Tips & tools for you & your family
Hi, I’m Jani and I’m a list-a-holic! My need to stay organised with lists is what’s kept me on track throughout my schooling and career, and I don’t know what I would’ve done without The Knot’s wedding planning app (complete with a chronological to-do list!) when I was planning my very own wedding just a … Continued
Attempting to limit my children’s screen time to less than two hours per day (like many experts have recommended) felt like a losing battle. Digital media is not going away and a good portion of my sons’ lives (and mine) is connected to technology. I began to realise that time monitoring in this day and … Continued
Riley just turned sixteen this month. When she was four, my wife became pregnant. We would be adding a fourth to our threesome. I wanted to make something special for Riley, before her sister arrived. I was a Film Studies major in college and recorded everything those first years of Riley’s life. So, I decided … Continued
What happens when you ask your teen to wash the dishes, tidy up after themselves, do their homework or any other task which contributes to your vision of raising a well-adjusted adolescent – and they say NO? Do you feel frustrated, helpless, overwhelmed? And most importantly what can you do in these situations that enhances … Continued
We made it! After a full 30 days of screen challenge, I find myself reflecting back. There have been high and low points throughout the month. We didn’t have resounding success, nor did we fail. Overall, I’d call it a step in the right direction. As a family, we learned more than a few lessons. … Continued
Kids. They love to make you question your sanity. Last week, I felt like we made strides in our screen challenge. This week, we lived up to the word challenge again. At one point, my son said, “I love my Kindle. If I could, I’d only ever just play on it all day long!” Insert … Continued
The word of week two is balance. As parents, we always expect the unexpected, and we have to flow with whatever comes our way. During week two, we were surprised with not one, but two school projects that my son had to start and finish during the week. I’d also forgotten about my daughter’s last … Continued
For better or for worse, week one is in the books. It didn’t go off exactly as planned, but then again, I have children. When does anything ever go as planned? In the States, we celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. My kids were with their father the weekend prior, so my … Continued
I recently came to the sudden and shocking realization that I don’t know what I enjoy outside of my computer screen any more. I’ve been depressed, filled with anxiety and frankly, disassociated. Then I looked around my house. I saw my daughter wrapped up in Minecraft, chatting on Skype. I saw my son watching an … Continued
…It Just May Make Her A Success! When my oldest, Riley, was in preschool she would often challenge me to a game of Concentration with her set of Dora the Explorer playing cards. One holiday my father was visiting and he witnessed one of our games. Riley had a great memory, but she was only … Continued