Crest 3D White Annoucement #PGMom

Did you know Canada.. today at  1 p.m. EST, Crest 3D White invites you to be among the first to hear an exciting global announcement from their global ambassador, multi-platinum artist and two time GRAMMY award-winning star, Shakira!

Tune into a special livestream interview to hear, live from Barcelona and from Shakira herself a special announcement you won’t want to miss!

This special event is a pinnacle moment in the 3D White and Shakira partnership. 3D White believes that behind every beautiful, multidimensional smile, there is story. A brilliantly radiant smile is a powerful expression of who we are.  A beautiful and true statement.

Click here to watch the announcement at 1pm EST today (Friday, November 8 2013).


Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom/mamanP&G. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events and opportunities. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Playskool Elefun

Did you know Canada..  baby Lucas LOVES toys!  He, just like his big bros, especially loves toys that include balls.  I find those toys so versatile as he loves to rub the ball in his mouth, chase after it while crawling, and play with the big toy too.  We have been loving the Playskool Poppin' Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper!

The balls pop out of the trunk and roll around, we love that it comes with 5 balls in case a sneaky one hides under the table, plus Lucas always likes to hold at least one while he plays.  We also love that it plays 10 fun tunes, which Mom and Dad especially love as sooooometimes hearing the same song over and over can get a little irritating, but this breaks it up nice and it lots of fun.  The base is stable which is perfect for little ones that pull up on everything.  Store the balls in the elephant's tummy, which makes it perfect to bring to Gramma's house or on a play date.  We've had a lot of fun with this and it would be a great present for a little one's first Christmas, even if they are not crawling yet it's a great gift idea they will grow into and enjoy playing with the balls for now.

Another great Elefun toy Lucas has been having fun with is the Playskool Learnimals ABC Adventure Elefun Toy.  This toy packs an educational punch with 100 words introduced and 75 sound effects, and the screen is amazing!  This is not a screen toy of old, it's like watching a tv!  When you pull down the elephant's trunk the toy will say the word that goes with the light up image shown. Then when you rolls the drum, it will say another word! Pulling down the mouse shows shapes and colors, it's really impressive!   Playskool Learnimals ABC Adventure Elefun Toy is a Parent Tested, Parent Approved award winning toy and you can see why!  It's also Lucas approved, he's been very interested in the screen and he even tries out some of the letter sounds which is a so fun to hear.  Another great gift idea from Hasbro Canada!

Skights

Did you know Canada..  Mommy owned and Canadian Made Skights are Lil' tights made for our lil' dudes!  These cute and comfortable tights have a stay-put design to help keep them in place and trust me, if they stay up on this busy bee they will stay up on any little man.

We have been loving these for the cold days and nights we've been having (which are only going to get worse before they get better!).  I love having these tights on Lucas when holding him at school pick up for his big bros and holding him at the bros hockey games.  I bet if you have a little man you also spend more time trying to pull down their pant legs that keep riding up than anything else.  With Lil' tights by Skights you don't have to worry about pant legs riding up because you little ones feet, ankles and legs are still cozy warm and protected!

They also have padded knees for our busy crawlers, we often put them and a body suit on Lucas after a bath for him to play around his room in before jammie time.

Great idea for little ones stocking this Holiday Season, at only $14.99 a pair (and save 10% when ordering 3 or more) these are a perfect little surprise for the holidays!  Coming in 6 sweet colours you can match to any outfit or add a pop of colour.

Visit Skights to get your Holiday order in now and stay up to date with them on Twitter and Facebook!

Apricot Collection

Did you know Canada..  Ontario based Apricot Collection is a unique online women's clothing store that specialized in fashionable and stylish clothes for moms.  I've really enjoyed chatting with founder Michelle Herscu, who, just after having her second child is 2012 realized that no matter what, she won’t be able to get her pre-pregnancies body back, and she actually liked her additional curves. Problem was – finding styles that actually looked good on her (and not just on the model from the ad), complimented, and were stylish and fashionable.  Michelle decided to create an online women’s clothing store (targeted towards moms in particular).

Apricot Collection features the brand Allistyle in their Plus Size section, Allistyle was the created by Alli Shapiro and her mother Pam Shainhouse. Alli unfortunately passed away in July 2006 from Hodgkin's Lymphoma which she had been suffering from since 1999 which had left her experiencing bouts of weight gain and loss which often left her in tears when she shopped for clothing.

Pam continued their vision to create a collection, Allistyle is completely made in Canada, even the fabric.  The fabric is sustainable, with the use of viscose from bamboo and organic cotton. The characteristics of the line are simplicity, comfort, sophistication, travel friendly and classic. Allistyle does not advocate large shapeless dressing, but clothing that hugs your curves providing the woman with a gorgeous silhouette.

Allistyle is a social enterprise where a percentage of net proceeds will support Alli’s Journey, a registered charity which supports young adults with cancer. Two of the initiatives orchestrated by Alli’s Journey are the Comfort Rooms in hospitals and the Comfort Bags. The bags are distributed free of charge to all young adults with cancer, ages 18 to 35. The comfort room, a first of its kind in Canada opened at Wellspring, on the Sunnybrook campus in 2011. These are a sanctuary for young adults where they can find some respite during their struggle. Special programs run in this room that help them get through this challenging battle.

I received Allistyle's Sweater Dress - a long, straight cardigan with great pockets and ruffles, it looks cute buttoned and unbuttoned.  I've really been enjoying this as it can help dress me up no matter what I am wearing or what the kids have done to me that day.  As I work from home but often run into the office for meetings this is a perfect accessory to have!  You'll never find a wrinkle is this cardigan either, it keeps its shape well, is very comfortable and I love the deep pockets - Mom's can never have enough pockets can we!

This soft, comfortable and best of all, usable piece, would make a beautiful Christmas present for any special Mom in your life!

Visit Apricot Collection to view this and even more beautiful pieces - enjoy free shipping across Canada and secure payment by PayPal!  We have a fun treat for our readers as well, to help a special someone with their holiday shopping, we have a $25 Apricot Collection gift card to giveaway, enter below for your chance to win!

Entry-Form

Canadian Giveaway Linky! 11/04

Did you know Canada.. We are so happy to once again bring you this weekly feature with our co-host Tales of a Ranting Ginger - Every Monday we are opening a weekly linky for giveaways open to Canadians. We appreciate everyone's interest and contributions!

Do you have a blog that is running a giveaway and it's open to Canadians?? Link up below!!

Visit here through out the week to find giveaways open to Canadians and get winning!! Good Luck!!

Our Kids Toronto Private School Expo

Did you know Canada.. Toronto Private School Expo is one of the largest in Canada, bringing the most advantageous private schools under one roof, so parents and kids can meet with school representatives and get questions answered.


Last week we had an opportunity to attend Toronto Private School Expo at Roy Thomson Hall. From year to year, this Expo has proven to be a huge success, becoming bigger and better. When it comes to education it is great to have some preparation and research. And it is never too early to learn, get the information you need about application, how to fill it and how many school you should consider for applying.


At Toronto Private School Expo I spoke with directors, representatives and even students. Every school is special and unique same as every child and has its own philosophy. The parents’ mission is to find the one that fits their kid in environment, programs it offers and academic expectations. Day or boarding, single-sex, co-ed, Montessori, Waldorf schools were there to present their fabulous and successful programs as well the achievements and students they are so proud of.


Take a look at Northmount School for boys, which helps each student to reach his greatest academic potential while building strong partnership between students, parents and teachers. The Giles School offers French Immersion from age 2 to Grade 8 or Fieldstone day school where academics, arts, music lessons, athletics and social development are introduced to lead students to their own academic and social achievements. Another significant benefit of private schools is small size classes and ability to focus and tailor education programs for every particular student.


The more you learn about schools the better you understand what you need for your kid, more questions you have to ask better understand the schools environment from curriculum, homework guidelines to school safety and teachers qualifications.


The Expo also introduced informative educational seminars on the topics how to choose the best school, admissions and financial advice. From such a variety of private schools at the Expo I was able to narrow my choices to three-four ones. Next step is to book a tour at the chosen schools and find what you and your child like the most.

If you did not have a chance to attend the Expo, helpful tools and resources can be found on OurKids web site, plus get your copy of Our Kids Canada’s Private School Guide here.

 
Faniya 
Teddy Out-Ready

Start thinking Holidays!

Did you know Canada..  our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide is now live!

It's time to get out there and shop, stay tuned as we add even more items to our guide and post product reviews - there are some amazing ideas for this Holiday Season!

Have you started your shopping yet??

Happy Halloween!

Did you know Canada..  The practice of Guising (children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins) at Halloween in North America is first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going "guising" around the neighbourhood.

Hope everyone has fun tonight!  (it's raining here, boo!)

Stay tuned as we switch gears tomorrow and start thinking Holidays!!!

Get in the know about Auto Insurance #AutoXplained

Did you know Canada..  when chatting with friends about insurance I hear a lot about how those who have never made a claim deserve a very low rate, or how the kids with the "race cars" should be paying triple the rest of us.  Some might be surprised to know insurance companies really aren't picking on you, there are set systems in place that are used to calculate your premium.

Factors that are used include..

• Where you live - collisions and auto theft are more likely in urban areas
• What car you drive - make, model, year, value and potential repair cost are all taken into account
• What you use your car for - the more you drive, the higher your collision risk
• Your driving record and driver profile

What are some things you can control to reduce the cost of auto insurance? Drop collision coverage on an older car, get package deals by insuring both your car and home with the same company, install an approved theft deterrent system and buy a car with a lower-cost insurance rating.

If there is a claim do you wonder where the money will come from?  Well it works like this - the premiums of the many pay for the losses of a few.  So everyone's premiums (payments) go into a large pool and when someone makes a claim the money comes out of that pool.

Know the facts about auto insurance and why we pay what we do.


Although this post has been generously sponsored by IBC, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect The Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Mortgages in Canada

Did you know Canada..  we all know that deciding to get a mortgage is probably the biggest
financial decision you will ever make yet it's still a gray area for a lot of first time home owners.  Before you get a mortgage or change or renew one, it is important to do some research and be informed in order to get the mortgage that best suits your needs.

One of the first steps is to look into Canadian mortgage rates and compare different lenders, don't just walk into one bank and be done with it.  You also need to know if you want an open or closed mortgage - the difference between the two boils down to the amount of flexibility you have in making extra payments on the principal or in paying off the mortgage completely. These types of extra payments are called prepayments.

Open mortgages allow you to make prepayments whenever you want. Closed mortgages often include prepayment privileges, which give you the option to make prepayments up to a certain amount.  By making prepayments, you can save thousands of dollars in interest charges by paying down your mortgage faster but the interest rate on a closed mortgage is usually lower than on an open mortgage with a comparable term length.

Looking into mortgage rates and using online calculators to review possible monthly payments is a good way to see what purchase price on a house you can afford.  Remember, you also need to have a down payment ready - the minimum down payment is at least 5% of the purchase price and in some cases even more.

Speaking of rates, you need to know if you want a fixed, variable or hybrid interest rate.  With fixed you will know in advance the amount of interest you will have to pay; with variable the interest the rate can increase or decrease during the term and some lenders offer "hybrid" or combination mortgages—part of the mortgage is financed at a fixed rate and part is financed at a variable rate.

You may not know that mortgages don't have to be paid once a month, there's also semi-monthly, biweekly, weekly and accelerated options.  Accelerated weekly and accelerated biweekly payments can save you thousands, or even tens of thousands in interest charges, because you'll pay off your mortgage much faster using those options.  The reason is that with the "accelerated" options, you make the equivalent of one extra monthly payment per year. Regular weekly and biweekly options do not provide the same benefits.

A lot to consider and research to discover the value of the mortgage you can afford should be your first thoughts before you go house shopping!