NIP + FAB

Did you know Canada... I love to experiment with make up, but I admit I don't know much about, and therefore don't use, too many "fix-it" products.

When I heard NIP + FAB was now available in Canada (at most Shoppers Drug Marts) I was really excited to try their Dark Circle Fix. With twin boys and my own silliness of staying up to late, this is one "fix-it" I truly need.

I think one reason why I don't go for a lot of these products is that I don't like a lot of goop and don't have anywhere to put all these bottles. I can picture my Gramma sitting at a table in her bedroom with the cold cream and 10 other lotions she used, and while I think there's a lot of magic in that, I unfortunately don't have a nice dressing table in my bedroom and the kids just knock everything off the bathroom counter (plus I only get like 5 minutes to myself in the bathroom anyways).

What I loved about NIP + FAB's Dark Circle Fix is that it's just in a small bottle, it squirts a small amount of lotion onto your finger, you rub it on and that's it! Nothing to clean up, no sticky fingers, the container isn't goopy and neither is the lotion.

With their 3-In-1 formula, it's clinically proven to reduce under eye puffiness and tighten the skin around the eye area. I absolutely, hands down, see improvement. My eyes are not puffy like they were, even HUBBY noticed if you can believe it. I feel fresher and look more awake in the mornings, I am so happy with this product.

The 3-in-1 formula includes..
* red algae targets dark circles
* tetra peptide reduces the look of puffiness
* shea butter hydrates + softens

If you suffer from dark circles or puffy eyes (don't we all), I highly recommend heading to Shoppers to grab a bottle. It's simple to put on, no mess, and the best part - you get results!

We have exciting news - we have one bottle to giveaway as well!  Enter below for your chance to win a bottle of NIP + FAB's Dark Circle Fix - you'll love it!

Giveaway

Babies”R”Us Biggest Baby Shower

Did you know Canada..  Toronto Representative Faniya was out on the town again, this time at Canada's Biggest baby Shower!!

Last week I attended Canada’s Biggest Baby Shower hosted by Babies”R”Us in Etobicoke, the Shower for hundreds of new and expecting Moms.  

I was at many baby showers and had my own too, but never been at such a big one. I met so many beautiful and glowing ladies preparing for their little babies.

Baby Bump Picture station was the first we got into, then spot for measuring the bump to find the biggest one (how cute!).

Tables were set up with treats to indulge pregnancy cravings with pickles, ice-cream, French fries, chocolate and super delicious cupcakes at the Crave Café.

It was such a pleasure to be at the place where all your cravings and mood changes were fully understandable and very welcomed.

The shower also treated Moms with mini manicure and hand massages in a relaxing spa.  This pampering station was so popular resulting in a quite long line-up.

Baby gear, toys and baby goods were in high demand to learn and check out not only by mommies but by daddies too.  Best brands presented their products like Britax’ strollers and car seats; Fisher Price’s bouncers, chairs and toys;  Medela’s breasfeeding accessories;  Baby Caché’s nursing furniture.
 

My favorite items were baby gear for twins and jogging strollers at Britax booth.

Following the Shower, we were invited to an exclusive pre-screening of the upcoming movie “What to Expect When You're Expecting”, a movie about five couples, their ups and downs of having a baby. Highly recommend to watch the movie you may recognize yourself as I did or just get better understanding what a pregnancy is.

We are very thankful for being invited to such a fabulous and memorable Babies”R”Us Baby Shower, for all the information, baby knowledge and gifts.  Babies”R”Us is incredible, as usual.

Faniya

Teddy Out-Ready

NERF Super Soakers

Did you know Canada.. the warm weather is finally here to stay! We've been wearing our shorts every day, we've been working in the garden, and it's time for the summer toys to come out too.

At our house, this weather means plenty of water fights too. We've been playing with new Super Soakers from Hasbro Canada and they are SO COOL!

First off, I have to tell you how happy I am with the quality and design, my guys Uncles have bought the boys water guns before, but they have been unable to pump them, or they leak, or they only hold enough water for a couple shots and no one has been happy.

Well, not with Hasbro Canada! Their NERF Super Soakers are awesome!!! Look at what we've been trying..

Tornado Strike
This one shoots spinning water! The boys think that is AWESOME. With a very easy to use pump, this gun shoots up to 20 feet away, has a detachable stock and a detachable clip. As MOM, I really love the detachable clip as we already picked up some extra ones, this means I can fill 3 clips at once for my guy and it keeps him busy for awhile.

Lighteningstorm
This motorized gun comes with a HUGE water drum and a shield, you know you are in for some serious action if you need a shield! It's heavy but designed so even the little guys can get it going. I love that it's motorized so no awkward pumping required.

Electrostorm
When I first saw this one I thought it was "cute" but this packs a serious punch! It's motorized with no pump and you can strike from up to 25 feet away!! Perfect for sneaking around the yard, you can trick Dad by hiding it behind your back, we've had a ton of fun with this gun!

I've seen these at the stores everywhere, this would be a fun treat for this holiday weekend to play with the family!!

Share and Win Contests

Did you know Canada..  we've mentioned before, both Circle Square Ranch and Pioneer Camp are running AWESOME Share and Win Contests.

Remember that a Share and Win Contest means that the more you Share the contest with your friends and family through email, twitter, facebook and other social media, the more ballots you have in the pot when it comes time to pull for the prizes!!

Each camp is giving away a Grand Prize of a trip for two to Punta Cana, one camp session for your child and a Mabel's Labels prize pack!!!  make sure you visit both Circle Square Ranch and Pioneer Camp to enter.

While there make sure you look into these AMAZING camps.  A camp experience is life changing for a child, and with these Christian, non-denominational, non-profit organizations, they welcome youth of any faith and race - your child will be made to feel included and part of a family.  Camp life is one that promotes leadership, exercise, fellowship and FUN!

There are fantastic experiences available like the LIT (Leadership-In-Training) program. It's one of the top leadership programs in the country. They provide leadership formation for young people and train them to become camp leaders, passing on what they know to younger campers.

Activities like horse back riding, archery, canoeing, swimming, arts and crafts, exploring, and nightly camp fires are waiting for your child, and these are memories (and skills!) that last a life time.

Enter today and you receive 20% off for new campers as well!!!

So visit BOTH Circle Square Ranch and Pioneer Camp, enter their Share and Win contests and learn more about this great camps!!

National Road Safety Week

Did you know Canada.. it is National Road Safety Week (May 15-21) - especially with the long weekend coming up, it's time to increase vigilance and concentration when on the road. I was ashamed to read that a study commissioned by TheSteelAlliance and Canada Safety Council demonstrated that 80% of drivers admitted to multi-tasking while behind the wheel. I see SO MANY people texting and talking on the phone - it is not only unsafe, it is ILLEGAL! A driver sending a text message is 23 times more likely than a non-distracted driver to get in a collision. Driving is not the time to be putting on make-up or anything else either.

This comes on the cusp of yesterday - one friend got into a fender bender after the person in front of them braked too quickly and another friend's husband witnessed a crash happen right in front of them. Thank goodness there was no tragedies with my friends yesterday, but it was close, too close and we simply have to be better drivers.

This is the time of year when kids and adults are on bikes, rollerbladers are out there, everyone stays out late, travelling more, you must, must, must pay attention to the road at all times. Discuss this with family and friends this week too. For new drivers make sure they are getting the proper skills, I am a Young Drivers Graduate and all the better for it. Our teens need the proper skills and information to navigate traffic safely.

Remember, interacting with traffic is often the most dangerous thing a person will do over the course of an average day. Step it up Canada, your babies and mine are at stake every time we head out on the road.

Walmart Mom of the Year Award #MOTY

Did you know Canada.. Walmart Canada has a beautiful program running right now - they are taking nominations for their Mom of the Year Award now through July 8, 2012.

The Mom of the Year Award is a celebration of the 9.2 million Canadian Moms who work tirelessly every day to provide for their family. The Mom of the Year Award recipient will receive $10,000 for personal use and $100,000 to their cause or charity of choice. The remaining seven finalists will each receive $10,000 for personal use and $10,000 to their cause or charity of choice. Do you know a Mom that deserves to be nominated? I do.

My friend waited a long time to be a Mom, she went through the game of trying for a year on their own, doctors visits, daily shots, pills, exploratory surgery and plenty of tears on the bathroom floor. Still no baby came, but she knew she MUST be a Mom, she had too much love to give. So she opened up her heart and home and navigated the difficult process of fostering to adopt a child. After much paper work, home visits, having their life picked to pieces, she got a 2 day warning a baby was finally coming into her home.

I know she still struggles with how her body failed her, she has heard hurtful comments from friends and family about how she's not a true Mom. She morns the pregnancy she never had, but she IS a Mom. She loves her little girl with the fierceness of any other Mother, and I can't even imagine where her sweet baby would have ended up without her. Her daughter has always been and will always be her daughter and she will always be her Mother, they just took a different path to get to each other.

She is Mom of the Year in my eyes, and I am so proud of her. I'm so excited to know she is on the path again as well, she has more love to give and will hopefully be fostering and then adopting another little one that needs her this year.

If you know a Mom of the Year visit www.momoftheyear.ca to nominate them, visit the Walmart Canada Facebook page to join the conversation, and let's shine the light on these beautiful Moms we know, they deserve it!!

Disclosure: I’m part of the Walmart program by Mom Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. Mom of the Year Award: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Internet access and valid email account required. Nominations open May 10, 2012 to July 8, 2012 for legal residents of Canada over the age of majority. Entrants cannot nominate themselves. One (1) grand prize available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $100,000 donation by Wal-mart Canada Corp. to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Seven (7) runner-up prizes available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $10,000 donation to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Charity/cause subject to verification and final approval by Wal-mart Canada Corp., at its sole discretion. Odds of winning depend on how the judging panel evaluates each entry according to the criteria. For Official Contest Rules and to nominate an entrant, visit www.momoftheyear.ca.

Addalock

Did you know Canada.. Canadian company Addalock has come up with a few awesome products that will add safety, security and peace of mind in your home.

Addalock
The Add-A-Lock is a portable door lock that can be easily installed and removed in seconds on almost any hinged door that opens inwards. This is really cool! Perfect for when you are away to make you feel secure in your location, or even use it at home as an extra precaution. When I first received the Addalock to try, I thought oh better wait for hubby to do this, but no it's very simple to use and easy enough for anyone to lock and disengage when you want to open the door. That was a concern for me as well, would we get it set up but then trap ourselves in the room? It's very simple to remove though. Click here to see a great video on Addalock.

Burglabar
This is one I was REALLY excited about. After feeling safe living at home to living in a 6th floor apartment for a couple years when hubby and I first moved in together, moving into a house with a sliding door actually made me pretty nervous. I had heard often they are very easy to open, and the lock on our sure doesn't feel secure. Up until now we had been using an unsightly cut off hockey stick to block the sliding door for opening, but it's a total pain to get back out, especially when you have an antsy dog waiting to get outside. With the Burglabar it's easy to use and you feel much more secure in your home. I recommend to everyone that was a sliding door and/or first floor sliding windows.

Addahook
The Addahooks are heavy duty suction hooks that have been specially designed to adhere to most smooth surfaces. They are perfect for a whole host of places, like the bathroom, kids room, basement. I think that especially the bathroom always needs more hooks, we only have one towel rack in our bathroom, not enough space for 4 people! So this is perfect!

We are so excited to share an awesome special price with you as well. Click here to get 1 Addalock, 2 Burglabars and 2 Addahooks for only $30 - almost a $9 savings! Not only do we recommend this for YOU, but this would make a great gift for friends, parents, couples moving into a new home, everyone!

Summer Trends 2012 by Loose Button

Did you know Canada.. our Toronto Representative Faniya has another awesome event on tap!

This week I am excited to attend an exclusive event, Loose Button & Chantel Guertin - Summer Trends 2012. This evening will bring together beauty, skincare and fashion experts from the GTA.

It will start with Cocktail hour and Complimentary Skin Consultation from Dermalogica. Then Chantel Guertin, a best-selling author of two books, Editor-At-Large at thekit.ca and a beauty expert on the Marilyn Denis Show will be with us to share top beauty trends of this Summer.

Faniya
Teddy Out-Ready

Bad Apple

Did you know Canada.. some sad news going around Southern Ontario. With our unusually warm weather in March followed by cold April nights there has been devastating losses to farmers in Southern Ontario. Most apple farmers have lost almost their entire crop of apples for the season. As we've mentioned before Ontario is Canada's largest apple producer and an industry that is worth up $400 million in Ontario.

Environment Canada refers to this spring as one that has produced four seasons in one - I suffered the same thing in my garden. The warm weather had trees and flowers budding and blooms and the below freezing April nights killed them all off.

It's not going to be a happy fall season in Southern Ontario this year!

The Great Mystery Box Giveaway

Did you know Canada.. it's time for The Great Mystery Box Giveaway! Brought to you by your hosts: Did You Know Canada (us!!), The Knit Wit by Shair, Maple Leaf Mommy and Talking Momcents.

So now is your chance to win one of four themed boxes, full of amazing goodies and mysterious prizes! We have pooled together to collect over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in prizes!! These awesome products have been divvied up into four themed mystery boxes,with a little something for everyone....

The four themed Mystery Boxes are:
* Baby - think new born up to year. (est value $200)
* Kids - toys, clothes and other assorted treasures. (est value $220)
* Health & Beauty - lotions, potions and other related goodies. (est value $330)
* Box of Intrigue - Mystery, Suspense, Intrigue (full of awesome treats)! (est value $310)

Remember, four lucky Canadians are going to win some totally fabulous products. Four winners will be drawn, each will receive one of the mystery boxes.  All of the products included in the mystery boxes are brand new.  The total estimated prize value is just over $1060.

This giveaway is open to Canada only.

Giveaway