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Twelve Home Safety Tips for the Holiday Season
We had a strange event in our neighbourhood last weekend involving one of my children. A person we did not know pulled over at the side of the road where my one daughter was playing with a friend and started taking pictures of them. The girls had been out playing on their bikes, in daylight, after school. Normally I can see my child out front. That afternoon I couldn’t see her, nonetheless, I knew she was riding her bike, helmet on, safe on our street with a friend. But the safety I take for granted was taken away when the two girls came racing into my house to say a…
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World Vision Canada Christmas Gifts – Party RSVP November 19 at 8 p.m. EST
Many of you who are regular readers here know that this September I travelled with World Vision Canada to Colombia. While I was there for the better part of a week I toured many of the area development programs where the work of volunteers and staff at World Vision Canada is changing lives. The experience was life altering and heartbreaking all at once. I saw children who had grown up with World Vision Canada sponsorship and become leaders in their communities. I recently wrote about Johan Espinosa who impressed me so because he has spent his life working with World Vision and has inspired others to do the same. It was an…
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What To Expect from the 2015 IVF Funding Program: An Interview with Dr. Marjorie Dixon #ohip4ivf #onpoli
This year infertility patients in Ontario welcomed the announcement that in vitro fertilization would be funded here as soon as 2015. Public funding for IVF would be a reality. Or would it? After that announcement last April, a spring election was called. That left many feeling worried that proposed funding would never arrive. For infertility patents in Ontario it was a roller coaster of emotions. But remarkably, the spring election resulted in a Liberal majority and the government did in fact reiterate its promise to support an IVF funding program in 2015. Members of Conceivable Dreams were overjoyed and hopeful with the announcement. But still, there has been little news from the government, and…
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Arianna Huffington Interview #WordlessWednesday
Last summer I attended Blogher 10 in San Jose. One of the highlights for me was Guy Kawasaki – social media guru and smarty pants – interviewing Arianna Huffington, who was a total breath of fresh air. She responded to his questions with razor sharp comebacks that were all sort of directed exactly where she wanted them to go. It was the most hysterical thing. She gave great responses and had everyone laughing. She was also clearly used to commanding attention in any room and she was promoting her new book Thrive. The crux of that seemed to be get more sleep and stop multi-tasking. This is my Wordless Wednesday.…
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Hot Collector Toys for Christmas #TMMGG2014
Mutant Mania arrived here this week and I originally thought, well this is just another trendy toy. But, then we started playing with them together, my daughter and I, and I really found myself enjoying these hot collector toys. First thing to know, these are not for teeny people under five years old or anyone who puts too many toys near their mouth. They are, however, extremely fun hot collector toys. The heads and bodies of Mutant Mania Mix and Match Wrestlers come apart and can be interchanged to make each tiny figure into something different. These are so much fun they make the grade for me in the school aged…
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Johan’s Story: What Becomes of Sponsored Children in Colombia
Johan Espinosa has been linked to World Vision for most of his life. He was sponsored at the age of five and grew up to be sponsorship coordinator in Bucaramanga, Colombia where I visited recently with World Vision Canada. His journey from sponsored child to inspirational leader building futures for sponsored children in Colombia is nothing short of remarkable. His story is a beautiful illustration of what becomes of sponsored children in Colombia. One of Three Brothers Espinosa was one of three brothers. They lived with both parents and their father worked, but they were still barely getting by. When you are poor, you often live a life…
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Public Funding for IVF in Ontario: Can We Afford to Wait? #ohip4ivf #onpoli
Back in April we heard the happy news that IVF (in vitro fertilization) would be funded in Ontario. Then suddenly an election was called and infertility patients were worried the promise of IVF funding would die before it even had a chance to be reality. But then, in an amazing twist, the Ontario Liberal party won a majority under Premier Kathleen Wynne. The Liberal government promise was good. The Wynne government confirmed that public funding for IVF in Ontario would be reality in 2015. It was a cause to celebrate. It still is a cause to celebrate. In Canada an estimated 1 in 6 people of reproductive age struggle with infertility.…
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Best Toys for Toddlers 2014: Fisher-Price Smart Stages Laugh & Learn Toys #TMMGG2014
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages toys have earned the first spot in my 2014 Christmas Gift Guide. Fisher-Price is a brand I love. It stands the test of time and continues to innovate. Fisher-Price has been a part of my life from the time I was a child, and as my kids have grown, it has been a constant household name. I love that Fisher-Price Little People toys are creative and special. This year the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages toys are my choice of best toys for toddlers 2014. Why are Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages toys the best toddler toys for Christmas 2014? For all the…
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My Traditional Christmas Gift Guide 2014 #TMMGG2014
Several weeks ago I announced my Gifts with Heart gift guide here on Thrifty Momma’s Tips. That Christmas gift guide 2014 is meant exclusively this year for gifts that give back to the world, or the community. Right now that means that it is dominated by World Vision Canada gifts. A gift from the catalogue there gives back to children and families living in poverty around the world. I have launched that guide and asked all my personal friends and family members to buy things such as artisan gifts from the World Vision gift catalogue. Many of my friends have informed me they are already doing that. Margarita Ibbott has picked…
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Best Brands Offer Customer Friendly Return Policies
The shopping experience can turn a loyal shopper off if the return policy is hard to negotiate Almost every customer has returned a purchased product for a store credit, exchange or refund at least once in their lifetime. The experience is often remarkably routine. However, sometimes returns do not transpire the way they should. Let’s face it we all have a return story that made us feel undervalued as a customer. An experience shopping at even a beloved regular store can make you reconsider where you spend your money if the chain ends up having not so customer friendly return policies. Customers will be more likely to shop in retail…