• family - parenting

    Conversations With My Canadian Kids About The US Election Outcome

    November 9, 2016 - By 

    It started this morning when my youngest got a text from a friend that stated: “The World is Ending.” “Mom, what does this mean?” “Well,” I said, “I believe she’s referring to the US election outcome.” Picture a giant question mark hanging between us. “Donald Trump won last night. It was close.” I think she said “No Way” or something to that effect and we ate breakfast in our home, in a suburb in Ontario, Canada. I told the news to my eldest daughter before she left for high school. Because I wanted her to hear it from me first. Throughout the…

  • gemmies
    family

    Gemmies Crystal Creations for Crafty Kids #TMMGG16

    November 9, 2016 - By 

    Gemmies Crystal Creations are the craft du jour for crafty kids this year. If you have a crafty tween or teen then you know the struggle. I am always hunting for things to keep them busy. Oh it sounds nutty, but my thinking is this – give them crafts and things to keep their hands busy and they will be less likely to build baking soda volcanoes in the bathroom. Laugh it up, but that’s exactly what my kids would do. Craft kits like Gemmies Crystal Creations are crucial to my sanity. In fact, craft kits are a big part…

  • shot@Life
    family - Health - Travel

    Every Child Deserves a Shot at Life -Vaccines Work

    November 8, 2016 - By 

    Every child should have a Shot at Life. All children have a right to health. But, in developing countries around the world many families face overwhelming obstacles to accessing life-saving vaccines. Shot@Life is an organization that helps and advocates for funding to deliver lifesaving vaccines to those in need. I visited Zambia as part of a fellowship with Shot at Life through the UN Foundation recently. It was an  amazing experience. Over the next few weeks I will share posts about that trip and the many clinics and aid organizations we visited. Yesterday I shared my first post about Preparing for…

  • zambia_fellowship
    Health - Travel

    Zambia Fellowship – Preparing For The Journey #VaccinesWork #travel

    November 7, 2016 - By 

    I’m sitting in a travel clinic getting a typhoid shot and a prescription for anti-malarial pills. Today this is what work looks like as I prepare to visit Zambia in October. It’s a Tuesday morning and I am talking typhoid, Twinrix, safety precautions, Canadian embassies and Malaria. Not my average day in the office. A few weeks ago I learned that I was one of the lucky journalists who received a Fellowship with the UN Foundation and an advocacy group called Shot@Life. Together with 2 other bloggers and a doctor with a regular column in a US newspaper, I will travel…

  • pom_pom_wow
    family

    Pom Pom Wow! – For the Tween or Teen Girl on Your List #TMMGG16

    November 3, 2016 - By 

    Are you shopping to please a crafty teen or tween girl this holiday? Then I have the perfect gift for you. Pom Pom Wow is a quirky, fun, craft kit with potential for hours of enjoyment. I should know – my girls have been decorating everything with Pom Pom Wow! since the kits arrived here a couple of weeks ago. Who doesn’t like Pom Poms? Pom Pom Wow! has numerous different kits and accessory bundles. We received several to try out. My daughter Ainsley, 12, got her hands on the Pom Pom Wow! Decoration Station one night after school. Now,…

  • carved_turkey_sandwich
    Food - Giveaways

    Try Subway’s Sublime Carved Turkey Sandwich and Give Back to Food Banks Canada #NationalSandwichDay #Giveaway

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    I missed Thanksgiving this year. Oh, don’t feel bad for me. I missed out on a big delicious turkey dinner because I left for a fellowship in Zambia the Friday before Thanksgiving. While you were eating turkey I was spotting zebras and elephants and visiting clinics to talk about health care policy in Africa. When I returned to Canada, I heard SUBWAY® had a Carved Turkey Sandwich out and I figured I might get a little turkey time after all. This past weekend was show week here. My kids are ridiculously busy girls. My younger daughter was performing all weekend in…

  • cold_Q
    family - Health

    Cold and Flu Season – Prevent Getting Sick with Cold-Q #ColdQtotheResQ

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    Cold and flu season is going to be vile this year. How do I know that? Well, that’s simple. My younger daughter and I have been sick on and off since school started! What started as a cough with my daughter spread to me. Then one of us had bronchitis. After that the two of us got a cold. Actually, we got the flu, but we thought it was a cold. Yes, cold and flu season is here, and it has not been kind, already. That’s why I got excited when I heard about Cold-Q. Make Cold and Flu Season Easier…

  • period
    family - Health - Travel

    Your Period and How Travel Affects It #travel

    November 1, 2016 - By 

    Your period is a normal function of your body. How your reproductive system is functioning can be an indicator of a bigger health issue. So it’s natural to be concerned if your very regular cycle is sometimes thrown into chaotic late, or abnormal heavy or even extreme light flow. Of course the first thing you wonder if your cycle changes or a period ceases to happen, is whether you are pregnant. But you might also start wondering if you have an illness. The truth is that if your period is late or you missed it all together while traveling, it’s probably JUST the traveling.…

  • breville_tea_maker
    Food

    Breville Tea Maker – Getting My Tea Fix in a New Way

    October 31, 2016 - By 

    The Breville Tea Maker is a new way for me and tea lovers like me to enjoy their favorite beverage. I’m a tea lover. I have been for as long as I can remember. My mom and grandmother were both big time tea drinkers, and I got that love from them. I love all kinds of tea – iced tea, hot tea, chai tea and tisanes too. You name a tea, I have probably tried it. That goes double for loose leaf teas. You just can’t beat them, especially in the cold weather. With the Breville Tea Maker, I can…

  • snapchat-safety
    family - parenting - Technology

    Online Safety and Snapchat

    October 27, 2016 - By 

    Online safety is a big deal, and Snapchat has become one of the more concerning apps for parents of tweens and teens. Because users of SnapChat can specify a time frame that a picture will stay on the server, online safety is a concern with this app.   What is SnapChat ? For those of you who don’t know, SnapChat is a video messaging app which allows users to take photos, videos, and add text or drawings and then send them to other users. This media – known as “Snaps” can be set up with a time limit on how long…