Creating A Love of Books with MeBookz + A Giveaway

When I was a child I always had my nose in a book. Books were my escape to adventure, far away lands and new friends. When I found out I was pregnant with my son I vowed to instill the same love of books in my children. I started reading to him before he was born and that tradition has carried on. We read every night before bed and both my son and daughter look forward to it. It's our time to snuggle up after a long day and read a story!

So you can imagine how excited I was to discover a Canadian company that creates a completely illustrated picture book that is customized especially for your child. MeBookz personalizes your book by creating a character that looks just like your child. You provide them with a photo of your child and the star of the book is born. 

MeBookz creates your story in 3 easy steps:

1. Choose your story- There are a variety of stories to choose from and in both official languages. Most of the picture books are geared to children ages 3 and up. 

2. Add details like hair colour and eye colour and upload your child's photo. In the "Knights and Robbers" book you can personalize more than 1 character but this option will be extended to other stories soon. 

3. Download your book or order a high quality copy that will be mailed to you. 

Ordering from MeBookz really is as easy as it sounds. It took me less than 5 minutes to order and personalize two books.  In less that 2 weeks my children's books arrived and you can see from their very excited little faces how thrilled they were to be starring in their very own books! Even the envelope the books arrived in was personalized!

The caricatures of my children created by MeBookz are fantastic! They truly captured my kids likenesses. And both stories "The Knights and The Robbers" and "Aubrey's Big World: Case of the Missing Skunk" are well written and the perfect length to hold a small child's attention. Starting at $24.99, these books are very reasonably priced and a colouring book option to go along with your personalized story is also available to order. We have read our books over and over since they arrived and I think they will continue to hold a special spot on my children's bookcases for years to come.

The Knights and The Robbers

Aubrey's Big World: The Case of the Missing Skunk

So what are you waiting for? With free shipping on orders of over $100 and the MeBookz guarantee that your book will be error and damage free order one for your child today! Order here: https://mebookz.ca/shop/

MeBookz is generously offering one of my readers a chance to win their very own personalized book! You could win your very own copy of either "Knights and Robbers" or "The Case of the Missing Skunk." Enter here: 
MeBookz Personalized Book Giveaway  

Don't forget to follow MeBookz on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! 

*I was gifted these products to review however all opinions are my own 

Investing in Our Future: #LetsTalkRESPs Twitter Party

Having kids is so rewarding but it is also very expensive- from diapers to clothing to extracurricular activities it costs thousands of dollars to raise a child. And then comes post secondary education. And every year the cost is skyrocketing! The experts are predicting that by 2034, four years of university tuition will cost $84,000 and that doesn't include room and board. That's $21,000 a year per child! This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately even though my kids are small. At night when I sneak into their rooms to kiss them and I look down at their tiny, perfect faces I don't want them to struggle to pay for university the way I did or give up their dreams.

When I finished my post-secondary education I graduated with honours and a HUGE student loan. This debt caused my husband and I to delay getting married, buying a house and even having kids. So my husband and I have promised our kids that we will help them in any way we can when it comes to post secondary education. But we want to have a plan in place for our savings and we both feel that an RESP for each of our children is the best way to do this. And just like you we have lots of questions about them! Luckily the Parent Life Network and Canada Scholarship Trust Consultants are hosting a twitter party to talk about RESPS and there will be experts on hand to answer any and all questions you may have about them- how to get started, how to set up an RESP and how to access government grants. Are you ready to invest in your future?  Then have your questions ready and RSVP below:

#letstalkRESPs Twitter Party
Parent Life Network and Canada Scholarship Trust (CST) Consultants will be hosting a Twitter Party and you’re invited! Join us for an hour of fun to get your burning RESP questions answered. We’ll be giving away $1,000 in that hour!

Date: Thursday, May 5
Time: 9 p.m. EDT
Hashtag: #letstalkRESPs
Hosts: Peter Lewis, CST Vice President (and resident expert), @ParentLifeNet & @CSTConsultants
Eligibility: Canada-wide

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

For a chance to win a prize during the twitter party you must RSVP by registering here:

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!