I’ve always enjoyed picture books that are both written and illustrated by the same person.

A few months ago, the teenagers in our house, plus a friend, began the Film School 4 Teens course. We were all quite impressed. My daughter and to a degree, my youngest son have had some interest in short film making over the past couple of years and after looking into and having some telephone conversation with the Film School 4 Teens company itself, the Intro to Filmmaking – CLASSIC seemed like it might be a really nice starting point. And it has been:).

Mid February is likely a good time to do something interesting and a bit different. Looking back on the day that was and making note of it step by step isn’t something I’ve ever done before. I’ve talked to people over the years about what our days look like and goodness knows I think about it a LOT, but actually writing it down for others to see is something new!

I think Winnie- the-Pooh stories have some of the best lines. Created by A.A. Milne and originally illustrated by E.H. Shepherd in England, Winnie-the-Pooh is based partly on a Black Bear from Canada, named Winnipeg, who was actually female. Winnipeg’s name was then adapted by Milne’s son, Christopher Robin Milne, to “Winnie” for his own stuffed bear. The “Pooh” part was apparently related to a swan that he called by the same name.

The first home education get together that I experienced was in the Spring 2003. Spring Of 2003. 17 years ago. Wow! While it initially doesn’t sound that long ago, at further consideration, I’m realizing that it actually is!

Things that are simply parts of our lives sometimes – often- have been the things we’ve learned the most deeply from.

I’ve been a consultant with Usborne Books at Home, the Canadian branch of Usborne Books, for the better part of 15 years. I have always loved the multi-faceted approach that Usborne takes.

I found a couple on our shelves and then was looking in a board game store and came across some long-forgotten gems! Although the names will likely not be new, they might spark an idea to get them out or have a look for them.

My hope was for an ordinary week. Last week was, well, a lot …. and just as I thought I’d made it through, it ended with a sudden Friday night stomach flu that knocked the strength and hydration right out of me. My chance to rehydrate and rest in peace Saturday was thwarted by the arrival of guests of my husband’s. They traveled a crazy several hours from the north through a snowstorm for a visit, and also seemed undaunted by the presence of a stomach virus in the house. Sigh…

No big surprises here if you have been seeking out winter picture books for any length of time as these are popular recommendations. Just in case you haven’t been, these might be worth looking for.

I’ve highlighted some frequently recommended winter picture books, several of them considered classics now. Here are some others you might want to snuggle up with and enjoy…

The new year always brings the joy of new things and difficulty of knowing what to get rid of in order to make space. Some things are easy to part with and others are harder. This was my thinking this New Years morning when I put up our new Leslie Abram Ontario Wildlife 2020 calendar and took down our Leslie Abram Ontario Wildlife 2019 calendar.

I’m kind of nostalgic for the younger years with my kids and all the anticipation, both faith-based and festive. The reading of nativity picture books, church pageants and a good dose of The Grinch. The fun of decorating the house together, baking, working on hand-made present after hand-made present and the annual gingerbread house decorating at their Granny’s

I finished my last bite of lunch and put the container in my bag, preparing to head out to drop my daughter and her friend off to their Art class. We were at a library in a community centre the next town over and we had been reading in one of the private study rooms.

I’ve been wanting to put these experiences to words for a long time because they have been such a rich and interesting part of the week with M, S and friends for about three years now.

There are stories here and there that I remember had an impact on the way my kids began to see time and space. Some were picture books that took us to a specific location and gradually, naturally brought us on a journey through time at that very spot.

Life can be expensive. Being a parent can be very expensive! There are some aspects we can’t control but we may have more choice around the amount and way we spend than we think (and admittedly some people may not) and a lot of it is related to our mindset.

Who Was That? is back with a new Christmas Trivia edition. That’s right! Christmas songs, movies, traditions, facts about both the religious and festive side of Christmas and more!

To me, Family Pastimes Co-operative Games are the Great Canadian Board Games! That isn’t the company slogan but they are such creatively, thoughtfully developed games that it’s what comes to mind. I admire the fact that they were inspired by a real life parenting moment.

I heard the librarian announce over the speaker that the library was closing for the evening in fifteen minutes. Perfect. I needed to pick my daughter up from choir in ten minutes, they are rarely finished right on time to the minute anyway and it was about a five minute drive over. I’d head out to the car and have a few minutes to spare … except when I stepped outside, I realized the snow had begun again and I had some clearing to do.