• family travel

    March Break Madness

    March 13, 2011 - By 

    Don’t be sad to be in town this March break, there is so much to do in and around the London area, that I am having trouble picking out the best events to hit with the kids on the cheap, of course. I aim to spend less than $100 all week on activities for March break and I am betting this thriftymomma can do it. First off March Break means Sugar bush. There are several around this area. The Kinsmen Fanshawe Sugar Bush is fun with guided tours and pancakes. They have a hotline to check conditions and etc. 519-461-1073Also rumour…

  • family

    Friday Finds For March Break!

    March 11, 2011 - By 

    Wow! Can I just say Wow? Apparently retailers everywhere are certain there will be shopping going on this week during the March Break when children are home and Moms are routinely, either: 1. overwrought by being home all day with the children and tired of hearing “I’m bored!” 9,000 times an hour or 2. thrillled they don’t have to get up and shuttle the kids all out the door, lunch in hand and backpack jammed with completed homework. Which one are you? I probably will straddle both categories over the course of the week. I like not making lunches every night and…

  • family - family travel

    Vancouver’s Coast Plaza

    March 10, 2011 - By 

    The View From My Window in Vancouver’s Coast Plaza Hotel Downtown near the shore in Vancouver I discovered this gem by accident really and I was very fortunate, so I wanted to pass it on to my readers. While in Vancouver on business at a conference last week I had the good fortune to stay at the Coast Plaza Hotel on Comox Street, near Denman Plaza. The prices were excellent and the variety of rooms plentiful. I understand there are some folks who live here year round inside the Coast Plaza and therefore some of the rooms are the size…

  • beauty products

    L’Oreal Youth Code Review

    March 10, 2011 - By 

    L’Oreal Canada is one of my go to cosmetic companies for affordable, gentle and quality products. Their facial products work well for my dry and sensitive skin. From time to time I have also used L’Oreal products and the Procalcium moisturizer has been useful for me in the last year or so, as my skin has started to show signs of aging and the stress of life, the environment and the job of being a parent. About one month ago I read on Facebook about this new system Youth Code by L’Oreal. I applied to test it out and was sent…

  • Parenting

    Birthdays, Babies, Wishlists and Wendy’s House

    March 10, 2011 - By 

    My youngest daughter has a birthday this week. In the crazy business of travelling to a conference last week and then coming back just to gear up for March break, the party planning process got put on hold. Yesterday I booked her party, at a local martial arts studio she loves, and quickly filled out the invitations. Then I asked her what she wanted for her big day. The answers were classic Ainsley. It made me laugh out loud to read it, so I thought I’d share it with you. Ainsley’s birthday list:1. Golden retriever.2. Baby Alive (the one that…

  • family

    Follow Me I’m Canadian Bloghop

    March 9, 2011 - By 

    Canadian? Have a blog? Then follow me on over to the Follow Me, I’m Canadian Bloghop. Enter your blog name and http address and your twitter ID or any other details regarding your social media sites. It’s a great way to meet others who share a common geography. There are no big rules, just the fact that you are Canadian is a ticket to enter this one. Also it’s not one of those stalker type bloghops where people leave you odd messages commanding you to follow them back or else!! In fact the rule here is don’t leave those psycho…

  • Uncategorized

    Professional Bull Riders at the JLC and a Deal

    March 2, 2011 - By 

    For some reason this one totally appeals to me. And I am happy to offer this to my readers. For the first time ever, the John Labatt Centre is playing host to the top bull riders in Canada. The show is Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. But if you order on line with the special code GSAS, thriftymommastips and the John Labatt Centre help you save 25 % off the price of each ticket. That means a P2 level ticket that would normally be $51.75 is now $39.25 with the code. Holy savings! I have never seen professional…

  • family

    A Bullying Dilemma: What Would You Do Next?

    March 1, 2011 - By 

    I am torn writing this and I hope that some of you can help. One of my daughters is extremely vulnerable to bullying. She’s a super sensitive gal and very bright and creative and she sings amazingly well. But at school, it seems every year we have at least one child who picks on ours or leaves a pissy phone message or targets her for no apparent reason. I’ll be honest with you. We have tried to give our daughter life skills to stand up for herself. We advise her to say “No.” We tell her walk away. We tell her…

  • family

    Saving Women’s Hearts: Giveaway

    February 28, 2011 - By 

     Pop quiz. (Answers at end)1. What is the number one disease that kills North American women? 2. Do heart attacks look the same in women as they do in men? 3. Is Omega 3 a helpful preventative to heart disease, or not? 4. Are you at risk of developing heart disease?5. Is an African American woman more likely to develop heart disease than a Caucasian woman? Which race is more likely to die of heart disease? Last year a good friend of mine had a heart attack. She is in her early 40s. To say that her heart attack was a…