The arrival of spring means that a lot of beautiful things are about to bloom. It also means that some not-so-beautiful things are about to arrive as well… I’m talking about every lawn’s enemy: weeds. We have have a cringe-worthy abundance of these, but I’ve figured out how to make the best of the situation and how you can to. What I’m suggesting is a weed bouquet. Sound hideous? Maybe! But as far as decorative experiments go, this is quite cost-effective. In fact…completely free.
Spring break. The time parents plan for and children dream about. A trip to the beach, amusement park, or in our case, the mountains. We chose to drive to our destination. It forced family fun and was simply easier than flying with our gear.
Spring is almost here and I’m excited not just because winter is coming to an end. I’m ready to put away my Christmas wreath and pull out the ceramic bunnies that will decorate my living room for the next month. Yes, Easter is coming soon! My shopping list ready for Easter-themed craft for the kids (paints, wax, eggs, yes, I’m that mom!), and on top of that list are as many chocolate eggs and bunnies as I can get away with without setting a bad example. In fact a few years ago when we lived in a condo building in downtown Calgary I found the kids were missing out on back yard fun but I still managed to organize an indoor Easter egg hunt. Not as fun or challenging as one outdoors would have been but it was the tradition that mattered.
It’s easy to get bogged down with the daily ins-and-outs of parenting, work, and life. There are dishwashers to unload, grocery shopping to do, and paychecks to earn.
Sometimes, though, it’s worthwhile to step back and simply enjoy quality time with our children. Easier said than done in the midst of another busy week, yes, but so worth it. We came up with five simple mother-son playdate ideas to inspire you to set aside some one-on-one time with the little dude in your life.
The tooth fairy is a magical character who swoops in and leaves some funds under your child’s pillow on the night they lose their teeth. If Mom and Dad remember. (And hasn’t every parent awakened in a cold sweat trying to remember if the tooth fairy made her visit?)
I am not a gal that likes to clean toilets. Actually, I’m sure no one does! But cleaning bathrooms is unfortunately just one of the necessary evils of life. We all have better things to do with our time – things that produce income or make memories with our families. When we moved into our current house nearly 2 years ago, we went from 2 bathrooms to 4. More toilet paper, and more to clean!
After turning 40, I knew that it was going to be time to start getting serious about working out. Being a naturally thin person for most of my adult life, I was really able to keep my weight down, and a pretty decent amount of muscle tone, even though I wasn’t working out very regularly. I’ve never cared for getting sweaty, and 18would rather spend my time window-shopping or writing or crafting. But after hitting the 4 decade milestone, I noticed that my pants started getting a little tighter, that muffin-top got more pronounced, and generally I just didn’t feel as tight anymore.
Just like my mama, I find joy in celebrating the holidays with some extra special little markers. Even though our family didn’t make pretend with the different characters of celebrations (ie. Santa, the Easter Bunny), we would always wake up to things hidden around the house on Easter for us to find. Who cared whether a egg-toting bunny left it or not, chocolate is chocolate, man.
I am a tradition-a-holic. From a very young age, I have been addicted to the traditions that surround each holiday. Meticulously sorting Halloween candy with my brother, reading holiday-themed books with family, piling into a vehicle with friends to go on a Christmas light tour, and hand-decorating Valentine’s Day cards for classmates. Traditions are an integral part of each holiday and they are what evoke feelings of nostalgia, comfort, and most of all connection with each other.
It’s almost as busy at the school as the mall on boxing day. The parents get to find out from Saleema Noon exactly what she’s going to be telling the kids about… body stuff. You know, sex. And parts ‘down there’. WHISPER… Where babies come from. We’ve got her tips for talking about sex with your kids.
