Good Food for your Baby

It's interesting (to say the least) how life keeps changing - I guess it's to keep us on our toes, so we don't start growing moss! :) You've had a baby join your family, and just when you thought you had figured everything out, s/he changes it all on you! At least, that's how it's been going on around here.

One of the big changes, or developments we went through earlier this year is when Annalies was ready to start eating food. And she was really ready! She can't say the word "FOOD" yet, but we sure do know when she's asking for it!

I'm fortunate to have gone through this beginning eater stage already twice, but I remember how hard it was to figure out what to do the first time around. Of course, in the years since my first baby (and it's not that long), guidelines and recommendations have changed several times, so it's easy to understand why parents, especially new parents, are so confused. Advice from well-meaning people around can be helpful but can also add to the confusion. And, once you get the recommendations figured out, you still have to actually provide the food and get your baby to eat it!

Luckily for all you new parents out there, 2 Canadian Healthcare professionals have written a couple of books designed to help you wade through the guidelines. Ali Chernoff, R.D. and Chantel Canessa, M.N. realized that there is so much information out there, and their books are filled with practical tips and recipes.

We were given a copy of Good Food Baby to review. With pictures on many pages, as well as charts and lists, the information you're seeking is easy to find and understand. Definitely a plus for parents with little extra time!

A strong point of the book is the tips on how and when to introduce solid foods. Along with the feeding tips, there is also a section that details how to cook certain categories of foods so they're appropriate for baby. This section also helps you to figure out which method is best for preparing which food.

Something the book is really good on is explaining how things might be different for a baby with challenges such as Down syndrome. As well, there is a detailed section on food allergies and how to proceed with allergenic foods.

I would have liked to have seen a more detailed section on combined foods, for when baby has tried single ingredients foods. There are some good tips on how to combine foods to make a balanced meal, but I would have liked to have seen more recipes, or recipes with variations on how to modify the family meal to suit baby.

There is a chapter on what to look for when buying baby food, and I'm glad this is included. There are some good options out there, and there are some situations when homemade baby food just isn't possible or practical. Like the time our outing took longer than planned, and I had a spoon in my diaper bag (standard) but no food. The grocery store was close, and I was able to pick up something quick that Annalies could enjoy, and that would keep her happy until we got home. Or when we went camping; with no refrigeration in our tent, it was impossible to bring along our homemade frozen baby food. I wish they had highlighted a Canadian brand of baby food though - the pictures in this section are of a good quality American brand, and as you all know, if you've been reading Glimpse for a while, there are some great Canadian options out there as well. (Note to American readers: I have nothing against the American brand, except it's not available to us here!)

Once your baby is beyond the beginning eater stage, Ali and Chantel have another book of guidelines for you. Good Food Toddler includes tips on how to transition your child from one stage to the next, how to cope with eating issues such as Celiac disease, how to encourage a picky eater to eat and some menu planning guidelines including recipes.

Both books are available for purchase at The Inno Shop! The InnoShop is a collection of innovative and unique children's products invented by parentpreneurs. All smart products making moms lives easier!  Many of these products are also invented by Canadian parents. You can find things like high chair seat covers, drink box holders, shopping cart covers, kids belts, shoes and boots, and MUCH MORE!!  The InnoShop is run by Michael and Crystal, from ONS GEAR. We've featured them before here on Glimpse - remember the creators of MITT-ONS and SOCK-ONS and the STRETCH-ONS. We have used (and are still using) all 3 of these products and they still work great!

The Inno Shop has a promotion right now: if you purchase either of the books in this review (Good Food Baby or Good Food Toddler), you'll get a 2-pack Snappies Snackies for free! This promotion is valid until November 1, 2011. Proceed through checkout normally. No coupon code required.

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from the authors in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Kinder Surprise ~ $200 Gift Basket GIVEAWAY!

When it comes to Kinder Surprises the first thing that comes to my mind is: FUN!! I mean...really...how many delicious treats do you get to eat and then still have a new toy to open, discover and play with after you finish treat? So in our minds Kinder Surprises are doubly fun. :)

But...let's be realistic here. :) We can't just sit and open Kinder Surprises all day (though that would be fun! ;) )...so what else do we do to have fun in our every day lives around here? We are a homeschooling family, so although we do have school time, it can be FUN! Incorporating both fun and learning into our school times is a big deal. Catching caterpillars and building homes for them so that they will (hopefully) turn into a butterfly, singing songs with lots of actions or stopping in the middle to go have a "picnic snack" outside are just a few of the ways that we make our school days fun and exciting. And after the school day is done we love to imagine...who knew an old pull along phone toy could be a pet puppy dog? Or that a bed was a camper? Or a that a police man could dress in a princess dress?! :) And then there's the quieter, fun times - like watching our 3 year old cut a piece of paper into teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy pieces! Or helping our son build the house of his dreams with Lego. I'm hopeful that these moments will all someday translate into memories that will last a lifetime for my children.

Kinder is a huge believer in creating memories...and they strive to do this with their unique and fun little surprises that can be discovered inside that chocolate egg. Kinder is giving away TEN (yes, 10!!) $200 KINDER® gift baskets that are filled to brim with goodies. Can you imagine the fun and excitement that would fill your home if you happened to be one of the lucky ten? In order to enter, head over to Kinder's Facebook Page and check out the details, and while you're there you can take a peek at their new toy collection! So go ahead, have a little fun and enter the giveaway...you never know, it might pay off in the long run! :)

**Disclosure: I’m part of the KINDER® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Pound & Play ~ GIVEAWAY!

No matter what age of child, it seems that there is just something irresistible about drums, hammers and any toy that requires making noise or hammering! Infantino has put both of these together and created the adorable and FUN Pound and Play Fun Drum. It is 2 in 1 drum that's a perfect little learning game for younger children. Not only does it develop hand-eye coordination, but it also teaches colors and color recognition for those who are a bit older! Our 1 year old little girl loves to pound the brightly colored balls, and although she's a bit young to match up the colors, the fun is all in pounding the balls, watching them roll out and then putting them back on top of the drum. As I mentioned above, the drum is a 2-1 toy! So you can also use the drum base to make music. Our 3 year old toddler enjoyed making music and matching up the colors "just right". The drum really is a great toy as you can use it for several years of toddler-hood.

Improve Your Sleep! ~ GIVEAWAY!

Sleep...something we ALL need! :) But when it comes time to finally lay down in bed, rest your tired head/neck on the pillow, pull up some cozy blankets and go to sleep, I sometimes find that, despite how tired I am, it still takes me a while to drift off into dreamland. So, is there something simple that could improve my quality of sleep...and your quality of sleep?

We recently received a Mediflow Waterbase Pillow. I have seen this type of pillow a few times before, but never really took a good look at it until now. Mediflow was founded about 15 years ago and since then has earned an amazing reputation for both its innovation and clinically proven results! The concept is rather simple...but it makes a world of difference when it comes to sleep. The bottom half of the pillow is a strong "pocket" that you fill up with water. The top side of the pillow, is a regular, soft, stuffed pillow. But together, these two parts of the pillow create something that is so comfortable and easy to rest your tired head/neck on.

Master Lock - Keeping Families Safe

It's fall...school's on, activities are back in full-swing and families are busy with the details of day to day life. In order to make sure that your family and your children are able to be safe we'd like to join with MasterLock in sharing 5 key guidelines to help balance family safety with a busy schedule:

1. Embrace the key safe. If your children will be coming home to an empty house after school, or you need to provide secure access to your home for the family dog walker, a key safe such as the 5400D will safely store your house key for easy entry, and eliminate the risk of family members or authorized visitors losing a copy of your key while in transit. Simply set your own easy-to-remember combination on a key safe, and have peace of mind that family members and authorized visitors can enter your home safely when needed.

2. Talk to your children about a "home alone" routine. If your child gets home from school while you are still at work, or if your family is involved in a variety of activities on weekends, it's important to have guidelines for your children to follow when home alone, including locking the door immediately behind them after entering the house, not spending time outside without a parent home and not answering the door for any visitors.

3. Share schedules. Be sure that your family is aware of each other's schedules including work, school and extracurricular activities. Keeping a calendar updated with everyone's activities in a common room such as the kitchen will prevent miscommunication about who will be home and when.

4. Lock up while on the go. We carry valuables with us at all times. Encourage your children to store cash, jewelry, cell phones or other small valuables in a secure container such as the SafeSpace® (5900D) or MiniSafe™ (5408D) when at sports practice or other after school and weekend activities. Parents should also secure similar valuables when watching their children's games, heading out for a Saturday morning walk at the local forest preserve or going for coffee on the weekends. These products safely hold your valuables and can also be secured to a fixed object, allowing you or your children to enjoy various activities carefree.

5. Stay safe in the digital space. Use secure passwords and store them well. As your virtual world continues to grow, it's tempting to utilize one, easy-to-remember password for access to all of your important on-line accounts; however, this puts you at a greater risk for a security breach. Instead, create more secure passwords by varying the code for each of your accounts, and using a combination of letters and numbers in each of your passwords. Then, store all your confidential data including these user names and passwords in the Master Lock Vault. By remembering one user name and one password for your Vault, you will have 24/7 secure access to your confidential information through the website or smart phone app. With the highest level of on-line security available today, the Master Lock Vault ensures your important information is safe and secure, and available to you anytime, anywhere.

For more information about these on-the-go and other security solutions, please visit Master Lock's website or the Master Lock Facebook page.


GIVEAWAY COMING! - In a few weeks time MasterLock will be giving away a Key Safe here on Glimpse! Please keep your eyes open for this great, safety-promoting giveaway!

**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Doozy Cards - GIVEWAY!

Doozy Cards is a family owned and run company that designs and produces all their cards in-house.  Each card is full of original music, cute characters and warm sentiments and is a great way to let a friend or family member know you are thinking about them throughout the year. Featuring Mariachi Pugs, Anniversary Swans, piano playing lizards, and dancing cakes, Doozy is sure you'll find just the right card for the right moment.  Please visit Doozy Cards to check out their cards!

Scholastic Monday ~ Give Me Back My Dad!

A while back Scholastic Canada ran a contest with Robert Munsch...the Pick-a-Munsch contest, where anyone was able to vote on their choice of topic/story line for Robert Munsch's next book. Well, the winning book was chosen (with a whoppin' 170,000 votes!) and written, and is now available for children (and adults ;) ) to read and enjoy. We have really enjoyed our copy of Give Me Back My Dad! by Robert Munsch. As usual, the story is filled with humor, fun, the classic colorful and exciting illustration as well as all those extravagant and silly endings and happenings that you'll never find in any other children's books!

The story is about Cheryl and her dad who go to the BEST spot for ice fishing...but watch out, because the fish are really smart! I won't give away exactly what these smart fish do...but trust me, you'll enjoy the tricks and turns that the story gives you! Give Me Back My Dad! is a great book - and was loved by all our kids, and yes...even I enjoyed it. :) You can rarely go wrong with a Robert Munsch book, and this one is another enjoyable and fun one to add to your Munsch collection.


**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Winners!

The winner of Rockin' Green Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer from Sweet Lil Dimples Baby Shop is:

Comment #227 - Debbie M.


The winner of a $25 credit to CardSwap.ca is:

Comment #27 - Stacey D.

Congrats! Each of you will have 72 hours to reply to my email before a new winner is chosen.

Fun, Flirty and Fabulous! GIVEAWAY!!

I always need to wear an apron when I'm cooking - the food seems to be amazingly attracted to my clothing! And just recently with all the canning I've done - tomatoes, cherries, chutney, etc - it's been extra important, because those stains are hard to get off! I like a full-coverage apron (not quite with sleeves, but almost!), because mostly I spill on top! So when Jean from Sophia Grace contacted me about the possibility of reviewing one of her super pretty aprons, I was delighted!!

Sophia Grace aprons are made in Saskatoon, SK. Aprons are available in a variety of fabulous prints for women, men, children, and are in either cotton or laminated cotton! Great for gifting, there are even aprons with special labels for weddings (bride, bridesmaid, mother of the bride!). Laminated is definitely the way to go if you're a hairdresser, painter, teacher (trust me!) or just a plain messy cook like me! :) What began as Christmas gifts for Jean's sisters has grown into an online store, with aprons also retailed at various shops across the country!

Books and Decor from Hallmark!

As soon as you hear the name "Hallmark," you probably think of greeting cards. And it's true, Hallmark does have some fabulous greeting cards! But Hallmark is more than greeting cards...and this year they're really trying to encourage us to "press pause" in our busy lives, and enjoy or create some memories with our families and friends.

Some of the latest products in Hallmark's collection are indeed all about creating memories. There are several recordable albums and story books and scrapbooks for a variety of occasions.

We received 2 different recordable books. The Memory Album "Kids say the cutest things!" is a great idea, and would make a wonderful gift for a parent or grandparent. Each page has a photo holder, and there's a digital memory device built in so your child can record his/her memories or stories associated with the photo! How cute will that be when your little person is all grown up and can hear his/her own voice telling about the event pictured! Other memory albums more suited to a baby's arrival, a wedding, or just general family memories, are also available.

The recordable storybook "What makes a Princess?" is great for a little Disney Princess fan. This story, all about being special, features a different Disney princess on each page. Along with pre-recorded music is the opportunity to record your own (or someone else's) voice to read the story to your child - perfect for when the reader can't be with the child in person. For all you grandparents who live away from your grandchildren - the recordable storybooks (available in Disney Cars, Princesses and Winnie the Pooh) would make a special gift! Many other recordable storybooks titles are available as well; some are Hallmark originals, others are well-known favourites such as "Guess how much I love you" and "Goodnight Moon."

Remember Watson, the "talking" racoon? (Hallmark calls him an interactive storybuddy) There's a new Interactive Storybook and Storybuddy available - Abigail the bunny! I'm sure she's just as entertaining as Watson is! :) Cooper the bear is also part of the storybuddy collection.

The other item we received in the Summer Hallmark package is The Family Tree. This metal tree-shaped stand is perfect for enjoying memories and family members. Various accessory kits (with either 3 or 5 frames of different shapes and sizes) are available to help customize the tree. You can hang a picture of a family member, an important date, birth information, a favourite saying or a monogram, for example, and make the family tree all yours. The tree is fairly simple in design, which is good because you don't want to make it too busy and distract from the frames and their contents.

Really, you should check out the Hallmark gift collection next time you're in a Hallmark store. I know I mostly am looking for cards, but I've been really impressed with what's been in our packages, and with other products I've seen as I've been snooping around the Hallmark website!

**Disclosure: The products mentioned above have been given free of charge from Veritas Canada for Hallmark in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Winners!

The winner of a 1kg Box of Chlorella is:

Comment #2 - Janette


The winner of a Step2 Grand Slam Baseball Game is:

Comment #310 - Amy C.

Congrats! You'll each have 72 hours to reply to my email before a new winner is chosen.

Dinner Revolution ~ Raffle Giveaway!

Do you ever have those days when the time is ticking...in fact it's probably 11:30 already and you still have no idea what you are having for lunch? That happens fairly regularly around here. :) You think about it all morning...and then at 11:30 you're still wondering what you will eat! The same goes for supper some days. Even breakfast! :) Let's face it...moms are busy people and often don't have the time to sit down and leisurely browse through a recipe book to find something that looks tasty, healthy, quick, easy AND that we have all the ingredients for! Chef Jeff has recently created a brand new cook book called DinneRevolution! The book is filled with more than 200 recipes for healthy dinners...and the best part is that almost every recipe is made with 10 ingredients or less and can be made in 30 minutes or less!

Andrea's Take on DinneRevolution

I have really enjoyed looking through the new DinneRevolution cookbook. Although I haven't had a chance to try a lot of the recipes yet, there are many that I am eying for upcoming meals! And they are all simple, easy...yet healthy and nice enough to even feed dinner guests! One that I really liked is the following:

Autumn Chicken Salad
1/2 pound Chicken Breast, Cooked and Cubed
8 cups chopped Salad Greens
1 Apple (diced)
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Walnuts
1/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
1 cup sliced Red Onion
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix everything together.

It really can't get any simpler than that, huh? And what a great meal for lunch...and for the beautiful fall season too! The colors and ingredients definitely remind me of fall...and it is delicious too. This is just a taste of what I found in Chef Jeff's cookbook. It sells for $27 and in my opinion, is a very handy cookbook to have in your repertoire!

Julie's Take on DinneRevolution

I too am impressed with how simple the recipes are. There are variations for ingredients that aren't so common, but basically, all of the recipes I looked at used ingredients that I regularly have in stock...very handy for last minute meal decisions! :) Chef Jeff also has a menu planner, which is very useful to avoid the last minute meal decisions, and helpful for planning the shopping list - I like how it's organized with enough room to write each day's plan.

Each recipe includes the nutritional analysis, which is great if you have to watch your intake of certain nutrients, such as salt. I also noticed that Chef Jeff recommends using items such as canned tomatoes without salt, to control the sodium intake.

Ground Beef was on sale last week at our local grocery store, so I picked up a warehouse pack. This recipe was a great way to use some of it!

Hamburger Soup
1/2 pound Ground Beef reduced fat
1 cup slice Onion
1 cup diced Carrots
1 cup diced Celery
4 cups Beef Broth low sodium
2 cups Diced Tomatoes (canned, no salt)
1/4 cup All Purpose Seasoning, no salt
1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
1 cup peeled and diced Potato

Brown the mean, carrot, celery and onion together until browned, drain off any fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

*All purpose no salt seasoning mix is the first recipe in the book - it's a great mixture you can keep on hand!

Now that the weather is cooler, a homemade soup is a great quick lunch or supper and I like how this is basically a meal in one!

WIN IT!
Chef Jeff is giving away SIX copies of DinneRevolution! In order to entry, you need to head over to the raffle page on Chef Jeff's website and enter there. This is run a little differently than our regular contests, but please do enter if you're interested as the cookbook is a great one for busy parents, grandparents, etc.

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from DinneRevolution in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Making Building and Reno's Simple

Ever since we owned our very first home, we've loved to renovate, update and just make our home fit us to the best of our ability. :) We recently moved to a new home...and are already dreaming of what sorts of renovations, paint colors, upgrades, etc. we will do in the future! There are so many great possibilities. One of our favorite Go-To places for renovation or building supplies is Home Depot...and after our move we are finally living close enough that we can visit one regularly!

Home Depot is HUGE! And the amount of options, choices and possibilities that they offer is fabulous. This is one of our favorite parts about Home Depot - that we are able to go to ONE store and find all the building and renovation supplies we need for the particular project we'd like to complete. From paint and painting supplies to bathtubs, to electrical supplies, hoses, hooks, doorknobs, whole kitchen cupboard sets...you name it and they probably have it! With three young kids in tow, being able to do all our shopping in one store is a big plus. (And as a side note, the one we went to even had adorable little kiddie carts which our children LOVED pushing through the isles with us!)

The prices at Home Depot are definitely competitive as well! So, it really is a win-win deal...do all your shopping at one store which carries good quality products AND gives you with competitive prices.

We received a gift card from Home Depot in order to do a few upgrades in our new home. With that gift card we decided to add more plugs and lights and do some wiring in our garage...eventually we want to insulate it and finish off the walls too. We were able to get the wiring done, and our experience for shopping for electrical supplies at Home Depot was great. We were able to find an employee who helped us locate everything we needed quickly. The employees we talked to where knowledgeable, helpful and were easily able to direct us to the correct areas of the store.

We are completely pleased with our experience at Home Depot and plan to do a lot more of our shopping there in the future. Thank you Home Depot for a great experience!

**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Creamy & Delicious

Ice Cream is a great summertime treat, isn't it? In fact...it's often a great treat year round! One of our favorite brands of ice cream is Chapman's. They're a fabulous Canadian company that creates a great variety of flavors for kids and adults alike. In fact...they're Canada's largest independent ice cream manufacturer!

We do find that Chapman's ice cream is sometimes a little difficult to locate in our local grocery stores - though have been able to find the larger 4 L containers of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. We received a coupon from Chapman's to help us purchase some of their delicious ice cream, and we went with the 4L vanilla...after all, vanilla tastes good on anything! The ice cream was creamy, thick, and you could tell that the quality of ice cream was much better than the no name or store brand ones that we've often had in the past. We shared it with some of our supper visitors throughout the past few weeks too, and it was always well received and pronounced to be "delicious!"

Chapman's really does have a large variety of products though. Besides regular ice cream, you can find frozen yogurt, frozen yogurt bars, ice cream with no sugar added, and lactose free ice cream! With the affordable prices, and the quality products, you really can't go wrong with Chapman's.


**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

New Dough, Moon Dough!

Have you played with Moon Dough before? There's something really fun about being able to shape a ball of play dough into whatever you like - kids really like that hands-on manipulation!  And my children are no exception!

Even better, Moon Dough has an "all-new dough formula!" Like the older dough, it never dries out, so it can be used again and again. But the new, improved dough has a better consistency for moulding and is less crumbly. And, there are new, brighter colours available as well! :) It's also odour-free - which is great, because it's awful when those little hands come up to your face and they stink like the play dough! :) Moon Dough is hypo-allergenic and wheat-free.

Moon Dough comes in several play sets, including: Push N' Pop Ocean Pals, Push N' Pop Breakfast and the Snack Shop, Pizza Kit, Ice Cream cart and more.

We received an Ocean Pals set to try out, and it's been great fun for both boys. It's rated ages 3+, probably because younger children tend to taste-test stuff! The set comes with 2 colours - we got purple and green. There are 3 different push moulds and a Twisty mould too (although this last one doesn't seem to be as much fun as the push moulds).

Compared with other play doughs, Moon Dough's colours are more fun, but it would also be great to just buy dough separately, so you could have different colours to use along with the moulds. According to the website, refill colours are available, but I didn't see them at our local Walmart. Also, I did notice a fair amount of crumbling, but my boys are good at getting crumbs of everything on the floor, no matter what they're doing! :)

Moon Dough is available at several retailers, including Toys "R" Us and Walmart. Smaller sets (like the Ocean Pals) are reasonably priced at $9.99 (USD) or $12.99 (CAD).

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from Team Mom for Moon Dough in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Decorate with Felt ~ Discount!

Decorating my kids' bedrooms is a lot of fun...it's so neat to be able to put the personality of your child into the decor of their room. We recently moved to a new home, so I thought it would be fun to decorate the kids' new rooms with something that really 'fit' this time around. As I was searching around for ideas, I came across a fabulous website called Felt Fantasia. Her felt creations are beautifully created...and perfect for children's rooms, playrooms, etc. I fell in love with them at first glance. Each decoration is made from the best quality felt and are SO easy to put up (and take down for that matter!) I was very impressed with the fact that Felt Fantasia's wall decorations were reusable. Simply peel the paper off the back of the decoration and stick it to the wall. If you want to straighten it, or move it, or replace it for something else for a while all you need to do is pull it off, place it in a spot where the sticky sides won't get wrecked, and then simply reapply it to the wall whenever you'd like to in the future. You'll have no damaged paint on your walls either from these images. The sticky "tape" on the back is strong enough to keep the felt creation on your wall, but also easy to take down and store without leaving a mess behind.

Our son received the bright, red fire truck above...and LOVES it. Fire trucks are big deal these days, so to have one on his wall is great! And our daughters have the adorable Birch Branch and Two Birds in their room...two pink little birdies for the pink-loving girls! It's a perfect addition to their room. One other aspect that I find fun about the creations from Felt Fantasia is that they are a little bit 3-D! They stick out from the wall, and give the bedroom an extra special look.

Felt Fantasia has a LOT of different felt designs that you can choose from. They are created for all ages, and can be so much fun to decorate with. The quality is fabulous, and I'd be more than happy to decorate more of our home with her felt decor!

BUY IT!
Felt Fantasia is giving all of our readers a 15% discount off any order. Use the code: "Felt Fantasia fun" in order to receive your discount. Expires September 30, 2011. Open to Canada and USA.


**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Still more winners!

It's a lucky day for some Glimpse readers today!

The 5 winners of a Boston Pizza Kids Card are:

Comment #72: Andrea
Comment #30: Lydia Fredin
Comment #24: heidi
Comment #47: Tania Mask
Comment #3: roswell

Congratulations! Please contact me within 72 hours to claim your prize!

Winners!

The Winner of a Wooden Art Hanger from Giselle Crafts is:

Comment #111 - Angela M.



The winner of a 2 sets of felt hair clips from Twinklebelle is:

Comment #96 - Amy Brown



The winner of a Seventh Generation prize pack/coupons is:

Comment #196 - Karla S.


Congrats! Each of you will have 72 hours to contact me before a new winner is chosen.

Winners!

The winner of a $30 gift certificate to Glow Baby is:

Comment #70 Cathleen

The winner of a Crayola Back to School basics pack is:

Comment #293 edmontonjb

The winners of a set of Live Clean Argan Oil body wash and hand soap are:

Comment #325 Kerry
Comment #247 angela m
Comment #214 Rebby

Congratulations!!

You each have 72 hours to respond to my email to claim your prize!

Baby and You

Being a mom is great! And there really are a LOT of resources, and helpful places out there for us moms with young children...the problem is finding them sometimes! Today I want to share a brand new page and community that I recently discovered with you...and it is a great one! Baby and You is a facebook community that is all about connecting parents & babies with one another.

There are also some fabulous Canadian Mom bloggers who are there to give a little advice, share a story or two, etc. Mommy Moment is focused on all things Mom, and Lisa from Growing your Baby is the gal focusing on all things baby. Over in Mom Talk you'll find 9 reasons why mom friends are great! I loved reading this one...and the reasons are all so true! And in Baby Talk, Lisa shares about Being a Mom.

In addition to the great little articles from the above moms, you'll also find something that I know ALL parents can use - exclusive savings and a weekly flyer that shares the best deals of the week! I know I love finding a good deal, and coupons for diapers, etc. always come in handy too, don't they?

So, whether you're a mom, dad or grandparent with little grandkids, Baby and You is a great place to connect, get a few tips from other moms, and find the latest and greatest deals & coupons.


“Disclosure – I am participating in the Baby and You program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Loblaw Companies. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

Take care of those scars and stretch marks! GIVEAWAY!!

Motherhood leaves its marks: toys everywhere, a huge purse/bag instead of that tiny wallet on a string or just the keys in a pocket, etc! Probably most of us also have physical marks too...those dreaded stretch marks. I've been fortunate in my 3 pregnancies, I only got a few stretch marks, but before you start being jealous, I had trouble with varicose veins and nerve issues in my legs, enough to make up for it!  Scars on the other hand, abound, although not from motherhood, but just from life in general. Chicken pox when I was 12, a wart (yes, really!) just above my eyebrow a few years ago, and surgery on my ears when I was 4 and again as a teenager.  And, there are many products out there that claim to make stretch marks and scars disappear, but I've always been skeptical.

Early this summer, I was sent some samples of a new-to-Canada product. Mederma has been around for a lot longer though, available in the US since 1995, and in Germany before that. We got to try out the Stretch Mark cream and the Scar gel. Both are available at drugstores across the country - use the product locator tool on the website.

Mederma also makes a Scar Cream + SPF 30, and a Scar Care for kids.

Professor Noggins ~ Learning Made FUN!

School has begun, and we are "officially" back into the world of learning! We just began our homeschool year here at home as well, and are getting back into a regular routine. Whether you are homeschooling or going to a public school though, it is always great if you can continue the "learning" at home, or at times when it is not officially "school time." But...in order to do this, we often need some fun, attention-catching learning tools...you know, ones that make learning so much fun that you don't even realize that you are doing something educational! ;) Professor Noggin's card games fit into this category perfectly. I've often heard these games praised and we recently got a chance to test a few out ourselves. Each card game is full of new, exciting and full of facts about various topics. You'll find games on science, the earth, animals, history, geography, and SO MUCH MORE!

I especially love Proffessor Noggin's has created games about Canada as well as the USA ~ that's a huge bonus for us Canadian parents & teachers. To see the complete list of Professor Noggin's games click here. If you head over to the Where to Buy link, you'll also be able to see where you can buy these great information-packed products for your own kids.

Professor Noggin's has 32 fabulous card games that are just waiting to be played. They are all on topics that would be highly educational - yet fun! We really enjoy the games from Professor Noggin's and are certain that we'll be adding more of them to our game cupboard in the future!


**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Putting Style Back into Homemaking

I'm a mom...and a homemaker, and I love it. :) Of course, I understand that being a stay at home mom and homemaker may not be the path for everyone...or even the path that every family is even ABLE to take because of finances, etc. But I feel so blessed to be able to be called a homemaker and a stay at home mom. :) That said, the product that I'm going to share with you today is for any mom, grandma or woman who steps foot in their kitchen, at least once in a while ;), to cook up a bath of cookies, soup, etc. Sugar Baby Aprons is a website devoted to creating 100% Canadian Made aprons that are FULL of style, flair and fashion-sense.

Sugar Baby Aprons carries all sorts of aprons that are unique and fun for those afternoons or evenings in the kitchen. Wearing one of their aprons makes baking and cooking that much more fun (and it make laundry more fun too as I don't have to spend hours trying to scrub out tomato stains or grease stains! :) ). I received the Animal Print Apron pictured above. To be honest, the fabric would not have been my first choice, (animal prints just aren't my style I guess...) but that said, the quality of the apron, and the fitted style are great. Both of these features you'll find with all of the Sugar Baby Aprons. And don't worry, if you're not an animal print fan either, there are plenty of other options to choose from. Everything from fabrics that really stand out, to ones that are more on the simpler side. As I said, you'll find many styles, fabrics & designs of aprons over at Sugar Baby Aprons. The selection & quality of their products will not disappoint you!

In addition to aprons for adults, Sugar Baby Aprons has some of the cutest little apron sets for kids. The Fuchsia with White Sash set is one of my favorites...and would be incredible sweet on a little homemaker-to-be!


**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Can I wear my blinking shoes?!

Just a bit ago, we hosted a great giveaway for a pair of kids Skechers shoes, and we hope the lucky winner enjoys his/her pair as much as Daniel has been enjoying his!

Skechers has a ton of different styles for men, women and children: from athletic and casual shoes to boots and sandals, it seems like every activity and season is covered!

The Skechers Hot Lights collection has several shoe styles for boys - all with sporty features and flashing lights.

Daniel received a pair of Deflectord kids runners from the new boys collection. I find it a bit tricky ordering shoes without trying them on, but the US Skechers website has a handy printable size guide to help with choosing sizes. (ordering online isn't available through the Canadian Skechers website). The shoes are a bit on the big side, but at the rate he's growing, they'll fit perfectly before long!

Daniel's favourite feature of the shoes is the blinking lights! Of course! With blinking blue lights down the side and blinking white across the toe with every step, they're very cool.

I really like how adjustable the straps are, and how Daniel can put the shoes on by himself easily. (and how keen he is to put them on as well!) Like I mentioned, they are a bit on the long side, but they seem to have a lot of adjustability in width, the way the velcro strap works. Daniel says they feel very comfortable, and they look quite supportive.

Skechers shoes are sold in Canada through various shoe retailers. In some cities, they also have Skechers retail stores as well. Check the Skechers website for a retailer near you. As well, there are some online retailers who sell Skechers shoes.

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from Veritas Communications for Skechers Canada in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Scholastic Monday - How Do Dinosaurs Go Up and Down?

Our featured book for Scholastic Monday this week is a really fun one! Scholastic sent us one of their adorable, fun & educational books from the How Do Dinosaurs series. We received How Do Dinosaurs Go Up and Down? which is a fabulous little book about opposites.

The book has fun, colorful pictures of dinosaurs (which are an animal that is loved by most kids!) participating in the activities described in the book. Not only are the illustrations great for catching the attention of kids, but each spread has a flap to open up, so your kids can enjoy discovering what is underneath! It's a great way to capture the attention of a young child who may not like to sit absolutely still for more than a few seconds. :) Lifting up flaps in the book is a great way to entertain them while you read the page, and I've found that it's very helpful when reading to younger children.

How do Dinosaurs Go Up and Down? is full of humor & learning. It's a great way to both introduce a new topic, such as opposites, or to enforce the subject of opposites which may have already been taught to your child. We are a big fan of this book and have a feeling that all the other books in the How Do Dinosaurs Series would be equally as great!

**Disclosure: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Boston Pizza Kids cards are back!!! GIVEAWAY!! (5 WINNERS!)

September means that birthday season is starting around here - our kids are born in September, October and November! We have a family tradition of going out to eat for birthdays, to the restaurant of the birthday person's choice - within reason, of course! With Daniel, it came as no surprise that the choice was Boston Pizza! This time was extra special - he's still talking about his brownie dessert "all for me" and the singing! :)

So we went this past Thursday for supper. Any time is a great time for a meal you don't have to prepare yourself, but right now is especially good for Boston Pizza - their Kids Cards are back! If you're not familiar with the Kids Cards, it's a really great deal in a lot of ways! For a minimum $5 donation to the Boston Pizza Foundation, you get a card that is worth 5 free kids meals - more than a $35 value!! A kids meal includes the main dish, choice of side, beverage and a dessert - the boys always pick the chocolate pizza! My kids certainly love the choices they have! This time we tried the Bugs 'n Cheese, insect-shaped pasta in a cheesy sauce, and our baby girl gobbled it down! Other times we've had the child-sized pizza, or the spaghetti. It's all been great.

Getting Rid of the Stinkies! ~ GIVEAWAY!

It all started quite innocently...with a bunch of cloth diapers and a baby. Before you knew we had a lot more than just cloth diapers...we had the stinkies in our cloth diapers. And by stinkies I mean ammonia build-up BIG time! This has happened with all three of our children and so far, the only remedy I've found is to boil the liners in water to help get the soap residue and horrible ammonia smell out. That said...boiling just the liners doesn't take care of the actual diapers...and it's pretty time consuming...and you need a BIG pot to boil them in. :) That why I was so excited when Sweet Lil Dimples Baby Shop offered to send us a few samples of their Rockin' Green detergent and ammonia bouncer to help our diapers smell fresh & new again.

Winner!

The lucky winner of a Leapfrog Explorer with game(s) is:

Comment #392 - Debbie W.

Congrats! You'll have 72 hours to respond to my email before a new winner is chosen.

MAM for your baby!

Annalies has progressed from being a pacifier refuser, to accepting a variety of pacifiers. And her recent favourite is from MAM. We like their products as well; and there's a variety of different products for different ages of babies.

MAM pacifiers have no handle, and the nipple is symmetrical, which is great, because Annalies is at the age when she likes to put it in her own mouth, and this way, it's always the right way up. The "frame" has many "breathing" holes. The knob on the front is easy for her to grab; it doesn't work for a traditional pacifier clip, but MAM has a clip that attaches to the knob. The shield is curved and has many air holes. Like all MAM products, the pacifiers are BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free, lead-free and CPSIA-Compliant. Pacifiers are available in 3 sizes (newborn, 2+ months and 6+ months) and a variety of styles and colours - some very cute designs! :)

Something really cool that I noticed while I was browsing the MAM website recently is that you can order personalized pacifiers and clips! That's right, instead of a design printed on the knob of the pacifier, it could be your child's name! And text can also be embroidered on the pacifier clip! How great would that be if you had a couple of different pacifier-using kids in your house? :)

There are also several kinds of pacifier clip available for the pacifiers - we received the clip & nipple cover. It's a great idea: a handly nipple cover attached right to the strap to keep the pacifier clean when not in use. For most babies, this would probably work. Annalies is a curious one, always pulling and testing things out; she has been able to detach the nipple cover quite easily (without us even really noticing), and then I worried that it was a small, loose piece - easy to lose, and easy to try to swallow. She never did try to swallow it, but we ended up removing the nipple cover. The clip attaches reasonably firmly to clothing, although if you tug really hard, if you're very determined, you can get it loose from your clothes, as demonstrated by Annalies several times. Like I said, a great idea, but this clip didn't really work for us.

Hold-me bottle

Trainer cup

We also received a couple of training cups. The Hold-Me bottle has a nipple and a soft spout, as well as handles. It holds 9oz. The Trainer cup also has a soft spout and handles and holds 7 oz. We didn't try either of these, because Annalies won't drink from a bottle or from a sippy cup - only from a straw! :) Both had cute colours and designs, and seemed to be functionally well-designed.

Teeth are no fun; some babies like to chew on something cold when their teeth are growing. If yours is like this, you might want to consider one of the MAM teethers. They can be refrigerated, and are filled with distilled water. Only the cooling feature becomes cold, so your baby doesn't have to handle a cold "toy." Annalies liked this a little bit, but wasn't too keen on cold stuff.

Along with teeth comes toothbrushing. When we're all standing around the bathroom, brushing our teeth, Annalies likes to join in with her special toothbrush. The MAM training brush is just perfect for her; it's easy for her to hold, or us to hold with her. It has a toothbrush head (smaller than a regular toothbrush) as well as a massaging head for rubbing against those sore gums. She likes both ends! :)

Based on what I've experienced so far from MAM products, I would definitely buy the pacifiers and toothbrush again.

**Disclosure: The products mentioned above have been given free of charge from Team Mom for MAM in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.

Make the Most of Unwanted Gift Cards ~ GIVEAWAY!

Have you ever received a gift card that you didn't really want? Or couldn't put to good use? The truth is that 1 in 6 gift cards go unredeemed! That's a lot of lost money, isn't it?! But really...if you can't use it, and can't find anyone who wants it, what other option do you have but to let it sit on the counter for several months until you get tired of lookin' at it and toss it in the trash...

CardSwap.ca has a GREAT solution to this problem. In fact, it's the best solution I've come across to date! CardSwap.ca is Canada's leading online platform where you can buy, sell or donate gift cards. One of the best features is that it is exclusive to Canadians, so you don't have to worry about whether or not the gift card will be valid in Canada. I was able to go to their website and "purchase" a gift card in order to be a part of the entire CardSwap experience. It was incredibly simple. No complicated payment options, no complicated forms, rules, etc. It's all simple and straightforward and could easily be completed by anyone who has a bit of basic computer/internet knowledge.

It's a Picnic With Step2! ~ Step2 GIVEAWAY!!!

One of our favorite activities in our home is PICNIC'S! And even though there is snow on the ground for at least 5-6 months of the year, we still picnic all year round. :) Whether we're outside on a blanket, at an actual picnic table, or whether we're downstairs having a picnic in front of the fireplace, the novelty never seems to wear off. This summer we received a special picnic toy from Step2, which has served to make picnics EVEN more exciting! We received the Naturally Playful® Picnic Table with Umbrella, and it has been put to good use already. It is a classic children's picnic table with a simple, but absolutely great and functional design.

A few of my favorite features of the Naturally Playful® Picnic Table are the large tabletop and the ample room it has to seat up to six children. It has often provide the perfect spot for our kids, and their little friends to eat a meal at when we have company. In fact, it was ideal for our 5 year old's birthday party that he held in August! Not only was the table the perfect solution for seating when space is limited, but the kids were all thrilled to have a kid-sized table all of their own. The picnic table has both been used outside on the deck, and is easily moved inside when needed for an indoor meal with guests. It is lightweight, yet incredible durable. The setup was simple, and the umbrella just adds that extra special touch ~ and keeps the kids a little cooler on a hot, sunny day!