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What Are Your Saturdays For?
As a homeschooling family, we have the luxury of doing regular family tasks like grocery shopping and registered classes during the week and saving the weekends for relaxing around the house or exploring outside. My husband works Saturdays and we have to work around that when planning road trips and vacations, so most weekends start with me and the girls catching up on sleep, lounging around the house and checking out playgrounds and nature trails in the afternoon. How does your family spend their Saturdays? Do you run errands, head out on road trips or just spend some family time around the house?
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Screen-Free Week – Planning + Keeping Busy
If you’re like us, you have a difficult time managing screen usage. Deciding how much is too much or if there are better things they could be doing with their time are always on my mind. We’re a pretty relaxed homeschooling family and we have a bit more free time on our hands than most, so there is more time for screen use to slip in. I also work from home and there are times I need quiet to get things done to make deadlines or talk on the phone, and a little bit of tablet time is usually the best way to achieve this. May 2-8 2016 is…
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Get Back to Nature: Kinnaird Ravine, Edmonton
I have lived in Edmonton for over 10 years now and I only heard of Kinnaird Ravine (also known as Rat Creek Ravine) for the first time last fall. Tucked into the residential neighbourhood of Cromdale, just off 82 Street and south of Borden Park, this quiet dirt trail through the forest meets up with the paved River Valley Kinnaird trail, or you can head east on the trails around Highlands Golf Club. There are a few hills through the woods and little kids should be careful around the edges of the trail because it is steep in places, but the noises of the city are distant and replaced by…
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Make a Salt Crystal Geode with Easter Leftovers
When we decorate Easter eggs, I poke holes in the ends of the egg and drain it out and then rinse the shell out. This is the way I did it as a child so this is how I do it with my girls. It allows the decorated shells to stick around a bit longer and makes for a decorative center piece. This year I remembered a fun science experiment you can do with the shells – make a salt crystal geode! All you need is egg shells, salt, boiling water and a small cup or bowl. Food dye is optional but it makes for a pretty geode. Full instructions…
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Farmer’s Market Opening Days – YEG + Area
Edmonton is lucky to be having some lovely weather this spring, and farmers and vendors are gearing up for a new Farmer’s Market season. We love getting out in the sunshine to explore our local markets, picking up local produce and meat, baked goods and beautifully handcrafted and homemade items. Here’s a list of opening days of some of our favorite markets in Edmonton and area: Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market – Open year round – Saturdays 8am-3pm Sunday Spruce Grove Farmer Market – April 9, 2016 – Saturdays 9:30am-1:30pm Callingwood Farmer’s Market – May 1, 2016 – Sundays 10am-3pm & Wednesdays 2pm-6pm Beverly Towne Farmer’s Market – May 10, 2016 – Tuesdays 4pm-8pm 124 Grand Market…
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Community Clean Up & Earth Day Events
The snow has melted early this year in Edmonton and surrounding areas, and with a blustery April upon us, the uncovered garbage of winter is swirling around the school yards, recreation areas and roadways. A great activity that you can start when children are young is cleaning up your neighborhood and the places you visit. Grab a garbage bag and some gloves, visit a green space close by and clean up flyers, take out containers and plastics that are blown around. If you come across any bigger items like shopping carts, electronics and appliances or unsafe items, contact your city or municipality for removal (311 in YEG). There are…
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Monday Menu: April
I have been in Edmonton just over 11 years and this is by far the warmest, non-snowiest spring I can remember! We’ve been getting outside as much as we can and enjoying the warm temperatures and extended daylight. Grilling season is upon us so check out some yummy BBQ meals and more for this month’s Monday Menu. Beef Beef and Broccoli Kabobs Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps Mini Meatloaf Pepper Rings Citrus Marinated Flank Steak Beef Fajitas Poultry Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Crispy Baked Chicken Spring Rolls Cilantro Lime Chicken Greek Turkey Burgers Honey Glazed Cornish Game Hen Pork Grilled Pineapple Teriyaki Porkchops Vietamese Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork Bacon and Caramelized…
