Category: children

June 13, 2017

Building Memories, Confidence and Life Long Friendships with Girl Guides of Canada

“Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada enables girls to be confident, resourceful and courageous, and to make a difference in the world.” Girl Guides of Canada

The early years of childhood right up until the teen years can be difficult to navigate, both for children and parents. As a child, we want freedom to grow and learn, but we don’t always have the opportunity to experience the life lessons we need to grow and mature. As parents, we want to empower our children to be confident, to be leaders, to be brave and to always do the right thing. No tough job, right?

I remember my childhood vividly. I was always on the shy side. I liked to read my books (I am still a bookworm), I liked healthy competition and I enjoyed being with my friends once I was able to get over my shyness. I entered the world of Girl Guides as a Brownie at the age of seven and this began a journey for me that would last up until I moved away from home to attend university.

I fell in love with the spirit of the Guiding community – you were a part of a group of girls that wanted you to succeed, wanted you to be active, have fun, laugh and be silly. I loved learning a variety of skills that I would never have had the opportunity to learn elsewhere, everything from sewing badges to changing light bulbs to starting a campfire to finances. I was such a competitive spirit and loved to earn as many badges as I possibly could. Girl Guides helped me to realize my potential and gave me the confidence I needed as a shy child to succeed.

The friendships that I have gained over the years from Girl Guides have meant the world to me. In 1999, as a Pathfinder, I was able to participate in Canadian Mosaic ’99 in Alberta. This event drew Girl Guide members from around the world in a celebration of our history, our future and empowering young girls to thrive. It was an incredible week of canoeing, hiking, archery, talent shows and more – we even attended the Calgary Stampede. Even the freezing weather and rain could not hold us down. It was here that I made friends with some special ladies who I would continue to remain friends with even though continents separate us! When I had my first child, one of my friends who I had met from Australia sent a special Aussie package for our little one. When she had her first child, we sent her a special Canadian package for her precious little one. The friendships that I gained during my Guiding years have survived separation over different continents, growing our families and more. These friendships have meant the world to me.

Girl Guides of Canada provide young girls with a safe place to be who they want and are meant to be. They offer a wide range of opportunities for young girls to participate in the outdoors, arts, science, community service and personal growth. These experiences lay the framework for young girls to succeed and push to achieve their goals. It helps to motivate young girls to follow their passion and to never give up. I now have the opportunity to give back to other young girls by encouraging them to follow their own dreams. I have shared the badges that I have collected over the years and had sewn onto my Guiding poncho with new members of Guiding and have encouraged them to participate in local, national and international Guiding opportunities that open up a new world for them.

Participating in your local Girl Guides of Canada group is simple – each branch starts up in September and wraps up in late spring. Girls participate in weekly meetings and how much they want to participate and lead is up to them. The meetings are friendly, welcoming and encourage participation from all members, no matter what skill level. Girls of any age can join, even girls as young as five years of age!

Were you a member of the Girl Guides of Canada? What was your best memory from your Guiding years?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 8, 2017

Life Lessons Through Humour, Respect and Compassion From #CatholicTeachers

Building Strong Communities Starts at School

Children spend a fair portion of their lives in a classroom. It is where they learn not only important language, math and science skills but also skills for life. They learn how to be friends, citizens in their community and to respect the world they live in. An excellent teacher helps guide them through these lessons by giving them the tools they need to guide them along this journey.

My parents registered my siblings and I in the York Region Catholic District School board and it was one of the best decisions they ever made for us. I spent fifteen years of my life in a community of support and engagement. I still remember all of the art shows, fun days and after school activities we were able to participate in. It was the amazing teachers working behind the scenes that helped to support the engagement, participation and good will spirit in our schools. It is only as an adult that I can truly begin to appreciate the amount of work and devotion they put in to us students!

When I was in high school, I found myself debating whether or not I should continue in the sciences. I wasn’t sure if it was a good field for me and even if I fit in. Sciences were dominated by males, they didn’t make you feel like the odd one out but you still felt strange in class with more boys than girls. It was my Grade 10 (and later on 12) teacher, Mr. Smith who cemented my decision to continue in the Sciences and later on attend McMaster University for Kinesiology. He used humour in such a way to make us feel engaged, want to learn more and to even better understand the course work. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t have us in tears from laughing so hard. He truly loved his students and wanted them to succeed. Under his guidance, a group of us participated in the Aventis Biotech Challenge. This found us working at Sick Kids Hospital for several months in their laboratory, putting together a presentation and poster board to present our findings. We came in fifth place that year and it was all to the amount of hours Mr. Smith helped put in for us. He was there to help us practice our speeches over and over again, with great tips, he gave guidance on what a poster board should look like and how to make our group stand out. He made us proud to be a part of something bigger. He even joined us at Aventis later on in the month for a tour that we were awarded as part of our coming in fifth place. He taught me to always push myself harder and further – to never box myself in by fears. This has been one of the greatest life lessons that I was blessed to be given.

When I became a Mom, I knew that this was the environment I wanted my children to grow up in. A community of teachers who loved teaching and seeing my children succeed as much as I did. Teachers that would guide, show compassion and understanding and encourage the children to push themselves to do their best every day. I could not wait to register my boys fully knowing they were about to embark on a journey of education, faith and friendship.

My boys take after me quite a bit – from my shy ways to my perfectionism. It can take a lot to draw them out of their shells and no one did this better than my son’s teacher, Mr. Rocchi. My son truly came alive under his guidance. He loved going to school every day – he excelled in all of his classes, he made new friends in different grades, he was learning about respect and time management. Mr. Rocchi encouraged him to always do his best but to do so with humility and respect. It wasn’t always about winning but the journey along the way. Mr. Rocchi coached my son after school for flag football and although my youngest is seven years younger, he let him play along, gather the flags and “coach”. He made one young child’s year with his kindness! Mr. Rocchi is an incredible teacher, guide and example for the children in our boy’s school – I have kept my fingers crossed that our youngest is in his class!

Ontario Catholic Teachers have an excellent opportunity to teach our children more than just math, language and science. They have the opportunity to teach them important values and goals that will help them become stronger members in their community. I am proud to have not only been one of their students but that my children are students now under their guidance!

Teachers play an important part in your child’s life, what has a teacher done that has gone above and beyond your expectations?

Disclosure: This post is part of the YummyMummyClub and Ontario’s Catholic Teachers #CatholicTeachers sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.

May 29, 2017

Get On The Move with Go! Go! Smart Wheels from VTech

Little ones have a fascination with cars and wheels. Both of my boys loved to play hours on end with anything that had wheels that they could zip around the floor and the walls (especially the walls!). They were in even more awe when those same cars lit up and made noises.

Knowing that little children are fascinated with the movement, noises and lights of cars, VTech designed the Go! Go! Smart Wheels collection that helps children learn about the world around them while feeding their desire to play with cars that move and make noise. The collection of vehicles sing songs and can even zoom off on their own with the touch of the button.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Press and Race Fire Truck helps your child explore the world of fire safety and emergency response. Many children want to learn more about these trucks and the heroes that are aboard, and what better way to introduce them to their heroes than through play. Children can learn about firefighting, the letter ‘F’ and even perform their own rescues with their own fire truck. With the press of a button, their fire truck is quickly off to the rescue and your little one becomes the hero in an important rescue mission.

The fire truck fits perfectly into your child’s hand and is geared to children aged 1 to 5. The fire truck will also respond to Smart Point locations on Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets and Go! Go! Animals tracks, which is a definite win-win in my mind.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Press and Race Race Car introduces your child to life in the fast lane – in a fun way! This tiny but powerful race car lights up, sings songs and helps your child learn about the letter ‘R’ – you can even add in fun sound effects. Press, hold and let go and your race car is off to win the championship! This race car is the perfect gift for the child in your life that loves to be on the move and make cars zoom fast. Like the Fire Truck, the Race Car also responds to Smart Points on Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets and Go! Go! Animals tracks.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels collection also includes a dump truck, runway airplane and a trot and travel royal carriage. All of these VTech products can be purchased at Toys R Us or Walmart.

Make sure to follow VTech on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest news and products for your little one.

Disclosure: I received the above products in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

March 9, 2017

Bop to the Music with VTech Rock and Bop Music Player

Music is a great way to help children learn, have fun and get active. We have always used music with our children since they were babies to soothe, to have fun and to learn. As they get older and more independent, they want to be just like us adults too. They want their own iPods or MP3 player to listen to music and they won’t hesitate to take yours. While I want my kids to enjoy music, I also know how easily these products can be damaged.

And that is where the VTech Rock and Bop Music Player comes in!

The VTech Rock and Bop music player is a toy that uses ten musical games to educate your child with kid friendly music. The music introduces them to letters, numbers, animals, instruments, time and more. Your child can play the music in different styles, have animals sing songs and can choose different instruments to play around with the melody of a song. This adorable music player even comes with its own set of headphones that allows your child to listen to their music independently without hurting their sensitive ears.

Size and design wise this music player reminds me of a Walkman and you should have seen the look on my kids face when I said that, ‘a walk what?!’. It has the same larger, sturdy build that you know will last. The music player is slightly bigger then an iPhone but will easily fit into your child’s hand. It is light weight and user friendly. Each button has an easy to recognize picture for both parents and children – numbers, animals and instruments.

The music is a delight to listen to, it was upbeat and fun all while teaching important educational lessons for children like numbers and letters.

The VTech Rock and Bop Music player can be purchased at Toys R Us, Amazon and Walmart. The music player retails for $19.99 CDN, making it an affordable and fun gift for any child on your gift list.

Make sure to follow VTech on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with new toys and more.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 2, 2017

Celebrate Family Day with Kidapalooza!

Family day weekend is all about fun, family and being together. Kidapalooza brings all of this to the table and more.

So what is Kidapalooza? It is a three day celebration of the imagination that will have families creating, exploring and playing together. It provides a hands-on, creative experience for families from all across the Greater Toronto Area. The event takes place indoors at the Markham Fair Grounds, so no need to worry about the cold weather we are currently going through. The event runs Family Day long weekend, from February 18-20.

The event has expanded this year to include 45,000 square feet of activity stations, play zones, interactive inflatables, performance stage, dance parties and vendors. There is an endless list of activities for you and your child to do together.

My readers can now enter to win their own family pack of tickets (two adults and two children) to attend Kidapalooza. Please make sure that you are close enough to the event to attend as transportation and accomodation are not provided. GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to check out the Kidapalooza website for more information and contest to win a Springfree Large Oval Smart Trampoline (valued at $2,749). Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with event details, giveaways and more.