Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Beautiful Bridge

Ontario's only surviving covered bridge

Called the Kissing Bridge

It was a beautiful day, one of the last of the summer, when a friend took my kids and I to see this covered bridge  in Elora, Ontairo


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Make a Pledge with Energizer - Good Thoughts, Good Deeds

I truly believe that we all have the power to make change. One person, one kind act at a time can make this world a better place. It may sound a little bit cheesy but I do believe it is true. We all can do things in our daily lives that can make things better for others. All those small deeds can really add up over time. That is why I am so excited to join Energizer Canada, Evergreen and Mom Central with "Do Something Little, Help Something Big" initiative.  The idea is to  ‘Make a Pledge with Energizer” and share  Five Kind Acts that I pledged and why.


Here are 5 things I like to do to send positive energy out to the world


1. I make sure I smile when I walk past people on the street, in the mall, in the line at the coffee shop, on my way to work. Sometimes a smile is all someone else needs to brighten their day. It is all about positive energy.


2. I donate my time at my children's school. I don't always have a lot of time to spare but I give what I can. Right now I am helping the school run a program called the Kilometer Club. It is a program run by parents but supported by the school and the parent council and we encourage kids to come out on their lunch break to run or walk a track to stay active. We log the kilometers traveled to see how far the kids get! It is a small price for me to pay to help out, give back, and teach children to stay positive and active. 


3. I also donate old clothes. It is really important to give to others in any way you can. This is a win-win for me. I get to clear out some space in my family's closets and I also get to support local charities.


4. I make sure that I also give to the food banks. We always give when that brown paper bag comes around at every holiday. Holiday food drives are important but it is also important to give all year round. People aren't only hungry at the holiday's. So we try to give occassionally throughout the year at our local grocery store. Every little bit helps, even one can of soup.


5. Finally, I love my children and my family. I give love and get love. I teach my children to be loving, caring and generous people. When I say generous I want them to not only be generous with their money but also their time. I want my children to grow up to be loving, caring, compassionate people and that starts with me!  That means caring about people, places, plants, pets and all living things. I truly believe that we create a loving and livable society by teaching our children. ... kids are the key.





Have something you want to add to the discussion? Feel like you need to add you won list of positive acts? Check out the  Now That’s Positive Energy website. Your ideas could inspire others to join the movement.

Before I go I wanted to make sure to include a few important details about this initiative 

“Do Something Little, Help Something Big” initiative:

·       Both Energizer Canada and Evergreen are working together on their “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” initiative in which Energizer is proud tocontribute $100,000 to Evergreen to make cities more liveable.
·       For each pledge, Energizer will donate an additional $1 to Evergreen. 
·       Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to making Canadian cities greater and more liveable… creating a more sustainable future for all of us.
·       For more information, feel free to visit http://bit.ly/qrnCEI










“Disclosure – I am participating in the Energizer Canada & Evergreen “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Energizer Canada & Evergreen. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.”






Staying Healthy - Tips

 So every September when school starts we get sick in our house. It never fails. It is like the start of sickness season for us, the unofficial start of the cold and flu season in our house.

I decided to go to some friends and fellow moms for a few tips and tricks for staying healthy this season.

Deborah Lowther, @KidsGummyMum ,with Iron Kids Gummies and Adult Essentials and a mother of three,  has lots of great information. She is a firm believer in getting outside, even when the weather turns chilly. Deborah says fresh air is important and when you partner that with family exercise it is a win-win. Go for a hike, walk to school and of course take your vitamins. She says it is really important to find ones the kids like and want to take, and don't forget to get vitamins for Mom and Dad too!


http://www.iron-kids.com/



http://www.adultgummies.com/

Monday, September 26, 2011

ShesConnected Countdown


We are just days away from ShesConnected 2011. It is going to be a great 2 days. There are great sponsors and brands this year but what I am most looking forward to is meeting all the great women who will be attending. There are 200 fantastic women attending this year! What are you most looking forward to?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Year of the Pie

Tenderflake hosted a Tweet Up last week at the ThinkFOOD! facility in Mississauga. It was a great time. We got a chance to learn a few kitchen tricks when it comes to making apple pie. We actually got a chance to get our hands dirty and make our pie. After all the hard work we got a chance to eat pie. Thanks Tenderflake for a great day. I am ready to get baking for the holidays!



My Pie making buddies!

Pie in progress.

Our hosts Gillian and John
My finished pie.

The pie we got to eat as a reward for all our hard work baking !

Monday, September 19, 2011

way back when -11/7/08

*thought this was funny. Oh how time flies. It seems so long ago ... when Twitter wasn't part of my everyday life*

For a while I have been hearing about this thing called Twitter. I finally decided to check it out. I joined yesterday and, as I posted on Twitter, I think I am becoming addicted. I know, I know...it's like anything new. Maybe the shine will wear off but then again, maybe not.

I am still learning how to navigate around and to really use it but I am enjoying it. It's cool!

You should check it out.
http://www.twitter.com/

September Sickness








By the time the last two weeks of August roll around everyone in our house is kind of ready for school to start. The kids are getting on each others nerves and on mine. We all love to spend time together but we are ready for a change.

BUT .....

When September rolls around and school finally starts I quickly remember why I dislike this time of year. The first few weeks of school are rough. For example, last September the stomach flu spread like wildfire and then the school was suffering from a serious outbreak of head lice. We got caught up in both outbreaks. Wow, that was seriously not fun. The girls missed an entire month of dance classes because of the sickness and lice. So this year I decided to hold off on the dance class sign up until after the first few weeks of school in anticipation of the impending sickness. And just as I had suspected we have fallen victim again this September. Today is sick day number 2 for my oldest daughter and it is only the third week of school.  Both my girls are home this morning with a cough and complaints of sore stomachs. Mind you now that they are awake and have eaten some breakfast they are feeling better. I am going to attempt to get them off to school this afternoon. (Here's hoping).

It is not that I mind the kids being home... REALLY but I just don't get much done when they are home. Now that the kids are in school I plan out my days. I have housework and cleaning to do. I try to get some writing done, both for the blogs and the freelance work. I also enjoy having some time to myself after two months of summer with the kids.

I am hoping this will be the last sickness for at least a few weeks. And I am keeping my fingers crossed for a healthy winter!!!!

Check back here soon... in the next weeks I am going to post a few articles on how to keep healthy during back to school, some easy home remedies and some important tips as cold and flu season takes grip. Don't forget to leave your tips and tricks for surviving colds and flu in your house.



Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Hair Woes

So my girls went to the hair salon for the first time.... WITHOUT ME!

To be honest I am not sure how I feel about it.

Part of me is sad the first appointment wasn't a girls day out... with me. Those are special memories. The other part of me is happy in a way because it was a difficult appointment. My husband says there was lots of crying and screaming. That is just too hard to hear.

What do you think? Should I be upset?