As your child gets older and more independent, the summer break takes on a whole different vibe. Your now-teenager has successfully navigated middle school, some of high school, and possibly even completed Drivers’ Ed (eek!) At this point, they’re likely pretty entrenched in their daily routine: getting to class, completing assignments, attending practice, and (hopefully) doing their chores. And then summer arrives and it all falls apart. Your once busy teenager suddenly has hours and hours of time to play with and no direction creating a situation that can quickly escalate out of moms control—so here are some summer tips for moms with teens to help nip it in the bud right from the start.
When we think about nourishment, most people know how to balance a good meal and many can also afford a few spinach leaves here and there. BUT… there are millions of people all over the world who can’t. Pacific Foods has always been one of the most socially-conscious companies in Canada. Their employees volunteer hundreds of hours, they have a zero-waste target that has almost been reached, and the company has always followed sustainable practices to ensure kinder treatment of people, animals, and the planet. They also just treated the public and a local charity to a fun and nutritious pop-up. The Pacific Tasting Kitchen was a public “soup-kitchen” in Yaletown, where for every sample of mouth-watering soup given out, another sample was donated to The Dugout, a local soup kitchen in the YVR Downtown Eastside. The charity provides a free soup breakfast every morning to 200+ people in the neighborhood. I feel so very lucky.
The school year is drawing to a close and summer will be here in a minute, with it the buzz of schoolkids ready to burst from the confines of their routine and be free. Never fear: a successful summer transition is within your reach. The change from classroom to summer setting need not be jarring—for you or your child (or your teen). Doing a bit of prep before summer’s arrival will ease you all into this change and set you up for a summer of grand memories and structured good times.
My day starts with checking the uniform cleanliness status, the color coded calendar on the refrigerator, and my supply of coffee and coconut milk creamer.
Because I’m a Sports Mama.
I have four extremely active children. On any given day we potentially have three softball games in three different cities in the Metro, a volleyball game somewhere in the school district, a football game up to four hours away, dance rehearsal and a dad and mom who may be coaching any of those things…..well, not the dance or football. That’s just the fall season.
Diala’s Kitchen is one of my favourite new food blog obsessions and after getting gluttonous on the (terrible, curse on whoever invented this) “Eat What You Want Day” with a bowl of popcorn to carry me through from breakfast to lunch, an inhaled curry pad thai for dinner, and half a huge bag of dark choc almonds to follow—let’s just say that I woke up this morning hungover, overcome with guilt, and looking to redeem myself.
Diala to the rescue with a dish that’s fresh, healthy, totally yummy, and makes me feel like I might not have to wear a T-shirt over my swimsuit during baby swimming lessons this summer.
Screen time is a big debate, particularly when you have middle schoolers. Some people think kids are on their phones too much, some people aren’t too worried. In our world, screens are a necessity, a connector and also learning tools – parents just may want to ensure that their kids are using them in a balanced way. Whatever comfort level parents have, the common thread is wanting to be able to make the best choices that reflect their values. That’s why I love Apple’s Screen Time function. Apple doesn’t tell you how to parent – they just give you the tools and data to be able to make the decisions that are right for your family.
Happy Chinese New Year! While we may celebrate with lanterns and coins, there are also a few free, family-friendly ways to share the love and embrace the new year! If you’re an Apple aficionado like we are, there’s lots to share from your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Our fav is, of course, the iMessage special effects, just like when you type ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Happy Birthday’. The iOS red envelope and lantern emojis are also high on the list!
The next worst thing to not being invited to holiday parties is what blasted hostess gift to bring. Have no fear. Whether you have been invited to a Nova Scotian kitchen party or high-end dinner soiree, we have a few ideas. A few of the links contain an affiliate link, but this just means if you click it and then shop around, it supports the site and our team so we can keep everything running smoothly. So what happened last night, like the website crashing because we have so much content we ran out of space and the host wanted $1200 extra, doesn’t happen. But we’re back up!!! (If you are seeing this) and encourage you to check out all of the other guides at the bottom of this post. xx
This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.
The air quality this summer was difficult, leading to more time indoors than we had hoped, but with the cool of fall we are prone to staying warm and cozy inside. With the summer being the way it was, I don’t want to miss out on any of the beauty of fall by camping out on the sofa under my blanket. Let’s not miss out! Instead, I want to encourage you to get outside before the winter months really make us want to hibernate.
Growing up in Nova Scotia, I always spent Thanksgiving at our farmhouse built in 1763. The dining room has an exposed log wall and harvest table. Each of Norman Rockwell’s ‘Four Freedoms’ are framed in the room, making it a magical place to give thanks. Though I won’t be at the Farm for this year’s Thanksgiving holiday, I’m going to take a lesson from the Freedom from Want print. I will not only plan our festivities early but do my shopping for myself and my home in a stress-free way at Costco!
I am thrilled to be hosting a fabulous shopping event for Moms on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at the Downtown Vancouver Costco Warehouse from 9:30-10:30am.