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“It Still Hurts” – Foster Care and Adoption Triggers – Teens
A smart person once told me at an adoption conference that adoption is not an event. Adoption is for life. So what does that mean exactly? In fact, adoption continues to be a piece of who you are as a family, as a person, long after happy court is done. Through elementary school and high school, children and teenagers also have adoption triggers. It is extremely easy to forget that adoption is not an event. From September to June the days mostly fall into a predictable rhythm. Wake up, get ready for school, leave for school. Hang out with friends and learn and have fun and then come back home to family and…
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How to Plan for an Early Retirement
Rather than waiting to turn 65 many people are planning for early retirement by making smart financial decisions early in life. The key to early retirement is knowing that you have enough money to live on, and set aside for emergencies once you retire. How to Plan for an Early Retirement Save, save, save! That might sound simple but it’s truly the first step. Not only do you need to save money, you need to make sure that your savings are in high interest accounts, or GICs, and RRSPs. Stashing cash in your mattress only gives you the money that you stash. But placing every extra penny into interest bearing…
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2016 Personal Travel Reflections
Every day is a gift and an opportunity to live, love cherish, explore and grow. Sad celebrity deaths and strange politics aside, I choose to celebrate 2016. As a consultant, tech, health and Canadian travel blogger, as a business person and a Mom, this past year exceeded my expectations. These are my personal travel reflections as the year ends. Travel was my 2016 word of the year. And I challenged myself to travel once a month every month for 2016. So how did that go? It went amazingly. I earned a prestigious Shot @ Life fellowship and travel journalism flourished. Here are my 2016 personal travel reflections. With the exception of…
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Lif3 Smartchip – Keeping Radiation Away from Your Family #GetCellSmart
Disclosure: This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and Lif3 #GetCellSmart 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. Lif3 Smartchip is a new way to keep you safe when you use your cell phone. Why is that a concern? Well, cell phones give off radiation. It’s true. That means that every time you or a member of your family uses a cell phone, they are exposed to radiation. The idea of radiation exposure is a scary thought. What’s even scarier is that there is relatively little research on the subject, which means we actually…
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New Year’s Goals – How to Stick to Them
New Year’s Goals are something that we all throw out there when the clock strikes midnight and the new year rolls in. The problem with these goals is that we never seem to stick to them. We want to get more sleep, but two days later, we’re binge watching a show until 1 AM. We want to eat healthier, but it takes about 4 days before we’re chowing down on the leftover holiday cookies. So how can we stick to our New Year’s Goals? How to Stick to Your New Year’s Goals While all of these goals that we have are well-intentioned, we rarely succeed. Why is that? Well, for…
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Conversations With My Canadian Kids About The US Election Outcome
It started this morning when my youngest got a text from a friend that stated: “The World is Ending.” “Mom, what does this mean?” “Well,” I said, “I believe she’s referring to the US election outcome.” Picture a giant question mark hanging between us. “Donald Trump won last night. It was close.” I think she said “No Way” or something to that effect and we ate breakfast in our home, in a suburb in Ontario, Canada. I told the news to my eldest daughter before she left for high school. Because I wanted her to hear it from me first. Throughout the campaign there were a lot of strange rumours that germinated…
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Prepare for a Healthy Baby Now – When Genetic Screening Makes Sense
“I don’t care if this baby is a boy or a girl. I just hope he or she is healthy.” Almost every parent, or parent to be has uttered out loud, or thought to themselves, some version of this sentiment. Healthy baby first. Gender second. So what would you do to stack the deck in favour of having a healthy child? Eat better, exercise? Some of these changes are a no brainer. But what about genetic screening before you get pregnant? When does that make sense? Most of us know there are many things you do to help grow a healthy baby once you get pregnant, but how about before…
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Ramada Plaza Le Manoir Du Casino in Gatineau #travel
In the summer we visited the Outaouais Region of Quebec and stayed in Gatineau. Our first two nights we spent at Ramada Plaza Le Manoir Du Casino. The suite we were given for the two night stay was exceptional and the location was ideal for many different types of travellers. Here’s what to expect when you stay at Ramada Plaza Le Manoir Du Casino. We drove several hours and left early in the morning to be sure we made it to Gatineau in good time to start our day. Of course I had scoped out the Ramada Plaza a bit before we left and I knew a few details. There…
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Playing Sports – Leveling the Field for Girls #PlayOnCA #Giveaways $60 ARV
My kids are both athletic young women. Staying physically active, playing sports and striving to do your best – well, that’s something we take to heart as a family. Whether it’s swimming, martial arts or track and field, sports matter to the health of both boys and girls. When kids get out on the field or the court, they learn teamwork, develop a better work ethic, get into better shape, and boost their self confidence. Unfortunately, girls are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to playing sports. With less opportunities and less variety, girls often have to take what they can get. Playtex Sport wants to change that and…
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Five Zip lining Lessons to Live By #Travel
On a high flying family adventure at Arbraska Lafleche in Quebec two short weeks ago I had the chance to face one of my biggest fears. My fear of heights. When I turned 45 I told myself that was long enough to be afraid of anything. Zip lining is one of those big adventures that’s been on my travel bucket list for awhile now. So when we had the chance to try it together, I jumped. Literally. Zip lining with my family was one of the best, most challenging experiences we’ve had. It was fulfilling and fun and memorable and scary at times too. While facing my fear of heights I…
