Monday, June 29, 2015

June 28th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky


Tales of Mommyhood, giveaways, linky, monday madness

Happy Monday! Summer vacation is officially here.  Friday night we attended my brothers wedding (the kids got to have a sleepover with their grandparents). Hubby is off work this week and we are excited to spend some time together having fun.

It's a new week, and time for a new linky! If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.

As always, sharing the linky is appreciated and helps gain maximum exposure for everyone that links up.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Last Day of School

Today is the last day of school for my kids.  One was up early, and one slept a little later than normal. At one point they both wanted to stay home, but then I reminded them it was "step-up" day and that got them excited.  Step-up day is when they get to learn which teacher they will have next year, then they go visit the classroom they will be in and see what other children are in their class.  It's a great way to end the school year (and eases a little of the anxiety that can come with a new school year also).

When the bus came I took their picture to make a comparison with first day of school, and then they were off.

I have mixed emotions about summer.  Normally I can't wait to have them both at home with me all summer, although this year I am a little nervous as well.  There aren't many kids Mr. J's age around, and most of his friends seem to be in daycare still - which means there are only younger kids to play with.

I fear it may be a LONG summer with a LOT of fighting between the boys. That worries me.  I am so glad that they will be home, and hubby is off next week so we have lots of family time...but then it's just me and them.

I do have our bucket list ready to go with things to do, and I also know that while I may get frustrated and ready to pull out my hair - I will NOT be glad to be rid of them come school starting in the fall.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Curious George 3: Back To The Jungle {review}


Curious George 3 will be available for home purchase on June 23rd.  It's the third full length film in the series, and follows George on yet another adventure.  I wasn't sure how the kids were going to feel about it (we all love the original film, but weren't too fond of the 2nd release) but wanted to give it a chance.

Father's Day was a beautiful, hot day.  We spent 3-4 hours outside playing and then we were all ready for some cool down time.  We made our way into the house and cuddled up together to watch the curious little monkey.

Mr. K and I really enjoyed it - and I would definitely recommend it for young kids.  Mr. J did lose interest towards the end, so I would probably say it's best for the 6 and under crowd.  Both the kids loved seeing the jungle animals - and were reminded of the safari we took at Disney!

You can download some activity sheets to print out for your kids and check out the clip below!


Tales of Mommyhood received the above mentioned product in exchange for this review. All opinions are honest and belong to ToM; your opinion may vary.

Monday, June 22, 2015

June 22nd Monday Madness Giveaway Linky


Tales of Mommyhood, giveaways, linky, monday madness

Happy Monday! Hard to believe it is the last week of school for my kids.  Last week was busy at the school for me (volunteering in each of their classes).  If you haven't read my latest post about an important change I missed with Mr. K - you should.  You may have missed the same thing with your children.

It's a new week, and time for a new linky! If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.

As always, sharing the linky is appreciated and helps gain maximum exposure for everyone that links up.

Friday, June 19, 2015

If I Missed This Important Change In My Son, You May Miss It Too

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and Ontario Association of Optometrists #OntarioESEL 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.

I have always been a mom who takes her kid to the doctor for regular check-ups. To the dentist, starting at 2 to make sure teeth were coming in as they should, and also to an Optometrist to have his vision checked, also starting at age 2.

When Mr. K went for his 3rd visit to the Optometrist, we discovered his prescription was +4.50 – that is pretty high for a 4 year old – and had we not scheduled this routine visit, we would not have known. He did not complain of headaches, he didn’t squint or hold things super close to his face. He gave us absolutely no indication that he was having any trouble seeing. I was shocked with the drastic change, and learned that kid’s eyes grow and change quite quickly when they are young, which is an important reason to have their eyes examined annually.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Celebrate International Picnic Day 2015



Apparently today is International Picnic Day.  I had no idea there was such a thing, but it shouldn't surprise me as there seems to be a "day" for everything.  Since my kids are both in school today, we won't be having a picnic, but I will walk you through what a typical picnic for us would be.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Summer 2015 Bucket List



For the last few years I have made a bucket list with the kids on things they want to do over summer vacation.  This year is no different!  Summer vacation officially kicks off next week - June 25th is the LAST day of school!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Magical Summer Days


Last summer our neighbours put their house up for sale.  I was slightly devastated when it happened (we were quite close to them and my kids felt like they had an extra pair of grand parents) and often worried that we wouldn't get along with the new owners.

We met them quickly in the winter, but once the snow started to melt and we started spending more time outside, we realized how well we all get along.  We now spend most of our weekends outside with the kids playing and the adults chatting and doing yard work.

Monday, June 15, 2015

June 15 Monday Madness Giveaway Linky


Tales of Mommyhood, giveaways, linky, monday madness


It's a new week, and time for a new linky! If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.

As always, sharing the linky is appreciated and helps gain maximum exposure for everyone that links up.

Friday, June 12, 2015

7 Activities To Do With The Kids This Summer

build a fort, garden with kids, movie night, family movies, family fun, kids summer activities

Summertime is the perfect opportunity for parents to get in some special bonding time with their brood. Simple and fun activities that can be done at home or out and about in your local neighborhood are the often the best.Here are 7 great ways to spend your summer days with the people who mean most to you.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Curious George 3 :Back To The Jungle {Activity Sheets}

curious george, movies, kids, printable activity sheets, free


We love the Curious George movies and were really happy to hear that a 3rd feature length movie will be released on June 23rd!

To celebrate the upcoming release, print out some activity sheets for your kids!  Just click the photo below and it will let you download them!

Monday, June 8, 2015

June 8 Monday Madness Giveaway Linky


Tales of Mommyhood, giveaways, linky, monday madness


It's a new week, and time for a new linky! If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.

As always, sharing the linky is appreciated and helps gain maximum exposure for everyone that links up.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Tamale Recipe and McFarland USA {review}

Kevin Costner, Disney, McFarland USA, movies, track and field, Tamale

I love watching Disney movies.  Animated, live action or based on true events (especially the ones about high school sports) When I first saw the previews for McFarland USA I knew that I wanted to see it.  Not only do I think Kevin Costner plays his roles well, I knew it would be a heartwarming movie.

Having a chance to watch the movie with hubby, we both agreed that it was great, and even Mr. J watched the last hour or so of the movie and enjoyed it.  The movie brings to light a bit of the Spanish/American culture and what life was like for the residents of McFarland.

To celebrate the release to home video on June 2nd, you can download a Tamale recipe - just click the photo below!

ToM received an advanced copy of the film in exchange for this post.  All opinions are honest and belong to ToM. Your opinion/experience may vary

Monday, June 1, 2015

June 1st Monday Madness Giveaway Linky


Tales of Mommyhood, giveaways, linky, monday madness

Hard to believe that June is here....only 4 more weeks of school until the kids are out for Summer vacation - do you have any big summer plans for the kids? Mr. J wants to head to sleep away summer camp, but we aren't quite ready yet.