“You know how everyone else has a best friend when they are small and they kind of grow up with them? Well, it’s like we don’t get that.” – my daughter, 15, who has FASD. Recently we found a peer support group for my younger daughter. This has been a long time coming. In fact, I’ve basically been looking since she was old enough to have been diagnosed with FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) at 4 or 5. For years, we had nothing. No support. No local FASD parenting group. I mean, I had a loose group of online advocates…
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Seated at a work bench, my teenage daughter spins a bead of glass over an open flame. We are at Hands On Glass Studio, a small, friendly, glassmaking studio in Corning New York and she’s working with flame crafting something with her own two hands. Pretty much a perfect activity for a teen. Glass blowing, bead making, shopping and dining too! There’s a lot to do in Corning New York. Recently we visited Finger Lakes and explored the area for 24 hours as we worked our way through upstate New York. Here’s what we found and did while there. What…
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So many moving parts involved in planning a trip. Park Sleep Fly options can simplify your vacation, no matter who you are traveling with and it’s often an affordable option. This is a sponsored post which means I received compensation. Imagine planning a trip with multiple family members. Not only do you have to choose where to go and comparison shop for best prices and activities, but you need to book the flights, juggle the passports and snacks and negotiate all of the busy airport details. Then you drive to the airport hoping and planning for potential heavy traffic and…
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It’s the season for Christmas baking. The Amish know a thing or two about that. Here’s one of my favourite cookie recipes. These Amish peppermint mocha sugar cookies are sure to knock your socks off. I don’t have a lot of time for baking lately, but when I do bake, then it’s something I know everyone will love. Amish baking traditions are rich and have been around for a long time. What I love about these Amish peppermint mocha sugar cookies is that there are no really extra far out unnecessary ingredients. Most of the ingredients are actually pretty easy…
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I received Zing toys for consideration here. My opinion is all my own. Inspiring imagination is what play should be all about. When kids play, either indoors with a game or construction set or outdoors with their friends, their imaginations are what make it so much fun. In my opinion, the best gifts are the gifts that work towards inspiring imagination in our kids. Inspiring Imagination Indoors and Out Remember when you were a kid? Every game was so much bigger than what was really happening. Tag was a battle for survival. Hide and seek was a stealth opp. Those…
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Like the town it’s named for, The Cody Hotel is pure Wyoming. Cody is often called one of the last few western towns, and I could easily see why when I stayed there on the first night of my tour with Austin Adventures. The town itself may have grown and modernized itself over the years, but you’d never know it driving through downtown. When it comes to accommodations in Wyoming close to Yellowstone National Park, The Cody Hotel, ticks all the boxes. With great views of the surrounding countryside, comfortable accommodations, superb service and a distinctly wild west vibe, The…
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Oh my goodness we have rarely travelled as much as we did together in 2019. Now that ski season is almost here again my youngest daughter keeps asking: “Hey Mom, can we do a trip like we did last season?” Kids Can Reflect on a Fun Year Too! Last season, for your information we took an epic trip of 12 Days, nine to ten of those were straight days of skiing!” Yes, ski season was fantastic this year! I wish we could do an epic trip like that every single year, but it seems unlikely. Sometimes, these trips come together…
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With its panoramic, breathtaking mountains and wide open spaces, it’s easy to see why Montana is referred to as Big Sky Country. From vast mountain tops in Glacier National Park to the badlands, Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone National Park, Montana has numerous one of a kind iconic drives and vistas, each memorable in its own right. I travelled with Austin Adventures on a hosted media trip in Montana and Wyoming this Fall. Big Sky Country Nearly 13 million tourists annually visit Montana’s Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort and other attractions. There’s no place…
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How to Prevent Osteoporosis post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. According to the American Orthopaedic Association, more than 30 million Americans have a pronounced risk for developing osteoporosis, or low bone density. So, learning how to prevent osteoporosis should be top of mind for many people. Although women over the age of 65 are more likely to develop osteoporosis, this serious health problem affects men as well, and impacts nearly 10 million adults in the United States. In Canada, those statistics are also high. Two million Canadians are affected by osteoporosis. An estimated 1 in 3…
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It’s time for my Christmas gift guide! This year, I am starting with my recommendations for gift books. These were sent to me for consideration in the gift guide this year. My kids love to read. Do they pick up books as often as I wished? No. They often read fan fiction online but it’s still reading and literacy, so there’s something to be said for that. Over the years with teens, I have learned to pick and choose my battles. We keep bookshelves stocked full of books and we visit the library and use Kobo’s and other ereaders too.…