Shelly Wutke

Instead of pouring over a toy catalog like we used to before the Holidays, we cuddle up on the couch with our kids and scroll through pages of the latest toys on our tablet. But no matter how we check out the top toys of the season, I still get that cozy holiday feeling that comes from sitting down with the kids and dreaming about what Santa will bring them. Check out the top toys of 2014 right now, and do a little Christmas dreaming yourself.

Last week we said an official goodbye to summer and hello to cool weather, bundling up, and fall recipes. One week of fall favourites isn’t enough, so this week we’re going to check out a few fall recipes that make for easy weeknight dinners.

If you want to survive holiday travel with your sanity intact, especially if you’re traveling with kids, you’ll need to be prepared. That means prepping ahead of time and picking up these holiday essentials to help you sail through that airport and enjoy any mid-trip downtime.

  Baby, it’s getting cold outside, and it’s safe to say the warm weather has hit the road and it’s time to bundle up and turn on the fire. When the cold weather hits, it’s also time to warm up the range and see what type of fall dishes we can cook up.

Did the game of darts start from sheer boredom? One of the most popular beliefs surrounding the game darts is that it was created by a warrior who, bored and trying to kill time between battles, decided he’d throw short spears at a slice of tree. The natural rings in the tree served as the markings on the first ever dartboard, and since then millions of people worldwide have played. If you’ve never played or you want to learn a new game or two, read on to learn how to play darts.

I’ve been fortunate enough to test out a bunch of fitness trackers and I’ve become the go-to person my friends go to for advice when they want to buy the latest and greatest fitness devices. That’s why yesterday, when Fitbit announced their newest wrist-based activity trackers, my phone was buzzing. And for good reason, because there’s a lot to be excited about. Here’s a quick look at the three new fitness trackers from Fitbit.

While going through the old letters researching my ancestry, I also came across old recipes. There’s nothing like food to trigger memories of growing up, and when I look back I remember different German dishes on my Grandma’s kitchen table. Because it’s Octoberfest, I’ve been creating authentic German weiner schnitzel, frying pans full of cabbage, and big, puffy Bavarian pretzels. If that sounds delicious, it is, so today I thought I’d share a ‘how to’ make Bavarian pretzels on Shelly’s Friday Favourites.  

When it comes to Halloween, the only thing I struggle with each year is making enough candy apples, cupcakes, and treats for everyone. But every year I get a little wiser, and this year I’m going to put the kids to work making kid-friendly goodies. Creating these treats can be part of the Halloween fun, and you’d be amazed at how many hours kids will work on them with you supervising and helping them along.

I was pretty excited to test out the Sony ActionCam With LiveView Remote, and if you watch point of view action sports videos on Youtube the way most of my family does, you’ll instantly know exactly what this camera is for. Designed specifically to capture live action video in all the crazy places you’d go to for action sports and recreation, the Sony ActionCam has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a camera of this type. It was created for the ski hill, it shines on the side of a mountain, and you can take it with you while you hang ten on a wave near a tropic beach.

Put up your hand if you like to do laundry. No, I can’t really see any hands waving, but I’ll assume there are very few people who actually enjoy the process of washing and folding laundry. It’s definitely one of those chores that take up a lot of time every week, and as soon as everything is folded and put away, you have to start all over again.