• be-my-valentine
    family - Giveaways

    Be My Valentine – Say it With Hallmark #Giveaway

    January 31, 2016 - By 

    Be my Valentine. It’s the classic phrase, and you can’t help but love saying it. Whether you say it to your significant other or your kids, be my Valentine, is a phrase that says, “I love you, and you’re important to me”. It makes you feel all warm inside to say it or to hear it. My favorite is to pair that with a nice card and a cute item from Hallmark. Be My Valentine is My Jam! Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. Although it does involve gifts, it’s not like Christmas where everyone expects a pile…

  • valentine's-day-card-boxes
    family

    Eight Crafty Valentine’s Day Card Boxes

    January 28, 2016 - By 

    Are your kids crafty? Do they also love Valentine’s Day? Then this cute collection of easy to make and fun Valentine’s Day card boxes is a must save for later. Remember when you were a child and Valentine’s Day was such a fun event? I sure do. These craft Valentine’s Day card boxes might require a bit of help from Mom or Dad. The good part about that is you will have some fun reliving your youth if you need to help a bit. The thing I remember most from Valentine’s Day as a kid was the fun involved every…

  • valentine crafts
    family - parenting

    Five Cute Valentine Crafts for Kids

    January 24, 2016 - By 

    Valentine’s Day can be a lot of fun for children, especially those who are in grade school and enjoy sharing parties and treats and cards. There are so many special treats and crafts that you can do with your kids to celebrate Valentine’s Day! I still recall being in grade school and making a mailbox out of an old Kleenex box for my Valentine’s every year. That was a sweet tradition. Valentine’s Day is not far away at all now! Maybe one of these adorable kid’s crafts will become a special Valentine’s Day tradition for your child. DIY Kids Valentine…

  • family - Giveaways

    Tucker Toys Crush-It and Zoingo Boingo for Spring and a #Giveaway

    January 22, 2016 - By 

    I know that spring may seem months away when you are staring down a lawn of snow and roads that are treacherous. But frankly it’s almost Groundhog Day and soon we will know if we have another six weeks of skiing, or an early chance to put the shovels away. When it comes to spring time, I find it sometimes helps with kids to have a few new cool toys hanging around waiting for them to use outdoors. That’s where these Tucker Toys, the Crush-It adjustable high powered bat, and Zoingo Boingo come in handy. Great spring toys help parents like…

  • cruise
    active family travel - family - Travel

    6 Tips for Taking Your Kids on a Cruise

    January 10, 2016 - By 

    6 Tips for Taking your Kids on a Cruise You’ll find a lot of people who say that a cruise is the perfect vacation for a young family. With stress free accommodation, entertainment and travel included in one big package, it’s an incredibly simple way to get sorted for the summer without having to fuss over bus trips or motels. Some parents might be worried about how well their little ones will fare, particularly if it’s their first time on a cruise ship, but there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Follow these handy hints for taking the kids cruising, and you’ll be…

  • online_safety
    family - parenting - Technology

    Online Safety for Kids – 3 Tips to Keep Them Safe

    January 6, 2016 - By 

    Online safety is paramount for children. Kids that are old enough to use the internet are still too young to exercise adequate caution. That’s why it’s so important for parents to teach them how to make online safety a constant part of their internet experience. I could tell you stories already of both my kids stumbling across things I’d rather they didn’t see at all. It’s much too easy to accidentally type the wrong search term and suddenly be confronted with something completely inappropriate for children. Tweens and teens are no different. If you think that they know more than you…

  • Olaf_marshmallow_craft
    Food

    Frozen’s Olaf Marshmallow Craft – Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

    December 24, 2015 - By 

    Do you want to build a snowman? Good luck. Now you can easily with this simple craft featuring marshmallows and pretzel sticks. EASY PEASY. This Frozen inspired Olaf Marshmallow Craft is so much fun. One of my kid’s teachers used to say – Don’t play with your food until you’ve eaten all your toys! But this Olaf marshmallow craft is a little bit of both – edible food, craft and a toy. So this is one instance where you can play with your food and have fun building a miniature Frozen Olaf Marshmallow Craft toy. It’s the best of all worlds…

  • family

    10 New Year Celebrations for Kids

    December 21, 2015 - By 

    10 New Year Celebration Ideas for Kids Family Slumber Party Grab your sleeping bags, pick out a couple of your favorite movies, make a yummy dinner that everyone will enjoy, and bring out the board games. Hunker down for a great family slumber party while you watch the clock tick tock down to the New Year. Here are some of my suggestions for a great family slumber party. –Melissa and Doug Suspend Game –Mickey Mouse Playing Cards –The Bee Movie –Epic Movie Apple Juice Toast Indulge your kids and let them be part of the New Year’s toast. Pick up…

  • instagram bullying
    family - parenting

    After The Instagram Bullying Incident

    December 20, 2015 - By 

    For weeks after the Instagram bullying incident people kept asking me: How is your daughter doing? I have answered the question often in person, but I haven’t had time to share news here. So today is the day I finally got around to writing about what happened  – AFTER. Here’s the thing. Immediately after the Instagram bullying incident my teen, who struggles with anxiety,  had a kneejerk reaction. She wanted to quit school, leave grade nine and stop entirely. That lasted about one to two days. Then came this. .. We talked her through it and we took our time…

  • small-business-for-teens
    family

    Small Business Ideas For Teens

    December 18, 2015 - By 

    Just a few short months ago my kids discovered the beauty of starting a very small business. I couldn’t have been happier. Oh one of my daughters has been babysitting for years. But this summer the kids stumbled upon a petsitting business they didn’t even really set out to build. A friend of ours needed some cats watched for three days. So we volunteered. Then another friends needed petsitting and we said we could do it and then a couple more friends were heading away for a week and both of my girls decided they’d help out there too. So…