Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Winner - Sibu beauty facial cream

Congratulations to Adriana!

She was the winner of the daytime facial cream from Sibu Beauty!

Thank you very much to the sponsor for providing Tales of Mommyhood with the products to review/giveaway!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Paid Surveys

Are you looking to get paid for taking surveys? If so - then check out survey savvy. That's my referral link - once your signed up, you can start making your own referrals and earning money off your surveys and theirs!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Sibu Beauty - review and GIVEAWAY



I was recently contacted by a company called Sibu Beauty. They asked me to do a review for them, and I chose the Daytime Facial Cream.


Sibu Beauty products are free of any and all preservatives. They are also Paraben and cruelty free. They are 100% natural; contain no wheat, gluten, dairy, sodium or yeast.
About the company (from the website)

The journey to create a successful company can be as arduous as scaling a Tibetan mountainside, but well worth the view from the top. Bruce McMullin founded Sibu in 2003 after series of events led him to Calcutta, India where he crossed paths with an ayurvedic specialist in Chinese plants and herbs. In passing, this expert mentioned a powerful holy fruit, the Sea Buckthorn berry.

From there McMullin's quest took him to new heights, figuratively and literally, as he journeyed to some of the most remote locations of the Himalayas to find the superior source of Sea Buckthorn that is the foundation for all Sibu products.

In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, Bruce has a thirteen-year history of philanthropic efforts worldwide serving as executive chairman of Choice Humanitarian.


Sibu Beauty uses a berry called Sea Buckthorn in their beauty line. It is found in the Himilayas, and has been used for over 1000 years in beauty products for skin, hair and nails.


Some of the benefits (from the website)


Traditional health-related uses for the sea buckthorn berry include:
Sustained energy levels
Improved cellular health
Cardiovascular support
Healthy inflammation response
Joint support
Moisturizing dry and damaged skin
Improved immune health
Decrease in wrinkles and fine lines
Addressing exzema and rosacea symptoms

Dr. Oz has even featured Sea Buckthorn on his show, you can watch a clip here.

REVIEW

As I mentioned above, I was sent the daytime facial cream to try out. I am hesitant about trying out new skincare products, as I have VERY sensitive and acne prone skin. When I received the product, it took me a few days to actually try it out - for fear that I would end up having a reaction to it.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised. My skin tolerated the cream, and I have been using it as a part of my morning routine for the last 3.5 weeks. I haven't had any breakouts or irritation of my skin! This was awesome!
The daytime facial cream goes on easily, and you don't need very much - a little goes a long way. It left my face feeling very smooth. I didn't find it oily or heavy, and it definitely didn't leave me feeling like I was coated in something. I was also really happy with the scent. It has an earthy, natural scent to it. It took me quite a while to place it, but I realized after a week or so that it reminded me of a lemon cookie that my mom makes.

Connect with Sibu Beauty on Twitter and Facebook

Buy It:  if your interested in learning more or placing an order, check HERE

Win It: Sibu Beauty is offering one of my readers the chance to win a bottle of the daytime facial cream! Fill out the rafflecopter form below!


about entering giveaways

Please be sure to actually complete the task that you say you do. I DO check to validate before I notify the winner; there have been a few times where the winner's entry has been disqualified because they have not done what has been asked.

Whether it is done on purpose to "cheat" or just an oversight,  I am not sure. But in any case, a new winner is chosen in those situations.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

baking FAIL

I decided to try out a new truffle recipe.

I wanted to make white chocolate vanilla bean truffles, and I was going to coat in dark chocolate.  I got the ganache made and chilled it in the fridge, but it just wouldn't set - I think I may have had a tad too much cream.

So, since it wouldnt set - I couldn;t roll them. I decided that I would coat mini muffin tins in dark chocolate, drop in some ganache, and then cover in chocolate.

ugghhh - huge fail.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Review - Healthy Eating for Kids




Healthy Eating for Kids - by Trevor Dumbleton

I had the opportunity to review this recipe book. It has lots of ideas for healthy recipes that would appeal to kids (and adults too!) The recipes have neat names that kids will enjoy, and are also mostly made in about 15 minutes - so you can keep up with your busy family life!

They have put emphasis on ideas that:

* Are healthy
* Contain nutrients that are difficult to add to a child's diet
* Fast and easy for parents to make
* Use ingredients that most households have on hand
* Encourage your child to get involved with his or her own nutrition

There are a total of 60 recipes (some you may have seen before - like Ants on a Log) in the categories of snacks, drinks, at home lunches, school packed lunches, dinner and desserts!

I tried the Banana Milkshake - and it was pretty good - the boys really enjoyed it!


Banana Milkshake
This tasty drink is packed full of calcium, protein, potassium, and vitamins.
Ingredients:
1 fully ripe banana
1/4 liter cold milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Kiwi slices for garnish
Directions:
1. Peel the banana and cut it into large chunks.
2. Put one half of the banana into a blender.
3. Add half of the milk and blend for about 15 seconds.
4. Add the rest of the milk, the vanilla flavor, and the sugar. Blend for about 10 seconds, or until smooth.
5. Pour into a glass.
6. Alternate remaining banana chunks and kiwi slices around the rim of the glass for decoration. Serve with a straw

To have a look at the other recipes, you can purchase the kindle version using the amazon link below!







I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Lest we forget

Today is Remembrance Day - a time to remember those that have fought to keep us safe, some giving up their lives in the process.

Both of my grandfathers were in the military - both pilots. One fought overseas and the other was an instructor.

Are any of your family members vets or current military? What will you do today?

In Flanders Fields
By: John Mcrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

LeapFrog Review

Recently, the boys and I received a large box. What was in that large box you ask? 4 Leap Frog toys!

First Up:

Fix and Learn Speedy





This car is geared for 18 - 36mths, but both of my boys love it (14mths and 4.5!) Kyle doesn't really know what to do with it, but he loves to push it around and press the buttons. He gets quite hysterical when it starts to make noise!
Julien knows exactly what to do with it and has just as much fun as his little brother! It even withstood being thrown down the stairs (the hood came off, but went back on without a problem!)

Next:

Learn to Count and Draw:

This is geared for 3+, and Julien really enjoys playing with it. I gave it to him, and he sat at the kitchen table for 30 minutes with it. Later in the day, I couldn't find him and he was hidden in a corner, again, playing with it!  It has a few different options for play - you can press the numbers and then learn how to trace. It will also count aloud until it hits the number you pressed!

One thing that I am not too fond of (and it's the same with the scribble and write pad) is that you need to press down pretty firmly on the screen for the lines to stay visible. Julien is pretty good with that now, but when he was a little younger he had trouble and would get frustrated easily.

Third: (I wasn't able to get any pictures of the boys using it - Julien wasn't in a picture posing mood)


Tag Jr.
We actually have owned the tag jr. in the past - and it was a big hit. Unfortunately, it didn't survive it's fall down a flight of stairs to the tile floor. Up until that point, Julien loved it. Now, we have a new one and the boys are both quite fond of it. Kyle is way to young, but he likes to sit (for a minute or 2!) while Julien uses the tag jr to "read" some books. You take tag jr and place him on the page of the book and move it around, and he reads to you as you go! It's pretty neat. You buy the books, and then head online to download the content to tag jr.

It has an 8mb storage capacity, which  I *think* would be 4 or 5 books. You may have to erase a book to add a new one. It's simple to do, and doesn't take too much time - but you will need a computer with internet access and a usb port to do it.

Last, but not least:

Leap Frog Count and Scan Shopper

This is a pretty cool toy. It is a little scanner that comes with 10 items (a grocery list and other items found in a grocery store - milk, eggs, grapes) and a child sized re-usable shopping bag!  You turn the scanner on and then point it at the object and it will tell you what it is, or count the number of grapes etc.  Kyle is much to young to actually "get" it, but enjoys that it makes noise, and putting the items in and out of the bag. Julien is slighlty old for it, but has fun with it - although I think the target age of 3 would be perfect.

One thing I don't like about it - altogether (including the scanner and bag) it is 12 pieces. I know with my kids, the pieces never end up staying together ( even though they were supposed to be put immediately back in the bag when finished) so we have 2 rogue grocery items at the moment. Other than that, it is a wonderful toy!

Buy It: Check out the  Leap Frog website to discover what toys and books they have available!

Thank you to Leap Frog for sending us these wonderful products!

**The products above were given to me for review purposes, no other compensation was received. The opinion stated is that of Tales of Mommyhood - your opinion and experience may vary**

Monday, November 7, 2011

We Are Canadian - Blog Hop

Looking for new blogs to follow? check out the We Are Canadian Blog Hop hosted by Tales of a Ranting Ginger and The KnitWit by Shair!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

when friendships fizzle

During my life, I have had many friendships. Some have evolved into lifelong friendships, that no matter where we are, how often (or little) we see each other - it doesn't matter. Others have been great relationships for a small time, or some for a long time - but for whatever reason, seem to fizzle out.

I don't want to say that it was based on any one event or occurence; maybe just a shift in each of our lives. But for whatever the reason, I often find myself wondering how they are doing.  What is going on in their life - and maybe even where they live (a friend from elementary school moved to Australia with her family when we were 9)

It makes me sad when I realize that a close friend and I have drifted apart. I sometimes try and pinpoint why or how it happened, even though I know it isn't based on something specific.

Do you ever wonder about your old friends? Did you have a huge fight and never speak again? or did your life just take you in a different direction?