• harmony of the seas cruise ship docked in port and a family of three in front of the ship. Mom and two younger teens
    Travel

    The Harmony of the Seas – Epic Fun Cruising

    April 5, 2019 - By 

    Updated with more details in April 2019 This year, we took a family cruise on the Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas. The biggest cruise ship on the water at the time. As most cruisers know the biggest is only the biggest for a season, if that. But we didn’t choose The Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas for its size. We bought in this time for the laundry list of amazing activities on board and the ports of call. Cruising with teens needs to be fun, which means you need to opt for a cruise ship with a lot…

  • Travel

    Vermont Family Resorts – All The Pretty Things At Okemo Mountain Ski Resort

    April 2, 2019 - By 

    With bountiful pristine snow-covered deciduous trees, sprawling Green Mountain views, long, wide, memorable alpine trails and a tiny, quirky, local downtown area, Okemo is one of the prettiest of all Vermont Family resorts we have visited yet. Located in Ludlow, Vermont, Okemo rewards visitors for braving the cold and embracing an outdoor lifestyle. A few weeks ago we set off on an epic family road trip. First stop was Okemo Mountain Ski Resort, in South-Central Vermont, where we stayed at Jackson Gore Inn. Vermont is always a spectacular choice for families, hardcore skiers and snowboarders. There are so many great…

  • yellow_sunflower
    Health

    Best Environmentally Safe Ways to Keep Pests out of your Garden

    April 1, 2019 - By 

    Your garden can be a calming, relaxing, and rewarding experience. You get to grow your own food and know that your food is coming from a healthier place than what you might find in your local grocery store. When it comes to having your own garden there are pests that can arrive to threaten your crop. If you have pests hanging around your garden and you are searching for some of the best environmentally safe ways to keep them out, then you’ve come to the right place. Check out my list of the best environmentally safe options to keep those…

  • OCD_child
    Health

    How To Treat Aggressive Behaviour in an OCD Child

    March 28, 2019 - By 

    Aggressive behaviour is hard to deal with for anyone. But, if you have an OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) Child, or a child diagnosed with a challenging mental heath disorder, the frustration and sadness they feel often spills over into hostility and aggression. As hard as that is to watch and to manage as a parent, it’s important to try to remember behavioural outbursts are typically even harder for a child. An OCD child, or a child with any childhood mental health disorder doesn’t have tools to handle all of the big emotions that go hand in hand with complex mental…

  • spring - daisies
    Printables

    Fun Spring Colouring Page Printable

    March 21, 2019 - By 

    It’s officially spring. This year I have shared some monthly colouring pages for your personal use. Today I figured you would enjoy this cute and fun spring colouring page printable too. It seems everyone looks forward to spring. I actually enjoy the winter months because of ski season. When the skiing stops I get a little bit sad. Skiers can relate I’m sure. Whether you love spring or sadly put the ski gear away and grieve a bit for the loss of snow, we can all agree the change of seasons is a challenge. Daylight savings time can be awful…

  • tuna melt in front of a stainless steel toaster oven on a grey background
    Food

    Make Cooking Easy with the Best Toaster Oven from Hamilton Beach

    March 21, 2019 - By 

    If you have teens, then I suspect you know my pain. They sometimes struggle with this desire to be independent coupled with a desire to let’s just say, conserve energy. Oh occasionally they shock and amaze whipping up a big recipe in the kitchen unexpectedly. But more often than not I still hear: Mom what’s to eat? Do we have any …fill in the blank here. So, what’s my solution to that? Sometimes I find it helps to stack the deck in my favour. I load the fridge with easy healthy snacks and I often wash and prepare vegetables and…

  • paula_ainsley_briars
    Travel

    Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing and So Much More – a 2-Day Itinerary

    March 20, 2019 - By 

    From the moment my youngest daughter burst forth into the world she was a flurry of activity. My sporty child, Ainsley, is also the one that made us realize we needed to embrace active living and sports of all kinds. Until she was about 11 months old, I loathed fitness, or sports, and more than anything I despised the cold. Embracing Winter CUT to 14 years later when I am sitting on frozen Lake Simcoe in northern Ontario peering into a hole, trading jokes, and warming my hands over an open flame while ice fishing. Okay, so it might not…

  • family

    Advanced Skincare with Good Silicon+

    March 18, 2019 - By 

    Let’s be real – Advanced skincare is a term we hear all the time. Every beauty company on the planet seems to use that term, touting the latest and greatest inventions in beauty care. At my age and stage I often roll my eyes at commercials promising dramatic changes to skin. However, when Good Science Beauty approached me and asked me to try their gender-neutral Good Silicon+ line, I was curious to see it because of the gender-neutral angle. Their new line of products, driven by science and packaged cleverly, with sustainability in mind as well, is one that’s refreshing…

  • family

    Level Up Your Selfie Game with These Stylish Accessories

    March 15, 2019 - By 

    Velvet Caviar sponsored this post which means I received product for consideration. I have been hunting for adorable accessories for a long time and had almost given up on finding anything unique. As a travel writer and blogger I need function of course but also want stylish accessories and often have trouble finding them. But no longer!  It’s time to level up my Instagram game taking the cutest selfies with this Blue Leopard Faux Fur Velvet Caviar phone case and my adorable new winter hat. Love that the clever new case provides full protection with shock absorbers, screen protection and…