• teen_mood_swings
    family - parenting

    Face Time and Weird Conversations You Never Dreamed You’d Have #Teens #tweens

    April 16, 2015 - By 

    This is another entry in the ongoing teen/tween mama diaries. Life is never dull with teens and cell phones. Raising digital kids is a special kind of universe. I heart my beautiful kids. But they also drive me around the bend regularly and sometimes on purpose, I think. I strive to not be mental from it, and yet there are days when I look in the mirror and think who is that frizzy-haired, wild eyed maniac mom looking back at me. Then I realize it’s me and start thinking up ways that I can get back at them when they…

  • family - Health - parenting

    Five Earth Day Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

    April 15, 2015 - By 

    Everyone should know a few Earth Day Facts. Climate change is a matter of great interest to many globally. We have been talking about the environment, the climate and Earth Day here for several weeks. One of my kids is working on an assignment that has an environmental component so this is top of mind. These Earth Day Facts are not well known to many, so they might be new to you too.   Five Earth Day Facts You Probably Didn’t Know Earth Day has been around for a long time, (the 70s) but it seems like it just started getting…

  • losing a pet
    family - parenting

    Farewell Hope The Guinea Pig – Losing a Pet

    April 14, 2015 - By 

    I know I am not supposed to have favourites but this little critter was my fave of all the guinea pigs. Hope was just a tiny little thing when we brought her home from the pet store. She was Payton’s guinea pig. She sadly passed away on Easter weekend. It was a really sudden event. Farewell Hope Losing someone or something you love is never easy. Losing a pet can be super sad for kids. My daughter was heartbroken. For those of you who remember we have had a slew of guinea pigs here at our house. The kids each…

  • family - Health - parenting

    New Limited Edition Mabel’s Labels Camp Combo

    April 14, 2015 - By 

    NEW Limited Edition Camp Combo **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I love these things! Mabel’s Labels Camp Combo rocks. I wouldn’t do camp without them. I need these every single year. They save my kid’s stuff. Summer is just around the corner, and for many kids that means summer camp! Mabel’s Labels wants to help ensure that your kids have a fun-filled, worry-free time at camp, which is why they decided to bring back their Limited Edition Camp Combo! This camp combo value pack is full…

  • What-does-ten-years-old-look-like
    active family travel - adoption and tweens - family - parenting - Parenting

    What Does Ten-Years-Old Look Like?

    April 12, 2015 - By 

    This past month my youngest girl turned 11 and we celebrated with a Minecraft cake and a sleepover and a family dinner at Lone Star Texas Grill. We all learned to ski together as a family in Tremblant the weekend before her birthday party. In many ways, that was the perfect start to sporty spice’s birthday week. This is the daughter I still joke never met a sport she didn’t like. The one who wandered off at Disney when she was four and nearly gave me a heart attack on the spot. The one who sported my eye shadow the…

  • Microsoft-summit-for-21st-century -learners
    family - parenting - special needs - Technology

    Microsoft Summit on 21st Century Learners – EVENT in Windsor, Ontario, April 11 Geared Towards Teachers

    April 9, 2015 - By 

    When I see educational opportunities like this Microsoft Summit on 21st Century Learners happening nearby in Windsor, Ontario I get excited, for several reasons. I am a parent of two children who are still in grade school. Digital kids. I arm both of my girls daily with technology at home and at school and I am abundantly aware of how they absorb media and how they learn. It’s radically different than how I learned 20 to 30 years ago.  Only 20 to 30 years ago we trotted off to school with books and pencils and paper. Now kids carry tablets,…

  • Reese's-Peanut-Butter-Fudge
    family - Food

    Easy Reese’s Peanut Butter Fudge

    April 9, 2015 - By 

    FUDGE!! Who doesn’t love fudge? Seriously. If you don’t love fudge I am not sure you are a person I can trust as a human being. It’s just not natural. I love fudge. I have lately had some challenges getting fudge right though. So when this Reese’s Peanut Butter Fudge turned out, well I was super happy and felt I needed to share it with you. So here you go my friends: Reese’s Peanut Butter Fudge recipe is below. It’s a mighty good thing this turned out because if it hadn’t and I wasted all those yummy peanut butter cups my kids…

  • basketball
    family - Health - parenting

    Basketball #WordlessWednesday #Linky

    April 7, 2015 - By 

    I am the proud owner of a jock. It’s true. Never met a sport she didn’t like. No, strike that. Love. Straight As in phys ed all of her young life. Which makes me laugh because my phys ed marks were pretty much the only ones that were never As. So I signed her up for basketball. And she loves it. I enjoy watching her play sometimes. Mostly I just enjoy seeing her do something she is good at that she also loves. My jock. This is a Wordless Wednesday post. Go ahead and link up and don’t forget to…

  • Dora The Explorer Live Show in London
    family - parenting

    Dora The Explorer Live Show in London April 13th

    April 6, 2015 - By 

    Dora The Explorer Live Show in London DududududududDDDDDDORA!! Even now with a teenager and a tween, I still hear that catchy Dora tune! Hard to resist. What did I love about Dora, as a parent? Well, Dora was a cute, smart and curious little girl. I am a parent of girls and I nurture curiosity. So I loved that. Dora was a polite character without all that snark or sarcasm that is sometimes on television. She is wholesome. I know that’s a strange, and maybe inadequate, word for what I am describing, but Dora was, and still is, a child…

  • family - parenting

    Five Indoor Chores Most Kids Can Do and a Reward Chart Printable

    April 6, 2015 - By 

    Indoor chores are simple for any age. If your children are old enough to stand at the sink then they are also old enough to learn to help. There are many small simple indoor chores even toddlers can help with daily. The trick is making any job fun and encouraging them along the way. We have a few rules at our house. One of them is that we all strive to be respectful. That is a work in progress some days, because my kids are now 11 and 13 and they often argue a lot. But even when they do that…