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Kindness Game – Teaching Kids How to Be Kind
“Be Kind Whenever Possible. It is Always Possible,” – Dalai Lama Kindness is my life philosophy and one of the highest aspirations for me as a parent. International Kindness Day is right around the corner. That’s why I thought it would be a great time to share this Kindness game with you. Make Kindness Fun I am not one to believe that kindness should ever be confined to a single day. Kindness, especially these days, is like sunshine, sprinkle that stuff everywhere. Now, more than ever, the world needs kindness. Sharing that philosophy with my kids and hoping they evolve into caring, kind adults, is a life’s work and a…
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U Pick Farms Near London Ontario for Fresh Local Fruit
Why not take a quick local morning adventure or day trip to one of these U Pick Farms near London, Ontario? One of the things I miss the most this year, during this particular season is the abundance of local markets that are usually open. I often have enjoyed gathering all of the shades of the rainbow from Masonville Farmer’s Market, open from May through October in the Masonville Mall parking lot near my neighbourhood. But, this year with Coronavirus still in the driver’s seat we have all learned to proceed without a lot of our favourite conveniences. However, even with local Farmer’s Markets closed, I don’t want to sacrifice…
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Cute Pink Mother’s Day Writing Worksheet
It’s getting close to Mother’s Day and I know a few of your kids will be looking for amazing and sweet gifts for you. This Mother’s Day Writing Worksheet is a fun little way for them to pay tribute to you. Of course, this year what could be cute is if you send this to a child that you know. You could email it, print it out and mail it out to your niece or nephew. The beauty of this one is that kids can personalize it and also they can practice their writing or printing. If you are a Mom, an Aunt or a special caregiver, guardian, foster care…
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Inspirational TED Talks for Teens
Inspirational TED Talks can be great for anyone, but teenagers, in particular can really benefit from these 18-minute or less talks that can cover almost any topic. Teen years are hard slogging and watching them struggle sometimes as parents is so challenging. If you can remember your teen years, you’ll probably easily recall the angst and fear and general uncertainty. Right now, that angst and anxiety is running even higher for most because of the pandemic. That’s where inspirational TED Talks come in. Inspirational TED Talks to Ease the Teen Years From zits and breakups to proms and makeups, the teen years are arguably some of the hardest anyone will…
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So How Are We Doing Easter During a Pandemic?
But are we even doing Easter this year? We’ve gone back and forth on this actually, a few times this year. I mean honestly no judgement at all if you are taking it easy and simply getting through. But this week, I did a fair bit of reading and a whole lot of thinking. What would Easter look like in the middle of a pandemic? Would we be doing Easter? Our original plan was to drive to my brother’s home in Toronto. But that was back in February before we’d even heard the term Covid-19. Before spring vacations were cancelled and people started dying of a virus that was travelling…
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How to Do an Easy Scavenger Hunt for Kids
This Scavenger Hunt post contains affiliate links as a service to my readers. I make a small commission via qualifying links. When my kids were both small we often did fun things like go outside to do a random scavenger hunt. I would write out a list of things, sometimes numbers or letters that I wanted them to find and we would go for a walk through our neighbourhood. Tricks and Simple Activities to Keep Kids Busy That’s just one of the things that we used to do when they were young. We also built igloos in the backyard, raced down our slide and climber in our snowsuits or snow…
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Capture Time Now – Easy to Use Nixplay Smart Photo Frame
This post was sponsored by Nixplay. I received product for consideration here. My opinion is my own. Years ago I bought my Mom a digital photo frame. I still remember the novelty of the product and how fun it was having our family photos on display digitally in her condominium. That was at least a decade ago now when digital photo frames were really not what I’d call smart photo frames. Smart Photo Frames are the Smart Way to Display Your Photos But times change and electronics are getting smarter every day. When I had the chance to check out the new Nixplay Seed smart photo frame this week I…
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Practicing Gratitude – 85 Things I am Grateful for Today
Lately I’ve been having a hard time with a few things. It’s been a challenging year so far and there are a lot of moments when it’s easy to slide into a funk. A BIG ONE. The kind you can’t slip out of easily. When everything black and white that was pink, or red or blue yesterday is now grey and grossly misshapen. Parenting teenagers is NO fun some days. Sometimes they suck the air out of a room with borrowed drama, angst and mood swings. Occasionally you look at them and wonder where the cute kid went. There are days when you struggle to see the baby that slept…
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Where in Canada Can You Stay in a Hotel Made of Ice?
I wake on a bed of ice, intricate carvings of a basilisk surrounding me, light subtly creeping through a snow ceiling and polished bricks of ice. Outside this crystal ice palace, the world is still and silent. The kids, in the bed beside ours, just a few feet away are still snugly bundled, not yet stirring. Beside me, wrapped in a burrito sleeping bag, is my husband. I hear the familiar rise and fall of his breath. What Can I Expect Overnight at Hôtel de Glace Quebec? I squeeze my eyes shut a moment longer, listening with my whole body to the sounds of morning in an ice castle. A…
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How To Treat Aggressive Behaviour in an OCD Child
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 health issues. So, it’s your job to help them identify…
