.com is on the grow again. No secret my budding tweens and school aged kids are far too old for baby items and toddler products too. Mine are more inclined to be asking to do babysitting these days than to be asking to review baby products. In fact, baby stuff is not so cool when you are eight. Although some days I wish it were so. Luckily I have a new and fabulous blogger Brooke Berry, of Calgary, a mom of three and a really lovely lady. So…

  • Travel

    LinkedMoms chat Wednesday night: Weddings and Anniversaries

    June 19, 2012 - By 

      (My brother walked me down the aisle almost 20 years ago.) There was  a time in my life when it seemed every season contained a wedding. That was a costly time. Buying presents. Time off work. Planning to book a motel for those out of town celebrations. Now sadly there are very few. More like every season contains a funeral lately as my older relatives pass away and my in laws too after lengthy battles with illness and cancer. There is no question in my mind which season I would much rather celebrate. The last wedding I attended was…

  • active family travel - family - parenting - Travel

    Addalock Review – Safe on the Go #Travel Lock

    April 30, 2012 - By 

    Addalock Review   Imagine a lock on the go. Addalock is a simple effective little invention you can toss in your suitcase and carry with you anywhere. When I heard about the device I was interested because safety is a huge priority here and because I have a child with special needs who wanders. Now, I am pretty sure that Addalock wasn’t intended necessarily as a special needs tool, but I can see useful applications here. My daughter from a very young age could get out any door and had very little impulse control, so we were hypervigilant, and we…

  • Stratford Festival Warehouse Tour
    family - Travel

    Fun Tour For Drama Queens and Kings: Stratford Festival Warehouse Tour #travel

    September 19, 2011 - By 

    Stunning hats, caps, crowns and bonnets One of the highlights of our summer was a day trip to Stratford, Ontario. Just under one hour from London, Ontario and not too far from Detroit (two and a half hours about) by car, there is a good deal to see and do in the pretty town of Stratford. This theatre town is well known for its lovely scenery, its trademark swans and world class theatrical productions. Since my children both are very dramatic and my eldest acts with Original Kids Theatre Company we were eager to explore the city. This year we…

  • active family travel

    Safety Tat Review: Keeping Your Children Safe #travel

    August 1, 2011 - By 

    My daughter using the Safety Tat on her arm at Disney’s Blizzard Beach recently Safety Tat goes on like a transferable tattoo but it has the thickness and texture of a bandaid Did you know that 90 % of families will experience losing a child in a public place? Almost everyone will remember the trauma of getting lost. And in the US over 2,000 kids get lost every day. In Canada, in 2009 alone 50,492 children were reported missing. When it comes to safety and public places you can’t be careful enough with children. And even when you are sometimes…

  • Travel

    Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration

    July 8, 2011 - By 

    The main pool near the grotto with 40 foot waterslide and one of the buildings in the background. Vacation silliness and the billboard near the kiddie pool. Ping Pong near the activity area and warm pool Overview: On our second big family trip to Disney and the Orlando area we chose to stay at an economical family friendly place. Our first family trip three years ago was epic fun and really incomparable because we stayed at a Disney Moderate Resort called Port Orleans. Port Orleans was a bit more expensive than our usual accommodations, but it was Disney A+ service…

  • Travel

    The Thrill of Last Minute Travel

    June 25, 2011 - By 

    My kids, my husband and I have had a lot of adventures and they have been successful and fun, save for one very difficult flight back from Jamaica a couple of years ago when my youngest who has sensory processing disorder, had a major meltdown at 30,000 feet in the air. But we dealt with it and moved on. (And so did some of the passengers sitting nearby.) My daughter was very tired and frankly a flight attendant might have avoided the whole panicky episode if he hadn’t been so insistent that my darling girl cram her blanket and favourite teddy bear into…

  • Travel

    Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Via Train Travel and Business Class

    February 20, 2011 - By 

    I am a frequent Via train traveller. For those day trips to Toronto, or the occasional trip further to Ottawa, you can’t beat the comfort of travel by train. And frankly with the cost of gas, sometimes train travel ends up being almost the same amount when you do the math. Up until recently, I always selected supersaver or enconomy class travel. I figured it was the cheapest way to go, so it made sense. I have often eyed the business class with envy and wondered what extras they might get for the price. At the end of last year,…

  • Travel

    Blue Mountain Collingwood and Plunge!

    September 7, 2010 - By 

    Blue Mountain Collingwood is a spot I haven’t visited since I was maybe 12 years old. When the opportunity came up to check out Blue Mountain this past weekend we were curious to see how things had changed. With my Lay’s Chip Trips once again, we were able to save a few bucks on this trip. In total a day for four at Plunge is about $42. We saved on one free child’s admission. It was a lovely treat to stay in Weider Lodge at the base of Blue Mountain and Plunge was a hoot. I’d very much recommend this…

  • Travel

    Wings of Paradise: Family Travel and a Butterfly Rescuer

    August 31, 2010 - By 

    This summer you will want to check out this little gem near Cambridge. Wings of Paradise Butterfly Conservatory is a perfect day trip for kids who are school aged. First catch of the day. Payton lands one easily at Wings of Paradise near Cambridge. Ainsley waited and waited. At first the butterflies swirling around her head were really making her nervous. Then she started to get a bit more comfortable and, when her sister proudly landed one carefully on her finger, well, my competitive six-year-old was not be to outdone. Here little sister finally had her moment. The Blue Morpho…