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Registered for High School and New Adventures #ad #CatholicTeachers
This post is part of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers #catholicteachers sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. It’s high school registration time. That’s right, this month, I registered my youngest daughter for high school. That’s huge. Any parent of a school aged child knows, we agonize over where to send our children and often we also wonder if they are ready. When your child has special needs you worry even more. As hard as these huge decisions are, I feel pretty good about this one because I know what to expect.…
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9 Easy Ways to Live a More Eco-Friendly Lifestyle
Let’s face it with the cost of electricity, the news about climate change, and the impact on our environment, most of us need to find ways to conserve. Greening your home is not as hard as it sounds. Start with a few small changes and make them habits, then build on that. It’s not really an option anymore to avoid conserving or recycling. Everyone needs to do their part in achieving a more eco-friendly lifestyle. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint and be green within your home, and today I am going to share a few easy ways to get there. Nine Easy Ways Your Family Can…
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Five Ways Kids Can Give Back at Christmas
Wondering how to get your kids invested in the true spirit of the season? There are several easy ways kids can give back at Christmas. Here are a few that have worked for us. My girls are sensitive compassionate kids. When others are hurt, it hurts them too. My oldest girl, in particular, my creative Type A, is an empathetic soul. Her report card always contains comments about “a kind, caring girl who always helps others and makes friends with new students. She is first to care for her friends when they are hurt.” Showing You Care is Always Important These are the things I hold close to…
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Turn Selfie Disasters into Selfie Success Stories – #ChurchandDwight AD
You can run but you can’t hide. Holidays are a whirlwind of photographs, events, parties and gift exchanges. Even when you think you aren’t being photographed well, chances are good that some well meaning relative is capturing the moment for Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram. Long gone are the days of hiding embarrassing holiday photos in a drawer. Everybody has a cell phone and everyone has social media too. Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook or everything in between, you can’t hide from an onslaught of holiday photos. So, what’s the secret to selfie success, holiday photobombing or staged group photos? Be prepared. Simple, right? Here are a few things you want to…
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17 Adorable and Festive Reindeer Treats
Is there anything cuter than a reindeer at Christmas? Well, maybe children opening their presents and absorbing all that wonderment. Reindeer cookies and crafts are fun for all ages. Even if you aren’t the savviest baker on the planet, chances are you can make several of these adorable festive reindeer treats. When I was a child my favourite Christmas movie was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Seeing them on TV or at the movies is fun when you are small. Many times we have seen them at African Lion Safari and other zoo, amusement park areas. Somehow reindeer in real life are a pinch less magical than reindeer cartoons or…
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy with HelloFRESH #ad
Weeknight dinners are sometimes a thorn in my side. Oh, I enjoy cooking sometimes, don’t get me wrong. The problem is that although I love to cook, my schedule generally makes cooking more a hassle than a culinary experience. And I am the first to admit that I don’t always naturally know what goes together in terms of spices and flavours. In fact I do better with a recipe in front of me. Kind of like my youngest daughter. We both love to cook or bake together but we fail at meal planning often and we really are not super creative chefs. Schedules here are crazy. Martial arts, therapy riding…
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Embracing Caregivers #CareforaCarer
Are you a caregiver for someone with unique needs or health care challenges? I see you. I know you miss many social events, or family gatherings. Perhaps you stopped work entirely to care for someone you love. Or you switched to part time, freelance or contract. Chances are good you have missed your own doctor’s and dentist’s appointments. Maybe, you woke up so bone weary one morning you drove down the street without your glasses. Maybe you forgot to take your own medicine. How do I know any of this? Been there, done that. For years my life has been health care triage. Juggling an overwhelming number of specialist’s appointments,…
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Our Stay at St Augustine Tryp Hotel by Wyndham #ad #StAugustine
On the final stop of our girl’s getaway trip to Florida we headed to St. Augustine. None of the four of us had ever set foot in St. Augustine so we were excited to see the city. We were also tired. There was a lot of driving involved in visiting three cities in six days and we were crossing our fingers that St. Augustine would be comfortable and accommodations would be quiet, restful and clean. The St Augustine Tryp Hotel didn’t disappoint. It was a lovely, clean, newer space. Tryp is a brand owned by Wyndham and it is affordable and family friendly. There are numerous locations of Tryp by…
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Getting Sick – Make it Bearable With Boogie Wipes #ad
Getting sick is the worst. Nobody enjoys cold and flu season, or even allergy season for that matter. I should know, my daughter and I get sick far too often. Ever since my children started preschool, they have been exceptional, maybe even gifted – at sharing germs. If there is a bug or flu circulating, my daughters and I WILL get it. We’re sickness magnets especially at this time of the year. Getting Sick is Just Part of Life For our family, getting sick during the fall and winter season is sort of inevitable. If you have kids you feel my pain. At the end of the summer right before school…
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Easy Frosted Brownies and Family Game Night #BornOnTheFarm
Fun, Family and Food. What could be better than that? Family game night is something that can really bring a family together. It’s a time when everyone is encouraged to engage in family bonding time with a little friendly, familial competition. It’s a time when laughter fills the house and mostly friendly jabs fly around the table. As kids get older we have to work a bit harder to keep them engaged. That’s why Hasbro’s Pie Face game was a hilarious addition to our games and puzzles collection. Add food to the family and the fun and you have a recipe for a great night. Making Family Game Night a…