About Swagbucks...

I just cashed in for my 19th redemption... so far I've picked up $45 in Amazon gift certificates and $100 worth of Starbucks cards.

If you're not using Swagbucks as a search engine, I can't imagine why not. It's free to use, simple, and you end up with some really nice little treats as a bonus just for doing your regular searches online.

I usually go for the Starbucks cards and the Amazon codes because I know I can use them in Canada. If you're in the States, there are lots more prizes available. There are lots more for Canada as well, btw, those are just the ones I like!

It's a nice little luxury for me to get a Starbucks card in the mail - I love their drinks but usually have guilt over spending the money. The card lets me treat myself and my husband, guilt-free.

How does Swagbucks work? Well, you sign up (free), and simply use their site to do your searches instead of Google or whatever. Random searches are rewarded with varying amounts of Swagbucks, and the Swagbucks add up until you can redeem them for prizes. You can also download the toolbar. I have the toolbar for Firefox on my Mac, and find it easier to use than remembering to hit the site for searches.

You can earn even more Swagbucks if you pay a little attention; they release codes on their Twitter, blog, and Facebook, as well as on the toolbar. (I usually miss those because I forget to look.) The numbers add up pretty fast if you just use it to search.

Anyway, if you decide to sign up, I'd be honoured if you'd use my referral link. I know some bloggers have a zillion referrals to SB - I don't - but I'd love some more.

Natural (Pregnancy) Deodorant - Review & Giveaway!

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: Tirza!

You may recall my previous review for FairHaven Health - this is the company that makes the FertilAid preconception supplements that my husband and I were taking when we conceived!

Besides fertility products, FairHaven Health also has products for pregnancy and nursing. I have been lucky enough to get to try out a couple of the pregnancy products.

The product for today's review and giveaway is the Natural Pregnancy Deodorant.
***Before I get too far, I want to say that although this is marketed towards the pregnant, you don't have to be up the duff to use it. Anyone interested in natural products or concerned about nasty chemicals in standard deodorants should try it!

If you've done any reading about deodorants and anti-perspirants, you may have learned some scary things. Regular deodorants (the big brands you'll see at the drugstore) contain not only parabens but also aluminum. Parabens, in case you forgot, are those pesky chemicals used to deliver scents which also are xenoestrogens (they mimic the hormone estrogen) and are associated with breast cancer. Aluminum, as we all know, is a neurotoxin and its cumulative absorption increases the risk of Alzheimers. Um, no thanks!

FairHaven Health's Natural Pregnancy Deodorant is paraben- and aluminum- free. Phew. It contains a whole pile of recognizable ingredients and some I didn't recognize. So I'm going to go through them and see just what they are (my comments in blue):

Water, Saccharomyces Ferment (a yeast extract that improves the barrier function of the skin, stimulates elastin production, and defends against ozone and free radicals), Potassium Sorbate (a preservative that is non-toxic and inhibits the development of microorganisms), Hydroxyethylcellulose (a plant-derived gelling agent), Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract (anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory), Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract (anti-inflammatory and astringent), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil (anti-bacterial), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil (acts as a binder, increases viscosity, and is a skin conditioner), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Benzyl Alcohol (a plant extract which prevents bacterial growth - often used in IV solutions), Sodium Benzoate (this is a preservative which has concentration restrictions in cosmetic products because it does have negative effects at high doses), Sodium Gluconate (a binder made from glucose; non-toxic and biodegradable), Citric Acid (a natural preservative).

Now that we know what's in it, I'll tell you about my experience. I have been using deodorants and anti-perspirants interchangeably for, oh, let's say just over 20 years. I've tried the gels and the sticks, although I haven't tried sprays (I don't really want to inhale aerosols). I usually find one I like the scent of and use that for a while until I tire of it and move on. With all the information I've been accumulating lately about harmful ingredients in skin care products (again I'm recommending everyone go watch CBC's documentary The Disappearing Male), it has occurred to me that I might want to re-evaluate my thinking on stink sticks.

I've been tempted to make my own deodorant but never seem to find the inclination, even though I do have the ingredients (apparently all you need is coconut oil, corn starch & baking soda, with essential oils for scent if desired). I've searched the store shelves for an alternative without success - granted, I do live in a fairly small town. I've tried that crystal deodorant a couple of times over the years and it simply doesn't work for me. So I approached this with a little skepticism.

My result: it does work - with some exceptions. On regular days, it works just great. On super hot days like we had here a couple weeks ago (37C and up plus humidex), it didn't work for me.

One thing I did notice was that switching from an anti-perspirant to a deodorant recalled to me the difference between the two. A deodorant, of course, is a stink fighter (best case) but does not prevent perspiration. An anti-perspirant stops the sweating (best case) and uses scents to mask any odour that does occur. So this being a deodorant, I remembered what it's like to sweat. But if your sweat doesn't smell because of the deodorant, and you're not a heavy sweater (I'm not, unless it's crazy hot), no biggie.

This product is a liquid in a roller-ball applicator. You give it a quick shake and then apply. It's clear (YAY, no more white marks on clothing... I hate that!) and smells like nothing, really. And at the end of the day, I smell like nothing, really. Which is just about perfect to me. It dries fairly quickly - you're not immediately dry like a stick applicator, but it's dry long before I finish applying makeup and drying my hair. Also, it doesn't cake up like the pasty kinds sometimes do... I mean how embarrassing is it to lift your arm and see white chunks in there? Ickkkk.

Overall, I really like the Natural Pregnancy Deodorant. I don't have that guilty feeling in the morning that I got when I knew I was applying something harmful but hadn't sought out an appropriate alternative. I like that I don't smell like some industry nose's version of "Fiji" or synthetic vanilla or whatever; I just smell clean and like myself.

You can buy it for $6.95 at Fairhaven Health (and get free shipping!). That's about a buck more than the drugstore brand I used to buy, and so far from my experience, it looks like it will last quite a while (ie months). I'd say going guilt-, aluminum- and paraben-free is worth an extra buck.

Fairhaven Health has also offered a giveaway for one of my readers!

The giveaway: a full-size Natural Pregnancy Deodorant!

How to enter: Visit Fairhaven Health, and tell me something that piques your interest, OR something you learned from the website. Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! This is the mandatory entry - do this first!

Extra entries: Bonus time! Leave a comment for each extra entry.

• Become a fan of/"like" FertilAid on Facebook (mention your first name and last initial in your comment)
• Follow @FertilAidAmy on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway (once - this is not a daily!) and leave me the permalink. You can use this for your tweet, if you like:
  

  "#Win Natural Pregnancy Deodorant (aluminum and paraben free!) at Emily's Latest @emilyisland @FertilAidAmy http://bit.ly/aSaC2c ends 10/6"

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog - leave the URL
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Fairhaven Health – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
• Let me know if you've tried any natural deodorants, or tried making your own - and did it work for you? I'm just being curious here.
  

Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends October 6th at 11:59 pm EST. A winner will be drawn within a day or two of the giveaway's end, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Denizzzzzens of the backyard

The latest addition to our backyard is not a particularly welcome one - I went out there today to find a swarm of honey bees congregating on one of our deck chairs. That brown mass dangling off the back of the chair frame is 100% bees!

My first call was to the Ministry of Agriculture, to get the numbers of local apiarists. Left messages with two of them, asking if they could kindly come and remove the swarm.

My husband called and is quite worried that they could be the Africanized honeybees - the kind that go mad and kill people - no more backyard for me, or the dog, until they're gone!

Next call was to the Ontario SPCA - no answer. What the heck? What if there were a dog dying in a closed car in a parking lot or something? Don't they have a responsibility to answer the phone, or at least have a message service?

The York Regional Police were more helpful. They gave me the number for a "bee swarm removal" guy. I called him up, and, less helpful, he's in Schomberg - about an hour from my home. He's going to try to get one of his more local bee buddies to get in touch with me. Worst case, he'll come all the way out himself.

On the plus side, he did say they were not likely to be the African bees, and also that they would probably move along of their own accord in a day or so.

Meanwhile, the dog and I will go for lots of walks, I guess. It's kind of cool to see all the bees (from a distance). I took the picture with a zoom lens when I first spotted them, before I got all worried about them being African bees. We hear so much about the decline of honey bees, I'm actually pretty thrilled to see so many in one place. Just... not at my place, please!
___

Oh! One last thing. I think you should go visit Everything Mom and Baby. Erica's got a great blog with two awesome giveaways on right now (an amber teething necklace and a Baby Hawk Mei Tai!). I was super lucky and recently won some Wean Cubes (glass baby food storage) on her blog!

Winner - IntelliGender & IntelliCeuticals

One lucky mama to be has a prize on the way!
and it's....
Congrats! See, it pays to follow! Watch for my email :)

I do have more giveaways in the works, so stay tuned. And there is a most delicious pumpkin muffin recipe on its way, too.

Lullabies and happy music

I'm trying to make a playlist of music for baby. I have this thing called a Lullabelly - it's like a soft belt with speakers in it, I can hook my mp3 player up to it and it plays music to my belly. Apparently the little one is able to hear by now (although she won't start 'active listening' until 24 weeks).

So I'm trying to make a playlist - music that is good for little ears, that I can stand for pregnancy and beyond (since babies can recognize music they've often heard in the womb). It's hard. My husband wants to go classical, but I've read that the "Mozart Effect" has been disputed - and only really lasted for 15 minutes after exposure to the music.

Not that I have anything against classical music (I used to play oboe in a community orchestra and can certainly appreciate it), I just would rather listen to something that I can sing along to. So... help me out. Here's what I've got so far:

Sleepy/night music
Merman - Tori Amos
St. Judy's Comet - Paul Simon
Lullaby - Dixie Chicks

Happy/day music
Velvet Pony - Psapp
Wake Up - The Ditty Bops
I'm Into Something Good - The Bird and the Bee
Was a Sunny Day - Paul Simon

I'm not a huge fan of traditional kids' music. I know several artists have done contemporary versions, but so far I haven't heard any I like. Jewel's Lullaby cd, for instance, makes me cringe (and I like some of her music).

If you have any recommendations for me, give 'er! Thanks!

Winner - Bumblewee Nursing Wear!

I'm thrilled to announce the winner of the top from BumbleWee nursing wear! I have to say that the top they sent me has quickly become my favourite top. It is super, super soft and comfy, is adjusting well to my growing belly, and will still be flattering and practical when I'm nursing.
I even get compliments when I'm wearing it. Love it.

So without further ado, random.org made a selection:And the winner is:
...looks like perfect timing, as she's expecting #2 in April! Double congratulations :)

Didn't win here? There's still time to enter the very last of the daily drawings on the BumbleWee website! Get over there before midnight!

AND, it's also the very last day to enter to win the IntelliGender gender prediction test and the IntelliCeuticals Cradle Cream. Go on and enter - odds will be pretty good as there are low entries on this one. It was a lot of fun to do the test, and the cradle cream will come in handy for mums with newborns!

The big reveal! And, easy pickles (recipe).

(because these things go together! Pregnancy & Pickles!)

So, it's finally time for the Big Reveal! Exciting, right?! Actually, I let it slip last night on Twitter (oops!), although I think only one astute person (hi, Maya!) caught on!

Today I went for the anatomy ultrasound and the gender was confirmed - well, as much as they will confirm it - she said she 'strongly believes' it's a....

...

...

...

Ha! Betcha thought I was telling there.

Really, I needed to hear and see it again. After all the input I've gotten from different sources, including you guys on my little poll up there - I had myself convinced it was a boy. Well, guess what?

Baby's a GIRL!!! Here she is - It's all looking good, only I have a 'low anterior placenta', which hopefully will resolve itself in the next couple months and not result in a C-section (eeks). All the development is right on schedule and there are no soft markers for any problems like Down's or neural tube problems. Hooray!

I am finally feeling more confident that things will be okay. Did I tell you I bought a crib off Kijiji? I got a white sleigh crib. It's still disassembled for now - I can't wait to start playing nursery. It's hard with my husband gone, as we like to make most decisions together. And in general, we like the exact opposite things (doesn't that figure?), so purchases for the nursery will have to be very well considered and approved by both of us!

I also am making the switch from OB to midwife. I'm going back to the midwife I had for my first pregnancy. I can't tell you the relief I feel about this. The OB I was seeing was professional, respected, and competent, but I'd wait an hour after my appointment time to see him for 5 minutes. And sometimes I felt like I was being rushed out the door, or that my questions were 'silly'. When I told him today, he actually seemed annoyed with me - and said, "Well, why did you even start with me?". Whoa. My family doctor referred me to him when I had an ectopic pregnancy, that's why. And after that I figured he was my go-to guy for OB/gyn stuff.

Anyway. Closing the chapter.

I found the midwife to be profoundly empathetic, calm, patient, and kind. She never acted like my questions were silly or condescended to me. She always treated me like a person, not a name on a list. She was incredibly giving of her time and so, so kind when I went through the first miscarriage. I am looking forward to being in her care. Plus, I trust her to avoid interventions as much as possible and aim for a more natural birth. The OB was already talking about C-sections, for goodness' sake. I'm 'only' 19 weeks along!

On to pickles - With an abundance of cucumbers in the garden and only me around to eat them, I decided to whip up some refrigerator pickles. This is super easy to do, doesn't require any canning experience, equipment or know-how, and I think you should do it too.

Refrigerator Pickles

you will need:

• 2 cups of cucumbers (or zucchini, green/yellow beans, green tomatoes, bell peppers, whatevs), peeled (unless they're the skinny English kind) and cut into spears or slices at your discretion
• 2/3 cup sliced onion (sweet, white, or red - or pearl onions, or quartered small onions, or a lesser amount of quartered shallots)
  

optional jar add-ins, as you like it:

• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 hot pepper (jalapeno, little red chilis, or 1 tsp of red pepper flakes)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried, or a sprig of fresh per jar)

for the brine:

• 2 cups white vinegar (or apple cider, if you like)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar, depending on how sweet you like your pickles
  
• 1 Tbsp salt (regular granulated will dissolve better, but you can use coarse pickling if you like)

optional brine add-ins:

• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp pickling spice mix
• 1 Tbsp of dried roasted garlic (I used PC's Blue Menu)
• any spice you like (try turmeric + curry powder for an Indian flavour, or caraway, or groud mustard)

Take all your cut up vegetables and optional jar add-ins, and fill up your jars. I used two 2-cup jars. (Actually, I doubled the recipe and made four!) You don't even have to use canning jars - any old waterproof container with a lid will work (although the hot brine could cause icky chemical seepage in plastic containers - if you want to use those, prepare the whole mess in a big glass bowl and ladle it into containers after it's cooled). Don't pack too tight, you need some room for the brine. I probably could have packed a little tighter. As you can see, cucumbers and onions float!

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and your optional brine add-ins in a pot on the stove and bring it to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once it's all dissolved, ladle it over the vegetables, cover, and put in the refrigerator.

Now, the hard part. DON'T EAT THE PICKLES for at least a couple days, if you can stand the wait. They will keep for months in the fridge, but I guarantee they won't last that long because they are super yummy! And easy enough to make any old time.

I'd love to hear if you make these! It takes hardly any time at all and is so worth it. Ready? Go!

Winner - Tropical Traditions Household Cleaner

Here's the winner for some awesome non-toxic household cleaner from Tropical Traditions - Random.org picked...who is...
Congratulations!

Don't forget about the two AMAZING giveaways that are still running! A super nice maternity/nursing top from BumbleWee that you get to select, AND a fun gender test for you pregnant mamas with cradle cream for your newborn too from IntelliGender/IntelliCeuticals! Get your entries in because as of right now, odds are pretty good!

What happened

So, as you know, my husband is working across the country until Christmas. He comes home every other weekend, so I'd booked our anatomy ultrasound more than a month ago to coincide with one of his visits. Well, wouldn't you know it... that ended up being a weekend he now has to stay there and work - no way around it - and the appointment couldn't be moved.

We had planned for me to go out and visit over the Labour Day weekend anyway, so we decided to go ahead and book a 2D/3D ultrasound for when I was there. That way we could be together when we found out the baby's gender! It wasn't something we'd originally planned to do at all, since we've seen 3D videos of ultrasounds and honestly, they're creepy. But we really wanted to experience that moment together.

I am SO GLAD we did! We had a great tech, Rhonda, who spent a lot of time with us. The first thing she did was use the 2D to locate the baby - and there it was, in a perfect position to see everything. I could tell the gender right away! It was so obvious!The tech took lots of pictures and we got a dvd of the whole ultrasound as well. She did do some 3D stuff, but I found the 2D was actually easier to see.

I was at 17 weeks and 6 days, and Rhonda told us that 17 weeks is the peak for movement. The baby sure was moving around a lot, and this was my husband's first time seeing so much movement, since the techs at our previous ultrasounds made him wait outside until the last minute or two. This time he got to be there the whole time and saw everything, which was great. The baby did some yawning, stretching, and lots of arm movements. We could even see the four chambers of the heart!

I had heard stories about little boys having their hands between their legs, and little girls playing with their face, and it held true in our case!

Totally worth the money, for us. If you're thinking of doing this in Calgary, I can recommend the Ultrasound Preview clinic and Rhonda! Totally different from the diagnostic ultrasounds I've had (and I've had, oh, 8 or 9 in the last year or so). Their couch (more like a couch than a cot) is even comfy, and you get to see the action on a second wall-mounted monitor, so you don't have to crane your neck to see what the tech is seeing.

I know, I didn't tell you what gender we're having! Honestly, I'm still in shock about it. I have the anatomy ultrasound on Friday, and I guess I will feel like it's really true once I see it again! Meanwhile you can still vote on what you think it is at the top left!

The whole trip was so amazing. We spent three nights away from his 'home away from home' in Calgary. The first night we went to Emerald Lake Lodge, near Field, BC; the picture I posted earlier was of the lodge. The lake really is that turquoise colour because of all the limestone in the mountains. We did a slow hike (I get winded easily now, and the mountain air is thinner than I'm used to) around the lake in the afternoon and had a ridiculously good dinner that night. It was very luxurious (and very pricey - this was our babymoon!). We had a cabin with a wood-burning fireplace and a balcony looking right out at the lake. It was lovely. This is our view from the room!
The next day, we drove to Kimberley, BC, a tiny little ski resort town. We stayed at a B&B called Solace, and explored the town and a few hiking trails there. We even went to a model home just for fun. There are some truly beautiful houses there. I can't imagine living there, though - so isolated. By the way, did you know that Ponderosa pines smell fabulous? Like cinnamon, vanilla and apples. I could have just stood around sniffing trees! This me and my belly on a little hike we did in nearby Marysville.
The following day, we drove down to Montana and stayed in West Glacier overnight before driving the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park the next day. It was so beautiful there. It was snowing on the mountains at the top of the road, and we saw a wolverine (!). I have to say, there wasn't much to the parts of Montana I saw in terms of towns, but the landscape sure was beautiful. Here's us among the mountaintops. I had such a great time away. Now it's back to the grind for a while, and another three weeks until I see my husband... it's hard to be away from him so long. Meanwhile, I keep getting bigger!

We know!

But I'm busy being here for a few days (well, we were there last night - we've moved on since)so you'll just have to wait!

IntelliGender & IntelliCeuticals - Review and Giveaway!

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: The Suburban Princess

As you know, we are hoping to find out the gender of our baby in a couple weeks at the anatomy ultrasound. But it's really hard to wait until 19 weeks to know! Luckily, I received an IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test to review.

The IntelliGender GPT is a urine-based test that predicts the gender with 82% accuracy! It is a chemical test that reacts with hormones. You do it at home, anywhere from 10 weeks on - so you get an early idea of whether your little one will be a boy or a girl.

Now, they do say not to paint the nursery or go crazy buying girl or boy clothes until you know for sure - and given that even ultrasounds can be a guess (depending on the tech's experience level and if the baby cooperates), I'd say that's good advice.

The test is very easy to do, and for those of us who spent some time trying to conceive (TTC) and peeing on a stick (POAS) to predict ovulation or look for that big fat positive (BFP) on a pregnancy test, well, it will be a cinch since we are used to playing with pee! All you do is capture your first morning urine in the provided cup, measure out 20mL into the provided syringe, squirt the pee (sorry) into the test jar, give it a swirl and wait 5 minutes. Then you match up the resulting colour to either the boy (green) or girl (orange) colours on the label. I'd say the waiting is the hardest part!

A lot of the women in my online birth club have done the test, and I noticed that their early results (at 10 weeks) were more ambiguous. Another thing I noticed was that some of the other women have done the test more than once (once early on, at 10 weeks or so, and once later at 14-18 weeks) and the results were different. So I believe (and this is based purely on my observations) that the test is more likely to be accurate - and accurately read - the further along you get in the pregnancy. I did my test at 16 weeks and 6 days, and for me, the results were very clear. If you have trouble interpreting your test, you can even email a picture of the test you took to the folks at IntelliGender and they will help you read the result!

Are you curious to see my result?Pretty clear, huh? IntelliGender predicts BOY! Oh, my!

Like I said, I have no intuition about this baby's gender at all, but the majority of the online quizzes and such have said boy for me as well. And according to your votes on my little poll at the top there, you're thinking boy, too! I'm hoping the ultrasound will let us know for sure! Just a few of the women in my birth club have had their ultrasounds already, and some of the IntelliGender predictions have been right and some wrong. So, we're not jumping to conclusions just yet! But it sure was fun to do the test!

Another product I got to try is the IntelliCeuticals Peace of Mind Flower Essence. This is a mild floral remedy that inspires calm and optimism during the second trimester. As I still feel a little anxiety and hope this pregnancy will 'stick' and progress well, a little peace of mind sounds pretty good.

The Peace of Mind Flower Essence is made from selected flower infusions. It contains no animal products (something I always look for, as I'm a vegetarian and often find animal ingredients in surprising products). It is a concentrated essence - seven drops in a quarter cup of boiled water is a dose. I find it to be very mild yet soothing in flavour - kind of fresh and subtle. In general, I'm a pretty laid-back person, so it's hard to tell if it's affected my mood, or if it's the accumulation of successful "Still Pregnant" days that are relieving my anxiety. But it is definitely a comforting drink and a nice change from the plain old water, water and more water that I've been drinking.

You can purchase the IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test online or at selected retailers in the US. You can purchase the IntelliCeuticals Peace of Mind Flower Essence online. IntelliCeuticals also offers other products for preconception through baby care!

Now, the part you've been waiting for - IntelliGender and IntelliCeuticals have generously offered one of my readers two products:

• an Intelligender Gender Prediction Test just like the one I tried, and
  
• IntelliCeuticals Clear-Away Cradle Cream, an all-natural cream to help with cradle cap after baby's born!
  

The giveaway:
IntelliGender GPT and IntelliCeuticals Clear-Away Cradle Cream (total ARV $69.90 US!)

How to enter: Head over to IntelliGender / IntelliCeuticals, and let me know which of their products you'd love to try, OR let me know something you have learned from their site! Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Subscribe via email to the IntelliGender Newsletter
  
• Follow @IntelliGender on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win a Gender Prediction Test AND Cradle Cream from @IntelliGender at Emily's Latest @emilyisland http://bit.ly/91LvlY US/CAN 9/15
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post – 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please include a link to your blog post)
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺ If you already do any of these things, it still counts for entries!

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or continental US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends September 15th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by ME. Note for US entrants: I'm not responsible for customs, taxes or duties that the US may charge if you decide to participate in this sponsored blog giveaway. Prize will be shipped via Canada Post. Because I'm sending it myself, I'm also not taking responsibility if it gets lost in the mail!

Suckered or smart?

We finally did it. We bit the bullet. We bought a Costco membership.

For years I have been shocked at people who actually pay for the "privilege" of shopping at a retail store. Shocked, and secretly envious of the cool things they bought there. Like giant tubs of cashews, milk for 20 cents cheaper than our No Frills grocery store, lovely treats in gift packages, soft hoodies.

When my brother- and sister-in-law showed us the great big dog bed they bought at Costco for their puppy, for only $22... That was it. The bed that ended our stand not to pay to shop.

A little background - our chocolate lab, Cadbury, has been sleeping on two beds I made for him out of an old sleeping bag and some upholstery fabric (one bed in the kitchen, one in our bedroom). The sleeping bag must have been 20 years old. So it was pretty flat to begin with. And after three years on those, they were thin and lumpy. Poor guy! So we have been looking for a decent dog bed, but not prepared to pay the $80+ for beds we saw at the pet stores. And along comes this steal of a dog bed at Costco.

We hit Costco on Friday and left with a $55 membership and two fabulous new beds for the dog - one 'orthopedic' one that was a whopping $27, and one soft, cushiony one (that has cedar chips in it to keep it fresh!) that set us back $22. Both decent looking. Both big enough for our 85 lb dog. He is thrilled. And we were pretty happy with the price!

On Saturday, we were back at Costco, wandering the aisles, snacking on the promo items and gaping at the giant tubs of tuna, peanut butter and corned beef. We ate some delicious Brie (don't worry - cheese in Canada is made with pasteurized milk!), tortellini, herb crackers and ranch dip, Banana-Nut Cheerios, potstickers, grapefruit slices, fruit juice and cranberry almond cookies. We turned down Cadbury Twist samples, applesauce and more fruit juice. We could have skipped lunch, if only we'd known.

We left with strange and wonderful family-sized purchases. A big bag of Dentabones for Cadbury (best weekend ever, for him). An enormous bag of Italian cheese tortellini and a huge jar of Marinara sauce. A three-pack of my husband's favourite chai concentrate. A bakery box of 12 croissants. Two of the biggest potted chrysanthemums I've seen for the urns on our front porch.

The scale of the store and the products is so outrageous that I'm not sure we really knew how big these things were until we got home. We are a family of just two (for now) - and my husband is living in Calgary until Christmas with only alternate weekend visits. It is a bit overboard to be buying vats of pasta sauce and a dozen croissants. But, we have a big freezer and love to get a deal.

The croissants are now frozen - I can pull out one or two at a time and pop them in the oven for a quick breakfast. The tortellini is dried, so it will keep well - the marinara sauce is delicious (we had it for dinner tonight), and will freeze just fine in two-serving containers.

I'm hoping that this membership will not be a waste of $55 (we've already saved more than that on the dog beds, if you compare to pet store prices) but an incentive to try new things and make the most of our freezer.

I can't shake the feeling, though, that I've gone to the dark side. I am open to advice on making the most of this. We're going to revisit the membership cost after the year is up and decide whether it's worthwhile or not.

How about you? Does your family have a club store membership? Do you think it's worth the price? What have your best purchases been?

Two winners for Sibu Beauty!

I have two lucky winners for the fab Sibu Beauty prizes. To check out the company and prizes, read my review here.

Winner #1 will receive Sibu's Beauty and Wellness Package. And the winner is:








Winner #2 will receive Sibu's Anti-Aging Package. And the winner is:








Congratulations to the latest winners on my blog! I'll be emailing you both shortly.
A big thank you to Sibu Beauty for providing review products and sponsoring such a generous giveaway!

Just an FYI - I had to draw a second winner for Package #1 because the first one hadn't left a way to contact them. I hate to do that but it is clearly written, in red even, on the giveaway page! A good reminder to read - and follow - the instructions!

Don't forget the other giveaways going on now:
Tropical Traditions Non-toxic, Natural Household Cleaner (love this stuff! I use it every day!)
and
BumbleWee Nursing Wear for your choice of nursing/maternity top (beautiful and practical clothes for mums and mums-to-be!)

The gender question - place your vote!

Yes, we're finding out. I had always assumed that I wouldn't want to know until the birth, but the older I get, the less I like surprises, I guess! I can't wait to know. I'm already picturing this baby and what he or she will be like. It will be so exciting when we go for that ultrasound and find out for real!

Our big ultrasound is scheduled for the 10th of September, but there are lots of ways to play the gender guessing game ahead of time. One of those ways is the IntelliGender test - which I took this morning! I'm not telling what the answer is from this test (the big reveal on that will be Tuesday), but I can say that it was very definite in its result! And it was fun playing 'chemist', even if it did mean playing with my own pee. Hm. That doesn't quite sound like fun. Believe me, you never have to touch the pee! Then again anyone who has peed on a stick as often as I have in the last few years has lost any qualms about pee. I consider it a kind of preparation for many diaper changes.

I've done some of the other online quizzes and such as well. I'm going to share my results on those with you now - and I've got a poll going at the top left there, I'd love your vote on whether you think it's going to be a baby boy or a baby girl!

BOY results:
UPDATE: IntelliGender test says Boy!
Chinese lunar calendar
Shettles method
Wedding ring on a string
Babyzone's gender predictor
Planningfamily's gender predictor
SexWizard's gender predictor
OBFocus' gender predictor

GIRL results:
Chinese lunar calendar (a different one... see how accurate these are? ;) )
Heart Rate
Babygendertool's gender predictor
Childbirth.org's gender predictor

We have no parental intuition on this one at all, and haven't heard from our parents what they guess it will be, either.

As you can see, the overall score is 8 for boy and 4 for girl. Now, I always pictured myself as the mother of a daughter. But I will not be disappointed if we have a boy - the more I think about it, the more I know I'll be so thrilled with whichever we have. Each presents its own challenges and adventures!

My husband and I have kept our last names, so if we have a boy, he'll take my husband's surname and vice versa for a girl. So, what do you think? Will we have a Baby B or a Baby H?

Lemon Loaf. Y-U-M.

This is one of our favourites, and was my husband's choice today over Chocolate Zucchini Loaf and Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf. (I guess I'm the chocolate lover in our family!)

The recipe is originally from the Muffins and More (Company's Coming) cookbook, which is my absolute go-to cookbook for quickbreads. It's got cheesy sayings on the pages and isn't pretty - especially the best-loved recipes, which are slightly gooey - but the recipes are tried and true, and oh, so good. I strongly recommend this book, even if you only buy it for this recipe and the AMAZING Best Cheese Biscuit recipe that is so, so good with chili. Totally worth it. You can find it in weird places like WalMart and Canadian Tire, or online at Amazon, or the Company's Coming website directly.

I modify it to be eggless (yeah, I'm still on the eggless kick, eight months later). So if you're like me and have egg issues, instead of the 2 eggs, you can use any of these:

• 2 tsp chia seeds in a scant 1/2 cup (just a little less than half a cup) of water. Let it sit a minute or two, and stir with a fork to break up any clumps. The chia seeds form a gel! You can use white chia seeds if you don't want visible specks in your loaf.
  
• 4 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 6 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup tofu (puree this with the milk in the recipe before adding)
• 1/2 cup applesauce or mashed banana (this will change the flavour of the loaf, of course, but yum!)
• store bought egg substitute (I found this finally at Bulk Barn, in a box. It's a powder you mix with water.)

Okay, on to the Lemon Loaf recipe.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs (or whatever)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• grated rind of 1 lemon

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, add the eggs one at a time while mixing, then mix in the milk.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining four ingredients. I like to use a whisk to do this as it does a thorough job and fluffs up the flour, too.
Pour the dry mix into the wet, stir only to moisten (over mixing quickbread batters will cause them to become tough - it activates the gluten in the flour), and pour into a greased loaf pan. The recipe calls for a 9x5" pan, but I use an 8.5x4.5" one, no problems.
Bake at 350F for an hour or until a tester comes out clean. I find with eggless recipes, they are a little more moist and often need a bit more time. So if you've gone the eggless route, don't worry if it takes an extra 8 minutes or so (check every few minutes).

When the loaf is almost done, prepare the glaze. You absolutely must glaze this loaf. Because this is the secret to its magical deliciousness.

• the juice from that lemon you grated the peel from
• 1/4 cup sugar

Mix these together (in a pourable, microwave-safe bowl or a Pyrex liquid measuring cup). 30 seconds in the microwave helps to dissolve the sugar.
When the loaf comes out of the oven, pour the glaze all over it. The edges of the loaf pan should contain the glaze, but you might have to go slow as it soaks in some. Let it cool in the pan. I just leave it in the pan and slice as needed right in there!
This is seriously delicious. No need to top your slice with anything - it is moist and flavourful as is. If you need some extra sweetness, homemade strawberry jam is pretty yummy on there. Cream cheese (fresh, please, not the plasticky Philadelphia stuff) is good, too.

OH, and the glaze is really just a lemon-flavoured simple syrup - I've made lemonade with it (add water to taste); you can use it in mixed drinks to add a wonderful sweet-sour lemony flavour. Or pour over crushed ice for a lemony snow-cone. Or add a couple tablespoons to ice and top with sparkling water for a delicious fresh soda. Bonus!

BumbleWee Nursing Wear - Review and Giveaway!

***This giveaway is closed.***
Winner: Rebecca

By now, you should have heard of BumbleWee Nursing Wear - whether by reputation as one of Canada's premiere maternity and nursing wear online boutiques, or maybe because of the awesome contest they are running - they're giving away a nursing top every day until September 15th, and an awesome coupon for every entrant (Read more details here)!

BumbleWee stocks gorgeous and high quality nursing and maternity clothes (many pieces are transitional, which the practical side of me loves!) from brands such as Japanese Weekend, Mamajamas, and 1 in the Oven. Brands that are known for bringing style to maternity and nursing wear - no more giant tents for pregnant ladies! And the nursing wear is functional as well as modest. What I really like about BumbleWee is the way each top or dress describes the nursing feature, whether it be pull aside, pull up or pull down. That way if you have a preference you will know exactly what you are getting into: whatever's most comfortable for you.

Besides tops and dresses, they also stock comfy nursing bras (at truly reasonable prices), pajamas, gifts and nursing accessories like covers and pumping bras. This company is dedicated to making maternity and nursing a time to be stylish, comfortable, practical and as discreet as we want it to be. I love that they have informative and supportive articles about breastfeeding in public, and tips on how to prepare for baby's meals out!

The other thing to love about BumbleWee is the free shipping to the continental US and Canada! I've been doing some online browsing lately, and have noticed that often the shipping charges are higher than the cost of the items I'm considering buying, which drives me nuts and means I generally end up abandoning my online shopping cart. Right in the middle of the virtual aisle! I just click away! But there are a few online retailers catching on to the notion that customers don't want a great deal to be negated by an outrageous shipping fee (and if you US readers think you have it bad, shipping to Canada is usually b-r-u-t-a-l!). Of course, with a Canadian company it's not as bad, but you really can't beat free.

For my review, I was sent the Mamajamas Uganda top, in a gorgeous shade of teal. I love the asymmetrical neckline and the ruching makes it forgiving for before and after bellies! The fabric is super, super soft and that makes this top SO comfortable. The nursing function is a pull up style with an underlayer which I find very discreet. I know this will be a wardrobe staple for me throughout the coming fall, winter and spring. And I think my belly looks super cute in it! Which is why you need to see two pictures - a front and a side view! :)

I have to mention that the shipping was really fast, too. I placed my order on an afternoon, and the fifth business day later, I received it in the morning. You can't always count on the postal service to get things there, but I would expect that if you placed an order on a Monday afternoon, you'd have it by Friday morning - or early the next week! Compared to some two-week or longer waits that I have had for products ordered online, I found this impressive.

You can also get the latest news from BumbleWee by liking the BumbleWee Facebook page! They announce sales, contests, and new stock there (even asking for fans' input!) so definitely worth a 'like'!

Now, the part you've been waiting for - BumbleWee has generously offered one of my readers a choice of top from the Sweepstakes category!

The giveaway:
A maternity/nursing top of your choosing from BumbleWee's Sweepstakes category!

How to enter: Head over to BumbleWee Nursing Wear and let me know which of their products (from any category) catches your fancy, OR let me know something you have learned from their informative articles! Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Subscribe via email to the BumbleWee Newsletter (the bottom right of their site)
• Tell me something you learned from the BumbleWee blog
  
• Follow @BumbleWee on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win your choice of gorgeous nursing/maternity tops from @BumbleWee at Emily's Latest @emilyisland http://bit.ly/9z61Hf US/CAN 9/13 #bfing
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to BumbleWee Nursing Wear AND mentioning their awesome contest as well – 3 entries, leave 3 comments (please include a link to your blog post)
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺ If you already do any of these things, it still counts for entries!

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends September 13th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for US entrants: BumbleWee Nursing Wear is not responsible for customs, taxes or duties that the US may charge if you decide to participate in this sponsored blog giveaway.

A book recommendation and manners

Hiya - it's been a while since I've done a personal post. I have actually been racking my brain trying to think of what to write about. It seems like life is pretty quiet these days and I mainly spend my time waiting. Waiting for my husband's next visit home. Waiting for the next ultrasound (on the 10th! We'll find out the gender!!). Waiting for the dog's ear infection to clear up. Nothing too exciting to write about.

But I realized last night, 4 hours into a "20 minute" reading session before bed, that I should share about the book I'm reading. I came to this book a little late; it's been out for a while. A friend of mine recommended it to me years ago when she was reading it for book club, and I picked it up to look at but never did read it. Now my book club is reading it (yeah, I'm sticking with the book club) and I have been gobbling it.

The book is The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. Now here's why I didn't read it years ago. I'm not a particularly religious person, and it seems at first glance to be all about religion. Not that I don't respect other people's religions, it just isn't an interest of mine. Also, I had never read any of Kingsolver's books, and had an assumption, based on nothing substantial, that they were chick lit.

So now that I am reading the book that I made so many judgments on, I am so glad I was 'forced' to read it for my book club! The book IS about religion, but it's not at all proselytizing; it's really about a clash of religions, and how fanatics can go too far and be too closed-minded. And while it is primarily about women, it's by no means light and fluffy chick lit. It is totally captivating.

Just to give my review some cred, I read about 4 books a week, and have gone through thousands in my life so far. There are certain books that stand out for me among those thousands, and this is going to be one of them, I can tell. Give it a chance and you will be hooked!

My other topic for today is a little rant about manners.

We posted an ad on Kijiji because, in the process of emptying the office to become nursery and tidying things up around here (did I mention we got hardwood put in upstairs? Chaos ensued! But it's nice now), we have an office chair to get rid of and one of those floor mats that protects carpet. The chair is a few years old but in perfect condition and has all the adjustments and ergonomic qualities you'd ever want. We're asking $65 for the pair which is a pretty good deal for someone, I think. Anyway, what's making me growl is that we've gotten a few emails about it that are completely lacking in any kind of social decorum. Here's the sum content of the first email I got:

35???

That's it. How many things are wrong with that? Way. Too. Many. Grr. The next email I received (from a different person) reads:

when can i come see it call me (phone #)

Arghhhh! Really. How hard is it to add a greeting, for goodness' sake? Or to sign a missive with your name? To use at least some punctuation, make some effort towards grammar or politeness? I'm just waiting for the number to be long distance, and then I'm really going to lose it. ;)

Am I asking too much of the standard Kijiji user? Is this listing somehow a magnet for the uncouth?

Sigh. I was one of the many who read Miss Manners and Ann Landers daily as I grew up. My parents instilled a strong belief in courtesy and respect for others in me. I know I'm not a perfect writer, but I do make an effort to use English with some regard to the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation.

And I'm feeling like a dying breed here.

Pitbull Clothing Winner!

Random.org has picked a winner for the $50 gift certificate to Pitbull Athletic Clothing:
Which is...
Congratulations! $50 goes far at this store! I'll be emailing you shortly to confirm.

Didn't win this time? Well, there are two other giveaways on now, why not try your luck in those? And I have a couple more coming up soon as well! Check out the top left sidebar for details :)

A little heads up

Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique is having a giveaway when they reach 2000 fans on Facebook (they're really close!). Check out the prizes:

*Winner’s choice of ANY BABY CARRIER we carry (more selection coming soon!)
*$50 gift certificate to our store
*BumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diaper
*Sophie the Giraffe Teether

Um, yes please!

Tropical Traditions Natural Household Cleaner - Review and Giveaway!

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: Renee

There are few things guaranteed to drive me directly up the bend. Dirty counters are very high up on the list! Luckily, my husband feels the same way, so we manage to keep our counters clutter-free and, best of all, clean.

I've tried quite a number of natural cleaners, from the high-end to the no-name store brands and homemade. I have found a lot of them to be lacking - either they don't cut grease or they leave smeary streaks rather than clean surfaces. Sometimes they smell wonderful but don't do a thing; sometimes they smell too strong or even nasty but they work. I am not a huge fan of trade-offs and have been looking for a good quality natural cleaner that I can count on to do a good job (and not make my house smell like a fish and chip stand!).

Finally, I think I have found The One. I received a spray bottle of Tropical Traditions All-Purpose Cleaner to try out, and as you can see, I've already used a ton of it - not because you need a lot to do the job, but because it's become my go-to product for cleaning.

It doesn't smell like anything (thank you, thank you - heaven sent for super-smelling pregnant women!) and it does a great job. Our black kitchen counters really show any smears or smudges left by cleaners and this one leaves them perfectly clean.

The cleaner is made entirely of botanical ingredients - no harmful chemicals (you can even use it to wash fruit and veggies), and can be used for everything: carpets, counters, glass, appliances, cars, even for laundry and hand soap (and yes, you can get it in a 1 gallon jug for cost saving and refill convenience!).

Usually I find something I am not crazy about with a product. This time, I honestly can say I am 100% happy with it. The size is generous, the price is comparable to other cleaners - especially when you consider the size of the bottle: 32 oz of Tropical Traditions Cleaner is $7 compared to, for example, 12 oz of Method cleaner for $4 (prices in US dollars for comparison). I love that it's scent-free (although I imagine if you wanted to, you could simply add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil for fragrance). I don't have to worry about getting harmful chemicals on my skin while cleaning, or near my food, or adding to environmental toxins. And the best part, it seriously does the job.

So there you go. Whole-hearted endorsement from me. I really think if you try it, you will agree.

Tropical Traditions has generously offered one of my readers the chance to try a bottle of the All Purpose Nontoxic Household Cleaner for free!

The giveaway:
A 32 oz. spray bottle of Tropical Traditions All Purpose Cleaner!

How to enter: Head over to Tropical Traditions and let me know one other thing you'd like to try, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Subscribe via email to the Tropical Traditions newsletter
  
• Follow @troptraditions on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win non-toxic, natural Household Cleaner from @TropTraditions at Emily's Latest @emilyisland http://bit.ly/8ZDooL US/CAN 9/8
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Tropical Traditions – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺ If you already do any of these things, it still counts for entries!

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends September 8th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway. (FYI - it's unlikely to have a charge, being well under the $60 that incurs duty charges! There was no extra charge on my bottle, which came to Canada quickly and packaged well!)

Our little family

I love this picture :)It was taken a few weeks ago, at just over 13 weeks. I'm telling myself this is not really a pregnancy post!

Bumblewee! You need to know...

If you are looking for maternity or nursing clothing, check out Bumblewee Nursing Wear! Bumblewee is a Canadian company that stocks the big names in maternity and nursing clothing, like Japanese Weekend, Mamajamas and 1 in the Oven. Plus... FREE shipping to Canada AND the US! Seriously. Love it.

Right now they're having an amazing contest too - every day until September 15th, they are selecting a winner for a free top. You even get to choose from their big Sweepstakes collection. I love how many of the tops are transitional, so they'll work during and after pregnancy.

When you enter, please let them know I referred you (Emily B. or Emily's Latest)! Thanks, girls!

Head on over here to enter (you can enter each day for that day's draw). Oh, and when you enter, you get a 50% off coupon for anything in their Sweepstakes category!

AND as if that weren't enough Bumblewee goodness, I'll be reviewing a top from them soon. UPDATE: - it will come with a giveaway for my readers!

Random stuff.

I'm exhausted. All the time. And also hungry all the time. I know I said I wasn't going to be doing "ooh, I'm all pregnant" posts, but - wow, it's hard to concentrate these days.

I've started entering some giveaways again for baby stuff... if you follow me on twitter, I'm probably driving you nuts with the "Win a..." tweets. Honestly, giveaways with daily entry tweets drive me nuts too (and that's why my giveaways are single tweet entry only). Sorry about that. On the other hand, if you follow me on twitter, you probably like to win stuff too, so maybe you'll see a couple new giveaways to enter that way.

Speaking of, I have a giveaway coming up for Tropical Traditions - their household cleaner is the product up for review and for grabs for one lucky winner. I'll tell you more about it when I do the review but for now I'll say I'm 100% happy with it and you will be too if you win. So, wait for it. It's coming this week.

Meanwhile if you haven't entered my two giveaways that are on now, check them out! Top left is the list with links.

Lastly, this is super cute and ends today:


Baby Steps Blog is giving away a MoMoPics hand-stenciled onesie!
Click to Enter.

The Belly.

It's big and strange to me. My clothes don't fit. I don't recognize my body when I look in the mirror. And I'm only 15 weeks along! Good grief.

Sibu Beauty - Review and Giveaway!

Sibu Beauty is a remarkable company with products focused around the sea buckthorn berry. I hadn't heard of this superfruit before so I was intrigued. The sea buckthorn berry is an orange berry that is rich in Omega (3, 6, and the rare 7) fatty acids, which are beneficial to our health and protect against free-radical damage. It is harvested in Tibet and Sibu makes a point of ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions for the people who harvest the berries.

I've had the opportunity to try a few of Sibu Beauty's products. I've tried the revitalize and renew liquid supplement, which is a juice primarily made from the sea buckthorn berry. It tastes like a yummy fruit juice, kind of exotic, and is a beautiful orange colour. The juice promotes healthy hair, nails and skin, and is a great source of those Omega fatty acids.

The repair and protect sea buckthorn facial cream is fabulous. I love the smell and the light consistency and the subtle citrusy scent of this cream. I also love the packaging - it comes in a glass bottle with a pump, very high-end in style and looks great on my counter! The Omega 7 in the cream helps boost collagen production.

I also tried the cleanse and detox sea buckthorn facial soap. I liked the smell initially, it is (to my nose) kind of like a mix between orange and jojoba, but now that my high-intensity pregnancy smelling superpower has kicked in I find the scent too strong. But while I was using it, before I became a bloodhound, I liked the way it left my skin feeling soft and clean, and I did not feel that my skin was dried out or screaming for moisturizer. The soap is all natural and lathers up really nicely.

The last item I got to review was the sea buckthorn seed oil. This oil is used as a topical treatment for skin problems (and I'm, unfortunately, like a poster child for skin conditions). I really was looking forward to testing this one out. It is 100% therapeutic grade organic sea buckthorn seed oil. Very intriguing. BUT... sadly for me, the package insert instructs to consult your health care practitioner if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and because my doctor has never heard of it, I decided to live on the cautious side and haven't tried it. It's probably fine but with my history, I'm not taking any chances. So this one I can't weigh in on, but would love to hear if anyone has!

My photo doesn't really do the products justice, but here it is (and please excuse my freak show of an orchid):
Sibu Beauty has VERY generously offered not one, but two fantastic packages, so two of my lucky readers will have a chance to try their natural products:

Package #1: Sibu Beauty’s Beauty & Wellness Package (ARV $55.85 US):

• Cleanse & Detox Facial Soap,
  
• Revitalize & Renew Liquid Supplement,
  
• Repair & Protect Facial Cream.

Package #2: Sibu Beauty Anti-Aging Package (ARV $69.95 US):

• Cellular Support Gel Caps (note to my vegetarian friends: these do contain gelatin),
  
• Age Defying Eye Cream,
  
• Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil.

The giveaway: One winner will receive the Beauty and Wellness Package, and one winner will receive the Anti-Aging Package!

How to enter: Head over to Sibu Beauty and let me know what product intrigues you, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner! Also (and this is mandatory!) - please leave in your first comment WHICH of the two packages you would like to win!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Visit the Sibu Beauty Blog and tell me something you learned there.
  
• Follow Sibu Beauty on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win 1 of 2 @Sibu_Beauty prizes at Emily's Latest. Natural, Organic and Gorgeous! @emilyisland http://bit.ly/dbgvwX US/CAN 8/26
  

• Like Sibu Beauty on Facebook (leave your first name and last inital for verification)
  
• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends August 26th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: Sibu Beauty is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge. For what it's worth, I was not charged any additional fees at the border on my order.