Maple Leaf Mommy

A Canadian Mom's Life: Family, Food & Fun

The 7 Best Kept Secrets of Toronto ComiCon

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You probably already know that the Toronto ComiCon is an awesome place to meet your favourite comic book creator and get an autograph. You also probably know that the Toronto ComiCon is a fantastic place to go shopping for geeky goodies. And you probably already know that it's a great place to meet some of your favourite sci-fi and fantasy film and TV stars live and in … [Read more...]

Over 220 Cartoons and Kids Shows to Watch in French on Netflix – UPDATED LIST, March 2019

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My children are in a French Immersion school, which means eighty-some-percent of the day they are taught in French. My own French is not exactly stellar. I mean I have the basic "I learned this in grade school because I am Canadian" level of French, which my kids, who are in 1st and 4th grade, are already surpassing. Yesterday I was doing the dishes with my seven year old, … [Read more...]

In What Order Should I Watch Dreamworks Dragons?

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My girls have spent the past month watching, (and rewatching) the Netflix exclusive How to Train Your Dragon series, Dragons: Race to the Edge. Knowing that the new movie is hitting theatres on Feb.22nd has fueled a renewed obsession with all things Dreamworks Dragons in our household. With the release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, now is definitely a great … [Read more...]

Waterproof Adventures with the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180

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I was offered a Kidizoom Action Cam 180 to review and I immediately said yes. I wanted the Kidizoom camera because it was waterproof and we had a big family trip to Orlando coming up. I wanted it badly enough that when I realized it wouldn't arrive in time for our trip, I ran out to Walmart and bought one. I wanted it because the camera was waterproof and we were planning on … [Read more...]

Valentine’s Day Cards for Board Game Lovers

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Ok guys, I've got something a little oddball to share with you today; meeple Valentine's for board gamers! I play board games. Often. Lots of them. I also like geeky, quirky, or retro Valentines. I decided it would be fun to take a bunch of board game pieces, shoot some photos and turn them into cheesy Valentine's Day cards. Like these, for example: It's … [Read more...]

It’s time to write to Santa, with free letter template and stationery printables.

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I love sitting down with the kids and writing letters to Santa. I love the part where they get to practice their penmanship and learn basic letter writing skills. I love the wacky things they come up with when they are writing. And I love the part where it "locks in" their Christmas wishlist (sorry kiddo, you already sent your letter off to Santa asking for X, you can't change … [Read more...]

7 Double Duty Board Games – Good for Playing With Kids AND (or) With Adults

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Kudos to these double duty games. These are the board games that get played with my kids at the dining room table, and that we still play once the girls are in bed. I like to think of it as a two for one deal; you put out money and shelf space for one board game and end up with both a game you can play with your children and a game you can play with other adults. Some of … [Read more...]

Easy & Cheap Craft to Make with Your Kids ~ Spooky Spoon Puppet Aliens & Monsters

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  My mom is a pretty awesome grandma. She is the come over to my house and sleep over and bake cookies and make crafts kind of grandmother. She is way more thrifty and far more creative in coming up with art projects for the girls to make then I am. Possessing only the vaguest notion of what Pinterest is she does things old school, coming up with crafts through sheer … [Read more...]

A Netflix Holiday Episode Guide, 39 Christmas or Holiday Season Themed Episodes from My Kids Fav TV Shows

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My girls and I have been in a holly jolly mood, streaming Christmas shows on Netflix pretty much non-stop over the past few weeks. We are already nearing the end of the list which I'd created of holiday shows with French audio as an option. I was momentarily stumped as to what to watch next. But then it occurred to me that many of their favourite cartoons and kids shows … [Read more...]

20 Holiday Season Family Movies & Kid Shows to Watch in French on Netflix

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Tis the season (to be streaming!). As I've mentioned before, my girls are attending a French immersion grade school and I've been trying to encourage them to watch French language cartoons and kids' shows at home. Sometimes they are excited to watch cartoons in French and sometimes they get frustrated with their inability to understand every word. The 5th grader, in … [Read more...]