• parenting

    Giving Your Child The Gift of a Second Language: Guest Post

    February 3, 2011 - By 

    In the evolving and sometimes depressed current economy it’s hard for parents not to worry about their child’s future. What will jobs look like 10, 20, even 30 years from now? What are the best ways to nurture creativity and resilience? How do you give your child a competitive edge? One of the greatest tools for children is language. Acquiring a second language early on makes a lot of sense. It is unlikely that the economy will stay terrible forever – but if current trends continue, children are likely to enter a cut-throat workforce. A good education is crucial in…

  • Parenting

    How Do You Answer “Mom, Am I Adopted?”

    February 2, 2011 - By 

    I write about adoption often. I travel and speak occasionally in different areas of the world about adoption and advocating for your child and other things like that. So adoption is a word that is heard often in our home. Not so much in the past year maybe, but that’s okay. I know that there are peaks and valleys and times when questions naturally arise again. I’ve started thinking of it like knitting. You pick up the needles and start stitching your adopted child’s story. Six months later you stitch a bit more. This month my youngest daughter started asking more questions. My youngest…

  • family

    Monday Mingle: Jan. 31, Foodies and Recipes

    January 31, 2011 - By 

    I realize that during my vlog I didn’t specify that the peppers should be hollowed out. I am sure you all knew that, but just adding that on now in case it wasn’t clear. Here is my state secret family friendly recipe:Ingredients: Green Peppers, ground beef, onion, garlic, soya sauce, spaghetti sauce, rice1. Take four Green Peppers (red works too.)2. Hollow the peppers out and boil them on top of the stove for a few minutes. Drain the water and set them upside down to drain.3. Microwave or boil about one cup of rice in a different dish.4. Brown one…

  • Giveaways - parenting

    Cheerios Blog Tour $50 Prize Pack Giveaway and babycentre.ca

    January 30, 2011 - By 

     Payton, wearing a Cheerios necklace, when she was about 14 months old.We learned fast to never go anywhere without food and we got creative too. Cheerios are fun to eat and fun to craft with.Take some dental floss and let your tot string Cheerios on there. It’s a fun way to take food with you and to help fine motor skills grow.  Should I give my baby fruit juice? When do I introduce peas? Vegetables first or fruits? When do I start cow’s milk? New parents are on the steepest learning curve ever, and yet often at the…

  • family

    The Phytozyme Cure: Review and Giveaway

    January 27, 2011 - By 

    I am not done with this book yet. Well, not in the traditional sense anyways. I have read The Phytozyme Cure from cover to cover in order to review it of course. Anything else would be unprofessional. But in a strictly literal sense, I am not done with this book. The Phytozyme Cure is a handy reference to natural health care and the ways in which various nutrients, minerals and enzymes can unlock and unblock your body’s potential. It is an amazing educational tool. For this reason I will keep this book for years as a guide for my whole family.  I am not…

  • family

    Thriftymommastips on Fighting Flu Bugs and Staying Healthy With Kids

    January 25, 2011 - By 

    Last year during the devastating and deadly H1N1 Outbreak I wrote a post on staying healthy and fighting flu for the Ontario Ministry and Mom Central Canada. This year, although the flu outbreak has changed and H1N1 seems to no longer be an issue here, we are deep in the throws of cold and flu season and people are calling in sick in droves, while reports of emergency rooms being oversubscribed and overflowing continue to make headlines. The other day Ontario’s Minister of Health Deb Matthews wrote a letter to the editor appealing to people to find alternatives to the…

  • Uncategorized

    Proactiv Canada Blog Tour: Final Reveal and Winners!!

    January 22, 2011 - By 

     The Before Photo  About 30 days ago I was asked to take part in the Proactiv Challenge and Blog Tour with Mom Central Canada and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Hopefully you will be too. My skin tends to be dry and not so oily. But I was excited to test this product anyways for my readers. Also equally excited that this well known celebrity endorsed system was now being offered in Canada.  My skin is definitely cleaner as a result of this Proactiv system and it was easy to use. I liked the cleanser a lot because…

  • family

    Getting Physically Fit On a Budget: Guest Post

    January 20, 2011 - By 

    This is a Guest Post Bio: Roxanne Peterson is a regular writer for various finance related Communities. She is a PG degree holder in Marketing and Finance and right now working in a bank as a relationship manager. She writes articles on debt consolidation , debt settlement, frugality, savings, economies of states etc. Do you always make a New Year resolution to become physically fit but you fail to keep it? One of the primary reasons may be that you cannot join a gym because you cannot afford to pay the membership fee. However, you should know that getting physically fit isn’t…

  • family

    Proactiv Canada Blog Tour: 30-Day Challenge and Last Chance at My Giveaway

    January 19, 2011 - By 

    A month ago I agreed to start the Proactiv challenge. The Proactiv system, created by two dermatologists, has been around in the United States for several years and is quite popular for radically transforming the skin of superstars like Katy Perry. So I thought I would give it a shot. At the least I was curious and, also in the back of my mind I was thinking too that it might be a product that my daughter, a tween, may need somewhere down the line. My usual skin care regimen is Avon or The Body Shop. My skin tends to be dry…