Still...

I'm not really here, not really posting.. I need to get this Mac going so I can get back to my regular life! But there are a couple of giveaways I just had to share because they are so great. So, quickly:

For baby/tot:

• Win a $150 gift certificate to Zutano clothing at Fabulous Fun Finds! It's part of the ongoing Baby Shower Blast. Ends May 18th.

For anyone:

• Win a 3-piece bedding set from Canadian company Seth & Grayson at Bellaziza's Favorite Things! Ends May 18th as well.

ok, back to file transferring for me. the fun never ends.

P.s. - check out this video of the Miracle Blanket in action. Amazing! I think this product is a must for any new parents!

AFK

Sorry folks, I have been busy trying to get this Mac up and running - I haven't forgotten about the blog... I will be back with more giveaways soon, I promise!

Boom and sparkle!

It is a weird weather day here, alternating thunderstorms (with hail) and brilliant sunshine! It's about 17 degrees. I like it - this is interesting weather!
I'm still waiting for the peas I planted 8 days ago to show any sign of life. I hope they were viable seeds. Our crabapple tree is this close to blossoming - we planted it last fall so we are very excited to see it in bloom! Waiting is the hardest part of gardening!

I was busy yesterday, running around and then out for Indian food in downtown Toronto. It was fun to go out with our friends. For once I didn't get a stomachache after eating Indian food! So I was too busy to post but I'll do a little bit of catching up today as my DH has gone out to run some errands.

For baby:

• Win a stainless steel baby bottle from Canadian company Organic Kidz at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. I don't know how you feel about it, but I can't stand it when a 'z' is used in place of an 's'! I'm a spelling prude. Ends May 18th.
• Win a pair of Scooterbees baby shoes at {Natural}Mommie. Ends May 18th.
• Win a Twilight Sea Turtle from Cloud B at All Things 4 Baby and Mom! Ends May 20th.
• Win a block letter alphabet vinyl wall decoration from Tastysuite at Just for Me... And You. Ends May 17th. I think this would be super cute in a nursery, don't you?
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to DownEast clothing at Simple Finds. Ends May 14th.
• Win body scrub and massage oil from tabutoys over at Helping Mommys Win. Ends May 12th.
• Win your choice of any personalized paper product from Peony Paperie at The Shopping Mama. Ends May 16th.
  

Crazy Thursday

Okay, how did it get to be Thursday already? I spent the whole day yesterday thinking it was Tuesday (and thus missed Lost, don't tell me what happened!). Plus this laptop thing.. ugh, steep learning curve.
Anyway. I'm eating a cupcake so the morning's getting better :) and here are some giveaways for today...

For the ladies:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Layers clothing at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! What a great prize. Ends May 17th.
• Win four balls of cotton yarn and knitting needles from KnitPicks at Things Moms Like. Note: you have to join their Facebook group. Ends May 30th.
• Win a Bamboo 5 Piece makeup Brush Set from the Ecotools Collection at Simply Stacie. Ends May 20th.
• Win some of Durex's new adult fun products - Quiver and Utopia - at Dexter's Super Savvy Mommy. Ends May 10th at noon EST.
  

For baby/tot:

• Win a Boon Bug Pod (bath scoop/storage) at Mom Most Traveled! Ends May 15th and you can enter daily.
• Win a Warmies Wipes Warmer for reuseable wipes at The Green Mom Review! Ends May 18th.
• Win a One Small Change Portable Changing Station at The Green Mom Review! Ends May 11th.
• Win a Laundress hypoallergenic gift bag from Pure & Little at MomDot - containing laundry detergent, dryer sheets and stain solution all safe for baby. Ends May 15th.
• Win a Little Chickie Wear onesie at My Mom's View! Love that 'may contain peanut' one! How cute. Ends May 14th.
• Win a Mermapillar tee at My Organized Chaos. You choose the size, colour, and Merma-critter. Ends May 15th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a bottle of Organic Lavender Hydrosol from Aromatics International at Your Mama Reviews. Ends May 14th. I wouldn't recommend this for boys, infant or not - here's some info about lavender and unusual, unwanted effects on boys!
  

Mac is making me crazy

I got a new laptop, and it's a Mac. My first Mac since 1994 and guys it is making me twelve kinds of crazy. I woke up at 5am stressing on it.
The main reason is that two of my daily-use programs from my PC I can't get for Mac... Roboform and Sweep!... I have so much data and so much time invested in these two programs!

Roboform is a form filler and password saver
Sweep! keeps track of contests, entries, tells you when it's ok to enter again, takes you to the site. I highly recommend both for PC users who like the giveaways.
:(

Edit: I learned that I can run Fusion, which basically lets you run the Windows OS in a new window on the Mac! Yay. A little less easy than what I'm used to, but at least I can still use my favourite programs!

Published! (and some giveaways)

I'm excited! I am going to have a recipe published in Best Health magazine. It won't come out until September, but still. :) Anyways, on to the giveaways list, I know that's why you really come here! lol.

For the ladies:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret at Miracles on Mama Street! This would be awesome to win. If you ever shop at VS make sure to find some coupon codes - there's always a deal or freebie with purchase to be had. (I like retailmenot for good online retail coupons.). Ends May 31.
• Win two Boob maternity tops at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House! I love the look of these. Ends May 20th.
• Win a pair of soy Yogo yoga pants at {Natural} Mommie! These look SO comfy. Ends May 11th.
• Win a pair of Moving Comfort capris at Barefoot Mommy. Ends May 19th.
• Win a Hip-T at A Simple Kinda Life. Ends June 2nd (not the 6th like I had typo'd! Thanks for pointing that out, Angie!).
• Win some Vera Wang Stationery at Things Moms Like. Ends May 20th.
• Win an Ellembee t-shirt at Sandier Pastures! I'm a big fan. Ends May 7th!
  

For baby/tots:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Tiny Soles at Shop With Me Mama. Ends May 7th so hurry!
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Bei Bambini at Tales from a Shopaholic Mommy! Oh, my gosh. The clothes are lovely! Ends May 20th.
• Win a pair of See Kai Run shoes at Thrifty Minnesota Mama! Love those SKR shoes! Ends May 20th. Just a reminder, if you do win ask if the sponsor would put 'sample' rather than 'sale' on the shipping invoice if it's coming to Canada! It might save you the $13 in customs/duty.

For anyone:

• Win Coconut Milk Organix shampoo and conditioner at The Screamin' Deal. Ends May 7th. I have tried the Tea Tree and Mint shampoo and conditioner from Organix and I have to say I was not impressed. It smells great but does not do nice things to my hair (or my husband's). We put it in the guest bathroom - is that mean? lol. But perhaps the Coconut version is nicer. Surely it will smell great.
• Win a t-shirt from SnorgTees at Simply Stacie. Snorg is the sound my dog makes when he's sleeping. Just FYI. Ends May 19th.
  

Just giveaways and no blather.

I'm all typed out from yesterday, straight to the giveaways list today! :)

First off, a free sample of Mom's Healthy Secrets organic cereal. This is for Canada only.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Manhattan Toy at My Mom's View! I like their selection of developmental and award-winning toys! Ends May 11th.
• Win a Naturepedic crib mattress at {Natural} Mommie! What an awesome giveaway! Ends May 15th.
• Win a Baby Einstein Lullaby Classics CD at Frugal Shopping with Julie. Ends May 14th.
• Win a Green to Grow Welcome Home Set at The Army Wife. I'm not sure when this one ends. There are no eligibility rules that I saw, but note that Green to Grow's website says they don't ship outside the US. So, you can take or leave your chances with this one.
• Win a Little Chickie Wear onesie or tee at Everything Up Close! Cute stuff. Ends May 13th.
• Win a pair of Jack & Lily shoes at Country Girl, City Life! I adore these. Ends May 8th.
• Win a Little Towheads onesie at My Funny Bunny! Ends May 30th.
  

For kids:

• Win one of two pairs of Ahnu Benicia shoes (for little girls) at Celebrity Baby Clothes! Ends May 11th.

For the ladies:

• Win a Body Shop gift set at Designs by Vanessa! That would be so nice. Ends May 10th.
• Win a Crunchy Cute coupon organizer at The Shopping Mama! Ends May 16th. I have one but this looks better than mine! Nice!
  

For anyone:

• Win a $50 VISA card and Kleenex Anti-Viral tissues at MomStart! Ends May 30th.
• Win Lunchbots stainless steel containers at The Opinionated Parent. Ends May 12th.
• Win the clothing item of your choice from Ellembee at Dev's Favourite Giveaways! Ellembee has baby onesies, ladies' tees, tanks, skirts, hoodies, and even scarves! Ends May 11th.
• Win a custom two-pack of Nuworld Botanicals aromatherapy vials at The Beauty Counter! Ends May 14th.
  

more to come!

POM Wonderful cupcakes!

So a little while ago I won a coupon for a bottle of POM Wonderful from All Things Edible. Thanks, Jenny! I had thought it would be great in smoothies (I still think so - POM, a little vanilla frozen yogourt and blueberries, yum!), but I was inspired by her brownies to get a little more creative.

I headed to the POM Wonderful website and picked out the POM Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting. Chocolate is my weakness, this sounded perfect. I had picked up the Pomegranate-Cherry variation of POM (there are several different kinds!) and it seemed the perfect choice to go with chocolate.

The first thing I discovered when I opened the fridge was that my dear, handsome, smart and wonderful husband had guzzled down half the bottle of POM during one of his secret midnight fridge raids! Argh! And what do you bet he drank straight from the bottle?! Grr. So straight off the bat I had to halve the recipe. That's okay, though, because with only the two of us 24 cupcakes would be too much.

I bake a LOT, so the cupcakes were a breeze. They turned out perfectly - dark, rich and moist, with a slightly crispy top. I used my silicone baking cups rather than paper ones. They look pretty good, right? They are!

Okay, the icing. Now I am not the kind of baker who ices things. I kind of like my cupcakes plain and find icing too sweet. But I had the recipe right there so I decided to go for it. Not being an icer in general, I had practically no knowledge base for icing. Now I think I know a little better. I followed the directions to the letter (carefully halving all of the ingredients) and ended up with liquid icing. Delicious liquid icing, but liquid all the same. I tried adding more icing sugar. I tried adding more butter. I should have just divided the batch by a third and added more icing sugar, but I was invested in it by then and didn't want to! I added a good 2 cups more icing sugar (on top of the original 1 1/4 cups) and about 1/4 cup more butter. I still ended up with icing the consistency of un-set pudding - now with little lumps.

Finally I gave up and simply dipped the cupcakes in it. It is runny but will harden to more of a glaze. Unfortunately, it's not pretty - there are lumps of butter and sugar. Kind of disappointing. The taste, however, is fabulous, so I think I may be forgiven.

Next time I would leave out all the liquid in the icing recipe (the water and the milk) except the POM. I would beat the butter, sugar, melted chocolate and vanilla together, and slowly add in the juice rather than follow the recipe. Also I would make about a quarter as much - I ended up freezing a bagful of leftover lumpy icing, maybe it will work as a cake filling or in sandwich cookies.

Overall, they taste fantastic so I can't complain too much. I wish they looked better - I simply ran out of patience with the icing. I probably should have abandoned the batch and started over but like I said, I got invested.

And I'm still a little peeved that DH drank all that POM. I will have to pick up a bottle and hide it just for me! Relabel it 'PMS medicine' or something so he doesn't drink it! lol.

Rollercoasters and deliciousness

I had such a fun weekend! Let me start by saying the Behemoth (the giant new roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland) is AWESOME. We went on twice and honestly I would rather have done that one all day long than any of the other rides. So fun, a smooth ride, three+ minutes of exhilarating speed! So I am thrilled to learn that I am not too old for roller coasters, after all.

After that, we took our friend (who's from out west, only in town for a little while) to one of our favourite restaurants. The restaurant is Fresh, down on Queen West in Toronto. It's vegan - if you've ever thought vegan or vegetarian food sounds boring or unsatisfying, get yourself to Fresh for an education. Their food is simply amazing, I highly recommend it. And if you go, save room for the carrot cake - it won't disappoint.

Two things were unfortunate about the day, though. One: we were on Flight Deck (another coaster) and the ride was delayed. We'd finished our ride and were sitting in the cars waiting to get out while the other train was in the station. They had some technical trouble and we ended up sitting there strapped into the seats for a good 10 minutes. There were some young teenage boys (13 or 14?) in the back of the train and they were basically shouting out all the bad words they could think of. Most of them were related to women's body parts. Not cool.

The second thing I saw that wasn't cool... we were waiting in line for one of the other coasters and in front of us were two young girls. Now I am not great at judging ages, but I'd say being just over 4' tall and very young looking, maybe 10 or 12 years old. Just starting to fill out but still scrawny in that kid way. Both girls were wearing a ton of makeup, and one girl had half her chest hanging out. I mean, more skin than I have ever shown as an adult (aside from swimsuits, maybe). Her nipples were just barely covered. I know that young girls are practically trained to be sexual in our society, and I really have a problem with that. These girls have no idea what they are doing. They might think they are smart and cool and in some immature and unformed way 'sexy', but please... 10-year-olds should not be trying to be 'sexy', it's just wrong. And it made me wonder, where is the parenting that is so obviously needed.

Am I way off base thinking these kids really need some parental intervention, and bad? I know kids that age act out. It's part of growing up, testing boundaries, all that stuff. They're still developing morality. And they can be hard to control (I certainly had my moments as a teen). But they are still kids. They need the lines for appropriate behaviour drawn for them, and reinforced. Any comments?

Ok rant over. Thanks for bearing with me, I just had to get that out.

Weekend guest!

We have a weekend guest coming later today and staying over! It's an old friend of my DH's from out west. So of course the morning was spent cleaning :) and I still have groceries to buy, so this will be quick. Tomorrow we're taking him to Canada's Wonderland - I'm so excited about the new giant rollercoaster, the Behemoth (the biggest, tallest and fastest in Canada!), but also a little worried that I'm getting too old to enjoy rides like that.

My mum (garden guru) says it's too early to plant radishes and carrots.. (carrost if you are an NFB fan). The last frost date here is May 9th so I guess I have to wait!

I'll see how far I get on the giveaways today, might not be too far, but that just means more for Monday right?!

For baby:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Parenting By Nature at My Mom's View! Ends May 11th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a peppermint foot lotion and citrus toner from Aromatic Health (a Canadian company!) at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends May 10th!
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Layers clothing at The Write Gal! Ends May 18th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Madi Couture at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! This can go towards womens clothes, kids clothes, handbags, jewellery, games, and more! Ends May 10th.
• This one's for the grown-ups. Win two fun Durex products at My Mommy Said! No, they're not condoms. Ends May 16th.
  

Happy Weekend!

Yay! Love the weekend. Ours started early - DH decided to stay home today. But it wasn't for relaxation - I decided to call and get our soil delivery moved up to today! We spent the day hauling triple-mix back to the backyard and the new vegetable beds, and removing the old sod that we'd left in piles when we dug it up. Then I ran out and picked up some plants (love plant shopping!) - I got a bunch for the urns on our front porch, and also a couple herbs, lavender, strawberry plants and seed packets. I planted the peas today! Fun!

Is it too early to plant beans, radishes and carrots? I kind of feel like it would be okay.

Swag code

I know some of my bloggy friends are collecting SwagBucks - here is a code that is still working for now (they expire fast, it seems): twitter10k gets you 1 Swag Buck. Sorry folks this one is long expired... Feel free to add codes in the comments!

If you haven't signed up for SwagBucks yet, you can sign up by clicking this (this is a referral link, if you use it, thanks!):



You get SwagBucks for downloading the toolbar and doing searches, it varies how many (sometimes none, average for me is about 3 per day) which you can then redeem for gift cards and other merch. I just use it like I would Google. Although it doesn't seem as thorough, usually it gets the job done and I get the random reward.

Thursday already?

This week - month - year - is flying by. And let me just say I'm on day 3 of a massive headache. I'm not taking anything for it because we're TTC. Ice packs aren't working. I think my chiropractor visit yesterday made it worse. What do I do? I can't live like this!
Ok pity party over. (Well, at least I'll stop talking about it.)

Oh, and the Baskin Robbins deal last night - did anyone go? My husband and I walked over with the dog, but the lineup was inSANE. So we walked back home, stopping in at No Frills on the way and picked up a box of PC Peanut Butter and Chocolate frozen bars. Not quite like the Baskin Robbins PB&C I was craving but close enough and no waiting in line!

Hey, guess what? I was lucky and won these Zoo Animals (pictured) from Happy Squash toys at The Shopping Mama! Love! They're super cute :)

Edited to add, July 12, 2011: My daughter, Mia, LOVES the zebra and has from 1 month through to now (5 months). Great toys! The giraffe did lose his spots to fading though, since we've had it.

*Yawn!*

Good morning... well, late morning... I got a slow start today somehow. And I haven't had my morning coffee yet. I've managed to wean myself off the caffeinated version but I still rely on my morning coffee to make me feel like I'm awake and ready to face the day. Weird. I guess a habit this old dies hard!

I've found a bunch of giveaways today, lots of good ones! If you've been waiting for more baby shoes, there are a few! Also some sweet clothing and a playful giveaway for the grown-ups!

For baby:

• Win an adorable animal print onesie by Infinitely Sweet at Life Starring Ellie and Eve. They come in giraffe or zebra! I can't decide which is cuter. Ends May 10th.
• Win a Bumkins contour fitted diaper and a Bumkins waterproof diaper cover as part of the AIO Showdown at Your Mama Reviews! Ends May 15th.
• Win a Baby Dipper spoon and bowl set at Thrifty Minnesota Mama! Ends May 16th.
• Win a Grape Woven Rufflebutt at Simply Stacie! So girly. So cute. Ends May 12th.
• Win a pair of Bobux soft-soled leather shoes at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls! Ends May 5th.
• Win a pair of See Kai Run shoes at Giftfully Simple! Ends May 5th as well.
• Another pair of See Kai Run shoes is up for grabs at The Life and Times of the Perry Family! Ends April 30th so hurry!
• Win a $75 gift certificate to Ecobebe (a Canadian boutique!) at Jolly Mom. Wouldn't you love that?! I know I would. Ends May 12th.
• Win a Bamboobino after-bath hat at My Mom's View! Bamboobino is a Canadian company :) Ends May 7th.
• Win a Baby Traveller Deluxe convertible diaper bag from gr8x at Ramblings of a Wannabe Writer! Ends May 9th.
• Win a baby basket full of goodies - Zah Organics Kimono Set, Zah Organics Portofino Baby Set, Natural & Fair Trade Basket, handmade ooden Rattle, and Debra Lynn Dadd’s book, Really Green - at Go Natural Baby blog. Ends May 17th.
  

For mum:

• Win a Cloud B Mommie Blanket from DoGree at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. It looks soft and cuddly! Ends May 10th - and open to Canadians only!

For grown-ups:

• Win an Eden Fantasys Exploring Ultimate Fantasies Game at Helping Mommys Win! Adults need toys, too. Ends May 4th.
  

That's it for today :)

Also, remember it's 31 cent scoop night tonight at Baskin Robbins from 5-10 pm! My DH and I have a date :)

Cookie Tuesday

I'm all excited today because I found this great recipe for Toffee Oatmeal Cookies over on Manic Mother's blog. (I know, it doesn't take much to get me excited!). I'm going to make these today. Yum!
Edit: okay, cookies made. This recipe made 73 cookies for me (I rolled them into 1 1/4" balls and pressed with a fork before baking for a more standardized round cookie). Minus the three I ate when they came out of the oven - had to test them, of course - that's a lot of cookies! I parceled them into three boxes and froze two. This is a flat, crispy-chewy cookie, very sweet. I think next time I would swap out half the toffee bits for chopped pecans.

I wouldn't really call it a Manic Martha Moment for me, because I bake all the time. There is always something baked around, usually muffins but I'll do loaves, cookies, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, bread, whatever - I just love baking. I don't like icing, though, so I rarely do the kind of cake that needs it. Last weekend I made a fennel cake with grapefruit glaze from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I think it was pretty good, but a little bland. Next time I will add some Pastis to kick up the fennel flavour, and maybe add some lemon to the glaze.

The new vegetable garden!

Okay, it's not a garden quite yet. But it will be soon! We spent the weekend building these boxes and digging out sod (we transplanted it to the areas the dog has killed - you can see some of his unfortunate effects on the lawn by the boxes). The lawn is sloped so we had to dig out a bit to get the boxes level. Also, it rained like crazy a couple days ago and the sod was wet and heavy with mud. What a lot of hard work!
This is a view from our deck. The grate in the corner is in a neighbour's lot, not ours!

The boxes are made of red cedar, and are 4' by 8', and 11" tall. They are very sturdy with tension bars across the middle (to prevent the soil pressure from bowing out the sides) and supports at the corners and on the sides.

We still have to install some tubes on the side that will hold flexible piping bowed over the tops of the boxes (for bird netting or for climbing plants like peas). And, of course, we have to fill them with triple-mix and seeds/plants!

The total supplies for the boxes came to about $300. We did opt for cedar over pressure treated wood because the chemicals can leach out of PT wood (and into edible plants - yuck). We also opted to go with 4x4" corner posts and 2x6" side boards which will be long-lasting and very sturdy. This was kind of pricey but we are looking at the long-term, growing our own produce is the way to go.

We are the only house on our street so far to put in a veggie garden! Granted, the street is only two years old. But I was surprised we were the only ones out there. A bunch of neighbours came out to see what we were working on (we don't have fences down this end of the street yet). Hopefully we will inspire them!

Ahhh, Monday

I like Mondays. I have a late night teaching tonight but the day is all mine. And luckily, the dog decided he was done being sick by yesterday afternoon. We spent the weekend building and putting in raised beds for new vegetable gardens. OW. I am sore all over from the lifting (cedar and wet sod + mud are heavy!) and digging we did.

I found lots of giveaways over the weekend and didn't have time to post them so today there will be a big list!

For baby:

• Win a $100 gift certificate to Zutano - they have a new line of newborn clothing, as well as clothes for baby and tot. Enter at My Organized Chaos! Ends May 8th.
• {Natural} Mommie has a few giveaways that I hadn't mentioned yet. Like the Swaddle Designs Organic Ultimate Swaddling Blanket here. And the set of six (wow) Loo Roos AIO diapers here. And the stylish wetbag from Monkey Foot Designs here. All three of these giveaways end on May 2nd.
• Win a BornFree grab bag at Next Kid Thing! Ends May 6th.
• Win one of three Dream-Eze cloth diapers at Your Mama Reviews! It's the AIO showdown week at her site and there will be more giveaways, too!
• Win a Fresh Baby So Easy Food Kit and a Mama Jewel at Thrifty Minnesota Mama! Ends May 13th.
• Another chance to win a Win a Fresh Baby So Easy Food Kit at Donna's World. This one ends April 29!
  
• Win a Boon Saucer and Benders at My Organized Chaos! Ends May 5th.
• Win a baby girl Princess onesie from Bee Beek Accessories at Our Life Upstate! Very cute. Ends May 7th.
• Win a baby onesie or tee from Baby Rock Apparel at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls. Ends May 3rd.
• Win a fair trade baby onesie or tee from Rage Baby at Me and My Boys. Ends May 10th.
• Win an organic Puddlefoot baby tee at Go Graham Go! Ends May 10th.
• Win a cute pacifier clip by CuckooBoo at The Laughs Will Go On! Ends May 4th.
• Win a pair of Jack & Lily shoes at Just for Me... And You! Ends May 7th. I adore the sailboat shoes! How cute!
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Tiny Tots with Style at Me and My Boys! Ends May 10th.
• Win a Blue Bunny Little Friend from Serena & Lily at Jamie's Precious Peas! Ends May 8th (I'm pretty sure. The post says it ends March 8th but it was posted today!)
• Win a Being Dad DVD at Confessions of a Housewife! This is for new and expecting dads. Ends April 28th.
  

For kids:

• Win a Little Fish Strappy Dress for your little girl (any size up to 7/8) by Whimsy Couture at Etsy It Up! It's really cute. Ends May 3rd.

For the ladies:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Shade Clothing from Simple Finds! Ends May 7th.
  

Win cash by putting your baby to sleep!

Really? Really! Just a reminder - if you are using the Miracle Blanket to soothe your little one to sleep, get out the video camera - your video could win you $500, $100 or $50! There is still time to enter as the contest doesn't close until May 15th.I'll have more giveaways to list soon, just a busy weekend over here! The dog is sick (UGH) and we've been running around getting supplies and starting to build our raised vegetable gardens.

The pregnant friend tally is up to six, SIX, good grief, what was going on in December/January?!

Happy Weekend (almost)!

Quick!!! head here to claim a free Deep Steep bubble Bath from VIV Says and Holistic Beauty. There were only 10 available, and I just claimed one :) free shipping, too!

Yay, Friday! And where I am the weekend looks like it will be a nice one. Hope it's so where you are, too.
Some giveaways for today...

For baby:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Happy Green Bee organic baby & kids' clothing from Wishing Penny. Ends May 2nd.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Swami Baby yoga wear at Prissy Green! Ends May 9th.
• Win a pair of See Kai Run shoes at Simply Stacie! Super cute! Ends May 7th.
• Win a jingle bell anklet for baby from Baby Emi at My Organized Chaos. Ends May 2nd.
  

For mum:

• Win a GlamourMom nursing top (your choice!) at A Kindred Spirit's Thoughts! Ends May 13th.
• Win a good-looking Swanki Hat at Grosgrain! Ends May 6th.
• Win a set of Body Shop products from Barefoot Mommy! Take the quiz to find out what kind of mother yours is. Ends May 4th.
• Win a Hip-T at ShimmerMeBlue! Ends May 7th.
• Win some fun Ozone Socks (see pic!) at The Mommy Diaries. I like the Stripy ones :) Ends April 29th.
• This is a really amazing giveaway! Win a basket of chocolate goodness (really, so much chocolate goodness) and a $50 VISA gift card! WOW! It's all up for grabs over at Barking Mad. Ends May 1st!

Just a reminder, you can grab my fancy-schmancy button over there at the left! It's cute! It's rabbity! It links directly here! :)

Thursday... all is full of love

If you were/are a Björk fan, hi! I used to be an obsessive fan (back in my youth, when obsession over music was de rigeur). The first time I heard Debut I was enraptured. I still love some of her older songs. And the Marcel Gondry videos are really amazing!

Blog love

Annette, aka the Fairy Blog Mother, has given me a Sisterhood Award! How sweet. Time to pass it on to some of my favourite blogs.


1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

Here are my nominees... some of my favourite blogs!

1. Momma in Flip Flops2
2. MommyKnows
3. {Natural} Mommie
4. Life Starring Ellie and Eve
5. My Moms View
6. Annie's Home
7. My Organized Chaos
8. Simply Stacie
9. Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House
10. Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls

Only ten? I easily could have gone on. Thank you and hugs to the bloggers who make my morning :)

Happy Earth Day!

Today, if you bring a travel mug to Starbucks, you can get a free Pike Roast coffee (yes, it comes in decaf too for those of us off caffeine!).
Also, if you go to the LaCoupe website today, they will plant a tree for you. Look for the pop-up window!
Some more giveaways for today (not as freely given as the Starbucks one but hey, someone's got to win!):

For baby:

• Win a bamboo hooded towel from Bamboosa at My Moms View! If you haven't tried bamboo yet, it's fantastic. Super soft, anti-microbial and sustainable! Ends April 30th.
• Win a bottle of ErbaOrganics Baby Body Wash at Prissy Green. Ends May 9th.
• Win a fair-trade Bubble Wrap baby carrier (Bubble Wrap is a Canadian company!) at {Natural} Mommie! I'm excited about this one. Her review is really positive. Ends April 29th.
• Win a BabyHawk Mei Tai baby carrier at Metropolitan Mama! Ends April 30th.
• Win a set of three FuzziBunz cloth diapers at Monkey Toes! ends April 27th.
  

For the 3+ set:

• Win a toy recycling truck from Green Toys Inc. at Bookroom Reviews! Ends May 1st.
  

For women:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Payless towards a pair of eco-friendly zoe&zac shoes from Prissy Green! Ends May 6th.
• For expecting women or new moms - win a Belly Bandit and Diaper Bag at Simple Finds! Ends April 27th.
  

For anyone:

• Win an Earthlust stainless steel bottle from Fabulous Fun Finds. I love the designs on these. Ends April 28th.
• Win a Lunchbots stainless steel container from Go Graham Go! These remind me a little of bento boxes. We've recycled all our old plastic containers and replaced them with glass and steel ones. They last way longer and there is no BPA, of course! Ends May 6th.
• Win a reuseable sandwich wrap from Lavish & Lime (another Canadian company!) at True Cuddles! Must be a subscriber to win (but it's a great site so why not!). Ends April 26th.
• Then if you go to Lavish & Lime you can enter to win a huge eco-friendly basket! (The entry will also subscribe you to their site). Ends May 1st.
  

Sites to visit for Tuesday

Thanks for the podcast suggestions, keep 'em coming! I will look into them all!

Here are some giveaways for today....

For baby:

• Win a cloth diaper with insert and diaper cover from Snugs Boutique (a Canadian company!) at My Mom's View. If you are looking at purchasing cloth diapers, check the Snugs site out here - the prices are very good plus Canadian buyers won't have to pay duty like you would ordering some of the big-name diapers from the US! Giveaway ends April 30th.
• Win a set of sushi wipes by Cloth Couture at Mommy Goggles. Cute! Ends May 4th.
• Win a Diaper Dekor Disposal System at The Next Kid Thing! A necessary evil :) Ends on the 24th, I think. Unless 'next Friday' means May 1st.
  

For the ladies:

• Win an absolutely gorgeous pleated silk tank top from Grosgrain. I really mean gorgeous. Also stunning. And lovely. Ends April 26th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a set of personalized recipe cards or note cards from Paperluxe Studio! These are so gorgeous. What a lot of gorgeousness today! Ends April 27th.
• Continuing with the stationery theme, win a Zebra Airfit Jell pen from The Pen Addict! Ends April 24th.
  

Podcasts?

So I've had this iPod sitting on my desk for about three months, unused. I decided today, since I'm out of audiobooks at the library (I've listened to all the ones I'm interested in that they have - it's a small town library), that I'd try podcasts. The trouble is that my two favourite programs on CBC - WireTap and Age of Persuasion - are NOT available on podcast. So disappointing!

I need something to listen to while I work. I prefer intelligent comedy (I like WireTap because it's sarcastically hilarious - vulgar or 'shock' comedy just doesn't really turn my crank) , fiction or mysteries (is there such a thing as a podcast where they just read a chapter of a book to you at a time?), or something culture-related (I like Age of Persuasion because it talks about the history of advertising, how it has developed, and how it has effected consumer culture). I need something that keeps me interested and is talking as opposed to music (unless it's an interesting program that combines talk and music, like Alan Cross' History of New Music which also is not available on Podcast!!! ARGH!).

So I am wondering if anyone who reads this has a suggestion for a podcast to subscribe to. I'd really appreciate it.

Sweet Monday

It was a crazy weekend here and I'm relieved it's Monday, despite the rain. Here are some giveaways for today...

For baby:

• Win a BambooDreams Baby Gift Set (in the color Lilypad With Chocolate Trim), complete with blanket, hat and socks from My Organized Chaos. What a nice gift or lovely treat for your own child. Ends April 26th.
• Win a baby tee or onesie from BonnBonn baby at Pajama Mommy. Ends April 25th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win your choice of shoes from the Spring/Summer line from Neuaura at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! These are animal-friendly, I'm happy to say! Ends May 1st.

For anyone:

• Win an Otter Bottle at ecochick! You can read my review of the Otter Bottle here. I like mine - why don't you try your luck! Ends April 27th.
• Win a great prize pack of unusual foodie treats including a jar of Black Lava Salt, Das Caramelinis in Cafe Cortado and Chai Latte, and 4 Das lolli's from Das Foods at Love, Life, Family... And Then Some! Ends April 27th.