It seems like just yesterday my kids were in diapers. It’s like overnight they sprung fully formed into these magical creatures, these growing boys with distinct likes and dislikes. Movie nights used to be easy to pick what to watch, age appropriate selections were obvious and there wasn’t much guesswork involved. Now that they are getting bigger it’s just a little bit trickier to know what is going to be ok for them to watch. This is my advice for movie nights with growing kids.
March is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month! What? Are you scratching your head? If you are, please know that arthritis is a condition not exclusive to the elderly. More than 24,000 Canadian kids live with arthritis, and for young bodies in a constant state of growth and development, the condition can be debilitating. Can you imagine sitting out games, choosing not to climb the tree with the other kids, or giving up organized sports due to joint pain and inflammation when you are 10? While most people think of arthritis as an “old persons” disease, arthritis is actually one of the more common disorders resulting in chronic disability in children and teens in Canada.
We are living in a miraculous time. Life is complex, yet we are constantly able to accomplish more and more in the course of a day. Technology continually advances to allow instantly-scheduled meetings or automatic photo printing. Our homes have also become meccas of convenience and efficiency. Interior designers have analyzed life for real people, and our living spaces now reflect adaptations for our realities. For the elderly, this may mean electronic stair lifts and non-spherical door handles. For the modern family, kitchens include pull-out shelving solutions, smart home technology and laundry rooms that have relocated to a central floor.
As parents, we experience an abundance of “firsts” while raising our children. As new guardians especially, the “firsts” seem to pile on top of one another so quickly that it feels like you are collecting winning tokens in an exciting new casino game. The first sonogram. The first time hearing baby’s heartbeat, first kick, and eventually the first trip to the hospital. Every moment is a milestone to be cherished.
Raise your hand if you’ve watched a weather report and gone back to bed. Or abandoned plans to leave the house when snow began to fall. Canadian winters can be brutal and many of us fall into the trap of staying inside to avoid the elements. Unfortunately, this can result in more screen time and less memory-making family moments.
Family travel can be tough sometimes – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it! The more often, the better, for experiences, education, memories and personal growth. Our family travels possibly too much, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Over the years we have developed these unique 8 essentials for making family travel easier.
About to embark on a March Break trip with kids, what makes it into the carryon bags is crucial. We’ve got the swimsuits, the loveys and airplane activities. We’ve got books, flip flops and first aid kits. But one thing I’ve just discovered has been added to the roster of travel essentials for us. The Philips goLITE BLU energy light is a portable light therapy device designed and clinically proven to help increase your energy level naturally and help fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), winter blues and jet lag. JET LAG. Do you know what’s worse? KIDS with JET LAG. I know. They’re like a cross between Gremlins and heavy rocks. Here are 7 ideas to combat jetlag in kids so the gremlin thing doesn’t happen.
Eagerly awaiting the spring snow melt and joyous emergence of tulips, many parents are feeling taxed by activities, homeschooling and isolation. We all may be ready for a vacation, but it is also a great time to evaluate the family’s goals. Ours included many ambitious health routines – but over the past weeks there has been a definite downward slide.
Little Alchemy is a HIGHLY addictive and intellectually stimulating game about combining elements to create other elements. It’s like starting out the universe with a petrie dish that includes air, water, earth and fire and combining them so creatively that you end up with beavers, sailboats, lightsabres and jam. As an example, air + fire = energy or E=MC2. You can then use energy combined with wood to make paper.
Remember the old days of air travel when a deck of cards and a few postcards were all that was needed for in-flight entertainment? Travel has changed. Somewhere between forcing passengers to surrender our tweezers and restrict ginormous amounts of liquid in carry-on bags our personal freedom has decreased. Not to worry, though, because our level of freedom with entertainment has actually grown exponentially. We have so many technological-based was to be entertained, counting them can be hard. I get it. I’m totally guilty, which is why I’ve come up with some tech-free airplane activities. For kicks.