Ways To Enjoy New Years Eve With The Kids!

Up until I had children, I enjoyed spending New Years Eve with my closest friends, partying the night away.  Since having children, my preference is spending the night at home with my family, cooking a dinner of steak frites and enjoying a glass of wine.  It’s a quiet night, but it’s certainly not boring!  Big-A has been celebrating with us since age 3, and it’s a lot of fun.  I think Lil-J is too young to last until midnight this year, but we’ll still include him in the (early) festivities.

Here are some tips on how to make New Years Eve with the kids one to remember!

Have a dance party.  Turn on your iPod, local tv station or any of the big celebrations

(Dick Clarke, etc) and get dancing.

Serve healthy snacks like air-popped popcorn (add 1 tbsp melted butter and 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan), or raw veggies with red pepper hummus.  My sister is planning to make a cheese fondue with her girls this year.  I love this idea (now wishing Santa brought me a

fondue kit)!

For a ‘treat’, break out a bottle of bubbly!  Sparking water is a great treat for kids with zero calories and caffeine, with no added sugar.  Skip the pop!

Plan a movie that is guaranteed to pique your child’s interest.  Waiting for midnight can make any adult impatient, the wait can be excruciating for kids.  A movie will help to break up the night.  If you haven’t pulled out any classics for your kids yet (The Wizard Of Oz, The Goonies, The Princess Bride, ET), this would be the night to do so.

Make it a pyjama night.  If your little one passes out before the stroke of midnight,

you can just put him to bed.

Have a fun activity planned.  Make homemade ice cream sundaes after dinner.  Write a list of ‘favourite moments’ of 2011.  Write birthdays and special dates on your 2012 calendar.

The most important thing to do with your kids on New Years Eve is to HAVE FUN!

Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous, and happy New Year!

Big-A dancing up a storm New Years Eve 2009 - age 4

Bringing My #cbias #EqualCanada Search To My Favourite Coffee Spot...

After the madness of Christmas came to an end late last night, I decided that coffee on-the-go was a must this morning!  Hubby and I decided to treat ourselves to our favourite morning treat - a Starbucks mocha!  A perfect location for our favourite coffee treat, and a perfect location for my next #cbias search for Equal Low Calorie Sweetener.  I had no luck locating Equal at two Oakville ON McDonald's locations last month, and decided to take my chances with Starbucks.



My heart skips a beat when I see my beloved Starbucks...seriously!

So off I went to my local Starbucks located at Trafalgar Rd & Dundas St W in Oakville ON.  This location is close to home, and is my regular stop on the way to work in the morning.  I have had nothing but incredible service at this location, and I am always greeted with a smile.

I have never noticed the variety of sweeteners provided at Starbucks in the past.  I either order a tea with no sugar, a mocha, or a plain latte, and it's usually via the drive-thru.  Today, I looked straight at the 'condiments' counter when I walked inside and immediately noticed Equal's blue packets nestled between two other sweetener brands.  Pleased as punch, I ordered two mochas and commented on how happy I was to see a variety of sweeteners available to customers!

Woo hoo!! A great selection of sweeteners, Equal in the middle :)



As I've mentioned in the past, my father is diabetic.  Having a limited diet is hard enough, he certainly doesn't need to be limited in what he can use to sweeten his coffee.  I was very happy to see that Starbucks is offering their customers a great variety, from sweeteners to different types of natural sugars.  Yay for Starbucks!

Two exhausted, but very happy parents!

Yummo!

A very pleased Mama with her Mocha :)

For information on Equal Sweetener, visit the Equal website. Along with product/ingredient details, you'll also find delicious recipes, health and nutrition information and valuable information on Diabetes.

If you would like to connect with either Starbucks Canada and #EqualCanada online, you will find them both on Twitter at @StarbucksCanada & @EqualCanada. You can also LIKE Starbucks Canada & Equal Canada on Facebook.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias.

As always, all opinions on this blog are my own.

I'm A ShesConnected Toshiba Brand Ambassador On The Search For A Tablet & 3D TV!

While at the ShesConnected Conference in Toronto back in September, I had the privelege of getting to know some pretty awesome brands.  One brand that I was particularly interested in was Toshiba Canada, mostly because I had my eye on their Tablet and couldn't wait to learn more.  Forward 3 months, and I've been chosen (along with a number of other bloggers) to be a Toshiba Brand Ambassador thanks to ShesConnected!  It was a very exciting surprise!

I was looking forward to visiting my local electronics retailer to check out the Toshiba Tablet and the Toshiba Passive 3D TV, both for different reasons.  I have never seen a 3D tv before but I've been hearing more about them lately and I can see one in my family's future.  As for the Toshiba Tablet, it was easy - I WANT ONE!!!  For so many reasons!  We have a laptop which is very convenient, but I can think of times where a tablet would be much more convenient...

• Long car rides to the cottage (4+ hours trying to balance a laptop for the boy's movies..ugh!)
• Viewing recipes while baking/cooking (I won't prepare food close to my laptop - keyboard to worry about, takes up too much room)
• Entertainment for the boys when we're at a restaurant or someone's house

So Saturday morning, hubby and I packed up the boys.  While hubby and Lil-J picked-up groceries, Big-A and I visited our local Future Shop (403 & Dundas St W, Mississauga ON) to seek out the Toshiba Tablet & 3D TV, as well as the newest, coolest video games on the shelves.

I received a Toshiba Camileo to help document my shopping excursion, and Big-A and I put it to the test before entering the store.  Keep in mind that it was really cold outside and we didn't have a camera man on hand!

Future Shop Mississauga, ON

When we walked into the store, we immediately went to the Tablet aisle.  It took me a while but I finally located the Toshiba Tablet.  I chatted with a store associate about tablets in general and then focused on Toshiba.  While Aidan played Angry Birds, I learned about the features of the Toshiba Tablet.  With a 10.1", high-resolution, LED touch screen, the tablet is extremely user-friendly.  Big-A impressed the associate and I with his tablet skills, and the tablet kept up with speed and efficiency. 



The store offers the tablet in 8GB and 16GB,with a variety of accessories from colourful backplates (LOVE the raspberry colour!) to screen protectors and stands.  When I finally had a chance to try out the tablet myself, I was impressed with the speed of scrolling through the screens and opening apps.  The picture is clear and bright, and I can imagine that watching a movie on this tablet would be of similar quality to a television.  Although the only photos I could take were of the theft-proof cords and the counter holding all of the tablets, it was easy to locate the photo album and the quality of the phots was impressive.  We are even more interested in purchasing a family Toshiba Talet after trying it out!

Big-A playing Angry Birds!

This is the Toshiba Tablet I want Santa :)

We then decided to check out the Toshiba 3D TV.  After an attempt by two associates to locate such tv, the department supervisor confirmed that they currently did not carry them.  Surprising, for a big electronics chain!




Although my search for the Toshiba 3D TV was a bust, I did get a close-up look at the Toshiba Tablet and have reconfirmed that this is the tablet that I want!  I would also highly recommend it as a gift for that special someone.  It's priced very well amongst the other tablets, and it's impossible to beat Toshiba's quality.

You can find more information on the Toshiba Tablet, Toshiba 3D TV and all other Toshiba products on their website at http://www.toshiba.ca/web/home, and you can also connect with Toshiba on Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in the Toshiba Brand Ambassador program by www.ShesConnected.com.  I received a Toshiba Camileo in exchange for my participation in this campaign.  All opinions on this blog are genuine and my own.

5-Minute Fudge...Simply Irresistible!

When it comes to Christmas baking, I'm always predictable.  I have my list of favourite recipes that I use year after year, and I rarely stray from them.  I mean, if you've got something really, really good, why change it?  Among the cakes and cookies on the list is the BEST and EASIEST homemade fudge recipe EVER!

I first saw this recipe featured on Oprah in January 2006 as Rachael Ray's Five-Minute Fudge Wreaths.  After adjusting the recipe slightly (a horrible but necessary habit of mine!) and converting the measurements, I got started...and I haven't stopped.  I can't believe I've made this recipe during Christmas for 6 years - and it is always a hit!

Skor Toffee Bit fudge.

Five-Minute Fudge

Ingredients:
12 oz Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares (12 squares)
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Place a piece of plastic wrap across a round cake pan and gently press to cover the inside of the pan.  Set aside.
2. Place chocolate squares and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe glass bowl.  Heat on high for one minute.  Stir and heat on high for one more minute.  Stir until completely melted and the chocolate and butterscotch is combined.
3. Add condensed milk & vanilla to chocolate mixture, stir until combined.  The fudge will start to set.
4. Quickly wrap the outside of the empty condensed milk can with plastic wrap and place in the middle of the wrapped cake pan.  Evenly distribute the fudge using a spoon or spatula around the can, pressing it down to fill any holes.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.  Once set, remove from the cake pan and peel off bottom plastic wrap.  Gently remove the wrapped can.
6. Slice thinly and serve.  Refrigerate remaining fudge.

Ready for the refrigerator.

Chilled fudge ready to be sliced...and devoured!

This fudge is the perfect treat to make during the holidays.  You can easily slice off a few pieces if you have surprise guests, or bring some along to a friend's house.  It really is too easy and too delish not to make!

So, so good!

*TIPS*
1. Get creative with flavours.  Try a pistachio and dried cranberry fudge (1/2 cup each ingredient), or a Skor toffee bit fudge (one full cup).  Simply add these ingredients immediately after stirring in the condensed milk and vanilla.
2. You don't have to use a round cake pan, any glass or non-stick pan will do.  Try a square or rectangle pan and cut the fudge into squares.  Just make sure to use plastic wrap in any pan that you use.
3. Wrap the fudge in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  Slice as needed.

Craft Corner - Homemade Greeting Cards

A few months back, I entered my local Walmart to purchase a birthday gift for one of Big-A's classmates. I started at the card aisle, ready to pick out the perfect birthday card. I then remembered that there were two other family members with upcoming birthdays and decided to grab cards for them as well. When I added up the cost of the three greeing cards, they totalled over $17!! There was no way that I spending $17 on three birthday cards! So off we went to the stationary aisle, ready to get creative. I purchased a package of 50 blank cards/envelopes for $10.99, and grabbed a huge selection of stickers and scrapbooking buttons to decorate with. In the end, we had 50 blank cards and enough stickers and buttons to decorate about 10 cards, all for under $25!

Once we arrived home, we quickly went to work creating beautiful, homemade birthday cards. And I'm happy to say, I haven't purchased a greeting card since! This is a great way to save money and encourage your kids to use their creativity. Everyone who has received a homemade card from the boys has absolutely loved it!

Big-A going sticker crazy on a birthday card!

Lil-J joining in on the fun, making his own card :)

This Christmas we will finish off our last batch of store-bought cards.  Once we're out, we won't buy anymore.  Our loved ones will receive the boy's Christmas photo in a homemade card moving forward.  I love that we're saving money and giving something special and homemade to the people we love.  Big-A puts his all into each and every card, and he helps Lil-J with his.  It's a fun way for us to spend time together and it's reason enough to never purchase a greeting card again!  Try this with your kids!

Concentrating very hard!

Decorating the envelope

Big-A proud of the birthday card he made for his friend :)

Life Choices Natural Foods - A Healthy Alternative To Frozen, Convenience Foods!

My husband and I make lunches and dinners from scratch most days of the week.  But like anyone else, we have those moments where we're short on time and are looking for something quick to make.  I'm totally ok with throwing frozen fish, chicken strips or a pizza in the oven once in a while - I always make sure to add vegetables to the meal and fruit or yogurt for dessert.  We have our own list of favourite brands that we keep on hand in our freezer, and we don't usually stray from them.

When Life Choices Natural Foods offered to send me free coupons to try their products, I immediately went to their website to see what they're all about.  With the mission "Making the Right Choices Easy", I was very impressed with my findings...

• Toronto-based company, Canadian-made food
• Natural, kid-friendly versions of convenience foods families enjoy
• Only premium natural and organic ingredients go into the food
• Sustainability focused business approach is used focusing on minimizing their environmental footprint, including sourcing as much local raw material as possible and staying conscious of how their food is packaged and how far it will travel
• Giving back to the community through involvement in community programs, groups and associations

Life Choices Natural Foods offers a great variety of organic frozen foods.  You'll find Mini & Family-sized Pizzas, Mac & Cheese, Meatballs, Chicken Fingers, Fish Sticks, Pierogies and All Beef Hot Dogs.

We decided to try out the Whole Fish Filets and Chicken strips, as these are the most common frozen foods in our home.

The Whole Fish Filets were really good!  After about 20 minutes in the oven, my house was filled with a delicious scent that wasn't fishy.  It was more of a grainy smell.  In fact, some representatives from Elections Canada came to my door as the fish was cooking and one woman thought that I was baking apple pie!  The look on her face when I told her I was cooking fish was priceless!  The grainy topping had a heartiness that reminded me of granola.  And it tasted so good!  Lil-J wasn't able to try them out with his gluten-free diet, but Big-A loved them.  At 3 grams of fibre per serving, they were a definite hit!

The Chicken Strips had the same hearty breaded topping and received raving reviews from hubby and Big-A.  Hubby said that they tasted better than other pub-style chicken strips that we've purchased in the past.

While attending the ShesConnected Conference Toronto in late September, I had the pleasure of meeting reps from Life Choices Natural Foods.  As a part of my conference swag, I received a box of Organic White Mac & Cheese.  Big-A & I love mac & cheese and this was delish!

You can follow Life Choices Natural Foods on Twitter and Facebook, and you will find all product information and store locators on their website at http://www.lifechoicesfoods.com/.

When we're serving any frozen or processed food, we always make sure to balance our meals by serving raw or steamed vegetables.  There can be a healthier way to have quick meals at home, and Life Choices Natural Foods is a great option to have on hand for those busy days.

As far as frozen foods go, we're not ready to turn our backs on our favourite trusted brands. Instead, we have added Life Choices Natural Foods to this list!

The #cbias Search Continues For Equal Low Calorie Sweetener At McDonald's!

My first #cbias search for Equal Low Calorie Sweetener brought my family and I to our quiet neighbourhood McDonald's restaurant after a busy morning of Christmas shopping.  I didn't have any luck locating Equal at the Neyagawa Blvd & Dundas St W location in Oakville, but we did have a fun lunch.  My boys don't get treated to McDonald's often so this was a very special day!

When planning my second #cbias search this weekend, the perfect opportunity arose after another busy morning, this time for Christmas photos with my boys and my three nieces.  Everyone was very hungry after two hours of posing, and I received a unanimous "yeah!" when I offered to pick-up lunch at McDonald's.  This time, we did not actually enter the restaurant to eat.  With five kids in tow and two adults, we thought it would be easier for us all if I picked-up lunch at the drive-thru and we ate at home.  As much as I enjoy going out to a restaurant to eat, it can be more convenient to eat at home.

Here we are at another Oakville McDonald's location, this time at the drive-thru!

I had so many orders, I forewarned the employee before I started!  It was a big one!

My boys and I went to the McDonald's located at Winston Churchill Blvd and Dundas St W in Oakville, the location that I go to when I'm at work.  It's usually packed but I was pleased to see that it wasn't too busy for us, possibly because we arrived at the very end of the breakfast rush.  With our HUGE order in hand, we proceeded through the drive-thru.  Numerous Happy Meal's later, I finally ordered one of their scrumptious Latte's.  From my first McDonald's Latte experience, I've continually been impressed with how good they are!  Note to the other coffee restaurants - you have some serious competition.

This sign made my decision easy - a medium Latte for moi!

My yummy, foamy Latte...Equal free : /

When ordering the Latte, I requested 1 packet of Equal Sweetener. I was immediately told that they only had the 'other' brand. I asked for the sweetener on the side. When I approached the window, I again asked if they had Equal Sweetener and was told again that they only had the 'other' brand. I asked the window employee why they didn't have any other brands available. He advised me that he didn't know, but the 'other' brand was the only one that they have ever had. I left the drive thru with an un-sweetened Latte and two extremely hungry boys!

Unsweetened Latte aside, we had a very nice lunch.  The kids were very quiet through lunch and devoured all of their food.  They had fun comparing each other's Happy Meal toys and playing with them.  Once lunch was done, they all ran upstairs to play for the afternoon.

As much fun as my second #cbias experience was, the actual Equal search part was a bust.  No Equal Sweetener available at yet another McDonald's restaurant, limiting selection for those who choose sweeteners over sugar due to diet or health reasons.  That is not good news, considering the number of diabetics in Canada is increasing each year.  I made my opinion clear by completing a customer survey on the McDonald's website.

I kept my receipt this time and filled out the Customer Survey. Along with my comment
requesting that they offer Equal Sweetener at all of their restaurants, I also commented on
receiving a milk shake before having to wait 15 minutes for the food.
It was a melted mess by the time I arrived home.

For information on Equal Sweetener, visit the Equal website.   Along with product/ingredient details, you'll also find delicious recipes, health and nutrition information and valuable information on Diabetes.

And don't forget - if you would like to connect with either McDonald's Canada and #EqualCanada online, you will find them both on Twitter at @McD_Canada& @EqualCanada. You can also LIKE McDonald's Canada & Equal Canada on Facebook.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias.

As always, all opinions on this blog are my own.

Applesauce Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments ~REPOST~

This is one of my most searched posts.  It's a super simple recipe for Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments that I posted during the 2010 holiday season.  The ornaments smell delicious and make a perfect gift!  And your kids can help make the dough, roll it out and cut shapes, along with decorating the ornaments once they've dried!  I will be making these ornaments this weekend with my boys and my three beautiful nieces.


I'm officially in the Christmas spirit!  The decorating has (slowly) started and my shopping is almost complete!  Time for the Christmas crafts to begin.  I love making ornaments to give as gifts.  One of my favourites are Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments.  They're easy to make, child-friendly and smell oh so good!  Big-A and I made our first batch 2 years ago and they still smell delicious enough to eat!

Here are Big-A and I in 2008 hard at work making our first batch of Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments.  I was 6 months pregnant with Lil-J at the time.  We had a blast rolling and decorating, and these ornaments have made their way on our Christmas tree every year since.

The recipe is very basic - only three ingredients.  Your little ones can help you, every step of the way!

Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments

Ingredients:

1 cup store-bought applesauce

1 cup ground cinnamon

1 tbsp white craft glue

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the applesauce and the craft glue, mix well.  Add the cinnamon and mix until it forms a firm but moist dough ball. 
2. Using your hands, gently knead the dough ensuring that the cinnamon is thoroughly combined. 
3. Place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
4. Roll out the dough on a flat surface to at least a 1/4 inch thickness.  Any less will make the finished ornaments weak and breakable. 
5. Cut shapes with cookie cutters or free-hand.  Poke a hole in the top of each ornament using a toothpick. 
6. Place ornaments on a cookie sheet and allow to air-dry for at least 24 hours (larger ornaments may take up to 2 days to dry).  Do not touch the ornaments until they are completely dry.

*TIPS*

1. Add a tsp of ground cloves to the wet mixture for a more aromatic ornament.

2. Immediately after cutting out the shapes, decorate with shiny beads or whole cloves, pressing them into the soft dough.  They will dry into the ornaments.

3. Once dry, decorate with glitter glue or paint.  Using silver glitter glue is a perfect way to write a personal message on the back of the ornament if you're giving them as gifts.  Thread a shiny ribbon through the hole and you have beautiful keepsake ornaments that are a perfect gift for anyone on your Christmas list!

 2010 - Here is Big-A mixing the dough.

 Big-A with the completed ball of dough, ready for the refrigerator.

 Patting down the dough before rolling it out.

Showing off his decorating skills.