Did you attend Summer camp as a child? I did and I have such fond memories of it! I can’t wait till my daughter is old enough to enroll her.  Such a great experience and way to build relationships, Independence, learn new talents and keep fit and many other life skills required to build self-esteem and confidence.

This Thursday, February 23rd from 12pm to 1pm, come and join the conversation as we chat about all things Summer Camp with Co-Host, Our Kids.

If you have any plans to enroll your child/ren in Summer Camp and have questions, this would be a great opportunity to have your questions answered!

How to join?

1) Using a tweet chat/twitter party platform like www.tweetgrid.com, log onto with your Twitter @handle and follow the chat with hashtag #ptpachat starting at 12pm EST.

2) Make sure to follow the moderators, @PTPA and @ourkidsnet

3) Don’t be shy! Join in on the convo as much as possible and be sure to answer all Questions with the letter A plus the # of the question (i.e. A1:, A2:, etc.)

4) Winners will be randomly chosen throughout the chat and announced at the end of the chat.

5) Most importantly – Have fun! And invite your friends! The more, the merrier.

See you there!

As you can see, I have been a little MIA here on the blog.  Just about a little over a year ago, my best-friend and my children’s god-mother passed away after having to go through multiple surgeries following a head-on collision.

To me, it just feels like yesterday.

While I was mourning my friend’s passing, as a mother, I had to make sure that my kids understood what had happened and comfort them as well.

Two weeks prior to passing, she had flown in from Chicago to be with my family.  My 5-year old had a special connection with her and during my friend’s stay, she would stay up all night sitting on my friend’s back (until 1am), watching Youtube, and eating lots and lots of candy (for some reason, I was okay with it in that moment).

So when I got the news of her passing from her husband, I wasn’t sure what to do, what to say or how I should react.  I had 2 kids staring at me wondering why I wasn’t talking, standing there in dead silence and probably looking like I was lost.

After having my own moment, I wasn’t sure how to break the news to my children.  Would they understand?  How do I explain?  What should I do?

As parents, we want to protect our children in every which way, but this time, I wanted to be honest.  They saw me cry, they heard my voice tremble and they saw me in my most vulnerable moment.  Yes, in most circumstances I am a warrior, but in this moment, my kids saw that I was just like them.

I wanted them to know that it was okay to be sad, to cry, to vent and to be in the moment.

When my 5-year old asked me what was wrong, I didn’t look to a grievance book or an online community board for answers.  I just gave her an honest answer.  I explained to her that her god-mother had passed and I was very sad.  She then looked at me and said, “Mommy, it’s okay.  Now she will be our angel looking over us.  She will always be here.”  In that very moment, I was comforted by my own child and she shed a light on me.

It’s amazing how children know more than we think and in the moments of despair, they know just the right thing to say to make everything all right.  While I felt the need to comfort my children, they ended up comforting me and helping me get through it all.  Just like I wanted them to see that I could cry and vent like them, they made sure that I saw that they could in turn comfort and take care of me.

Being a parent, it’s a never-ending journey that’s filled with surprises, and moments like these, keeps me going stronger and stronger.  What are some of your most amazing moments that made you stop and think or just made you smile?  Please comment below.

I want to start out by saying that my daughter did not attend an academic preschool nor did we teach her how to read at home.  I just presumed that once she started Kindergarten, she would learn there.

Well, the school she goes to, although public, is one of the highest rated elementary schools in all of Los Angeles including private schools.  Most of the properties in the school district average in the millions to some homes in the hundreds of millions.  The school prides itself on the fact that they are a public private school, and most families who can afford expensive private schools choose to send their children there, so that pretty much says it all.

I sent my daughter to a play-based preschool by choice.  However, a lot of the children who are in class with my daughter were in academic preschools, so it’s safe to say that kindergarten is a review for them.  For my daughter, most things are new.  She excels in math, but her reading is not up to par with the school’s high standards.  Most kids in her class can read all by themselves.

After my daughter’s teacher told me that her reading skills were average for the district, but for the school, it was very low, I was at a loss of words.  As a parent I felt like I was a huge failure and thought maybe I should have sent her to a more academic preschool or spent more time focusing on teaching her how to read.  I did a lot of self-blaming and then I eventually snapped out of it.  I still feel guilty in some ways.

The timing for my evaluation for Learn to Read, an online literacy supplemental program, couldn’t have been more perfect.  Once we came back home, I told my daughter that we had a very special program to test out and once we started the online program and she saw all the visually stimulating images, she was excited.

My daughter is a visual learner versus auditory.  So whenever she can see something, she learns a lot quicker, hence she excels in math.  A lot of reading has to do with being able to hear the sounds, so it’s been difficult with my daughter.

With Learn to Read, she has that one-on-one session and she gets to learn at her own pace.  There is a lot of repetition to make sure that the child is actually learning versus just guessing.  On top of that, the children collect eggs dependent on how well they do their lessons, so it seems more like a game than anything educational.

I love that the program is both visual and auditory because it builds on my daughter’s strengths and helps develop her weaknesses. On most days, my daughter wants to stay on the program forever because she wants to collect enough eggs to buy different wardrobes for her bird.

My daughter has a lot of fun and for me, it gives me the peace of mind that she is building her reading skills at her own pace.  At school, it’s been a struggle because she also notices that her friends are ahead of her and she feels a little left out.  She has been doing the program for over a month and I definitely see her confidence grow when she tries to read and do sounds.  For any parent looking for an alternative reading program or a refresher for their child, this is it.  I can’t say enough good things about Learn to Read and my younger one will definitely start when she is age appropriate.

We have an awesome giveaway for Canadian residents today!

SunRype has won multiple PTPA Awards for their delicious and nutritious products including their 100% Fruit Snacks, their Fruit Plus Veggies 100% Juice, and their Premium Not From Concentrate Juices. Their yummy drinks and snacks have been spotted in lunch and snack boxes and bags all over the country and this is your chance to bring some home for yours. As one Mom says, “Sometimes it is not convenient to have fresh fruit or veggies on hand…but with Sun Rype products we always have “fruit on hand”! I tell any mom who will listen about all the wonderful products Sun Rype makes…I take them on playdates and sample them there too! Thanks Sun Rype for doing such a great job!!!!” Want a chance to win a big prize pack from SunRype?

PTPA together with SunRype would like you to have the chance for TWO lucky entrants to win:

• 2 – 170g pouches – FunBites Strawberry Watermelon
• 2 – 7x18g boxes – Squiggles Wildberry Plus Veggie
• 1 – 12×30 variety pack – Just Fruit & Grains
• 2  - 5x200ml packs – Fruit Plus Veggies Raspberry Orange
• 1 – 1.36L Fruit Plus Veggies Strawberry Banana
• 1 – 1.36L Mango Tangerine

Is your mouth watering yet? Simply take the following steps below to be entered. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information about store brand infant formula and SunRype please visit the SunRype website.

This Winning Wednesday contest is open to Canadian residents. Winners will be chosen via Random.org. this next Tuesday and at 11:59pm and announced here and on Facebook this next Wednesday morning just before our next Winning Wednesday contest announcement. Winners have 2 weeks to contact us to redeem their prize. For more details, click here.

Emotional Support:
Parents who have a partner away on a business trip may be alone physically, but not emotionally. I can reach out to Daddy-o about a kid issue anytime and we can talk it through and problem solve as a team. I have single parent friends who risk a lot when they reach out to the other parent – the call can be greeted with conflict, criticism or the possibility of it being thrown back at them in court one day. Not being able to use the other parent as a trustworthy and valued sounding board would be lonely – I have the privilege of being able to share both the good and bad stuff. And let’s not forget the single parents who are dealing with an ex who isn’t particularly interested in the kids – on top of carrying all parental responsibility, there is the additional job of somehow explaining why the other parent is disinterested.

Financial Support:
How it works around here is that Daddy-o goes to work, his salary is deposited into our bank account and I spend it on the children as I see fit, with no questions asked. I try to imagine not being able to provide for my kiddos because of a parent who won’t fulfill their financial responsibilities. Sometimes I forget how amazing it is that I don’t have to fight for money for my children or hire a lawyer to ensure they’re provided for. Single parents must be exhausted at the best of times – it seems unfair that they have to put energy into fighting for child support.

So, sure, I’m alone a lot and it would be nice to have someone around to do the Scouts drop-off or help when two kids are puking at once. Often I say I’m “flying solo” when Daddy-o is out of town. But how should the term “single parent” it be used? I know a divorced couple who share custody equally and each self-identifies as a single parent. Would that be considered “co-parenting” or can two people both be a single parent?

(Photo by CL Buchanan www.clbuchananphotography.ca)

Summer is not the only time of year you should get out and explore!

Take the kids this March Break on a Winter Snow Scavenger Walk!

1. Smell the snow, what does it smell like?
2. Can you find a tree branch with a leaf on it still?
3. Listen to the sounds of winter. Be quiet, be still, what did you hear?
4. Search for tracks in the snow. What kind of tracks are they? Are they animal tracks?
5. Find the largest icicle you can find. If it’s clean give it a try!
6. If it’s snowing, open your mouth wide and catch one on your tongue. What does snow taste like?
7. Look for an animal. Do you see one? How do you think animals stay warm in the winter?
8. Get a magnifying glass, and take a close look at a snow flake. Can you find 2 the same?
9. Touch the snow. Does it make a sound? What does it feel like?
10. When you get back home, grab a piece of paper and draw what you seen and did.

Talk with your kids and teach along the way! Get out and enjoy a good Canadian Winter!

My husband and I have been trying to find a fun way to get our daughter more involved in helping out around the house.

A creative friend gave me a great idea of how to make choosing a chore fun. I decided to try it out. Here’s what I did.

1 - Brainstorm a list of age appropriate chores for your little one. My 4 year old can only do so much tidying or cleaning so we decided to add a few activities to the list. Our list comprised of things like “help set the table” and “read a book”.

2 – Head over to your local dollar store and buy some colourful popsicle sticks and a glass jar.

3 - Write the chores and activities on the sticks.

4 - Add them inside the jar.

Your child can choose one or more tasks to do everyday.

We are tallying all the chores our daughter is doing. After 20 chores she gets to pick out a new book. (Please note: we aren’t giving points for fun activities – those are a bonus)

So far my daughter is loving this system! She completed todays chores with excitement and NO complaints.

Lets hope it keeps up. I’d love to keep this system going until my son can help out around the house!

On February 15th it was four years ago that our little one came home from our local children’s hospital. She spent 79 days in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) after deciding she wanted to enter the world 13 weeks early. As some of you know from my previous posts my daughter was a little one at just 2 pounds and 14 inches. She may know be 4 years old and 35 pounds, but she will always be my little one.

I can still remember the day when the team came around to her bedside and said she was able to be released and could come home with us. I cried tears of joy many times that day. We had a few stressful moments over those 79 days, but are very thankful she is now perfectly healthy and has no long term effects of being born so early.

I remember being so nervous coming home with my little bundle and it be our first time without the support of the nurses and having them nearby if I had a question. Of course we checked on her a million times while she slept to make sure she was still breathing, but I am sure that’s what most new parents do. When she was first born E would often stop breathing and we often worried this would come back – it did not though.

It amazes me as I look at her now to see how far she come and how that homecoming seems like only yesterday. Throughout her stay I realized many times how precious life is.

That was until I ran across Teething Bling. Teething Bling is the original teething jewelry. It is made from the same FDA-approved material as most teething toys and the coated spoons that we all use to feed our little ones . Their pendants and bangles look great AND are safe for curious babies to handle and chew.Teething Bling’s products are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC, latex and lead free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp as an added safety measure. Teething Bling is different from other teething jewelry because it is the only product that has received European approval, undergoes quarterly safety testing in the US and abroad.When I first got my review I was super excited because I had heard nothing but good things about this product. Although my little girl hasn’t broken any teeth yet she is always putting things into her mouth. I noticed that if I gave her the Teething Bling as soon as she started fussing she would quiet down right away! It took forever for her to lose interest in her Bling. More times then not, she only put it down because we picked her up to do something else.

I love how convenient it is too. When I’m just running to the store or if Im holding her and trying to speak to someone the bling will keep her busy. No more getting frustrated while digging through a overly large diaper bag. The break away clasp is a bit different then other teething jewelry that I’ve reviewed in the past. It is super easy to pull apart making me feel better about letting Mia hold it on her own. I love how the pedant is the perfect size for little hands too. it isn’t too big or bulky. She has no problems holding it. I notice with some teething toys they are overly large or the water ones are heavy, making it hard for little baby’s to control and get in their mouths on their own.

I think this is a great product and every baby should have at least one You can get them here at www.smartmomjewelry.com starting at just $19.99! Not only do they have necklaces, but they also have bangles, and BABE MAGNET™ Ties

Disclaimer: Although the writer did receive a free product, the writer of this review did not receive any kind of monetary compensation. This review is the honest unbiased opinion of the writer only.

This is a great website of travel ideas for families with kids of all ages.

You can browse by how old your kids are and they suggest what to pack, or browse by destinations and get ideas on where to go. There is also a section with special budget-friendly deals.

There are tips from other families in their forums, a section on planning and ideas for new families who are inexperienced travelling with young kids.

Families also review the destinations, so click the link on the image above and find great destinations for you and your family!