Entertaining Educational STEAM themed toys

These SmartLab tiny toys are fun and really cute, it would be adored by children over eight years, as they learn and experiment using the tiny tools that come with each themed kit.

Books that unravel the mysteries of the universe, oceans, and museums

Unravelling the mysteries of the universe has been a human fascination since the beginning of time. From recording observations of stars, planets, and celestial sights to space travel, and even ideas of living in Mars has crossed the human mind. This book is a beautiful way for us to learn about the things we've wondered by understanding the science behind the mysteries. 

Decorating our home with Mixtiles

Mixtiles are a perfect way to print memorable pictures to display it in any room of our homes. With the current situation in the world, we decided not to travel this year - not even to explore anywhere close to home. We spent a lot of time looking through pictures, talking about our memories, and picked a few pictures of memorable places from our travels to display in our office/craft room. 

Art, Space, Spies and Giveaway

We have been reading two DK's Visual Encyclopedias to gain knowledge about different types of Art and to ponder about Space. We have also been learning about the history of spies from Ultimate Spy. 

Painting Rocks and Books that inspires us to draw

We love books that simplify and teach us how to draw easily with techniques that anyone with any artistic skills can grasp and become good at. The Ten-Step Drawing Series are fabulous books we highly recommend, as these books are fun and have an approachable way of teaching how to draw for aspiring illustrators, doodlers, and art hobbyists. 

Novels for teenagers and adults

We can't believe how quickly August is coming to an end. This summer, we got a chance to read a lot more novels. Here are a few of the titles we recommend...
10 Things I Hate About Pinky - Young Adult/ Adult
Destination Wedding - Adults
The Black Kids - Young Adult
The Last Dragon Rider An Adventure in Presadia - Children

National Geographic STEM kits and Giveaway

We have always chosen to entertain our children with STEAM toys that not only provide fun entertainment, but also teach a variety of different skills such as creativity and logical thinking. These toys related to the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics help children grow in educational and productive ways.

For the love of animals and Giveaway

We love watching different types of birds come to our garden. Over the years, we invested in adding features to attract birds and other pollinators from bird feeders, pond, water features, bee hotels, bird houses, and more. We find it exciting to observe the birds, and have been reading books such as DK Canada's fully updated 2nd edition Pocket Birds of Canada to identify the types of birds that visit our garden.

Garage door styles to spice up the look of a home

Every homeowner would want both the interior and the exterior of the home to not only be functional but also to look presentable. One factor that adds to the curb appeal of any home is the garage door! Choosing one that fits the whole look of the house would be great. According to Garage Door Repair Langley, problems with garage doors can easily be resolved, so we don't encounter repairs and look for people to do the job. 

Learning about the wars of the past will teach us to be careful of our actions

It is sad when parts of our history keeps repeating itself, it is as though humanity hasn't learned anything from its past actions. We know many people have sacrificed their lives for justice, and we are still seeing a world of injustice around us, it is probably because of peoples' ignorance. I think it is important for us, as parents, to teach ourselves and our children about past events, hoping they will be kind and not repeat the past that has led to many problems we face today. The consequences of colonization, slavery, greed for land and power from generations past are still haunting us in the injustices and wars we see happening all over the world. When humans haven't created life, they don't have the right to take it or judge it.  We can all do our part by learning, becoming more empathetic, and always remembering to treat others better than the way you want to be treated.

Rolling into summer with this 3 wheeled scooter

The Primo Foldable Scooter is a fantastic starter scooter for children ages 3+. This lightweight 3-wheel scooter has a patented push button folding system allowing us to put it into trolley mode, so it can be conveniently stored on coat racks or in the garage. This also makes it easy to take with us when we go to parks. This stylish, functional scooter is guaranteed to deliver a lot of fun. 

Alfred DB2-B Touchscreen Smartlock

We love using smart technology in our home because it provides comfort, convenience, and security. Over the years, we have connected different smart locks from a touch screen lock to a connected Smart lock. Recently, we connected the Alfred DB2-B Touchscreen with the optional Z-Wave accessory. We love how Alfred International Inc. has designed the smart lock to not only be smarter, but also to make it look sleek, modern, and futuristic.

All Natural Green Goo Products for home and body

In our family, we always lean towards natural products that are safe for us and the environment. Recently, we had an opportunity to try a few products from Green Goo, a women-owned family-operated small business based in Colorado that sells all-natural body care. We really like that they use time-honoured traditions and plant-based ingredients to create a line of products that are gentle, effective, cruelty-free, and sustainably sourced. Their products do not use petrochemicals, parabens, phthalates, or any other dangerous additives.

Sicilian Food, Raw Food, Soups and Recipe for Classic Tomato Soup

During the past few weeks, I have taken time to look through cookbooks and get inspired to make a variety of food. We checked out three DK books - Raw Food, The Sicily Cookbook, and The Soup Book.

LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Ninjago

We enjoy LEGO books because they give background to LEGO stories and characters. This brings life to children's imagination, as they build and make their own version of the stories. LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure and LEGO NINJAGO Choose Your Ninja Mission were recent books my son enjoyed reading, building, and recreating stories using his imagination.

Inspiring Arts and Craft books and Easy Embroidery Hoop project

In March, we take a little extra time to do a few more crafts anticipating the warm weather. With the kids at home for Spring Break, there is more time to break away from our routine and try some hobbies we put off during our busy schedules. We have been trying a few ideas from Quarto Knows books Brain Lab for Kids, Stitch + String Lab for kids, Art lab for kids, Paint lab, and Calligraphy Kit.

Importance of CO safety during winter with FirstAlert

Thank you FirstAlert for sponsoring this post. Help ensure your home and family is protected with CO alarms!

Many of us have heard about the tragic carbon monoxide (CO) gas related deaths that happen, especially in winter. This poisonous gas is called the silent killer because it is an invisible, odourless, and tasteless deadly gas, which can be produced by any fuel-burning device. The only way to detect CO in a home is by installing a CO alarm.

Learning the origins of board games, illusions, journey, and math

We love playing board games and have a few family favourites. As children, we have played lots of different board games from monopoly to mancala, and made sure to introduce our children to board games at a very young age. A few years ago, we made a wooden convertible storage cart just to keep our games. We believe most board games are a wonderful way to socialize and connect, and they have become part of our lifestyle. Over the past decade, we have documented a few board games on CreateWithMom. When we saw the Board Games in 100 Moves by Ian Livingstone, we were curious to discover different board games and their origins. 

Brushstrokes Acrylic Painting

Brushstrokes: Acrylic Effortless painting with minimal tools and materials by Angela Marie Moulton gives a unique introduction to acrylic painting. We did a few projects following the step-by-step instructions in this book, and love how the paintings turned out. This approach of using colourful bold strokes strategically felt relaxing and fun, and the paintings didn't take too long to do.

Self Care and Learning from DK books

We have been reading a couple of Self Care books from DK Canada - Sleep and Trigger Points. These books have been useful to think of what we should change to better take care of ourselves. My children read a few interesting DK readers - The Story of Civil Rights, I'm an activist, Sports Legends, and Festivals and Celebrations that has lots of useful general knowledge.