Let’s Celebrate Grandparents Day {Giveaway}

DK GrandParents Giveaway

I have some very fond memories of my Grandparents! Sadly, I never got to meet my maternal Grandfather, but my maternal Grandmother had the most beautiful jewellery and super fun black old style, rotary phone that we loved to use. I spent a lot more time with my paternal Grandparents. They lived on an Apple Orchard that was like heaven to a little kid as we climbed up in the low apple trees, played hide and seek and ran free on their huge property. I remember funny things about my Grandmother! Her skim milk always tasted sour, her baking all … Continue reading

How Toddlers Thrive

How Toddlers Thrive

  What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success   How Toddlers Thrive, written by Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D., the director of an internationally renowned centre for toddler development is a great resource about child behaviour and development for ages 2 to 5. It not only provides tips and ideas on how to help your child thrive and develop, but more importantly helps to make your home a happier place. The first half of the book is about toddler development and stages. While I did find it a bit repetitive, it is … Continue reading

DK Canada Baby Books Giveaway

DK baby books

I’m a HUGE fan of DK Canada Books! I have a feature over at MommiesFirst.com called Amanda’s Picks where I share some of my favourite baby books. One of my blogging friends over at Naturally Cracked is hosting a DK Canada Baby Book Giveaway. Be sure to check out her blog for her 7 Days of Reading series where she shares tips for reading with your toddler. Be sure to enter the DK Canada Baby Books Giveaway: ends May 19th, 2914 a Rafflecopter giveaway Oh and be sure to check out DK Canada for some great Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!

iRead With Ebooks for Early Readers from @ilearnwith

ebooks for early reading

I have had so many conversations with parents of young children whose children are struggling to read and the parents cannot seem to find anything that motivates them. Perhaps this new reading program called iRead With for iPad users is exactly what these families need. “iRead With” books are interactive ebooks for early readers that encourage children to talk and interact with their parents while they learn. This wonderful concept actually brings parents and children together instead of simply throwing an electronic device at their child (which, yes, I am guilty of doing too!). iRead With is based on the … Continue reading

The Trees Have Hearts by @MRSDBOOKS {Children’s Book Review}

The Tress Have Hearts

The Trees Have Hearts is a lovely story written by Mrs. D. (Olga D’Agostino). This story was written for girls between the ages of 6-10. My daughter is 8, almost 9, and both her and I enjoyed reading this book together. It is the story of a young girl, left friendless because she could not speak a new language. This girl lived in an old house with a small garden, where three blooming trees and the mysterious wind became her first imaginary friends. Her new friends helped her overcome her fears and worries. This is a story that shares the … Continue reading

Filling Your Child’s Emotional Bucket

  Have you ever heard of the book How Full Is Your Bucket?   I gave this book to my daughter a few years ago in hopes to increase her self esteem and the concept has fortunately stuck with both of my children! The basic idea is that we all have an emotional bucket and in any given moment, we have the opportunity to fill up someone’s bucket or empty someone’s bucket. We fill up buckets with kindness, appreciations, positive words, encouragement etc. and we empty buckets by using put downs, insults, teasing and negative thoughts. It is such a … Continue reading

Snuggle Up with a Valentine’s Day Book

Snuggle up for an evening reading Valentine stories together. If you don’t have a collection of your own, you’ll be surprised what a big selection your public library has to offer! I have collected a list of some great FREE Valentine’s Day Printables that my children have enjoyed. You can print some of these off and leave them on the kitchen table as a fun surprise each day leading up to Valentine’s Day. What is your favourite Valentine’s Day book? For more creative ideas, please visit: Visit our Valentine’s Day Page for more Valentine’s Day Arts, Crafts and Activities! If … Continue reading

The A to Z of Children’s Health: A Parent’s Guide from Birth to 10 Years {BOOK REVIEW}

In today’s hyper-connected world it is all too easy to turn to the internet for advice and information of all types including for health issues. As the parent of a toddler and someone who is a super-internet-user, I often turn to trusty Google when my little one isn’t feeling well to try to figure out what is wrong and what I should do (much to my husband’s chagrin!). While some of this information is helpful I am always cautious and a bit skeptical given that I don’t really know the source of the advice and if it can be trusted. … Continue reading

Start Something New with Help from @DKCanada

It’s a new year and with the new year comes all kinds of goals and resolutions. Last week, I shared my health goals and today I would like to share how I plan on starting something new, just for me. My Mom taught me how to crochet when I was a kid, but it is not something that I continued. I love crafts, but I have not made time for them in quite a while. Now is the time to do just that, make time for crafts. Knitting and crocheting seem to be rather trendy right now. There are all … Continue reading

The Family Cookbook from @DKCanada is the Only Cookbook You’ll Ever Need

As a devout meal-planner and someone who loves to cook, finding new recipes to keep my family menu interesting is really important. In recent months I’ve turned to Pinterest to collect recipes because I don’t have any one cookbook that can provide me with healthy, easy and a variety of recipes that I want. I have hundreds of meal ideas pinned to various boards on Pinterest, but because my collection has become so vast it is getting very difficult to comb through them and find recipes. When I was given the opportunity to review a cookbook and choose which book … Continue reading