Funky Monkey T-Shirt Review

<a href="“>Tomoson Review:

Recently I was given the opportunity to review a Funky Monkey T-Shirt by T-Shirt Printing.net! They are an online t-shirt printing company, who specializes in custom high quality silk screen printing on t-shirts, hooded shirts, work wear and sweatshirts.

For the past 10 years I’ve been working in industries where promotional wears are a good portion of our advertising. Back in my retail days we often had different shirts printed for a specific promotion – Terry Fox Run, Anniversary weeks, etc. Finding a company to do the printing was never a problem, they seemed to abound, but finding a company that was cost effective and also made quality products was.

So, when the opportunity arose to check out the Funky Monkey T-shirt I jumped on board! Good thing I did.

The t-shirt is made of quality material, and the silk screened monkey is excellent! (They print your custom design, the monkey is just their logo. , happen to LOVE the monkey!) He’s adhered really well and looks lovely. There’s no wrinkling in the screening – a common problem, and I’d have to say this shirt rivals any personalized promotional wears I’ve seen to date.

If you’re interested in having any custom printing done, I highly recommend checking these guys out!  Just click on the link above or HERE to get started!

Thank you so much T-Shirt Printing.net for giving me the opportunity to review your shirt!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a href="Tomoson.com“>Tomoson . Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

 

Sensodyne Winner!

And the Winner of the Sensodyne Contest is…

canned peaches. i stick them in the fridge to get cold before I eat them and they hurt my teeth a lot.

Comment by Jen Wilson — June 8, 2011 @ 5:57 pm | Edit This | Reply

Congratulations Jen!  Please email me ashleystone7(at)hotmail(dot)com or Facebook me your mailing address information.  You have 48 hours to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen. 

 

Talking about Tooth Sensitivity with a Sensodyne Giveaway!

Picture it… I’m about 6 years old and I’m running, full tilt chasing our dog Barney (as in Rubble not purple monsterdinosaur), laughing across the yard, not at all watching where I was going.  And then BAM!  I run straight into the cross-bar of our swing set, splitting my lip and chipping my front tooth.  That day resulted in blood, screams and a trip to the dentist. 

Flash forward to today.  It’s a few dozen years later and the chip is still there.  Countless times the dentist has tried to put a seal on the tooth and countless times it has fallen off.  As time has worn on both the damaged tooth and the one next to it have sustained some wear and have become increasingly sensitive.  And while I have always taken good care of my teeth, I have also struggled with issues with the gums surrounding my back molars.  They too are sensitive and even with flossing, special mouthwash and careful brushing, most nights they are painful.  Extreme cold hurts, extreme heat hurts, some days even taking a deep breath hurts.  Or at least, it used to.

Then I discovered the wonderful world of  Sensodyne! 

For well over a year, I’d been using a different leading brand’s sensitive toothpaste, with whatever toothbrush was on sale at the time I needed it.  (Not the best theory, but hey, who can say no to a sale?!)  It worked ok on the sensitive teeth, I still felt some discomfort but figured that was as good as it would get.  As for my gums, I didn’t think anything would help,  I figured I was bound for a life of cautious brushing and discomfort.  My Dad had used Sensodyne for years, but for some reason it never occurred to me to try it.

Until I got the opportunity (from those great people over at Mom Central and Sensodyne!) to review and GIVEAWAY the new Sensodyne products.  Yippee Skippy!  A chance to not only try out some new products that could potentially take away the pain in my mouth, but also to share it with my readers.

After reading through all the different Sensodyne products in my gift pack (that included 6 toothpastes and 4 toothbrushes!) I settled on trying the Sensodyne iso-active Whitening toothpaste.  I’d seen the commercials for it, and after reading the product information discovered:

     – it has twice the foam as a regular toothpaste

     – its delivery system disperses the active ingredients evenly and quickly through your whole mouth

     – it provides sensitivity protection

     – all that while still offering the benefits of a regular toothpaste, cavity protection, plaque removal and a fresh mouth feeling

After trying it, I discovered… they weren’t lying, it’s all true!  I love how it foams up as soon as I start brushing. (Funny story, Corey decided to try it too and got a little carried away with how much he needed.  Using more than double the recommended amount, I walk into the bathroom to find him scrubbing away, foaming and frothing at the mouth.  Hilarous!)  I can actually feel it heading to all the corners of my mouth and when I’m done, there isn’t a bunch of crusty ol’ toothpaste left in my toothbrush.  Oh!  And speaking of toothbrush, I also switched to their Sensodyne Clear Comfort Toothbrush in Soft and it’s heaven!

The best part though, is the fact that my sensitivity is gone!  Like totally gone, cold Coke? Sure no problem.  Hot Starbucks Tea?  Bring it on!  Taking a deep breath with my head stuck in the freezer?  I don’t know, but I do know outside in the cold evening (because apparently Spring is a cross dresser and right now is Sprinter) air, not even a pang!  Even better?  The gums around my molars, pain-free!  This hasn’t happened in years, upon years.  The combination of toothbrush and toothpaste have removed the pain completely and made brushing so very much easier!  My teeth even feel cleaner, which for a controlling clean freak is excellent.  I can only imagine at my next dentist’s appointment I’m going to be met with a chorus of “What have you been doing?  This is wonderful!” 

Ready to get your own?  I thought so!

Well the good people over at GlaxoSmithKline (makers of Sensodyne) have made that easy to do!  Here are 3 ways to get your brush on…

1. At Wal-mart – from May 27 to June 16, you can visit www.walmart.ca and sign-up for a free sample of Sensodyne Toothpaste that will be mailed directly to you.

2. At Shoppers Drug Mart – from June 4 to June 10^th and June 18 to June 24^th, you can get 10X the Optimum points when you spend $10 on Sensodyne products!  Awesome dental care, pain free munching and POINTS?!  Sign me up!

3. Enter my GIVEAWAY and win your very own Sensodyne prize pack!

How to win:

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me What food you look forward to enjoying again!  That’s it!

Then, because you’re an awesome friend I know you’re going to share this on Facebook so all your friends can have a chance to win, but also the chance to take advantage of the other great offers from Sensodyne right now.  Tooth sensitivity isn’t a disease, and it’s not something that only people with poor oral hygiene suffer with, it happens to 44% of adults and that means you probably know more than one person who could really benefit from this! PS. Even if you don’t suffer with sensitive teeth, these products offer excellent oral care benefits and are great for everyone.

The contest is open to residents of Canada only and will close at midnight on June 30th 2011.   A winner will be selected July 1st 2011 and will have 48 hours to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen.  Mom Central will send you, your very own prize pack of Sensodyne Toothpastes and Toothbrushes to enjoy!

But since, it’s totally disgusting for you to wait to brush your teeth until you win, check out Walmart.ca, head in to Shopper’s and start brushing today!  Your teeth, your gums and your spouse will thank you!

Disclosure – I am participating in the SENSODYNE program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline.  I received a SENSODYNE product pack and a gift card as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Giveaway – KinKast, iPhone Video Sharing at its best!

It’s no secret that I am in love with my iPhone.  If you have one I know right now you’re nodding your head, “Mmmhmmm” or was that an “Amen, Sista!” I just heard?  They are fabulous, they do everything, find everything, fix everything and once you’ve had one you’ll swear it holds your ability to breath.  But it’s not really the phone that does all the work, it’s the amazing Apps and their creators that leave you searching for more, struggling to put it down.  Enter KinKast!  A Private video sharing App, for sharing iPhone (3GS or 4G)  videos with your family and friends.  And not just any sharing App, one that’s a cut above the rest, offering privacy, control and speed to sharing videos of your days, your adventures and your kids (duh) with those that love you!

With my KinKast App, I’m able to take a video of the girls singing with Grammy or racing their remote control cars around the garage with Daddy, easily.  Then I can edit it, and email to family and friends, post it to Facebook or just save it online to preserve our memories forever.  I love that it’s private and I’m the one in control (*waving* control freak here)!  While sites like YouTube hold their place in the vastness of the internet, they also hold very little privacy, videos are available to anybody, anywhere. Which is fine if you’re uploading a video of your dog “talking”, but when it comes to my kids, I’m selfish and protective and they’re mine.  Only the most priveledged of people get to see their beautiful faces! 

KinKast also backs up your videos online, which for me (a master procrastinator, busy mother) is amazing!  I no longer have to worry that should something happen to my iPhone (which would require tranquilizers) that all my videos and memories would be lost forever.  Now, they are safely tucked away for me to find from anywhere, at anytime.

I don’t even have to shoot the video with this App, you can upload videos from other cameras, having the same piece of mind and sharing capabilities, without any of the headaches that come with some of the other video sharing websites/Apps on the market.

Want one for you?  Here’s what you do? (Dr. Seuss anyone? )

Click the links above or click HERE to be taken straight to the KinKast App in the iTunes store to download yours.  The KinKast App is free, offering all the great things I mentioned above and 30 days of free online storage per video uploaded.  Not enough?  Need more, no problem for $4.99 a month ($49.99 a year) you can have the Premium Plan unlimited storage and playback on the KinKast servers, peace of mind that it’s all backed up and no Ads!

Enough talking, Here, try the demo for yourself

KINKAST DEMO!!!

Best part ever?  The great folks over at KinKast are giving a Premium Plan away to one of my readers!!!  If you have an iPhone, that’s you! (If you don’t, you should totally work on that)

Here’s how you win!

Win It! One OFS Reviews or Our Family Stone reader will win a free year of KinKast’s Premium service. To enter, leave a comment and tell me who you would share videos with?

Easy!  Almost as easy as using KinKast.

Want more chances to win?

1. Subscribe to or follow Our Family Stone or OFS Reviews

2. Like or Share this post on Facebook.

3. Like KinKast on Facebook

4. Tweet this giveaway (use @ourfamilystone @KinKast and hashtags, please and thank you)

5. Follow me on Twitter @ ourfamilystone

6. Follow KinKast on Twitter @ KinKast

7. Blog about this giveaway (leave me the link in your comment)

This Giveaway is open until Midnight, June 1st 2011!  The winner with have 48 hours to respond and claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen. 

Saving Women’s Hearts – The cause and the giveaway!

The Winner has been chosen, congratulations…

“

Thank you for this information – my father died when he was 59 1 year before retirement. He had never spoken about having a weak heart and went for a swim after work on a very hot day – collapsed and died instantly. I recently learnt that his mother died also of a weak heart. I am now 61 and lucky and grateful to have lived so long compared to them – but I should like to live a little longer to get to know my 6 grandaughters – I am interested in your book.

Comment by jackie

Please get in touch with me Jackie to collect your prize

I was born with Dextrocardia.  That means that  my heart isn’t on the left hand side of my body like yours is (unless you too were born with it too, then you totally know what I’m sayin’), it’s actually on the right.  When God was drawing up my blueprints He decided to change things up a little for the angels in the baby makin’ factory and put my heart somewhere else.

At 8 months old I had a febrile seizure that had my parents rushing me to the hospital.  The seizure was caused by a fever that rose too quickly, but a chest xray was ordered anyways as part of being thorough.  It was then that the nature of my hearts location was discovered.  Many, many tests later and a few doctors and my very scared Mom had an answer – “She’s completely healthy and could be an Olympic swimmer if she wanted (which I didn’t)”.

And over the past 20 some odd years I’ve remained healthy.  I still have my heart checked regularly, each pregnancy I have special tests are ordered to ensure that our children aren’t born with heart defects and I am aware of blessed I am to live a normal life with a very special heart.

It’s that blessed life that also has me respecting my heart.  I do my best to eat right and exercise.  I know that I need to be careful.  God made my heart special and He only gave me 1, that means He also gave me the very special job of keeping good care of it.  That’s why when Mom Central approached  me with a super fantastic opportunity that involves both my heart and yours I JUMPED on it!

February is National Heart Health Month.  A time to really take note of your heart and get some facts straight.  On top of keeping our bodies healthy for the beach and the husband (exercise = less jiggling), we also need to keep them healthy for longevity.  You want to watch your kids grow up, you want to reach 65 to “retire” (ha!)?  Then you need to do the work.  You also need to know how to recognize the signs of heart disease.

Entering Stage Left the book  Saving Women’s Hearts!

Cardiologist Dr. Martha Gulati and holistic pharmacist Sherry Torkos have teamed together to blow the top off of heart disease!  In the pages of this wonderful book they bring to light a subject that isn’t talked about enough.  Heart Disease is the #1 Killer in Women.  That’s right, the absolute, #1 killer, it trumps CANCER! (side note – I’m talking in the death tally not the difficulty tally.  Cancer has its own issues – post on that to come)

At the rate we are going at 1 in 3 women will die of heart disease!  Think about all the women in your life…at least 1 of them will die of heart disease.  That is, unless we get our butts in gear, a little education and a lot of action.  Heart disease beats all of the other leading causes of death and it is the most preventable.

So let’s prevent it.

This book rocks.  These ladies share so much information, so many great tips and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to take a read through it.  I have a special heart and even I didn’t know these things!  I’m betting you didn’t either, but you should.

I’m not going to give you a full summary (this isn’t Coles Notes), but I am going to share a few of the things that I found so interesting.

Women are less likely than men to recognize the signs of a heart attack.  Surprisingly enough they don’t always present themselves the same in men and women, in fact sometimes the symptoms are dramatically different and can go undiagnosed.   As I’m sure you can imagine, this results in some seriously undesirable results – including a one way trip to the morgue.  It’s not the vacation you need to take.

There are some risks of heart disease we can’t control:

- age (although it’s not a key factor it still plays a part)

- family history

- ethnicity.

 But there are so many we can!  There are so many things we can change and so many ways to prevent it.  Some of the removable risk factors are:

- Smoking

- Obesity

- Activity Levels

- High Blood pressure

- Food consumption!  Eat healthy, know what’s going in and be responsible for what that fuel puts out

- Stress – it should be reduced! (I am in no way an expert on this particular fact.  If anything this book really struck home on how I need to work on decreasing the stress in my own life)

And there’s so much more in there.

You need this book.  If you don’t need it for you, because you don’t think you’re a candidate, then read it for your kids, your family, your friends, heck, for the weird cat who doesn’t belong to you but you feed it every night because he’s at your door and he won’t shut up!  He needs you too.

What if you’re wrong?  What if you ARE a candidate and you didn’t know it?  What if you can head but heart disease before it ever gets a hold on you?  What if?

Still not convinced?  Maybe this will help!

Together with Mom Central, I’m giving away a copy of Saving Women’s Hearts! 

That’s right, all you have to do is comment and tell me why YOU need this book!  Then you’re entered to win. 

It can’t hurt right?   Leave the comment and wait and see.  If you don’t win, then I know you’ll buy the book, you call me to borrow it (I’m good a sharing) or you’ll reserve it at the library.  Then you’ll pass it on.  You’ll share it with a friend, a sister, a mother – because you want to save them too. 

I read this book for me, and now I’m going to apply it for everyone else.  I want to raise our kids in a healthy home, I’ve always wanted that.  Now I also want to protect their hearts, and teach them to do the same.

So LEAVE A COMMENT!  If you share this post, I can’t give you extra entries, but I can send you a thank you and a promise to link to you too.  Let’s get the word out and let’s pay it forward.  Let’s make heart disease a disease of the past, something people have only heard of and no one has to die from!

Contest is open to residents of Canada and is open until midnight March 9th 2011! 

Disclosure - I am participating in the Saving Women’s Hearts program by Mom Central on behalf of Wiley Publishing.  I received a copy of the book to review and gift card as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

First Foods, Cheerios and a Giveaway!

UPDATE:  We have a winner…. Jen – “Like Amanda, I like Annabel’s stuff. Love that it looks like she recommends fruits and veg as first foods!  I’m an apple cinnamon and multi-grain cheerio fan!”  Congratulations Jen!  Your prize Pack in on it’s way!

I remember Bethany’s first taste of “people” food – she was 4 months old, it was rice cereal, I have it on video and I use the phrase “people food” loosely.  I mean, seriously have you ever tasted that stuff?  I don’t know any people over a year old who’d gag that stuff down on purpose.  Most of them would consider it cruel and unusual punishment….hmmm, maybe that could  be the torture a bad guy subjects his captive to on the new James Bond Movie.  “Bwahahahahaha, eat some more rice cereal!  James will never find you in the basement of this dilapitated old building and if he doesn’t we’ll pelt him with the disgustingness of the contents of your bowl.  You’re DOOOMED!!!!” 

No?  Well I’d laugh.

Anyways, it seemed like only a few weeks (which was really a few months) and we were past the mushie foods phase and into the land of finger foods.  It was new and slightly scary, and I spent hours reading, searching the internet for ideas, talking to other mommies and worrying about the consequence of my tiny girls choking.

 Enter Cheerios, stage left.

It didn’t matter who I talked to, or what I read, everybody said the same thing.  Start with Cheerios, they’re easy to pick up, easy to chew and they won’t choke on them (although, if your child is anything like my Audrey, anything regardless of shape or size that sits on their tongue in even a slightly awkward way will cause noisy and disturbing gagging sounds - blech).  So, into the pantry I went, and out came the Cheerios.

They both loved them!  We quickly had Cheerios in every purse and diaper bag I owned as a snack while we were out.  When all else failed, I’d pull out the container with their favourite snack and for at least 15 seconds all was right in their worlds.

 As time wore on, they were introduced to more and more foods.  I discovered that cucumbers (cut small) were among my girls favourites, along with yogurt, peaches and grated cheese.  I also learned that introducing foods that you’d never think they’d like, such as chickpeas can turn out amazing and they’ll fall head over heals in love.  I also learned that some of the food you’d think they would think would rock, they’ll hate thus the birthday cake disasters of years 1-3.  I learned that it takes time for little ones to grow accustomed to certain flavours, I still worried and I still searched the resources I had and more than once I wished I had a place to go that contained all the information I needed to get our girls on the fast train to healthy/safe eating.  It’s finally here!

My pals over at Mom Central tipped me off to something new and fantastic babycenter.ca and Cheerios have teamed up to do!  Like most expectant mothers I went online for a source of information about my pregnancy and upcoming life change – bringing my baby home.  I found Baby Center and have literally spent hours there reading information, signing up for different emails and feeling really relieved that someone had answers to so many of my questions.

So, when I heard that they had taken things a step further with Cheerios and created a section called First Foods designed especially for helping parents chose the right first foods for their children I was EXCITED!  I headed on over and found tons of stuff…

Chosing the Best food for your baby at the Grocery Store caught my attention for so many reasons.  I am always on the hunt for new and nutritious choices for our kids.  My food allergies along with my intense desire to have healthy children who eat a well balanced diet makes me very interested in all sorts of food ideas.  There are some great suggestions over there.

They also have a really neat Weekly Meal Planner that I might just print to go along with my regular food planning.  It looks like a great way to help organize your days.

Anyways, the years have dwindled by and I now have a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old and we’re past the food introduction stage for the most part.  Maybe I should re-phrase that, we’re not past introducing new foods, but the function of chewing and swallowing has been mastered and now it’s onto the more interesting part of their eating lives.  I’m continually surprised by the things they love, the things they hate and the things that based on appearance or name they won’t even try. 

But the one thing that doesn’t surprise me is that Cheerios are still a mainstay in our house.  We’re moving on up in the world and the girls have fallen in love with Honey Nut Cheerios and they are always in supply in my pantry.  Running out would be disastrous!  They have them for breakfast with milk, sometimes they have them dry with fruit, and of course they have them as a snack.  There’s something about Cheerios that never gets old.

And in the spirit of celebrating Cheerios I have a GIVEAWAY!!!!  That’s right, together with Cheerios and Mom Central I’m giving away a Cheerios Prize Pack ($50 Value) that includes: Cheerios On-the-Go Tot Container, Cheerios Playbook, Box of Cheerios, Utensil Set and a $30 Cash Card!!!!

All you have to do is go on over to Mom Central’s First Foods section, peruse around and then come back and comment, telling me one thing you liked!  You could also share a tip you have from raising your own kidlets if you’d like.  The contest will run from January 18 to February 14th!  After that I’ll choose a winner and Mom Central will mail the package out!

So, Go!  Read! Comment!  And cross your fingers and toes, who knows who’ll win!

Please include the following disclosure language: Disclosure - I am participating in the Cheerios First Foods program by Mom Central on behalf of General Mills. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own

Applied Labels Review!

This review powered by Tomoson.com – <a style=”display: none;” href=”http://www.tomoson.com/?code=TOPf75737387e88d6ba5d789814bc2fbdc4″><span></span></a>

Shortly before Christmas I was asked  to do a review of the Classic Applied Labels from Applied Labels.  I was stoked!  First because I love reviewing any and everything, and also because I’m always on the hunt to differentiate our girls belongings.

Now while these labels may look like something I could have whipped off my printer in 30 seconds (if I had taken the time to remove it from the box it’s packed in) but they aren’t!  These labels are dishwasher safe and more!  Here’s what they say about them…

Applied LabelsTM ~ our flagship and most popular product.  Extremely tough and ultra versatile, they’re perfect for labeling everything from bottles, sippies and shoes to school supplies, gadgets, summer camp gear and all those little things that go to early childcare centers.  Available with and without icons or with a second line of custom print.  Great for grown-ups too!

Ultra Durable & Dishwasher-Safe

Permanent Adhesive & Ink

High Resolution & Perfectly Sized: 1.5″ x 0.5″

Lead, DEHP & BPA Free!  Award Winning Product!

 I sent in all the information and then waited, like a kid for Christmas morning for the labels to arrive.  They arrived Christmas Eve and I eagerly ripped into the package.  You can chose your font, your information, different icons and then the labels are printed.  I chose these ones for Bethany -

 

And these ones for Audrey -

 

We chose not to put their last names on the labels because I’m marking them for our use not someone elses and I’m pretty restrictive on what information about my children I put out there.  However, if you needed labels for clothing for camp or something that did include that information, they can do that too!

Onto the cups, the dishes and the other stuff the labels went and the trials began.  These labels have  a vinyl feel and when I applied them to the sippy cups I was slightly concerned about 2 things, 1 that the labels would leave a residue on our things once I removed them and 2 that they wouldn’t stand up to the abuse of kids and dishwashers.  In fact, I wanted to give them both such a big try that I pealed one off after a few hours and then stuck it back on – thinking that I’d weaken it slightly and it wouldn’t last through everything else.  I mean, our kids are bound to do that so why not put them to the test.

You know what I found?  These suckers are awesome!  I love them, they not only survived all of our tests but they look brand new.  Even the one I pealed a little bit!  I’m hooked. 

For any and every parent looking to mark their children’s sippy cups for daycare or nursery, trying to remember who’s snack is who’s in the day pack or just wanting containers of left overs sent home with company returned you have to order some of these labels!

They’re a fantastic price point at 30 labels for $14.95 (you can order in larger quantities and the deal gets sweeter the more you purchase)!  They have other labels for different purposes for Businesses, Daycares and Parents.

So, thank you very much Applied Labels!  I have hooked and you can bet that I’ll be not only replacing these once they run out (which won’t take long once I finish marking EVERYTHING IN THE HOUSE because I’m in an organizing mood) but I’ll be ordering a few more for Corey and I!

Go on over and take a look!  Then come back and let me know which labels are your favourite! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

I’m about to get Proactiv

I am SOOOOO excited to share with you some, super fantastic and absolutely wonderful news!  I’ve taken on a new challenge that can and will hopefully change my cosmetic life forever – and possibly yours too!

As of today, I’ve begun the 30 Day Proactiv Challenge.   That’s right, I’ve got a box of the New Proactiv Solution sitting here and I’m about to get started.   Yippee!

 

When I found out that my good friends over at Mom Central were running this review/Giveaway (YES!  I said Giveaway! ) I jumped on the chance to join in.  Over at Our Family Stone  you can hear all about my teenage years of skin torment and see why this is such an amazing thing for me.   It’s a battle I’ve fought for far too long.

Now that you’ve done that, let’s get back to my challenge and how you can try it too!

Here’s the skinny, twice a day, I’ll be doing the following 3 Steps, on a journey to clear and beautiful skin…

Step 1: Renewing Cleanser: A unique oil-free formula, with exclusive micro-crystal pharmaceutical-grade benzoyl peroxide, that contains smooth, tiny beads to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and other impurities.

 

 

 

 

 

 Step 2: Revitalising Toner: A refreshing, alcohol-free toner with glycollic acid that helps balance skin tone and remove dead skin cells to reveal the vital, radiant skin beneath. It’s special formulation to balance skin’s natural acids includes witch hazel to refine and purify pores and aloe and chamomile to soothe and soften.

 

 

Step 3: Repairing Treatment: A light, oil-free lotion containing  exclusive microcrystal pharmaceutical-grade benzoyl peroxide.  The Repairing Treatment penetrates deep into the pore to help heal blemishes and help prevent future breakouts. The advanced delivery system is safe for the entire face and any other blemish-prone areas.

 Here is their promise: “The 3-Step System: Designed for daily use in the prevention and treatment of blemishes, it gently cleanses and exfoliates while targeting blemish-causing bacteria in the pores.”

Let’s see if they deliver!  Hopefully today or tomorrow I’ll have a before picture to post, that way, when my 30 days is up, I can post again and you can see for yourself the difference.  I, of course, fully expect movie star skin by then end, and might just be hoping for a movie star rear view too…some how I think only one of those two is going to come true. 

Now, here’s where it gets fun for you!

Leave me a comment either here or over at Our Family Stone, telling me about your experience with Proactiv, or why you’d like a chance to give it a try!  You have until December 17 2010 (open to Canadian Residence only) to leave a  comment for your chance to be one of the winners!

 That’s right!  I said winners!!!!!  5 lucky commenters will win the Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer Valued at $33 to begin their own journey to skin excellence!  Isn’t that awesome?!!! 

So leave a comment, cross your fingers and keep your eyes peeled! 

 Ok, enough talking already.   Keep watching, I’ll be sharing my progress as we go, and now get on with it, leave that comment!  Win that prize!  Happy Monday everyone!

Disclosure – I am participating in the New Proactiv Canada program hosted by Mom Central on behalf of Guthy-Renker. I received a 30-day trial kit and a gift card a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

 

 

 

 

 



Share a Smile, Fill a Tummy!

There is something AWESOME going on and I’m so excited to tell you about it!   Food Banks Canada has teamed up with the people at Snack Pack to reach a mutual and wonderful goal.  Together they’ve created the Snack Pack Share a Smile Campaign with the goal of raising $20,000 for Food banks in Canada before the holidays!  That’s $20,000 that will find its way into the tummies of hungry families.

When I got the email from Mom Central last week asking me to share this new program with you I was beyond excited!  The overwhelming need for help in our local food banks is a crisis hitting towns across the country.  The thought of one person going without what they need for one day makes me want to cry, the thought of thousands going without, leaves me feeling helpless.  We do what we can in our own little home, but we feel so limited.  Until now.

How do you help?  Let me tell you, it’s as easy as this.

Click on THIS LINK here which will redirect you over to the Snack Pack Facebook page (I know I’ve slammed FB in the past, but some seriously good stuff happens over there sometimes).  “LIKE” the page and then click on the little box marked “SMILE”  For every smile you accept (1 each day) the people over at Snack Pack will donate $1 to Food Banks of Canada.  Then you can share that smile with your friends and spread the love.  And the daily smiles - their pretty cute!  That’s it. 

It doesn’t cost you a thing, but to someone who’s hungry it means the world.  Please click on the link and check it out.

When Mom Central asked us to share this with you, they also asked us to share with you the little things that make us smile, or what we do to share a smile. 

Since I knew that I’d be über excited and share sooooo much about what a wonderful campaign this is, on here, I figured I’d post THe Things that Make my Heart Smile over at Our Family Stone.  

Please click THIS LINK and share a smile on Facebook today, and then come back and leave me a comment telling me what makes you smile.  Go on over to Our Family Stone too, and see the things that make me smile – you never know what might make the list!

I am participating in the Snack Pack program by Mom Central on behalf of Conagra Foods Canada. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

 

Healthy Living the Quaker Way!

I’ve got some good buddies at Mom Central.  Well, sort of, I don’t really “know” anyone over there, but they treat me so well and my readers so well that I like to think of them as buddies.  Once again, they’re thinking of us and they’re doing something great!

The know that healthy living is key to a happy life, but they also know that sometimes it’s easier to talk about than it is to achieve.  So, being the good moms that they are, they’ve done something about it.  Mom, Lynn from Walking with Scissors is chronicling her families journey on their quest to healthy living over at The Quaker Journey to Healthy.

Quaker (who makes the hot cereal that my children and husband live off of) has set up a great initiative and this site offers great tips, contests, monthly giveaways and more!  You should totally go on over and check it out, participate in a discussion, comment, vote, whatever, get involved.  You may learn something new and win something awesome in the meantime!

Where I play a part, is Mom Central asked me to talk to you today about the changes we want to make in our family to facilitate healthy living.  They wanted us to blog about it and get the conversation rolling.  I’m a firm believe in talking. Period.  If you have a problem, talk it out, if you have good news, tell the world, if you have a bad day, share it with a friend – your burden will lighten and if you want to try something new, get involved, tell someone, create a support system.  If you’ve come over from Our Family Stone this is where I connect to what I wrote over there

 

Around these parts healthy living is an important part of our days.  I believe that good nutrition and excercise habits are formed long before a person can ever understand their importance. 

We do our best to live healthy lifestyles around here, we keep TV time limited, we get outside, we serve balance meals, we purchase very few pre-made products, and I pride myself on my label reading abilities.  Both our girls LOVE their veggies and fruits, they ask for edemame and cry if I run out of cucumber, they’re healthy, happy little beans.

We also talk about exercise, a lot.  When you ask Bethany why you exercise she says “To get injury”,(not everyone honey, that’s just Mommy), what she means is “energy”.  We tell the girls that we like to excercise to keep our bodies healthy.  Not to lose weight, not to be skinny but so that our insides are healthy, for them.  We tell them that we love them and each other so much we all want to stay healthy for a long time, and the only way to do that is to be active!

I don’t want our girls to grow up worrying about their weight and their bodies, in this house FAT is a 3 letter word that is banned.  As parents, I believe it is our job to set our children up to succeed, not to fail, so just like we teach them their ABC’s, please and thank yous and not to wipe their noses on their sleeves (I may be heard a few times a day saying ”STOP WIPING YOUR NOSE ON YOUR SLEEVE ALREADY!”) we need to teach them that what they put in is a direct result to what comes out, and how they feel is significantly improved by how they behave.

Sounds like we’ve got it all figured eh?  Not so much. 

It’s all a good plan, it’s one that we work on, on a daily basis, but it’s far from perfect.  Don’t get me wrong, we feed our kids healthy food (but the brownies, they’re the real deal, no spinach brownies for Corey!), we provide balances meals, but we’re not afraid of a treat now and again.  They know what McDonald’s is and I have to say, they may even enjoy it   I think that’s part of the plan too.  If you never give a child a treat, you set them up to binge later in life, it’s the whole “forbidden fruit” syndrome. 

So, what would I change?  A few things, to start.  The thing I’ve found with life, is that you can always improve.  If we stop improving, we might as well stop living.  Cheesy I know but I actually believe it.

- I want to get back to the gym.  While I exercise when I can (hello Jillian Michaels, what did I do to make you hate me?), and walk with a buddy and run circles around the house playing with the girls, I miss a regular workout.  In a facility with fancy machines, and weights and little TV’s on those death traps they call the stair climber.

- I want to enroll our girls in a physical program once a season.  Beth is set to start swimming lessons in two weeks (photos to come), her first without me in the water.  She’s super excited and I’m dreading it, wishing I was there to help her, feeling huge anxiety over a stranger and my baby, in the water. happy for her.  But when it’s done I want her to have something else.  It’s good for her emotional health as well as her physical health.  Again, it’s about creating good habits.

- I want to try new recipes.  I have a corn allergy and it makes eating hard sometimes.  I have to make so much from scratch it can get exhausting.  I have to read and re-read labels, and sometimes by the end of the day, it’s easier to make the same ol’ thing because I know I can have it.  Instead of tracking down ingredients that are corn free and still make a meal everyone else will eat too.  I’m trying to get brave

- I want to start a family activity with our kids.  Again, because I want them to exercise but I believe healthy living comes from having healthy relationships and the ones you have with your family are key!  If we can find a sport or activity to do once a week together, we’ll get exercise and build bonds with our girls.

- I want to improve my own self esteem.  It’s hard to live a healthy life, when every time you look in the mirror you are supremely unhappy with who and what you see.  I know my example is the biggest influence on my girls’ lives, and I need to get it figured out, for me, for my marriage and for them.  I’m working on it, slowly.

The list of changes could probably go on, but I’d like you to be able to read this all in one sitting, so I’ll stop, for today. 

Go on over to check out Lynn’s site, see what you can find, you never know when you’ll win something cool.  And why not come back and tell me about what you saw that you liked?  What about something you’d change?

Disclaimer - I am participating in the Quaker Journey to Wellness program by Mom Central on behalf of Pepsi Co. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.