LeapFrog Gifts! GIVEAWAY (UPDATED)!!

Like many other families, our family really appreciates LeapFrog products. They have a range of items for a variety of ages and interests, and everything we've had from them has kept our kids interested and learning. In fact, Sinterklaas visited our house this week and brought each of the kids something from LeapFrog. It must be because he knows that their products can be depended on, and the kids really enjoy them. :)

Last week we featured the LeapFrog Shapes and Sharing Picnic Basket. Keep watching our blog each week as we review other LeapFrog products and there will be another giveaway coming too!

This week, we'll feature the LeapFrog Leapster2.

Winner!

The winner of a $16 gift card to Organically Hatched is:

Comment #118 - Amy M.

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

Curious Critters!

(**You know how, with time zones, today can be yesterday, or yesterday could be tomorrow? Well, please just try to pretend that you are reading this yesterday! Due to some technical difficulties, I couldn't log in to the blog yesterday to post, so here's yesterday's post today!**)

Are your kids curious? Mine certainly are. It's a constant barrage of questions around here from the oldest 2, and I'm just waiting for our little one to have enough words to ask her questions as well! It's fun, and usually, something we try to encourage and stimulate! Of course, we're hoping that as our children's curiosity develops, they also develop skills to research and answer their own questions!

Soothe & Travel with Graco ~ GIVEAWAY ($160!!!)

The joy of welcoming a new little baby into a home never ceases to amaze me! We're on baby number four now, and we are just as excited for his/her arrival as we were with every other one. We just can't wait to snuggle, cuddle, comfort and soothe our newest bundle of joy! Graco recently has come out with some great new products! One of these is the Sweetpeace™ Infant Soothing Swing. We received one of these fabulous Soothing Swings to try out in our own home, and it is amazing! Though we don't have a baby to enjoy it quite yet, the features are better than any other baby swing we've seen (or owned!) so far. It offers the most multi-sensory soothing options available, and gives a parent, grandparent or babysitter many different combinations to help calm your little one. Here's just a taste of the different features and options that the Sweetpeace™ Infant Soothing Swing has:

Comfort for your Pooch ~ GIVEAWAY!

Typically, it's just us...our kids...and people in general that take advantage of winter wear! We do need to keep warm after all, and well...according to Canada Pooch, we're not the only ones who need a little extra warmth at times. Canada Pooch is a company that carries a brand new line of pet apparel that is made specifically for Canadian winters. The apparel is also made with both comfort and style in mind. Each of their items are made with high craftsmanship and extreme functionality in mind. Jackets and vests alike are made with faux-down stuff, and are fleece-lined and even waterproof! In addition to this, the apparel is easy to put on, and machine washable - so it's easy to keep clean as well!

Attack of the Brain Blips...

Guess what? The Brain Blips have attacked again. I was just checking through the open giveaways, when I noticed there were no comments on the RUBIK's Race giveaway. Hmmm....strange....

Not so strange after all when I looked at the post and realized I had forgotten to include the Rafflecopter form, or even any mention of the giveaway in the post. BIG OOPS! BIG SORRY!!

I have updated the post to allow entries to the contest - so head over to the RUBIK's Race review and enter to win a game for your family!

Holidays from the Heart ~ GIVEAWAY ($50 value!)

There are lots of great gift ideas out there in the stores, in the newspapers, on the internet...but when it comes right down to it, a lot of those gifts are just more "stuff," and well...I really love to give gifts that mean something and that are perhaps one of a kind or extra special. This is one of the reasons that I was delighted to discover Elephoto.ca this year! Elephoto is a 100% Canadian printing company that is packed full of great, personalized gift ideas for your friends and family.

We ordered several items from Elephoto this year and were VERY impressed with the whole process. The website is simple and straightforward. Each item we ordered was great quality - and looked just as we had hoped, and one of the most impressive features for me was how incredibly FAST they shipped the items to us! Within 2 business days I had all the products in my hands - WOW - now that's what I call service!

Enfant Style Diapers - Giveaway!!

Today's Giveaway is brought to you by Enfant Style Diapers, and it's part of a series they're running called the Christmas and New Year event. Each week, from November 3, 2011 to January 1, 2012, they're offering a different giveaway, hosted either by them or by a blog friend like us!!

Enfant Style Diapers is an online cloth diaper store that offers basically everything you'd need during your cloth diapering experience: they carry diapers and accessories for mom and baby, swim diapers, training pants and much more.

Winners!

The 3 winners of a set of Green School Totes are:

Comment # 78: krystyl olson

Comment # 21: Sherri Harsevoort

Comment # 31: Tania Mask

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

Winner!

The Winner of a 5 Pack of Spices from T & A Spice Co. is:

Comment #148 - Diana

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

Lovable Labels Holly Jolly Packs ~ Giveaway!!

Welcome to 12 Days of Gifts Galore Giveaway Hop hosted by Tales From the Nursery, Formula Mom, and Mama on a Green Misson!!! There's over $5,000 in prizes offered to help you get the gifts you need this holiday season.  After you are done entering our giveaway you'll want to check out everyone else's AND enter for a chance to win one of three GRAND prizes sponsored by Kudzoom!  Each blog you stop and enter at will be another entry! (see the linky at the bottom of this post)

Don't forget to check our other giveaways running right now, and more coming in the next 3 or 4 weeks! Yes, that's right, weeks! :) Most days in the next few weeks have at least one giveaway and possibly two!!

Today's Giveaway on Glimpse is brought to you by Lovable Labels. They recently brought out their Holly Jolly gift packs - which contain a variety of labels in different sizes and colours - as well as Holiday Return Address Labels Packs with matching Gift Seals. The Holly Jolly gift packs are available in 2 colour combinations and there are 6 designs to choose from for the Holiday Return Address Label Packs.

Picnic With LeapFrog ~ GIVEAWAY!

LeapFrog is a well-known brand these days - and there are many good reasons for that! LeapFrog toys and products are among the best when it comes to combining learning and having fun. In fact...I've yet to find a company that is higher on the list than LeapFrog. Their products are full of quality, full of learning and full of fun! With these three positives packaged together it is obvious that LeapFrog products are top notch!

As we all know, Christmas is quickly approaching, and LeapFrog is one of my favorite places to find gifts for babies, toddlers and even older children.

Capturing Memories with Blacks.ca

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to capture memories. Time just flies by too fast, and I guess being able to capture those memories on camera, and eventually on paper seems to streeeetch out the memories a little longer, and make them last for more than a moment. Black.ca is an amazing Canadian business that has a HUGE variety of products and ideas for capturing those precious memories.

One of my favorite products that they offer is the PhotoBook. Blacks.ca recently came out with a new PhotoBook Design Service where you can easily create a PhotoBook of a special event, the past year, etc. The options are endless for a PhotoBook, and the best part is that it is quick, easy and fun! You don't have to worry about any of the tiny details and designing either...the professionals at Black.ca have got it all under control! I also really love that it prevents photos from just getting stored in old shoeboxes in a cupboard somewhere (yes, I am guilty of that!) Instead, a PhotoBook from Black.ca can be pulled out at a moments notice to browse and reminisce through with your family or friends. PhotoBooks also make a great gift idea - it's personal and unique.

Besides PhotoBooks, Blacks.ca also offers a truck-load of other personalized, affordable gift ideas. Check out their PhotoGifts section and you'll see all the great products they offer! There are calendars, personalized mugs, personalized gifts for baby and so much more. In our opinion, Black.ca has a gift suitable for every person we need to buy gifts for this season. The quality is fabulous and the service is great as well...so go ahead, capture some memories and give those away this Christmas!

CONTEST!
Black.ca is running an UNBEATABLE Holiday Photo Contest! The Grand prize is a $5,000 Black’s Gift Card (wow!), Photobook with Design Service gift card, and an iPad 2. And I'm not even mentioning all the runner-up prizes! Head over here to check out the full details of the contest and enter it yourself.


**Disclosure: I received a Gift Card to Black.ca 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.

Race to solve it - Rubik's Race! GIVEAWAY!!

Were you (or some of your family members) fans of the Rubik's Cube back when it was all the rage? Of course, the Cube is still around, but since that original invention, the Rubik brand has brought out many new products, all variations on the theme. Rubik's Race is one of the latest to hit the market, and it's sure to entertain and drive you crazy at the same time!

Experience Crock-Pot

Last week we hosted a fabulous giveaway for a Crock-Pot slow cooker on Glimpse! Due to some internal details I had to post the giveaway before receiving my own slow cooker to try out. BUT, that said, I have now received and tried out my new Crock-Pot slow cooker and thought it would be fun to give you my personal take on the product as well!

As you can well imagine, the slow cooker is fabulous. Here are a few of my favorites about our new Crock-Pot slow cooker:

~ It is a 6 QT cooker! Which means I can easily make a BIG meal for our family of 5 (soon to be 6!) and there are still leftovers for the next day.
~ It is incredibly easy to use, and has four different settings for you to choose from.
~ It automatically stops cooking when the allotted cooking time has ended...and then proceeds to keep your meal warm until you're ready to eat it! Incredible handy - especially if you are not home to stop it yourself!
~ The digital timer counts down your cooking time, so with a glance you can see how much time is left.

There is only one con that I have with this slow cooker...and I think this is a more "personal preference" con! I don't completely enjoy the rectangular shape of the base for the slow cooker. It is rather large and takes up more space on my counter than I would like. However, that said - it does have really nice carrying handles on the sides and it is great for just setting the whole thing on the table for a meal instead of dishing it out of the slow cooker first.

So, all in all, I do love our Crock-Pot slow cooker and have cooked a variety of delicious recipes that are perfect for warming up on a cold winter day! I would highly recommend the slow cooker and it would make a great gift - especially when you're feeding a large family - or several hungry teenagers! ;)

**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.

Stacking it up! GIVEAWAY!

It's usually easy enough to find gifts for people who make you a list of suggestions. But what about those little people - babies and toddlers - who can't tell you what they really enjoy? I always find it hard when we're looking for a present; you have to keep track of the right age, and still get something fun, and I prefer to get (and receive) something that will be used for a while, and not only with one purpose either.

MySmartToys is a company based in Montreal. They specialize in a wide range of educational wooden toys, specially designed to develop a child’s motor skills, concentration, attentiveness, and visual accuracy. All toys they carry are made by well-known manufacturers. The range of toys is intended for kids of different age groups starting with toddlers up to preschool children. You can find toys from brands like Melissa & Doug, Imagiplay and Kidkraft.

Loove-ly Accessories ~ GIVEAWAY!

Oh, the accessories! :) There's just something about all the adorable little hair accessories for girls that make us moms want to collect them, isn't there?! Even boys can have cute accessories. Loove and Sweet is a great boutique located in BC, Canada. Everything in her shop is handmade...and designed by a mom!

We received a few of her items, including an adorable Christmas headband, a few clips and a bow tie. Every one of these items is quality - you can see it and you can feel it...the quality is there, and it is great! Loove and Sweet is unlike most other boutiques out there. Instead of using artificial flowers and cheap fabrics, every one of their flowers is handmade from fabric, felt or ribbon. And the fabrics used for the bow ties is durable as high quality as well. You can definitely see the difference in the flowers on the headbands and clips - they are shiny and smooth. No fraying around the edges, and they look, well...perfect!

Scholastic Monday ~ Christmas GIVEAWAY!!

Scholastic Monday has arrived again...but today it's not only Scholastic Monday but the kick off to our Christmas Gift Guide!! Scholastic is filled with great books for all ages of kids/teens and we believe that books make fabulous gifts! They inspire, teach, build skills, add laughter to your home, and so much more.

Today I'm so excited to be featuring two fabulous Christmas titles from Scholastic Canada! Can You See What I See? Toyland Express, by Walter Wick is a perfect Christmas title for all ages! The book is a fabulous search-and-find adventure...each page contains a list of items to find in the full page, colorful picture that goes along with it. This is the eighth title in the search-and-find series - and it's no surprise that this series is a bestselling one! As you search...and find, you'll also be able to see how the life of the toy train that you first discover at the beginning of the book, takes on a life of it's own...is rescued at a yard sale...and brought to life again in a new home. This is the type of book that will grow with your child as well. Youngsters LOVE searching for the items with mom and dad. As they grow older they'll want to try it by themselves, and even older they will discover the discreet, yet fun story that the book tells.

Winner!

The winner of a set of Live Clean Baby Sensitive products is:

Comment #250 loriag

Congratulations! Please email me within 72 hours to claim your prize.

Pink Ribbon Smoke Alarm

Early detection is key!! That is some of the best advice that can be offered when it comes to two of the big killers today - breast cancer and fires. Both of these seem to be becoming more and more common and both NEED early detection in order to save lives!

Last month we were able to give away three of the pink ribbon smoke alarms from First Alert to our fabulous readers! And now that we've had a chance to try them out in our own homes we'd like to share our thoughts with you on these life saving alarms...

Andrea's Thoughts: 

I am very impressed with the Pink Ribbon Smoke Alarm - and it was, in fact, a blessing in disguise that we received a new smoke alarm! When we were installing it, we realized that the previous alarm in our home was NOT working at all! I always wondered why it never went off when something burned on the stove. :) The Pink Ribbon Smoke Alarm has been a fabulous addition to our home and has some great features as well. My favorite feature (besides the fact that it saves lives!) is that it that it has a mute button - so when it goes off because something's burning on the stove, or for some other 'false alarm', it is easy to stop. Simply push the mute button and the alarm will stop - no more having to remove the battery every time! It also has an escape light that comes on when the alarm sounds, which is a very handy feature as well. The Pink Ribbon Smoke Alarm is a great find, and the fact that it saves lives in more than one way (donating to breast cancer), makes it even a better buy.

Julie's Thoughts:

Happily, we haven't actually heard the Pink Ribbon Smoke Alarm for real, but we've tested it, and the sound is certainly unmissable (85db)! We also really like the escape light - none of our other smoke alarms have this, and I think it's a great idea.  The smoke alarm comes with the 9V battery you need, so you won't have to realize you don't have the correct battery once you're already home. Another feature we like is how easy it is to install and/or replace the battery - the "door" just slides open. I imagine the mute button will come in handy a few times as well, although I try hard not to burn our meals!

First Alert Pink Ribbon products (the line includes the smoke alarm, a CO detector and a fire extinguisher) are available at many retailers across the country.

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from Veritas Canada for First Alert 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.

Chicken Soup

On this cold cold day (yes, winter has arrived here), soup would be a great meal to warm up with. To warm your heart, "chicken soup for the soul" might work the same!

The 2 of the latest books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series have arrived here, and here's a little blurb about each one...maybe one of them will be a good gift for someone you know.

Inspiration for the Young at Heart

Contains 101 stories of Inspiration, Humour and Wisdom about life at a certain age. I thought it was kind of funny when I received it, being in my 30's, but I guess we all have 'certain age' moments! Really, though, this one is geared to "dynamic seniors enjoying life after sixty." Subjects range from beginning new adventures, acting younger, keeping romantic, dealing with retirement  to developing new passions and learning new skills. This could be a good fit for someone who has just retired who wants to keep active but lacks a bit of inspiration or motivation.

Devotional Stories for Tough Times

Containes 101 Daily Devotions to inspire and support you in times of need. This Christian-oriented book presents stories, prayers and scripture to help those going through difficult experiences find new faith, joy and strength. This book deals with the power of prayer and answered prayers, God's grace, as well as renewing your faith and counting your blessings.

**Disclosure: The products mentioned above have been given free of charge from Shelton Interactive 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.

Winner!

The winner of a $30 toy of her choice from Eko Bear is:

Comment #166 - Heidi



The winner of a dress from Tiny Modernist is:

Comment #199 - Amy P.

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

Turning Photos into Artwork!

When it comes to decor in our home, I just LOVE anything that has a personal touch! It means so much more. I  love hanging up my kids artwork, and photography of our family, friends or places we've visited. These sorts of things make our home feel like home...being able to look up at the walls and remember family moments that we've had together is a lot of fun! Posterjack.ca is a Canadian online shop that thinks this is true too! And they have a fabulous selection of products that prove it. Photojack.ca turns your family photos, and your precious memories into artwork that can be hung up and treasured in your home...and not only in your home, but also in the homes of grandma, grandpa, friends, relatives, etc. Personal artwork is a fabulous, and meaningful gift idea for the Christmas season!

Let's take a peek at some of the photo prints that Photojack.ca has to offer you...

Canvas Print - These are beautiful - I can speak from experience as we have a canvas print in our home right now! The prints from photojack.ca are guaranteed to be high quality prints that have deep, rich colors, a sturdy frame and best of all, they come ready to hang!

Photo on Metal - Now this one is really unique...and fun! I love the idea of a photo on metal, and it would definitely be a great piece of decor for the home. These are SUPER durable, and fade resistant. They can even be hung outdoors if you'd like!

Framed Photo - Now this is a more popular way of displaying photos in the home...framing stores are everywhere, and custom framing is fairly easy to find...though pricey! At posterjack.ca you'll find framing that is simple, modern and affordable. These also come ready to hang...so no extra framing work required! :)

Photo Mounting - Mounted photos are a favorite of mine as well. They are simple, stand alone photos that require no frame. Instead of a frame, the photo is mounted on a hard board and finished with a black, beveled edge - simple but sleek!!

Posters - If you're looking for a VERY affordable gift idea, this would be it! Photojack.ca will make your photos into professional looking posters. The Peel 'n Stick posters look like a lot of fun! Especially for decor in a kid or teen bedroom.

As you can see, Photojack.ca has a ton of great ideas for gifts and for decorating your own home as well! Their website is easy to navigate and simple to use. If you'd like to touch base with posterjack.ca on Facebook or Twitter, please feel free! You never know...I hear they periodically run giveaways and perhaps even offer discount codes, so keep your eyes peeled!


**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.

Rubbermaid Glass - Yes, GLASS!! GIVEAWAY!

Rubbermaid products have certainly been used in our home for quite a while. We love their tote boxes, their plastic kitchen storage, and especially their animal-proof garbage can we're using outside!! Rubbermaid offers a wide variety of products designed to help us be more organized at home - now if only the stuff would somehow magically jump into the containers!

Recently, Rubbermaid brought out a new kind of container, to expand on their Easy-Find lid collection.  The idea behind the Easy-Find lid series is that the lids snap together, and also to the bottom of the container they fit, so they're always right where you need them. No more rummaging through the lid collection trying to find the lid you need!

Mega Bloks Blok Squad

Are you looking for a block construction set for a builder on your list this winter season? You may want to check out the Mega Bloks Blok Squad collection! Sets are available in a variety of themes (fire patrol, police, army, construction, space explorers) and in a few different sizes so there's something for all price ranges. The most expensive set is the fire station set, for $49.99 CAD and it contains 953 pieces! All the other sets are somewhat smaller, and also less expensive, so you don't have to go over budget to get a great set. All are rated for 5+, which is quite accurate considering the size of the pieces. Even at age 6, our son needed some help putting the set together following the instructions, but he was able to figure out most of it on his own.

We received the Fire Patrol Rescue set. This buildable playset includes 2 vehicles (pumper truck and ATV) and firefighters. The set containes 190 pieces and retails for $11.99 CAD ($9.99US). Jonathan had a lot of fun building the vehicles and zooming them around. Unfortunately, because we have a toddler in the house, the set has had to remain in the basement where she can't get at it, and so he hasn't played with it as often as he'd like. One thing we did notice was that it was a bit tricky to get the pieces to stay together (compared to other building sets) - they just didn't seem to click as firmly. All in all, though, it's a fun set, and the boys enjoyed playing with the characters and vehicles. The price is certainly right as well!

Other sets have looked attractive to our sons as well, and I think we'll be looking at more Mega Bloks sets to expand our collection!

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge through Team Mom for Mega Bloks 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.

Winner!

The winner of a fabulous Crock-Pot slow cooker is:

Liz W

Congrats! You'll have 12 HOURS to reply before a new winner is chosen.

A Gift that Shows How Much You Love ~ GIVEAWAY!

Parents, grandparents and adults in general are not the only ones who find gift giving a joy at this time of year! :) Most children love to be able to give a gift to those they love as well. I know that our kids are no exception when it comes to this...they love to help find or make gifts for Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa and any other special friends they have. It is a great way to encourage them to think of others and to see how much joy can be found in being generous and giving. That brings us to what they can give! This can be tricky if your children are young, don't have a lot of money in their piggy bank or aren't especially crafty yet! Organically Hatched is a great online Canadian shop filled with gift ideas. There is one in particular that we loved, and it is perfect for children to gift to their parents or grandparents.

Natural deodorant that works!!

One of the steps in my quest to switch to more natural products has been to find a natural deodorant that actually works. I'm not a fan of most deodorant products, and, although an antiperspirant usually works, I don't think that's the way to go either. BUT...I really don't like a stinky self either! :)

Bare Organics, a company we've featured before, has just come out with a collection of deodorants to add to their personal care line. I was glad to be one of the "guinea pigs" to try it out!

The company's mission is:

to do our part to reduce humankind's ecological footprint by empowering and encouraging consumers to:

•Reduce the over-consumption of unnecessary personal care products;
•Make informed purchasing decisions, and;
•To choose all-natural, organic skin care and baby care products.

Their product offering includes cleansers and soaps, creams and scrubs, baby creams and a wonderful baby balm which works great as a diaper ointment. We've used their all-purpose cleanser a lot - as a foaming hand soap, and really liked how it worked, and how it wasn't so drying as other soaps we've used.

Bare Organics' Canadian Shield Deodorant is available in a variety of scents and formats. You can choose from Unscented, Sweet (citrus & lavendar), Woodsy (cedar, patch & lemongrass) and Fresh (mint, tea tree and rosemary). Customers can purchase a sample jar (15g - enough for about 2 weeks, to give it a fair try), a 50g jar (which I received), or a clear twist tube (75g). You just have to take a little bit on your finger - it has the consistency of a thick cream or ointment, and rub it in. The deodorant is so natural it's edible, although apparently it doesn't have a very good taste! :) I really like that it's made from ingredients I recognize and can pronounce.

To be totally honest, after the first day of using the deodorant, I thought it wasn't going to work for me. But I kept trying, because Karen from Bare Organics had warned me that there's always a transition period of up to about 2 weeks when switching to her natural deodorant from an antiperspirant or other deodorant product. After about 5 days, I started noticing a big difference, or maybe I should say I started noticing less and less! :) I've been very pleased with my experience in the last couple of weeks and would definitely recommend this deodorant to anyone looking for a natural product. It lasts all day (although if you were very sporty or having a really active day, you might need to wash and reapply). I've also noticed that in 3 weeks, I've used about 1/4 of the jar, so I'm pleased with the price for the quantity and how much use you get out of it.

Bare Organics products are available directly from their website as well as from retailers  and online shops across the country.

Discount!!

Glimpse readers can use the coupon code GLIMPSE11 to receive a 15% discount of all purchases from the Bare Organics website. Offer expires December 31, 2011.

**Disclosure: The products mentioned above have been given free of charge from Bare Organics 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.

Winner!

The Winner of a security box from MasterLock is:

Comment #219 - missbobloblaw

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

Winner!

The winner of a $20 gift certificate to Rochelle's Craft Nook is:

Comment # 70 Amy Menzies

Congratulations! You have 72 hours to contact me to claim your prize.

We Remember....

Today, the Glimpse team and their families pause to remember the soldiers, present and past, who are fighting or have fought to keep our country free and to help others enjoy peace as well. It's wonderful to live in a country where we enjoy so much freedom. 


My boys and their dad are off to the local Remembrance Day ceremony at the local cemetery while I stay at home with a napping baby. 


How do you explain Remembrance Day (or Veteran's Day) to your children, and do you do anything to mark it in your family?

Winners!

The winner of a facial care set from Rocky Mountain Soap is:

Comment #189: loriag

The winner of a pair of boys' pyjamas from Hatley is:

Comment #119 Tanya Hebert

Congratulations! You have 72 hours to contact me to claim your prize!

Add a Little Spice! ~ GIVEAWAY!

Ok...time for a moment of truth! :) When I first got married...I did NOT like cooking...or baking...and had NO clue what I was doing. In fact, my hubby had to teach me how to make soup and how to scramble eggs! But...over the past 9 years things have changed around here...now I'm the one teaching him how to make soup and scrambled eggs! haha. :) In fact, in the past 9 years I've grown to absolutely LOVE cooking and baking foods for my family. And I love finding foods that are healthy and wholesome as well. I really dislike going to the grocery store, checking the ingredients on a package and finding out that I don't know what or can't even pronounce most of the ingredients listed! That always raises red flags in my mind. T & A Spice Co. shares my sentiments in this! T & A Spice Co. has done their research and has come to the same conclusion I have...that all these unpronounceable ingredients are unnatural chemical additives that have a lot of negative effects on our overall health and bodies...both now and in the future!

40 Years Crock-Pot Goodness ~ GIVEAWAY!

Winter has arrived...at least where we are! There's snow & ice and boots, coats and mitts are all needed these days. One of my favorite parts of winter is being able to come in after an afternoon of shoveling or playing outdoors with the kids and be greeted with the delicious smell of a nice, warm meal cooking in my slow cooker! Crock-Pot® is a brand that creates quality slow cookers...and they've been around for a while - in fact, they are celebrating 40 years of providing families with fabulous, slow cooked meals! Yes, the technology and designs have changed over the last 40 years, but the benefits are still the same, and families are enjoying their slow cookers as much as they always have!

Green School ~ GIVEAWAY!!

Green School has designed a series of reusable school totes to help students be eco-friendly as well as organized. And they do really work!

Totes come in 3 sizes: pencil tote, mini tote and book tote. The nice thing about the totes is that they're made from certified 100% organic cotton canvas.

Organic cotton is earth friendly as it is grown without using pesticides, fertilizers or other harmful chemicals. It benefits the farmers, consumers and the environment.

While Green School is a Canadian company, the organic cotton totes are manufactured responsibly for green school™ by a family-owned textile company based in India. The totes are black in colour, and have a small white strip across the front where you can write your child's name. Each tote has a zipper so it closes and opens completely and easily.

A535 Arnica!

I suppose you've all heard of A535 cream - whether you've had need to try it or not. Did you know that they've now come out with an arnica gel-cream?

"Arnica is a very versatile plant that offers more than just pain relief. Arnica also has natural anti-inflammatory properties that effectively treat bruising and swelling as well as sore muscles and stiffness."

We've used Arnica cream before - it was very commonly used in the Netherlands, and that's where I first heard of it. Until more recently, it's been harder to find here - available only in specialty and health food stores. I was interested to find out how the A535 Arnica gel-cream worked, compared to what we were used to.

First, here's some information about the gel-cream:

• RUB A535 Natural Source Arnica Gel-Cream contains the naturally sourced medicinal ingredient arnica that has been used since the 1500’s to ease sore muscles, stiffness and bruising

• Due to the anti-inflammatory properties of Arnica, this topical cream is especially effective for treating bruises and swelling from falls or blows.

• Once applied, the fast penetrating gel-cream provides effective relief to affected areas, focusing directly where the pain is

• When applied, the non-greasy gel-cream has a light refreshing soothing feel on the skin

• Naturally sourced arnica is fragrance free, has no parabens, no petrolatum and no artificial colours

The gel-cream is intended for:

• People who suffer from muscle or joint pain 
• People who experience bruising and want effective and safe treatment
• People looking for natural health products to relieve minor aches and pains

As for our experience:

This gel-cream rubs in well, and seems to help bruises heal faster. When we rubbed it on sore muscles, we did reel relief. Although it is fragrance-free, we did notice a slight odour - not strong, and not unpleasant, but a bit medicinal-ish. I really liked that it wasn't a greasy cream, but rubbed it quickly. Something good to know: you can't use arnica cream on broken skin unless following the advice of a healthcare practitioner.

RUB A535 Natural Source Arnica Gel-Cream is available at mass retailers, drugstores and grocery stores, for a suggested retail price of $9.99 CAD. That's a pretty good price for a tube that will likely last a long time! Visit RubA535 for more info.

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from Veritas Canada for Rub A535 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 pair of Bambino Mio Training pants is:

Comment #147 - Tara E.



The winner of a MasterLock Portable Key Safe is:

Comment #75 - Karla S.

Congrats! You'll each have 72 hours to reply to my emails before new winners are chosen.

Kinder Moments ~ Making Memories Last

A moment...it goes by so fast. Sometimes we can capture those moments in our hearts...sometimes on our cameras, and sometimes those moments just slip through our grasp! I love trying to capture both simple and special family moments on my camera...my mind can't remember it all, but looking at pictures brings back those moments!

Kinder Surprise knows all about capturing memories and making special moments...and they've just come out with a fabulous tool to help celebrate these times. My KINDER® Moments is a facebook application that celebrates creating and keeping memories of any kind! They have a variety of fun frames that you can use to showcase your favorite photos. It adds a little something extra special to your photos. That's not all though! Kinder is also getting moms excited about this by hosting a fabulous monthly contest! Every time you frame a special moment, you will be entered to win a $500 cash card to help purchase a new fall wardrobe! Wow! Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? And it isn't even work...framing those special moments is a lot of fun! I've tried it out for myself, and My KINDER® Moments is simple, fun, and so easy to use. In order to give it a try yourself, head over to KINDER Canada on facebook and click on the My KINDER® Moments link in the left hand sidebar. Then get busy creating your memories and special moments! :)

** “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.”

Scholastic Monday ~ I'm Me!

This week Scholastic Canada has joined together with use to feature a fun title by Sara Sheridan. I'm Me is all about Little Imogen...she gets to spend a day with her Auntie Sara, which is a real treat! But...when Auntie Sara goes through her list of ideas about what kind of pretend, imagination, dress-up game Imogen might like to play, they all are rejected by little Imogen. No, she doesn't want to be a princess, or a knight, or even an astronaut. So what does she want to be? Who is she? Imogen declares "I'm Me!" and that's the best role of all!

Besides a few mentions of "pretend dress-up ideas" that I personally wasn't so fond of (such as witches), it was a sweet story, and has a great point - that we are all made wonderfully unique and we are made to be ourselves...I'm made to be ME and you're made to be YOU! Why pretend when being yourself can be so much fun...after all, it is who you really are. It's a great message for kids and adults alike, don't you think?! :)


**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.

Winner!

The winner of a Telling Time DVD from Rock 'n Learn is:

Comment #31 Charlene Vidal

Congratulations! You have 72 hours to contact me to claim your prize!

Arm & Hammer for your teeth! GIVEAWAY!

I've always associated the brand "Arm & Hammer" with baking soda, and probably you do too. Did you know the brand has been producing boxes of baking soda for over 160 years? And, did you know there are many uses for baking soda beyond your favourite baking? Baking soda can be used for many household purposes - and it can also be used in your personal care.

How? One of the ways is dental care - and Arm & Hammer has a line of toothpastes which are specially formulated with low abrasion dental grade Baking Soda, which cleans and whitens teeth and freshens breath.

Organic AND Canadian!

In the 2 years I've been with Glimpse, I've discovered some very interesting products and companies. Today I want to tell you (again!) about one that we've gone back to several times, ever since they first sent us some samples. In fact, I don't think we've had a time since then that we haven't been using their products - because they work so well for us.

La Coursière Bio-Organic makes all of their personal care products in Quebec, using many local ingredients. Each product is the result of extensive research and careful sourcing. They're proud to offer consumers high-quality, organic products that they use themselves. And their prices are quite reasonable, especially compared to products I've seen in local retailers.

La Coursière Bio-Organic does NOT use: Sulfate (Sodium laureth sulfate), Cocamide (DEA, MEA), Propylene Glycol, Parabens, Synthetic Fragrance or Fragrance, PEG, EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Synthetic Dye, Silicone, Petrolatum ... As well, their biodegradable formulas are packaged in recyclable containers without any unnecessary packaging, not tested on animals, and each product label lists a full statement of INCI ingredients.

Right from the beginning, I've been a big fan of their shampoos for babies and children. The product line for babies is unscented, while the kids line has a light "fruit punch" scent. My children love the products, and I really like how effective they are. An added bonus that we (and many other users) have found is that the shampoo helps control or clear up the dreaded cradle cap. In fact, it's been more effective for us than anything else we've tried so far. We've found that a little bit of shampoo is sufficient, so the bottle lasts a long time!

We've also used their body wash, both the baby version and the kids version. Again, we're very happy with both products. They lather up nicely so it's easy to give the kids a good scrub -and sometimes they need it! :)

Also in the baby collection is a great diaper cream made with calendula - which is super for healing the skin - and zinc PCA, which is supposed to be safe for cloth diapers made with natural fabrics. It goes on well and absorbs into the skin nicely, and baby's bum is protected from moisture while any irritations seem to heal quickly.

My husband has decided that the men's shampoo is one of his favourites - and he's very particular! It has a pleasant, light scent, and he finds that it cleans his hair and scalp well without drying it out. He often has trouble with flakes with other shampoos, but this one really seems to do the trick for him.  He's also used the body wash and liked it as well.

My favourite product is the ladies' lotion. I think probably men could use it too - it doesn't really have a feminine smell! :) I've found it to be great for throughout the day - I'm washing my hands so much, they are almost worn out! A quick rub in of the lotion, and they feel much better, without being greasy or slippery.  I've also used the shampoo and body wash and I liked them both as well. I especially liked the scent of the body wash, and how it lathered up on my shower puff so well.

LaCoursière Bio-Organic products are available online or at many retailers throughout Quebec. They offer free shipping for orders over $45 - it might be worth getting a few friends to put together an order and save the shipping costs! :)


**Disclosure: The products mentioned above have been given free of charge from LaCoursière Bio-Organic 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.

Please Give us Your Input...on Discount Codes!

Please let us know...what do you think we should do to promote discount codes from various companies...or should we do anything at all? What would you prefer??




Thank you!!

Winner!

The winner of a Wizard Duo diaper from Mother-Ease is:

Comment #3 Krystyn

Congratulations! You have 72 hours to email me to claim your prize.

Twirl, Dance & Play ~ GIVEAWAY!

Christmas is just around the corner, isn't it? And if you have any little girls in your life, I have a feeling that one of the many thoughts running through your mind is "What kind of Christmas dress are they going to wear this year?" I love having little girls that I can find pretty dresses for...and when it comes to beautiful dress that are both beautiful AND comfy we have to say that we love Tiny Modernist. Tiny Modernist specializes in creating wonderfully unique clothing for girls, and best of all their products are made right here in Canada! The dresses are made from 100% cotton fabrics which are natural and organic, and they are made to last the life of an active toddler (or 2!)