• triple_chamber_challenge
    family - Giveaways - parenting

    If Laundry Makes You Cringe, Try This Triple Chamber Challenge #AHFreshPerspective

    April 12, 2017 - By 

    Someone asked me recently what I liked about laundry. I didn’t need to think hard about that because honestly there’s nothing I like about laundry. Nothing at all. Unless someone else does the laundry. Then I love it. I also love it when my clothes are clean and put away and ready to wear. Laundry is expensive and seemingly endless at times. Thank Goodness I have helpers. My husband and daughters help out. In fact my husband does three quarters of the laundry here. I do three quarters of the cooking so that’s fair. And my teens mostly help with the…

  • Two kids in colourful jackets looking out at the fall horizon
    Parenting

    “It Still Hurts” – Foster Care and Adoption Triggers – Teens

    March 9, 2017 - By 

    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…

  • planning_a_family
    Health

    On The Road to Planning A Family #ChurchandDwight

    March 3, 2017 - By 

    You have reached that point where you are ready to start Planning A Family. You feel ready to start a new life together as a family and you are hoping to conceive quickly. OR you are hoping to adopt quickly. But there are a million questions still, and pregnancy isn’t always as easy as it seems on TV. So what do you need to know? My readers here know that I am an adoptive parent, blogger and social media consultant. I community manage a few infertility patient groups. I know more about fertility, infertility and adoption than I do about…

  • adaptive ski
    active family travel - family - family travel - FASD - parenting - special needs - Travel

    Adaptive Ski Programs for People with Disabilities

    January 10, 2017 - By 

    Children with special needs face challenges that other kids don’t. Whether their disability is physical, mental or neurological, children and adults with special needs require extra support with certain activities. Many ski resorts are getting excellent at meeting this need. I have seen some adaptive ski programs at family friendly resorts like Smugglers’ Notch in action. Some are super impressive so I thought I would share a list for families like ours. Adaptive Skiing Shines at These Ski Resorts Children and adults with special needs face barriers too many places still. So when I find a resource with adaptive or inclusive programs sometimes…

  • family - parenting

    Conversations With My Canadian Kids About The US Election Outcome

    November 9, 2016 - By 

    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…

  • world_polio_day
    Health - parenting - Travel

    Ten Facts About World Polio Day #WorldPolioDay

    October 23, 2016 - By 

    This week as we mark World Polio Day I wanted to share a few facts about polio and the vaccine that saves lives. Just one week ago I was in Zambia doing a fellowship with the UN Foundation’s global vaccine program called Shot @ Life. On our last day in Livingstone, we visited the Mahatma Gandhi clinic where moms and dads brought their babies to receive the appropriate vaccines needed for their age group. Many babies were receiving the oral polio vaccine, as shown below. It’s the type of global vaccination initiative that Shot@Life supports in many countries around the world.…

  • useful_gifts
    family

    Eight Most Useful Gifts for New Parents

    October 14, 2016 - By 

    Useful gifts for new parents can be invaluable. It’s not always the thought that counts alone. Gift giving for new parents needs to be a combination of heartfelt and useful. Brand new Moms and Dads are about to be their busiest ever. BUT, do we give them things that make their lives easier during the transition or do we spring for something whimsical and cute? Useful Gifts for New Parents Make Life Easier I loved my baby shower and it was magical from start to finish. The gifts that arrived were also treasured. At the end of the day though, I…

  • Halloween_safety
    family - parenting

    Halloween Safety for Kids and Adults

    September 30, 2016 - By 

    Halloween safety is one of those topics that makes kids and parents, alike cringe. Kids don’t want to think about it, and parents can’t stop thinking about it. What is meant to be a wholesome night of zombies, ghosts, superheroes, and candy can be a source of danger. Between predators and strangers who put nasty stuff in candy, Halloween safety is something that cannot be over promoted. Halloween safety is an important topic for both kids and adults, because in this day and age every member of the family needs to be careful! In fact I hear so many Moms and Dads saying…

  • adoption_life
    adoption and tweens - family - parenting - Parenting

    This Reality Show Called Adoption Life

    September 23, 2016 - By 

    “I’m thinking about adopting.” At least once a week I read a message like this from someone wanting information about adoption. I am open. I talk and write about adoption here often. Friends know I will always answer. And I do. I find them resources, or answer their questions about why, or how long, or where do I go? Sometimes I simply let them know that the wait is worth it. I answer the questions one by one and hope others will follow through and discover all that I love about adoption. There are many roads to parenthood. BOTTOM LINE. There…

  • travel_goals
    Travel

    What Next? My New Travel Goals #travel

    September 6, 2016 - By 

    It hit me on the flight back from Martin County, Florida this summer. As accomplished as I feel when I travel, and meet a new challenge and tick something off my list, I sometimes feel a bit directionless afterwards. Do you know the feeling I mean? Kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, turtle nesting tours…On this one particular trip I did so many awesome activities that I had to stop and ask myself what next? What haven’t I done on a trip? Where haven’t I been? What are my new travel goals? Sitting there on the plane, exhausted from surfing lessons earlier that day,…