Why you should not let fear guide your parenting There are sick people in this world who sometimes set their sights on our children. I have never let fear guide my parenting, and I will not respond to the scare tactics of a twenty-four-hour news cycle by confining my children to air-conditioned, humidity-controlled, electronics-laden living spaces, under the misguided notion of keeping them safe. My teenager has restrictions—"free-range" doesn’t mean "anything goes," and she has limits. But a free-range childhood is one of the single best things you can do for your children, and it will pay ..read more

Stay At Home Fun For The Whole Family 1. Flower Power Make a trip to your local garden centre so you can create a cascade of rainbows in your yard by planting colourful flowers. 2. The Thrill Of The Grill Throw some burgers on the barbie, haul out the paper plates, and enjoy the company of good friends and good food because food always tastes better when you eat it outdoors. 3. Kaboom! Get your kids into their pajamas, grab a blanket, and take them out to see a spectacular display as the night sky lights up. Plus your kids will think you’re extra cool for letting them stay up so late. 4. Star ..read more

The majority of our food crops benefit from pollinator bees, however the decline of these insects continues to be a huge concern. There are many types of pollinator bees. Most common ones are honey bees, bumble bees and orchard mason bees. Mason bees, named after their masonry skills for nesting in wood cracks and crevices, are active from early spring to late summer in our region. Although these solitary, non-stinging bees do not produce honey or beeswax, they are excellent pollinators. You can encourage their pollinating habits by hanging mason bee boxes in your garden ..read more

Enter Now! If you and your kiddos are facing the chilly challenges of cold and flu season, Boogie Wipes is here for your kid's nose and to give you a chance to win $600 in prizes!! Cold and flu blues are nothing to sniff at. Tissue tantrums are real. In a recent Boogie Wipes survey, 80% of parents say their tots turn nose-wiping into a teary-eyed tantrum, causing a big ruckus! We don’t blame them. Those tiny noses can get rubbed raw from all the tissue action. Boogie Wipes to the rescue! Boogie Wipes are made with natural saline to break down dried, stuck-on boogers ..read more

Curb Your Knee-Jerk Response To Say No Over the last few years, parents have had to exercise their creativity in many ways: coming up with new games to play inside while quarantining, making meals from what was in the pantry when it was hard to get to the grocery stores, making sure kids’ special milestones were celebrated in a way that was safe for everyone.  What that has meant for our family, with two small children, is that many friends have held their birthday parties outdoors, when possible. We’ve gone to zoo outings, splash park pizza parties, and barbeques. It’s great to be able ..read more

Using your air conditioner year-round is better for your car Do you only use your car's air conditioning in the summer? Many drivers think that they will prolong its life if they don't use it that often. However, the opposite may be true. One of the purposes of air conditioning is to provide dry air. Fog happens when water condenses on the window. In the winter, keep your car's temperature setting to hot and turn on the air conditioning. You'll see that defrosting your front windshield is that much faster. The reason is because the air coming out of the vents is dry, so the A/C system is lik ..read more

For all Families With Sleep on Your Christmas List Heading into the holiday season can be stressful for parents of young children and babies. Suddenly routine and consistent sleep schedules seem next to impossible and finding out how to keep your baby well-rested during the busy festivities is at the top of your Christmas list. There are steps you can take to help you and your family find better sleep this holiday season. My 12 Days of Holiday Sleep Tips will give the gift of sleep to your little one, and a few extra hours of eggnog and cheers for mom and dad as well. Holiday Sleep Tip – Day ..read more

Delicious Brownies, Holiday Style One of the easiest treats to make is brownies, and a perfect way to dress them up for a holiday party is to top them with crushed candy canes and chocolate chips. It makes a large pan, but you can half it sucessfully and bake them in a 9x9 inch pan if you wish. Slice them up and package for an easy hostess gift, if you can part with them! They slice best when still warm, before the candy cane has a chance to harden up again.  The Simple Trick To Non-Stick Baking Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, c ..read more

A Little Taste of My Nova Scotia Adventures My very first job out of University involved me traveling from one coast of this country to the next on a regular basis. I spent at least two weeks of the month on the road and because of that I was able to see the majority of Canada before I was 25 years old. It was a great pre-kid job and I look back on those traveling days fondly. One trip I remember like it was yesterday was the ten days I spent touring Nova Scotia. While I spent most of my days in Halifax I did attempt to eat lobster at as many little sea-side restaurants (though I use t ..read more

A Personal Reflection We have now experienced three Christmas celebrations, taken a couple long car rides, hosted a few shindigs, and done all of the shopping, eating, drinking and making merry that goes along with our holiday season. Throughout our travels, the packing and unpacking, the laundry, the grocery lists, the gift exchange spreadsheet, and the gazillion details (that always work themselves out one way or another), I have been overcome by emotions a few times as I tried to put into words what Christmas means to me. Here goes: Life. Full to the brim with kids, spouses and grandpar ..read more