• apple_sauce_natural_sugar_substitutes
    Food

    Eat Healthier Using Natural Sugar Substitutes Now

    July 31, 2019 - By 

    Are you striving to eat healthier? Natural sugar substitutes could help you refine your diet. Healthy eating tips frequently suggest cutting back on processed and refined foods and reducing or eliminating sugar or sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners from diets. No big news there. With so many foods showing high fructose corn syrup on the labels–even foods one might not expect to contain sugar or a substitute like canned tomatoes or green beans—North Americans are more accustomed to the taste of sweet than probably any other flavour. Sugar, in moderation, isn’t unhealthy for most people. The problem comes with the…

  • teen_with_skateboard
    Parenting

    Courage and Parenting a Child with FASD

    July 22, 2019 - By 

    I wrote this in May when we had a not so great month here at school and home due to FASD and explosive behaviour. Sometimes I day dream about where I could go if I just left. Maybe for the day, maybe longer. Sometimes I contemplate never returning. Yesterday was one of those days. I love my kids, my family, my husband. But some days the scale tips. This past May was a month of this. When the Scale Tips – How it Feels Parenting a Child with FASD. Do you ever have those days where the scale tips? Where…

  • grapefruit_seed_extract
    Health

    Ways to Use Grapefruit Seed Extract in Your Home Now

    July 19, 2019 - By 

    You might know grapefruit seed extract as a supplement, but did you also know it can be used for a homemade cleaner, or a fruit and vegetable wash? There are quite a few ways to use grapefruit seed extract that are simple and affordable too. Many commercial cleaners are available that kill bacteria and germs in your home, while sometimes using questionable toxic chemical ingredients. If you, like me, try to limit the chemicals you expose your family to, then you might want to know about these easy ways to use Grapefruit seed extract. Grapefruit seed extract is a supplement…

  • Travel

    Fifty New Things From the Year I Turned Fifty

    July 16, 2019 - By 

    Last year was the year I turned fifty. Just saying that is both liberating and a bit scary. I come from a long line of women who didn’t EVER discuss their age. So, neither did I for most of my adult life. There was a time when I was so incredibly ill with Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that is incurable, that I was very certain I wouldn’t live past 40. And then 40 came and went and 41, 42, 43 and so on and I was still here. Huh. Imagine that. A Bit of History The Internet didn’t…

  • Parenting

    A Child’s Separation Anxiety Story

    June 21, 2019 - By 

    By Ainsley Schuck My daughter wrote this recently for a school project. I asked for her permission to share it here. This was her reflection for art about separation anxiety and how starting school felt when she was 6. That girl right there is trapped. She’s trapped in her own feelings. She’s stuck inside that bottle and can’t break free. That bottle is so full and it is ready to explode. This is how most kids feel. Did you know 12% of kids experience separation anxiety once, or many times, before reaching the age of 18? This is what the…

  • Health

    How to Avoid Common Skin Hazards of Swimming

    June 20, 2019 - By 

    In the summer, we spend a lot of time at the pool. It’s our happy place and honestly also the focal point of my summer workout routine. Being able to jump in the pool after dinner, or on a scorching hot long weekend afternoon makes June, July and August worth looking forward to all year long. But, that said, swimming and sunny days take a toll on your skin. We all know that firsthand. But what can you do about it? Learning how to avoid common skin hazards of swimming can help swimmers manage water-related skin diseases and irritations while…

  • Health

    How to End Painful Night-time Leg Cramps Now

    June 7, 2019 - By 

    Have you ever had one of those nights where you wake up with a pain in your calf that simply won’t go away? Trust me, I know your pain. Painful night-time leg cramps are common here. Every few weeks I bolt out of bed at night and have to walk out that painful knot. I’ve tried sleeping through it or massaging the calf, but once it wakes me up the only way to stop it seems to be the walk about. Strangely this is one odd health quirk I think I inherited from my Mom. I still remember her bolting…

  • yellow_sunflower
    Health

    Best Environmentally Safe Ways to Keep Pests out of your Garden

    April 1, 2019 - By 

    Your garden can be a calming, relaxing, and rewarding experience. You get to grow your own food and know that your food is coming from a healthier place than what you might find in your local grocery store. When it comes to having your own garden there are pests that can arrive to threaten your crop. If you have pests hanging around your garden and you are searching for some of the best environmentally safe ways to keep them out, then you’ve come to the right place. Check out my list of the best environmentally safe options to keep those…

  • OCD_child
    Health

    How To Treat Aggressive Behaviour in an OCD Child

    March 28, 2019 - By 

    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…

  • reducing_anxiety
    Health

    Reducing Anxiety with these 5 Great Apps

    March 11, 2019 - By 

    Reducing anxiety is one key to overall good health. The mind and body are connected, and when one is out of sync, the other soon follows. I’ve found this to be incredibly true in my life. As many of you know, we have a lot of experience with anxiety. My oldest daughter has social anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. For years, she has struggled with anxiety symptoms that can lead easily to feeling overwhelmed while also chewing up your physical health too. It is not uncommon for stomach pain, nausea, headache and sleeplessness to come with anxiety. Our Anxiety Journey We’ve…