Review- Lise Watier's HydraForce

 Have you heard about the amazing new product from Lise Watier? It's called Hydraforce and it's hydra-protective comforting cream. I was given this product to try by GlamSense- a product testing company like Influenster. GlamSense was started by the Canadian subscription based company Top Box. I'm thrilled to be working with not only a Canadian brand but a Canadian testing company too. 

My skin does not handle our rough Canadian winters very well so this product arrived in the nick of time! My skin had been feeling very tight and dry from the cold winter weather and arid forced air from my furnace. When I opened the lid of this product I was greeted by a lovely fragrance.  Hydraforce definitely has a strong perfume smell to it so if you have a sensitivity to scents I would be cautious with this product. I thoroughly enjoyed the scent of this product but I do not have any sensitivities to smells. The cream is white and opaque and you only need to apply a small amount to your face otherwise it will feel heavy and greasy. It absorbs quickly and feels great under make up or on its own. I used this product for 4 weeks and I did notice a significant improvement in my skin. My skin very quickly stopped feeling dry and felt moisturized again. 

There is also an app you can download called Hydra-Detect. My cream with a nifty little device that plugs into the headphone jack of any phone and connects to the app. It measures moisture levels in your skin and the app tracks that info for you especially in your hands, t-zone and cheeks. The app is available for both Android and iPhone. 

So check out https://hydraforce.lisewatier.com/en/ and find an event in your area where you can find out how hydrated your skin is and get samples from Lise Watier! 

Disclosure: I received the Lise Watier HydraForce kit from Glam Sense to review. All opinions are my own.

Dearest Germaphobes, Has Clorox Got The Toilet Brush For You!

Now when it comes to dirt and grime I'm a bit a of a self professed germaphobe. So you can imagine cleaning my bathroom is not my idea of a good time and scrubbing toilets- forget about it! My toilets is used daily by a 2 year old learning to potty train, a 5 year old boy with bad aim and my husband so you can just imagine the mess!  

So when Clorox Canada gave me their new disinfecting toiletwand to try I was probably more excited than one should be about trying a new cleaning product. But as a busy, working mom I'm always looking for products that will save me time and make my cleaning regime a little but easier.  Clorox Canada did not disappoint. This product really lived up to it's name- it really is like a magic wand for your toilet! It comes with everything you need to get started: a streamlined storage caddy, a handle and 6 disposable refills. 

The caddy is white and will look great in any bathroom. You won't want to hide this toilet brush. In fact, after you try it you will want to show it to all of your friends and family.

Each disposable head comes pre-loaded with Clorox toilet bowl cleaner and all you have to do is attach it to the handle and start scrubbing. It cleans and disinfects and will even kill those nasty bacterial strains like Staph and Salmonella! The Clorox Disinfecting Toiletwand easily reaches those hard to reach spots which means it's tough on those nasty toilet bowl stains stains too. The blue suds are rinsed away easily and all you are left with is a sparkling toilet bowl. It really is a germaphobe's dream come true! 

Once you are done cleaning, pop the used head off and throw it away. The handle is stored conveniently in the caddy. No more sanitizing your toilet brush and no lingering smell in the bathroom. The Clorox ToiletWand can also be used on a variety of hard, non-porous surfaces like chrome, enamel and ceramic along with all toilets. Are you excited about cleaning your toilet yet? I am! Thanks #CloroxCanada for the samples! My toilet has never been so clean. The Clorox Disinfecting ToiletWand cleaning system and refills are available at your favourite retailers including Loblaws and Walmart. 

Your Child's Future and the #CST Learning Project

Do you ever wonder what your child will be when he or she grows up? I do all the time! I love watching my kids interact in and explore the world around them and as they get bigger with each passing year it becomes more apparent to me that technology will be a very big part of whatever career path they choose. At the age of 2, my daughter knows her way around an iPad better than my husband does! They are growing in this fast paced world where with a click of a mouse I can shop for my groceries without leaving my house or deposit a cheque right from my phone. Technology is part of our every day lives and that isn't going to change. It has already changed the way we work and live.

CST Learning Project Competition

CST understands this and as a result they just launched their annual CST Learning Project competition which funds new learning activities for children with $250,000 up for grabs. (They take the future seriously). It’s part of their cool Inspired Minds program that also includes Careers 2030—a deep dive into the possible careers our kids will have- Robot counselor? Data miner? Are you ready to talk about the future? Check out the CST's website for more inspiration: http://learningproject.cst.org

#CSTLearningProject Twitter Party

Parent Life Network and Canada Scholarship Trust (CST) Foundation will be hosting a Twitter Party and you’re invited! Join us for an hour of fun to discuss the future, robots and all of the possible jobs that will be available to our little ones. We'll be giving away $1,000 in that hour!

Date: Thursday, April 7
Time: 9 p.m. EDT
Hashtag: #CSTLearningProject
Hosts: @ParentLifeNet @CSTConsultants
Eligibility: Canada-wide

Prizing: $1,000 in prizing to be awarded.

Important: You must RSVP below in order to be eligible to win the cash prizes.

                                                         

KIDSFEST- Ottawa Get Ready For A Day of Fun!

If you are in the Ottawa area and have young children then you NEED to check out KIDSFEST! It's Ottawa's biggest & best kids expo! It is being held at the Ernst & Young Centre (located at 4899 Uplands Drive, near the Ottawa airport) April 2 and 3 from 10 am-4 pm daily.  I took my family to Kidsfest last year and we had an amazing time!

This year you can expect an even bigger lineup of fun and entertainment as they are celebrating their 15th birthday! Slated to appear are Fred Penner, Little Ray's Reptiles, Francophone TV sensation Mini TFO, Junkyard Symphony and a litany of Star Wars characters and Super Heroes. Other highlights include:

• The eccentric Adam and his amazing Dino Project
• U of O Engineering and Maker Faire Ottawa hands-on learning
• To Go mobile video game theatre
• Live demos on the Inspiration Stage and Demonstration Stage
• Giant inflatables and fun games
• More than 70 exhibitors in education, retail, health and fun
• A charity raffle in support of Roger’s House (Ottawa Senators Foundation)

Tickets prices are: 

Adults: $14 but if you use the code MUSINGS you will automatically save $3 off  an sdult ticket

Children aged 4-17: $8

Children aged three and under: Free

Seniors: $11

Family pass (2 adults and 2 children): $38

Tickets are valid for one day only and can be purchased online or at the door and parking is $8. You are welcome to bring your own snacks or food can be purchased at the event. And this event is stroller friendly! Hope to see you and your family at KIDSFEST! Enter my giveaway below for a chance to win a family pass (2 adults and 2 kids) to KIDSFEST:

KIDSFEST Family Pass Giveaway

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas from Photobox Canada

If you are anything like me you are scrambling for those last minute gift ideas for those hard to buy for people. Photobox Canada has a fantastic Christmas Corner full of great photo gifts for everyone on your list! 

We had some holiday photos done this year by a fantastic local photographer. He captured an amazing shot of my 2 children looking so cute I knew I had to display it in my home. I decided to make a photo canvas. Photobox Canada has a few styles to choose from including their new Retro Canvas! I chose to make a traditional rectangular canvas. Ordering from PhotoBox is so easy: just sign up for an account using your email and select the product you want to order. You can easily upload a photo from your computer or chose one from one of your social media accounts. 

The one I ordered is 24" by 16" and it is gorgeous! It arrived very quickly (within 7 days) and it was packaged perfectly to prevent damage. It came with a hanging kit so I can hang it on my wall. I'm planning to proudly display my photo canvas in my living room. That's this weekend's project! You still have time to order your own photo canvas before Christmas if you hurry! They make beautiful gifts! Visit Photobox Canada and get creative!

Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

Every year in December my son and I make these wonderful salt dough Christmas ornaments. We have so much fun making them and they are so easy to make! They make fantastic gifts for friends and relatives from your little ones or simply hang them on your own tree.

Ingredients/Equipment Needed

• 1 cup flour 
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water 
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheet 
• Drinking straw
• Holiday shaped cookie cutters 
• Acrylic paints
• Paintbrush
• Glitter (optional)
• Ribbon
• Parchment paper

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 1 1/2-2 hours, preheat oven to 250 F

Before you start to make the dough don't forget to preheat the oven to 250 F. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt and water. You want it to be soft and pliable. You may need to add more flour and water, but just add a little at a time.  I make my dough and put it in the fridge for about an hour because it's much easier to work with as it less sticky. 

When you are ready to start making your ornaments sprinkle some flour on your counter top or table to prevent the dough from sticking. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

Using your holiday cookie cutters cut out ornaments and place them onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 

When you have finished cutting out all your ornaments, use the drinking straw to punch a hole into each ornament. This is so you can place a ribbon through the ornament for hanging. 

Place ornaments in the oven and bake for 1 1/2-2 hours or until completely dry. Flip once while baking, then remove and allow to cool completely. Oven temperatures vary so watch them closely. Once they are starting to lightly brown flip them.  If your ornaments are thicker or thinner baking time will vary as well. 

Once they are completely cooled (2-3 hours) you can paint them with acrylic paint. I bought some small, disposable containers at my local dollar store to use. My kids loved painting their ornaments and did a fantastic job! 

Allow the paint to dry completely before placing a ribbon through the hole for hanging. You are now ready to place your ornaments on the tree or give them as gifts! Happy Holidays and happy crafting! 

Getting Creative for Christmas with Photobox Canada

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas? This is my favourite time of the year. I love baking and decorating my house festively but I have the most fun buying or making gifts for those I love most. Finding that perfect gift can be difficult which is why I decided to make my husband a photo book filled with the memories we made this year! A photo book allows you to tell your unique story through photos. Photobox Canada offers unique, personalized photo gifts including canvas prints, phone cases, calendars and beautiful photo books. 

 Getting started was so easy! I simply went to the Photobox Canada website (https://www.photobox.ca) and created an account using my email address. Just for signing up they will give you 40 free 4 X 6 prints! And uploading your photos to their site couldn't be easier. There are 2 ways to do it, either directly from your computer or you can take them right from your social media sites like Instagram and Facebook. After you have uploaded your photos, select the product you wish to order and follow the simple instructions.  As you add your photos, Photobox Canada will let you know what the quality of that photo is through a happy face rating system. Your photos will either be rated excellent, average or poor. Most of my photos in my book were taken with my iPhone and uploaded from social media. Out of the 50 or so photos in my book only 4 received an average rating and you can’t tell when looking at the photo book. So if you're like me and only take photos with your phone rest assured your book will be as gorgeous as mine! 

I chose to create a 30 page square hard cover photo book. When I was making my photo book, I was given the choice of layout for each individual page allowing me to customize how many photos per page, background colour and you can add text you to each page or individual photo. I didn't add any text to my book choosing instead let it be a beautiful pictorial of our kids. You can pick and design the cover of your book. There were so many choices I really had a hard time picking but finally settled on a pale shade of blue.

After I completed my book which took me about 2 evening to complete or roughly 4 hours (I am a perfectionist!) I placed my order. I received my photo book approximately 7 days later packaged very carefully to prevent damage. I am thrilled with how it turned out! My book is a beautifully bound hard cover book that my husband will treasure for years to come! Each page is printed on beautiful high quality glossy photo paper. I am so excited to share this beautiful photo book with my husband on Christmas day and I can’t wait to make more amazing photo memories on Photobox Canada! 

Photobox is a print company with a twist- it's personal. "We take your photographs and print them onto books, calendars, posters and mugs (to name just a few)." They also store your photos, help you share them online and come up with new ways of doing all things digital. Visit them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! And don't forget to visit their new Christmas Corner!