10 Things to do with Your Teens this Family Day Weekend
10 Things to do with Your Teens this Family Day Weekend By Julyanna Trickey Stuck on what to do this Family Day weekend? Whether you’re looking for some outdoor activities or indoor fun, we have ideas to keep the family busy and entertained, while staying safe from Covid-19. Bundle Up and Hit the Trails Enjoy some outside winter activity in your local provincial parks and conservation areas that offer snowshoeing and hiking trails! Snowshoeing is a safe and inclusive activity for all ages and skill levels, plus it’s fun to do as a family! Get some fresh air and maybe even work up a sweat trying something new this weekend! Check out some of these great Ontario Parks that offer snowshoeing: Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area – Kingston, ON Guindon Park - Cornwall, ON Summerstown Trails- Stormont, Dundas, & Glengarry Counties, ON Quinte Conservation Area- Bay of Quinte, ON Get the Skates Out! Take advantage of the outdoor rinks and skating trails! Lace up the skates and meander through forested skate trails or head over to the nearest skating rink. Many venues require you to book ahead to control the number of guests, so make sure you don’t miss out! If you live in Southern Ontario – check out some of the following places: Rideau Canal – the world’s largest skating rink at 7.8km long Countryside Adventures – a family-friendly winter destination with a 3km skating trail located 45 minutes outside of Ottawa and 30 minutes from Cornwall RiverOak Skating Trail – a three-km skating trail through the forest located 30 minutes outside of Ottawa Arrowhead Provincial Park – a 1.3 km skating path through the forest in Huntsville Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh Skating Trail – a 1.2 km loop around 12 acres of cranberries in the Muskoka Lakes region See Some Family and Friends (safely of course) Well, it is called Family Day weekend after all so why not enjoy some family or friend time with a socially distanced walk or a group Zoom call. A friendly face may be just what we need this weekend to chase away those winter (and pandemic) blues! Make Brunch Since we can’t go out to have brunch this weekend, plan your own at home! Get the whole family involved by giving everyone a task, like flipping the pancakes or cutting up the strawberries. You can make it as simple or as fancy as you like! Stay in to Get Out If you like puzzles, mysteries and problem-solving,
6 Valentine’s Day Gifts Your Teen Will Love
6 Valentine's Day Gifts Your Teen Will Love Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovers! It’s the perfect opportunity to have some fun with your teen and show them how much you love them! If you’re stuck on thinking about gifts they’ll surely admire, we have some gift ideas your teen will swoon over! We might not be going out much these days but it’s still fun to switch up your makeup. Why not customize a little makeup gift for your teen with some new eyeshadows and lip balms? We love this fun Quo Beauty Wake Up Micro Eyeshadow Quad from Shoppersdrugmart.ca. It’s super cute and combines curated colours that your teen can wear together or alone to create their perfect eye look. We also love these Quo Beauty Avocado Lip Balms. They not only smell delicious — they come in flavours like Pink Lemonade and Bubblegum Burst — but they’re lightly tinted to give you just a hint of colour. They are also formulated with avocado oil to help provide the moisture we need during these colder, dryer months! If your teen is looking to get into their own signature scent, Body Fantasies has launched two new scents in body sprays —. Sweet Sunrise and Vanilla. You can grab them at Walmart.ca and they just make for a really nice light, fresh spritz that’s perfectly indulgent for Valentine’s Day. We can’t forget about our guys! They need some pampering too! This Bulldog Moisturizer is the perfect place to start for the teen who doesn’t know how to start a skin care regimen. It’s an everyday moisturizer that’s hydrating, non-greasy and uses natural ingredients like aloe vera and green tea. It’s also a cruelty-free product that's also sustainable, down to its packaging. If you're doing a movie night with your teen this Valentine's Day, why not up the experience with a soundbar? This Roku StreamBar is an affordable two-in-one device that lets you stream all your favourite content in 4K quality while providing a crisp, clear sound that's way better than your TV speakers. You can also control it with your Alexa or Google Assistant, which is pretty cool. You can't do a movie night without snacks! We're loving these Mini Chewy bars from KIND. They’re the perfect bite when you want a little sweet treat because they have a sweet coating and a decadent drizzle, but they’re actually made with three whole grains and are only
3 Mompreneurs Making a Mark
3 Mompreneurs Making a Mark Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of sources but for these three women, inspiration sparked from their journeys to find happiness, health and organization in their daily lives as moms. Shantelle Bisson, Adriana Gentile and Justine McDonald are three women entrepreneurs making an impact in the lives of those needing support to reach their goals. These women are experts in helping others achieve their best. Learn how each of these moms is making her mark. Shantelle Bisson Short story bio about your business My parenting book, Raising Your Kids Without Losing Your Cool, and the products I’m currently creating to work in conjunction with the book/brand, came about because I’m actually not very good at keeping my cool! I’m a total Type-A, on-the-spectrum-OCD kind-of gal, and I find everyday tasks like parenting teens, moving, aging and breaking up to be pretty challenging. So, I had to do something to help myself get through life with more joy, peace, and fun. Enter me writing my first book, which will become the beginning of a series of life books to assist others in getting through this thing called life, or to help other people start off their parenting journey with more preparation, confidence and a lot less angst. How you came up with it The way I came up with the Without Losing Your Cool brand was from me getting my girls to adulthood with my cool still intact. I realized that if somebody like ME could get to the other side of that difficult, challenging, ever-changing part of life, then I can and should help others do the same! I have witnessed friends entering the unknown part of parenting years and knew I could support them through it and even help them enjoy it at the same time! I am also a master at moving. I’ve done it 25 times in the almost 33 years I’ve been married to my husband. I actually LOVE moving and renovating and organizing. I’m always amazed to hear other people say that they don’t! From things in my life that I have done well and things I enjoy doing where others do not, I felt that creating a business centered around helping people master their time spent in uncomfortable, new and unchartered parts of their lives was a no-brainer. Why it's important? I believe letting people know that it’s okay to lose their cool while they’re in the