• active family travel - Travel

    Viamede Resort is a Gem in the Kawarthas

    April 18, 2016 - By 

    I’ve been dancing around this post for a couple of weeks trying to decide what is Viamede Resort? Is it a family resort? Is it a romantic weekend getaway? A summer cottage destination? Conference centre? It’s all that and more. The beauty of Viamede Resort is that it becomes pretty much what you want it to be. On Easter weekend my family and I were invited to visit Viamede Resort, a gorgeous spot on Stoney Lake with a world class fine dining restaurant that is on its own entirely worth the four hour drive. You can read more about The Inn…

  • dirty-oreo-cupcakes
    family - Food

    Oreo Cupcakes Are Perfect for Your Two Foot Tornado

    April 15, 2016 - By 

    Do you have a little mess magnet? Chances are if you have children, then you have a mess magnet! I have one of those. She’s a little tornado inside any room she enters. It’s hard to maintain a clean kitchen or living room, or any other space when she’s around. Once in awhile it’s okay to indulge that chaos and even embrace it. That’s what these worms in dirty Oreo Cupcakes are all about. These Dirty Oreo Cupcakes would be great for a birthday party, or a bake sale. But I really like the idea of making them for Earth Day.…

  • water_challenge
    family - Health

    Take The World Vision Canada Water Challenge #WorldVisionWater

    April 13, 2016 - By 

    All children should have the chance to grow up happy and healthy. Kids who do not have access to clean water don’t have that opportunity, which is part of the reason I am happy to take the World Vision Canada clean water challenge. A few weeks ago my family started the World Vision Canada water challenge. The goal was to get everyone here thinking about children and families around the world and the scarcity of clean water as a resource. It was also my intention to help my kids to see how many sources of clean water we have available to us here in…

  • multi_generational_travel
    active family travel - family - parenting - Travel

    5 Benefits of Multi-Generational Travel #travel

    April 12, 2016 - By 

    Listen to me closely. If you are in your 30s and 40s and thinking why on earth would I want to take my children’s grandparents along on a trip with us, there are a few things you need to know about multi-generational travel. Both sets of our parents have passed away and I wish more than anything that we had had the time and money to include them on our big annual trips together to see the world. My husband and I both always managed to go to the cottage together with our respective families and that was one sort…

  • family

    Free Monologue Sites for Child Actors

    March 31, 2016 - By 

     a Free Monologue Sites for Child Actors If you have a budding child actor in your home, I’ve put together a list of monologue sites focused on child actors. These sites can help your child build their acting chops and gain the confidence they need to try out for the school play or even answer a casting call! Build Your Child Actor’s Chops If you have a child with enough self confidence and drive to attempt being a child actor, you want to encourage that kind of creativity and initiative. Dreams are what make life happen. In that spirit, I’ve…

  • no bake easter treats
    family - Food

    No Bake Treats – Easter Bird’s Nests

    March 21, 2016 - By 

    When I was a child we used to make crunchy chocolate No Bake treats every Christmas. My Mom and I baked a lot some years and these crunchy treats were one of my favourites. I can’t recall what we called them now but they had egg noodles in them and chocolate and they really were a hit. With that idea in mind, I thought I would modify the old childhood recipe and create these spring No Bake Treats. These No Bake Easter Bird’s Nests are good any time of the year but I think they look colourful like Spring Flowers. No…

  • mystery-puzzle
    Printables

    Mystery Puzzles Package for Your Little Detectives

    March 18, 2016 - By 

    Do you have a sweet little spy? Are you raising a small detective? Does your child love decoding, or enjoy a good mystery? Do they like word games too? Then these children’s mystery puzzles will be just the right thing to keep them occupied and having fun all summer. Now be warned one has a serious travel theme so don’t print it out unless you are legitimately taking a trip soon. Or the happy smiles will be frowns instead. Nobody wants that. My kids have always enjoyed word games and I was no different at their ages. I have always…

  • lindt_app
    family - Giveaways - Parenting

    Lindt’s New Gold Bunny Easter App Gives Back #GoldBunnyStory #Giveaways

    March 17, 2016 - By 

    Easter is a time for family, but not every child has a family to celebrate with, which is why I was thrilled to learn that Lindt has created a story-telling app that aims to help. The Gold Bunny Easter App, celebrates the legendary Lindt gold bunny and gives back to Children’s Aid Societies in Canada with every download. Lindt Canada is celebrating the launch of a beautifully written and illustrated storybook app entitled “The Bell that Rang in Easter” My family feels strongly about Children’s Aid. I’ve spent 14 years helping to co-faciliate the adoptive parent’s support group at our local Children’s Aid. I volunteer to…

  • spring_word_search
    Printables

    Easter Word Search Free Printable

    March 12, 2016 - By 

    Easter is a special time of year to me. I am sure it is to many of you as well. My Mom was born around Easter and so this time of year reminds me of her. Easter is the time of year we used to get together often. It kind of kicked off the spring season. Birthdays, holidays and just any old reason to get together. Once the snow has melted and the roads are good to drive on again we would get together more than we ever did in the winter. My Mom loved spring as do my kids.…

  • spring bookmarks and daffodils
    family - Printables

    Free Cheery DIY Spring Bookmarks Printable

    March 9, 2016 - By 

    Need a simple craft for a book lover in your life? Or maybe you need something cute to put in the kid’s Easter baskets? These cute and cheery DIY Spring Bookmarks are the ticket. Are you a huge reader like I am? Are your kids voracious readers too? And, are you also exactly like my husband and I because you can never find a bookmark when you need one? I hate losing my page! I also hate not being able to find the bookmarks that should be all over my home. Sometimes I think they are like socks! Well, anyways…