Wednesday, August 31, 2011

welcome wednesday blog hop


Head on over to "take it from me" and join the "welcome wednesday" blog hop!




Caledonia Soapworks

I have posted about this shop before, but thought I would do it again so my new followers could take a look!

I love the products that are offered from this shop. My absolute favorite was the lavendar milk bath, but she is no longer stocking it.

I have also used the Gentle Baby Bum Barrier creme, the Gentle Baby Bum body butter (worked wonders for Kyle's eczema) and the Gentle Baby Bar soap.  All are fantastic with Kyle and Julien's sensitive skin.

Have a look at the website, or if your in the Caledonia area, stop by and check them out!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Kyle's 1st Birthday Party

We held a birthday party yesterday with family and a few very close friends - to celebrate Kyle's first birthday.

I found a blog post on prudent baby a few weeks ago, and decided to follow her craftiness! I made 2 signs, with the #1 made with tissue paper flowers.  I am not a very crafty person, so I am quite impressed with how they turned out!



I also made the "smash cake" for Kyle, a small teddy bear; a slab cake for the rest of the guests (vanilla rainbow with a chocolate filling) and double chocolate cupcakes for the guests if they were in the mood for chocolate, and not vanilla.





I added a picture from newborn up to 1yr on the banner, and my hubby bought some balloon bouquets!

Monday, August 29, 2011

My Regal Store

If your interested in purchasing any Regal products, check out my regal store

Ashley's Regal store!

you can purchase using credit cards AND have your product shipped directly to your door!

We are Canadian Blog Hop



Fellow Canadians, join the We are Canadian Blog Hop, hosted by Tales of a Ranting Ginger and The Knitwit By Shair! Great chance to find some new blogs!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Today, he is 1

Today is Kyle's first birthday. Hard to believe that a full year has passed since I gave birth to my sweet little baby boy.

He has developed such a personality - generally happy and easy going; very independant and curious too. He wants to get his hands on everything he can, and see how wonderful (or not) it tastes.

At this very moment 1 yr ago, I was sitting on my couch, watching movies with my hubby.  Julien was with my in-laws, and we were just waiting a phone call from the hospital with an induction time.  That call came around 330 pm. By the time we arrived and got registered, it was close to 5pm - but the doc was in another delivery and then a c-section, so it was 630 when my waters were broken.  Only a few short hours later, at 1014pm, Kyle was born.  He joined our family and made our lives that much sweeter.  While he loves mommy and daddy, I think that Julien is his favorite.

A few pictures from the last year


Just moments after birth
A few hours old
1 day old

getting into mischief



Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Greenhouse Kids - book review

I was sent the first 2 books in the series "The Greenhouse Kids" written by Best Selling Childrens author Shelley Awad.  The books were recently awarded the PTPA seal of approval!

The Greenhouse Kids is based on a group of kids that are named after plants (Dan Delion, Johnny Jump-Ups, Holly Hocks, Foxy Gloves and Virginia Creeper).  They form a club called "the greenhouse kids" and along with help from a magical ladybug, Lucinda, solve mysteries in their town - Seedington, Ontario.

I was impressed with the books; they are geared for children ages 8-12, and I can see the appeal to that age group. They are descriptive, and allow you to enter the world of The Greenhouse Kids!  Since my boys are younger, I had my niece, 10 read the book. She really is really enjoying the first book, and looking forward to starting the 2nd one as well!  They are a great length, perfect for beginners of on their own reading.

There is a contest on right now - for more information, check out this link Greenhouse Kids Contest - it will give you a chance to have your child be the basis for a new character in one of the upcoming books!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Little Green Books - winner announced!

The winner has been announced and emailed! she will have 48hrs to respond, or another winner will be chosen!

Thanks to Little Green Books for sponsoring the giveaway!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Across the Wide River - book review

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the Underground Railroad.  I think it started in Jr. high, when we read Uncle Toms Cabin.  But whatever the reason, I love the history surrounding it. To know that there were people willing to risk their lives to help slaves escape - is inspiring to me.

I was given the chance to review the book, Across the Wide River, by Stephanie Reed.  It was published in 2004, and is now onto it's 3rd round of publication.

Click here for a synopsis of the book.

When I started reading the book, it did not take very long to get into it. A few pages, and I was already engrossed in the story of Lowry Rankin, the son of a Reverand. I manged to finish the book in a few days (which is pretty impressive seeing as I have 2 little ones demanding my attention!).  The book is meant as teen fiction and it is based on the Rankin family, who really were abolitionists and aided slaves on the Underground Railroad.

The book tells the story of Lowry, the oldest son. You watch him grow from a young boy to a man; and his conflicted feelings about helping his parents assist the slaves to the next station on the Underground Railroad.

To order your own copy of Across the Wide River, click here.

Stephanie Reed has also published a sequel, The Light Across The River - which I am looking forward to reading as well!

You can connect with Stephanie on twitter or on facebook

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Little Green Books - Review/Giveaway (CLOSED)

Books are really big in our house. I am an avid reader, and I want to instill that into my children as well.  I recently found a company called Little Green Books. They publish children's books - on fully recycled materials! They are wonderful. Not only are the books made out of recycled products, but they all convey messages about recycling, endangered animals, global warming etc - at a kid level!

Their website is teriffic - in addition to having green tips, they have games that you can play with your kids, and a section for teachers/parents!

I was given 2 books, The Polar Bears Home and What Do You See.  I really enjoyed both the books; I found The Polar Bears Home a bit too much for Julien (age 4) -  about half way through the book, he started fidgeting and wanting to skip ahead.  I think another year or so and it will be perfect. What Do You See is a lift the flap book - it gives a brief description, and then you can guess what animal they are talking about! He LOVES this book.

Buy It: check out Little Green Books for a list of retailers

Win IT:

Little Green Books is going to provide one of my readers with the same TWO books that I received!!


Don't forget to leave your email in the comment (or have it visible in GFC), if I can't contact you - your entry will be excluded


The contest opens August 13th, 2011 and will run until August 22nd at 9pm (EST) Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48hrs to reply back; if not, another entry will be chosen. Open to Canadian and US residents. Good luck!Remember to leave your email adress with your comment so I can reach you; and 1 comment per entry (your entry is your comment) check out here for more info on entering my giveaways

*I was sent the products free of charge in exchange for my opinion. My opinion was not influenced by this, and as always, the opinions stated belong to Tales of Mommyhood; your experiences may differ, and your opinion may vary*

BOTH the mandatory entries need to be completed - otherwise your entry will be disqualified.
This giveaway has ended

Friday, August 12, 2011

Rafflecopter

My next giveaway opens on August 13, and I will be using Rafflecopter for the first time.  I have entered a number of giveaways myself using Rafflecopter in the past few weeks, but it will be the first time running a giveaway with it.

I hope that it works out well, and I look forward to your feedback on the form.

Good luck!

Ever Bamboo Winner

and the winner is lucky comment #21 - Congratulations - an email has been sent to the winner; they have 48hrs to respond back or anothe winner will be drawn!

Thanks again to Ever Bamboo for sponsoring this giveway!


it was another one of "those" days

Tuesday was not the best day around here.  It started off all wrong, I was cranky, Julien was cranky and Kyle was cranky (but he had a great reason - a molar was cutting). 

Julien and I made cookies - and we didn't kill each other! It helps when I get EVERYTHING together before getting him involved! K had 2 great naps; But - Jules was super restless, we went for a walk/bike ride and he still was antsy - so when K woke from his afternoon nap, I decided to pack up and head out.

First stop - grocery store - for some reason, Jules is VERY well behaved in the grocery store 90% of the time - so things were ok here.

I figured it had been quite some time since he had the opportunity to play at chapters, which he LOVES - well, this didn;t go so well. It was busy, K and J were going in 2 different directions and I was getting frustrated - so that ended quickly.

It was 430, Julien was getting hungry so I decided that we would head over to walmart and he could have a happy meal from mcd's (this is a huge treat, we aren't big fast food eaters, and he MAY get to eat at mcdonalds 5 times a year).

Well, that didn't go so well either because they were short staffed and busy. It took 15 minutes to order and get our food - the kids were both anxious and hungry - and my nerves were shot. We did manage to get through his dinner; since we were there - I told him that we would pick out a backpack for school, since he starts in a few weeks. He decided on a spiderman backpack!

Once this was done, he fell asleep on the way home and slept all night - it was awesome!
I love my boys with all my heart, but I do have days that the bedtime countdown starts at wake up - and this was one of those days

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I am a lovebug!

I received my lovebug pack in the mail today from Lovable Labels! If you haven't had a chance to check them out - take a look at their website! They have great products and lots to choose from! If you are looking to place an order, let me know - I have coupons worth 10% off your purchase!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

social media followers

If your looking for more giveaways here, then I need your help.  In order to qualify with most companies, you need a big following - on your blog, via twitter and facebook.

I need to get more people following me, in order to offer you more products with reviews and giveaways!  So, if you could take a moment to become a GFC (google friend connect) follower, twitter and facebook that would be splendid! If you could pass it on, that would be great too! If you do, comment here and you can have FIVE bonus entries into one of my current or upcoming giveaways! (leave your twitter name, gfc acct name or facebook name so I can verify!)