• Health - special needs

    Ten Ways to Help a Child with FASD

    March 11, 2014 - By 

    For the first five years of my daughter Ainsley’s life we spent countless resources trying to figure out ways to help manage her disability. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is incredibly tricky to diagnose, and then to manage on an average day. FASD is fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, an invisible brain injury brought on my prenatal alcohol exposure.   In Ontario we are likely 15 years behind the autism movement and advocacy effort. I have been told this by many experts in the education and health care fields. So, in the province where I live we have very limited resources right now.…

  • Health

    Hey Mom, What’s a Bong? Answering Kid’s Drug Questions

    March 4, 2014 - By 

    Kids really do say the darndest things. Usually when I am driving. It’s a minor miracle I don’t crash the minivan with their constant random Nattering questions and hijinks. I’ve heard Mom, did birth mom have any other kids? And can I meet her now? Like tonight? Also random statements like: We aren’t biologically related, right? Then there’s always: Do you miss Grandma? Does Daddy miss his Mom? Do you know why the sky is blue? Did you ever smoke? Did Daddy smoke? Here’s me driving along thinking, ‘Hey what’s for dinner? What did I thaw? Did I forget to…

  • family

    Disney Live: Make Your Own Mickey Mouse Ears

    February 16, 2014 - By 

    I am so happy to be able to share another amazing Disney Live family show with you all. Stay tuned next week for a giveaway here on Thrifty Momma’s Tips. But for now I wanted to share a discount code in case you want to go buy some tickets to see this fun family show. Disney Live Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show takes place in March at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario. March 16th to be exact. Use Discount code MUM4 to save. Come back next week to win. Join Mickey and all his pals as they take a road trip…

  • childhood anxiety
    Health - special needs

    Vaccine Drama: 5 Ways to Help with Needle Anxiety

    February 11, 2014 - By 

    Needle anxiety, or needle phobia, is very real for many kids and adults. One of my girls has anxiety, which is extremely pronounced around needles. When she was a baby she never balked at getting her vaccines. She was happy go lucky and hardly noticed at all. Then in the blink of an eye at around school age she started to be a worrier.   She worried about everything. I worried that she was worrying too much. Anyways you get the idea. We plugged in some supports and she manages most days very well. She has strategies. But the one area…

  • family

    Handmade Snowy #DIY Simple Christmas Ornament

    December 17, 2013 - By 

    Are you a fan of simple DIY Christmas ornaments the kids can make with you using inexpensive materials? Well, here’s one of the easiest ornaments I have found yet. It requires paint, an ornament and your child’s handprint. Trust me this will become a cherished Christmas ornament from here on in.   Looking for a few Simple DIY Christmas Ornament ideas? Then I have a Do it Yourself ornament idea for you. DIY Easy Christmas Ornament Normally this time of year we have a big beautiful real tree, decorated to match our living room, spreading pine scented love throughout the…

  • Parenting

    National Adoption Month – and I See Me Books Giveaway

    October 24, 2013 - By 

    This I See Me Books Giveaway contains affiliate links as a service to readers. November is National Adoption Month, so I wanted to feature some adoption friendly merchants and brands here. Look for more this coming month. I found I See Me quite by happenstance. National Adoption Month and Merchandise I See Me has an incredible array of personalized products that you can order for your child. That’s pretty fun and unique, but what really got me excited was the Adoption section on their web site. It’s not overtly specific to adoption only. But it is applicable to adoptive families,…

  • how_do_I_get_rid_of_monsters
    parenting

    How Do I Get Rid of Monsters?

    August 1, 2013 - By 

    How do I get rid of Monsters? Every single parent knows there comes a time when you ask yourself how do I get rid of monsters? How do I get my child to stop thinking there are monsters hiding in the closet or under the bed? How to get rid of monsters is something you will get good at. Trust me.   We have found several ways to get your child to sleep again. At one point my youngest was super convinced there were monsters hiding in her closet. Luckily that passed, but not without a bit of work on our part.…

  • Health - infertility

    We’ve Been Trying Since I Was 25: An Infertility Story #ivf4on #onpoli

    June 12, 2013 - By 

    Ashley and Brandon Powell Ashley Powell is 29, diagnosed with PCOS and she has exhausted most of her options trying to get pregnant. Ashley ’s infertility story starts back at puberty. She had her first period at 13. But it took a full year before her next period arrived. Her menstrual cycles have always been erratic and painful. Powell typically had only 4-8 periods each year and they were extremely painful. In college she was diagnosed with Polycystic ovarian syndrome and referred to a gynecologist. The doctor told her she might have trouble conceiving and that has been proven repeatedly.…

  • FASD - parenting - special needs

    Sari Therapy Riding #wordlesswednesday #ldnont

    May 22, 2013 - By 

    A girl and her horses. She loves them all and could not live without Sari therapy riding. In 2010, I went to a workshop in Alberta that stressed how mental health and disability, and brain injury such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, was not currently done well through traditional therapy and cognitive behavioural approaches. I already intuitively new that but it was nice to have confirmation of it from the experts. I learned at that conference that many people were having success with animal assisted therapies and therapy riding too. So I started looking into it when I got back…

  • family - special needs

    Medicare Part D Costs #Walgreens Prescription Savings #ad

    May 20, 2013 - By 

    (This is one of two sponsored posts for Walgreens. Thanks to Walgreens for trusting thriftymommastips to tell the story of caregiving and Medicare Part D. I was compensated. My opinion is all my own.)   Nobody wants to be on medication. And yet, here’s the rub. Pretty much every person I have ever met or cared for, within my family and extended family, has needed the help of a prescription to fix, or maintain health. Sometimes medicine is vital to your health. Sometimes it is crucial that you become your own advocate. Health care is one of those domains where…