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When my daughter was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy 3 years ago, it changed the way I looked at food forever. I always thought of myself as health-conscious, especially when it came to my kids, but now I was constantly scouring the ingredients list of everything that came into my home! We had to be very vigilant which meant that buying baked goods from bakeries and grocery stores became impossible as most could not guarantee that their products had not come into contacts with any nuts. While nut-free products and bakeries are becoming more popular and accessible, I wanted to provide healthy, nut-free snacks for my daughter that I could make at home and that tasted GOOD! And so these nut-free, no-bake energy bites were born!

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Is it just me, or has there been A LOT of rain this summer? I live in Southern Ontario, and it feels like every time I look outside or check my weather app… RAIN! I swear, even when the forecast calls for a mainly sunny day and I finally think we can get some good outside time, I look up and these dark clouds start moving in and ruin our plans.

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Ah summer time! What usually comes to mind when you think about summer holidays with your children? Picnics in the park? Swimming? Summer camp? Family BBQs? These are all summer staples I admit, but why not make this summer different and include sharing books part of your family’s summer fun? As a teacher and tutor for the past ten years, I know that keeping up with reading over the summer has exceptional academic benefits on young students.

The temptation to interact with screens on a daily basis is inescapable. They are everywhere; in our kitchens, our living rooms, our playrooms and even in our bathrooms and beds. With the convenience of digital streaming programs like Netflix and You Tube and the portability and accessibility of iPads, Smart phones and Smart TVs, we are constantly inundated with images, sounds and a barrage of multimedia distraction. As the digital landscape evolves more and more, parents are left wondering “can this be good for my kids?”