March Break Kids’ Activities

Travel Journals, Treasure Hunts, Sketchbooks and Craft Classes

It’s March break again, the time of year that strikes fear into the hearts of many parents. What can you do to occupy and inspire your child during the week?

Are you going on a long drive or flight and are worried about how to keep your child occupied? Create an age-appropriate travel kit for your child. Pack an inexpensive tote with journals, markers, coloured pencils or crayons, stickers, glue sticks and drawing tablets….Read More

Belinda’s Blog ~”Why So Positive?”

For those who follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you are probably aware that I try to keep my posts and tweets inspirational, humorous, and positive.  Someone recently asked me how I could be so “up” all the time.  It’s simple just because I am a happy person doesn’t mean my life is perfect it just means that I choose not to focus on the negative things in my life.  I guess the more trials I am faced with the more I realize that there are some things in life I can’t control; but what I can control is how I react to them.  I can choose to react to things in a pessimistic, fearful way, which just adds to the burden, or I can try to see the positivity and humour in a situation. Don’t get me wrong I have my moments and after 11 years, my husband knows not to bug me before my first cup of coffee in the morning (lol)but I have learned to laugh at my mistakes and realize they were just an opportunity to learn.   In the past, I had the opportunity to work with people who were ill or dying and the one thing I noticed is that some of those people were the most positive, funny, interesting people I had ever met.   They had chosen to spend their recuperation or final days focusing on the positive things, spending their time laughing, feeling inspired and living the life they felt they missed out on before their diagnosis.   I used to feel an overwhelming sadness when I would work with these people, how it “wasn’t fair” but as one of them pointed out I should see the positive and use this as a lesson on how to live now “because you never know when it will be your last day”.  This was the most valuable life lesson I have ever been taught and it is something I am learning more and more about every day!

Belinda’s Blog ~”Life”

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

~Mother Teresa

Belinda’s Blog ~Inspirational!

This is such an inspirational story….really makes you think! Enjoy!

Belinda’s Blog ~Conscious Choices Radio Show-Suzanne Gardner

I am a producer for Conscious Choices Radio Show on Blogtalk radio. Last year I was fortunate to meet Suzanne Gardner (www.suzannegardner.com) who is such an incredible and inspiring woman.  Despite losing her vision due to juvenile diabetes she has become a very talented artist. Today her paintings hang prominently in private collections across Canada, the United States, Britain, and Mexico.  Recently Suzanne was featured on Jeff Cadwell’s “Conscious Choices Radio Show” listen for more information about Suzanne’s incredible journey:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ConsciousChoices/2008/10/07/Successful-painter-found-gift-after-vision-loss

Belinda’s Blog ~To Blog or Not to Blog….That is the Question!

I have finally broken down and made my foray into the world of blogging. All you hear these days from writing experts is that to be a successful writer you need a blog….well here I go. You can tell a person’s age by whether or not they have this “blogging” thing figured out….at this point strapping a message to a carrier pigeon to get my message across seems that it might be a little easier. I have written most of my life but until the past few years I never had the confidence to pursue it publicly or professionally. I have finally gained that confidence and I have hit the magical age when you stop trying to please everyone else and attempt probably for the first time in your life to please yourself. Selfish perhaps, but the one thing I think I am valuing as I get older is the truth that includes being honest with myself….now I am really dating myself. I love to write and basically that is all there is to it and for me it is a creative outlet that I most definitley need . I don’t want to wait until I “retire” to get in there and get my hands dirty so to speak (even though my mind beat me to it a long time ago…lol) but want to live each day loving life doing what I enjoy!

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Eliot