Where Your Goat is Tied
When I was a kid, the eldest of five boys, one of my mother’s favourite sayings was, “Don’t let him know where your goat is tied.” Now, we reasoned from the context that she meant, “Don’t let your brother know what
Fun on the Cheap
I was away this past weekend on my annual writers’ retreat to Manitoulin Island, so my wife was solo parenting for a few days. She thought it might be a nice treat to go and do something with the boys
Fishing for fun in the summertime
The names written on the cedar rafters have created an informal record of the girls who have stayed in cabin number one. It’s the cabin that I stayed in decades ago, before campers were allowed to leave their mark and
Camp is bubble-wrap free
By Mary-Kay Amos Do you have bubble wrapped kids? The best way to answer this question is to define what that means. Lenore Skenazy who is a parenting expert, columnist, and author of “Free Range Kids” says that it is “overprotective
The California Desert with Family
By Diana Ballon The desert has that expansive barren quality that makes me feel small and insignificant, like how kids probably feel much of the time, except I’m all grown up. In California, it’s a place where flat beige land bumps
Cool Stuff June 2018
By Christine Davis Banana Boat Simply Protect Offering worry-free protection in six formulas, including kids, baby and sport, this new line from Banana Boat is made with 25 per cent fewer ingredients. There’s no added oils or fragrances and you’ll
Cook more, waste less
By Christine Davis Showing Canadians what’s been done in restaurants forever, Chef Chuck Hughes’ new web series in conjunction with LG Electronics Canada, aims to help families waste less food. “You really want to make every piece you buy extend as far
Go fish
Families have an opportunity to fish in Ontario waters without a fishing license (mandatory for anglers age 18 to 64 to legally fish at any other time of the year) during the annual Ontario Family Fishing event from June 30
The Long Road
We go up to my brother’s place on Manitoulin Island for an informal family reunion every Victoria Day weekend. He runs cottages at Dominion Bay, which is on the south shore of the island. On the Saturday, we generally help
Speaking for Themselves
I often see parents speak for their children. An Aunt asks, “So, Jane, what have you been doing at school?” but before Jane can say anything, Dad interjects, “Jane’s doing great at school. She’s getting almost straight A’s, and she’s joined
Between steep mountains and deep blue sea: Charlevoix is a place of beauty
Story and photos by Diana Ballon Ah Charlevoix. Here is a place you can go to be seduced by beauty, immersed in culture, inspired by the art, and sated by its bounty. If you live in central Canada, the seduction can occur
Coping with the Village
I’m sure you’ve all heard the cliche that it takes an entire village to raise a child, and I agree with this. I really do. I appreciate so much that I live in a neighbourhood where I know, not only
Picture your perfect Mother’s Day and share it
By Jane Muller A recent bout of spring cleaning fever revealed a stash of Mother’s Day cards crafted by my boys when they were younger that had been tucked away in a drawer. The sentiments expressed, the “penmanship” and the artistry were
How to make your phone photos fabulous
Estimates by InfoTrends indicate a total of 1.2 trillion digital photos will be taken worldwide this year. The vast majority of those pictures will be snapped on mobile phones. Here are some tips improve their mobile phone photo skills. · Focus
A weekend away
My wife went away to the cottage this past weekend with a few girlfriends from college. It’s an annual event. The participants change slightly each year depending on who can escape work and family responsibilities, but there’s a core of
Kids in the kitchen
I’m a big proponent of kids in the kitchen. The first and most obvious reason is that cooking is the kind of basic life skill that everyone should have. If we want our kids to grow up and eat healthy, we
Discipline vs. punishment
By Christine Davis Discipline is the art of teaching kids to behave properly. What it is not, says Katherine Firestone, founder of The Fireborn Institute, is punishment. “The purpose of discipline is to teach self-discipline so children can then learn to
Burlington Synchro! Summer Camps 2018 begin August 20th, Fall Recreational begins September
If your child aged 3 - 16 years old enjoys music, dance, gymnastics and swimming - Synchro is the ideal sport to try something new and exciting!
Snow days in April
Today is a snow day. Or, more precisely, it’s a sleety freezing rain day, which means that all the kids are home and that I’m writing this to the sound of one child playing video games, another watching cartoons, and a
It’s hip to be in Goderich’s Square
By Stephanie Redmond It’s touted as “the prettiest town in Canada” and Goderich is indeed, really pretty. Take a short, few hours drive from the GTA, along beautiful country roads and you’ll find yourself in this historic town. Settled in 1827 on
