• active family travel - family - Giveaways - Health - parenting - Travel

    5 Easy Packing Tips for Summer Road Trips and Business Trips #travel #giveaways

    Summer road trips and business trips go hand in hand here. My summer has been filled with business trips. But the positive side of that is that my business is doing well. So I can’t complain about that. And I am able to combine my business trips with pleasure. So just last week I was able to do a quick business trip while also visiting my sweet niece and nephews in Toronto. That’s pretty fantastic, the best of both worlds, really. And there was New York City this summer, also always a treat! This coming week I am finally able…

  • family - parenting

    Water Balloons That Work – Bunch O Balloons Water Balloons by Zuru #BBNYC #SweetSuite15

    One of my children gets something in her head and she’s completely fixated on making it happen. This has been the story of our summer. We went shopping in late June at Sears Outlet in our city and she spied a water balloon device and had to have it, so I bought the thing. We planned a fun afternoon out and kept it for when the older cousins came over and guess what? It didn’t work. Not even close. It was missing a part or something and I was mad and she was frustrated. Dad even tried to fix it (remember…

  • family - Food

    Summery Watermelon Raspberry Slushie Recipe

    What could be more summery and refreshing than a watermelon slushies recipe? Well, maybe a watermelon raspberry slushie, right? Everyone loves watermelon. But the thing about watermelon is that sometimes those massive melons ripen so fast there’s not enough time to eat them by the slice. Same can be said for raspberries. We always have some in the container that turn to jam before we can eat them. So what’s a smart shopper to do? Well, take the rest of the melon before it goes to waste and chop it up to use as a refreshing crowd-pleasing beverage, like watermelon…

  • family - parenting

    5 Summer Crafts for Tween Girls

    Well, school is soon to be out and you know what that means, right? It means chaos, unless you have something planned for the kids several days in a row. I have a tween and a teen and they are super crafty little things. In fact, I have told this story before but the oldest when she was three started preschool almost entirely because of the crafts. It’s true. She wanted to craft all the time and I had run right out of ideas. That was before Pinterest, obviously. So, that and the fact that she was super talkative and…

  • family - family travel - Health - parenting - Travel

    Beach and Pool Checklist Printable

    Heading to the beach this summer? Then you need this Beach and Pool Checklist printable. Stay organized and make the best of your beach time. That’s important when your sunny days are limited. Victoria Day weekend has passed in Canada and Memorial Day in the US just passed and I am giddy! Giddy I tell you. Winter was a fickle season and it basically aged me about ten years so I am looking forward to summer stripping away about 15 years. That’s how it works, right? Right? Of course it does. Give me something to hang onto here would you?…

  • family

    Easy Affordable Summer Style – Black and Gold

    Black and Gold is all the rage right now for the summer months. It’s a classic look and one that I can easily embrace most times of the year actually. So, here are some ways to make the look pop for you this season. I love some of the new summer looks for 2015. I also love summer, period. This past weekend it is apparent that summer is here. My pool is open and we are enjoying the outdoors. But what about those times you need to get dressed up a bit and look less like a beach bum or…

  • family - parenting

    What to Pack for Summer Camp – Six Essentials Including Mabel’s Labels Special Camp Pack

    This post contains affiliate links What to Pack for Summer Camp Is it time to talk about camp yet? Are we ready to discuss what to pack already? It must be camp time since several of the parent groups I belong to in real life have started talking about their schedules and their experiences with camp each year. Talk about WORD of Mom. I love that when you sit down with a group of Moms on a Tuesday night at a parent council meeting, or a parent support group you run, all roads lead to comparisons of camp locations and…

  • Travel

    Camping With Toddlers 101- Keeping Your Sanity and Keeping Them Safe

    Camping with toddlers is a wonderful way to show them all kinds of new and exciting things. It’s a way for the family to bond over every leaf and bug and critter you come across. It’s also a great way to lose your mind if you don’t come prepared. Camping with Toddlers 101 When camping with toddlers, you have two main concerns: keeping them safe, and keeping your sanity intact. Toddlers can be tons of fun, but they can also be little devils if they aren’t properly occupied and stimulated. Tiny, screaming, red-eyed devils. You know it’s true. So what…

  • active family travel - family - Health - parenting - Travel

    Affordable Ontario Family Vacations at Carefree RV Camping Resort #YourCarefreeSummer #livincarefree

    Summer is here and the living is easy. Or soon to be easy, right? With a bit of planning, you can have a great family vacation this summer that the kids will remember for years to come. And right now you can easily save 20 % on RV Camping in Ontario at Carefree RV Resorts. The summer months are super short. Right now, as I am booking my kid’s day camps and overnight camp too I am extremely aware of how fast the time will fly. Even with the extra week off school this year, summer vacations in Ontario are…

  • family - Food - parenting

    Best Melon Recipes

    Nothing screams summer like ripe melon. Cantaloupe, honeydew, canary, watermelon. Such a sweet special treat that begs to be eaten outdoors. I personally enjoy all of the melon varieties. But my favourite is honeydew. Or maybe canteloupe. How about you? You will find one or two great new things to make with melon here on the best melon recipes roundup. Best Melon Recipes: I am pretty traditional with melon. When we eat it we typically just have it sliced or chunked, or placed in a fruit salad. I love the Melon White Chocolate Shortcake Parfait and the Watermelon salad in…