As we sailed away from the skittles-coloured Lunenburg buildings I started humming Stan Rogers tunes. Sailing on the ship that graces our Canadian dime is a treat I hadn’t experienced since I was 8. My boys, avid sailors themselves, had never had the pleasure. On our most recent trip to Nova Scotia, they got to explore the Bluenose II.
Keeping a clean house when you have pets can be a challenge. Having a cat or dog is such an amazing part of childhood for our kids, but cleaning up after them can be a pain, especially if you entertain regularly like we do. We try to keep the house ready for unexpected guests and that means being proactive to stop messes before they start. Here are our best tips:
My Halifax elementary school, Sir Charles Tupper, produced a cookbook and this recipe for Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake was in it. We still serve it for holidays every year. I remember my mom entertaining, and eating this for breakfast the next day! I don’t think there’s anything more decadent than cheesecake for breakfast. The richness is delicious and satisfying. It’s amazing when you stop to think about how many memories we have that are tied to food! What food holds special memories for you?
The first flakes started flying last week and it got me thinking that the days where it starts to stick aren’t very far around the corner. Winter can be such a magical season but some times all that white stuff means leaving the house just isn’t going to happen. For those days, here are some ideas to keep the kids busy and entertained.
This recipe for hot sauce is my husband Derek’s favourite. There are so many ways to add spice to life, that right now are kindof impossible to do, like travel, new experiences, theatre, music and art – why not start in the kitchen? This is a great pandemic kitchen trick to learn, and can save a fortune in buying sauces. Adding a little spice to life is always fun, and so is making delicious condiments yourself. Hot sauces have become quite popular, with a wide variety of options available on the market including curated subscription boxes. I love making things home made wherever possible, and this recipe makes that a cinch.
UrbanMommies popped by a stunning brunch event hosted by Kelly Deck, and were thrilled to see two iterations of a holiday table.
What is it to be ‘good’? Does it matter why people practice kindness? My grandmother told me to be kind for religious reasons. Some people may want to make up for a misspent past, while others just want others to be happier and make the world a better place than it was yesterday.
Halloween is such a fun time of year, and I love it because it’s just so creative. From picking out the perfect costumes for your kids, hosting parties with fun spooky treats with friends and family and making crafts that celebrate the season while having fun making things with your hands. We don’t get a lot of trick or treaters where we are, but we do get some and it’s always fun to pick out treats to hand out and to see all the creative, adorable and spooky costumes on the kids that come to our door. And then there’s decorating the pumpkin. Decorating pumpkins is so much fun (and so is roasting and eating the seeds, yum!) – but some people feel really stuck about how to decorate them.
This spinach salad was a party favourite growing up. We always dried the spinach in a pillowcase after washing it for big parties. As a little girl I got to do the shaking. Now, I’m more of a salad spinner person, but this brings back some fun memories that make me smile when I’m getting a big salad ready for a party.
We all have our parenting strengths, and families often go through challenges that test us. There are the small but normal developmental hurdles like the first time your child sees what will happen when they hit mommy in the face or try and cut off their own hair. There are the slightly cringe-worthy times they fall off a swing or fail a test in school. But then there are those heart-lurching, life-shifting moments when a threshold is crossed, and everyone involved has to adjust.