Introducing Kids To The World Of Blogging

When I started blogging, I never thought it would take me to where we are today. I didn't even think anyone would read the blog outside of my family and a few close friends.  Fast forward 10 years - and I was asked to be a guest speaker in a class.

Mr. J's teacher had a project in mind for his grade 5/6 class this year, and asked for my feedback on it. He wanted the class to have a blog, with the kids being the authors of it.  Along with Chris from Canadian Dad, I went in a couple of weeks ago to talk to the kids about the world of blogging. How Tales of Mommyhood started, opportunities that have arisen because of the blog and to answer questions that they may have.

Personalized Chore Chart Printable

School is out for the summer, and that means the kids are home with me. Today is our FIRST day of summer fun. I am so excited for all the great things we can do together while they are off school. That even includes cleaning :) yes, I am that mom....just because they are on summer break doesn't mean they get a free pass to do nothing around the house.  During the school year, I tend to do most of the household chores during the day while they aren't home. Now that summer vacation has hit, they are with me 90% of the summer.

That means they get to do more chores around the house than they do normally throughout the year. Here is an awesome FREE printable (click link) for you to download and print. If you have it laminated once it's printed, you could use a dry erase marker - allowing you to re-use the same chart each week. Otherwise, print off a few copies to start fresh.

My kids each have a *job* they are responsible for, and then I assign other tasks as needed. This could include vacuuming, washing the floor, collecting garbage they leave around etc

What type of chores do your kids do?

Blogiversary Bash starts today!

Tales of Mommyhood is coming up on it's 4th blogiversary (August 9) - amazing to think that this blog started out as a way to track Julien's growth and development, funny stories and pictures - and here we are 4 years later and it has grown much more than I ever thought.  I kind of fell into the world of reviews and giveaways in March 2011 and haven't looked back since.

It has led me into some wonderful opportunities with brands I hadn't heard of, or never dreamed I would get to work with. It has led me to some great friendships, and it also led the way to me becoming an Independent Norwex Consultant (thanks to Amanda at Multi-Testing Mommy for introducing me to the products!)

What better way to celebrate a blogiversary than with a giveaway bash? Over the next few weeks, I will be hosting a few giveaways - so keep checking in!

#TGCBB Sponsor Spotlight - Kernels Popcorn!

I don't know about you, but I am a huge popcorn lover - I grew up with a popcorn loving mother, and I have passed the popcorn love onto my kids. Any time we head to the local mall, Julien asks to head over to Kernels and grab a bag of popcorn and a slushie! Kernels has a number of different flavours to choose from (with some pretty catchy names like Jalapeno Jack and Whalin White Cheese) but my favorite is the Original ButterSalt!

Kernels Popcorn is a Canadian company that has been around for 29 years! They first got started in 1983 and now they have almost 70 stores - the largest retail popcorn chain in the world!! How awesome is that. They also proudly support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and thru their Pink Bag campaign they have raised over $205,500! If you want to help them get that figure higher – look for the pink bags next time you visit a Kernels location!

For more information on Kernels Popcorn you can connect with them on Facebook and Twitter!

And now for some great news – I am happy to tell you that Kernels Popcorn and Tales of Mommyhood have paired up to bring YOU a great prize for TGCBB! Check back here between June 25 and July 1 for your chance to enter to win a Kernels Prize!



** All opinions belong to Tales of Mommyhood and your experience/opinion may vary; this is a sponsor spotlight to thank them for donating a prize for me to offer my readers – I have not been compensated in any way**

uKnowKids - giveaway

With all the talk of cyber bullying, sex offenders luring children, and inappropriate content for kids happening online - wouldn't you like a service that offers parental monitoring? Helping to keep your kids safe from predators?

uKnowKids is an invite only site that offers a parental monitoring service - not only on a home computer or laptop, but also on mobile phones. The uKnowKids essential service is free OR they have uKnowKids premiere, which is $9.95/mth. There is no contract, and you are free to downgrade to the essential service at anytime.

uKnowKids is offering ONE of my readers a 1 year subscription ($120.00 value) for free!

*This was a sponsored post and Tales of Mommyhood received compensation for it; Tales of Mommyhood is not responsible should the sponsor change the prize or the service is not as you expected it to be*

Wordless Wednesday

what could be more fun than making noise?

Maternity Swimwear (guest post)

The following is a guest post from Simply Maternity

Get Swimming During Your Pregnancy

The first few months during my twin pregnancy were probably one of the hardest times in my life. As it was my second pregnancy, I found that I was gaining weight a lot quicker than I had the first time around and maternity clothes that I had worn previously at the end of my pregnancy were already getting too tight in my second trimester. I was at an all time low, feeling fat and lethargic and knowing I still had a long way to go.

It was at this time that a friend of mine suggested we go swimming. Though I had always avoided swimming in the past due to image of me in my plus size swimwear doing a fantastic impression of a distressed whale, I was up to giving anything a try and I’m so glad I did.

Stepping into the water for the first time was a complete revelation. As soon as the water covered my tummy, I found that I could experience a weightless feeling that I had only ever been hinted at when I was in the bath.

The warm water lapped over my tummy and muscles that had been tense for weeks could suddenly relax and unwind in a way that I had forgotten my body could even be.

Even the babies realised we were doing something special as they both started to kick making little ripples in the water.

In the weeks following this experience, my entire outlook to my pregnancy changed. I started to be able to replicate the relaxed feeling I felt in the pool in my own bed, making sleep easier and much more beneficial. I became so confident in the water that I started to teach my baby girl to swim and started a life long love with swimming for all three of my children.

It doesn’t cost a lot to go swimming and maternity swimwear is so reasonable, that swimming during pregnancy is accessible to almost anyone, yet so few of us do it.

So whether you want to wallow in the water and wind down, or use the impact absorbing benefits to do a full body workout while you are pregnant, why don’t you pop down to your local pool and see what facilities they provide for pregnant women.

This could be your chance to turn your pregnancy around and create a fabulous experience for and your baby. I know I did and I will never look back.

Debbie
Simply Maternity

Maternity Clothes

When I was pregnant with my oldest, I had a hard time finding trendy, affordable maternity clothes.  I found a few places that I could buy from, but discovered that you were either paying a lot of money for only OK quality, or you were paying a small amount for very cheap quality, and the styles to choose from were pretty limited. I wasn't overly impressed that I had to sacrifice quality for price.

When I was pregnant with my youngest, I was lucky enough to find that the selection had increased a little, but still not super trendy - and again, the quality wasn't super impressive.

Even though I am not pregnant now, I have come across a website that has some pretty stylish Maternity Tops. They carry it all - lingerie, swimwear, dresses, jeans, tops, pants pj's and more!


**This is a sponsored post, and received compensation for writing it**

siblings and age gaps - is there a perfect one?

photo courtesy of pam's perspective

I often hear people pose the question "what is the perfect age gap between kids?"

Personally, I don't think there is a perfect gap. I really, truly believe that everything depends on the personalities of your children.

With my oldest, he was wonderful, he was special, but he was demanding. He was a baby that cried a lot, and needed his mama A LOT (not daddy, not grandma, Mommy only for the most part).  It was tiring, and while I enjoyed it - I knew that given his personality, and the fact that my pregnancies are difficult, I couldn't have handled being pregnant when he was 2 yrs old. I always wanted my kids to be 2 school grades apart, but that just was not going to happen.

He was almost 2.5 when I got pregnant with Kyle, and was 3yrs 2 mths when Kyle was born. I figured this would be good - more independent, not quite as stuck on mommy. But, I was wrong. When Kyle was born, Julien had a very rough time adjusting. The first 2 weeks were great, he loved to hold/cuddle/kiss his brother. If he was crying, Julien would grab the soother and shove (yes, I do mean shove) it into Kyle's mouth.

Then reality set in and Julien realized that it wasn't very fun to listen to a baby cry (although K was not a crying baby, it was pretty rare at that point).

Now that Kyle is 17/18 mths, and Julien is 4.5 - things haven't changed all that much. Kyle wants SO SO SO badly to play with his big brother, but Jules gets frustrated because Kyle just pretty much wrecks everything that Julien is doing.

We do have times where they can play together for a few minutes; and my heart just melts when I hear them giggling together. But, I really do long for the day where I can leave them in a room together for a few minutes and come back to no one crying (although, given that I have 2 boys, I am not sure that will ever happen).

So, do you think there is a perfect age gap between siblings? Let me know how far apart your kids are and how well they get along.

Perplexus - product review

Generally when I am doing a product review, I take a minimum of 2 weeks to try it out (but sometimes up to 4weeks depending on the product). In this case, I am confidant enough after only a few days that I am going to do my review now.

I recently recieved the Perplexus Original (made by PlaSmart)

The Perplexus is designed for ages 6+ - it does not require batteries, has no electronic noises, and it can help with motor development and hand eye co-ordination.

When the Perplexus arrived, Julien was quite excited to have a look and see what it was (it's actually bigger than his head).

Julien checking out the Perplexus

WARNING - it is highly addictive, and can be quite frustrating - but in a good way. It's a fun and challenging "brain activity".

There are 3 starting positions, and you need to twist, flip (gently) and turn the Perplexus ball in all different directions to move a small silver ball around a track inside. The goal to get the small ball all the way around the track and pretty much back to the beginning (#100 is just slightly apart from #1)

It took many, many tries for me before I finally got the ball in the middle cup (thinking I had finished the ball! Only then to be told by my husband the cup is only #66, and I still had 1/3 of the track to go) - and I can only do it by starting in the 3rd position. The furthest I have gotten is #76.  I am trying to make it further along by starting in #1 or #2.  Julien has lots of fun trying - he will often get me to put the ball in a start position and then he will spend a few minutes trying to move the ball without dropping off the track. He does get super frustrated sometimes, and I remind him that mommy and daddy can't do it always either. He likes when I get the ball onto the orange track, and then we move it around together to drop it into the cup at #66!

My husband was a little surprised when he saw it - thought it was a kids toy. Then I told him about it - and he gave it a try.....and he really got into it. Every now and then he will pick it up to try it out - so far he has made it to position 72.

It is such a fun game/puzzle/toy to play - perfect for both sexes, different ages and all types of personalities as well. If you have a loved one who has a knack for puzzles (or even one who doesn't) this would be a great gift!  They actually have 3 versions of it available - the rookie, the original and the epic

Now hurry and head on out and buy one to try - you won't regret it!  For a list of locations where you can find them, check out the website's Where 2 Buy section.   

I wouldn't suggest picking it up if you don't have the time to sit with it - it really is super addictive, and can be quite hard to put down.

You can connect with Perplexus on Facebook and on Twitter

Thanks to PlaSmart for supplying me with the product to review! Check out their website for the other amazing products that they have to offer!

**I received the product above free of charge in exchange for this review. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed belong to Tales of Mommyhood. Your experiences and opinions may vary**

Flying while pregnant (sponsored post)

When I was pregnant, I ended up being chosen as a semi-finalist in a local radio contest – the grand prize? Breakfast on the Beach in Barbado’s. The trip was for a week long stay to a resort in Barbado’s, along with a bunch of other winners and the radio station. I would have been about 24 weeks along when the trip was to happen, and I had no idea what the guidelines were for flying when pregnant. After using Google, I came up with some information, but it was in many different places. I didn't win the trip, so I ended up not NEEDING the information, but it's nice to keep in the back of my mind.

Now, thanks to cheapflights.ca - all that information is in one place! They have written an article, you can find it HERE, and it contains tips on staying comfortable while flying, as well as a list of major air lines and what their policies are for pregnant women!

I was quite impressed with the article and found that they had a substantial amount of information, and it’s all in one place. Makes it a quick, easy reference guide should you need it.

As always, you should speak to your physician or care provider before taking a trip while pregnant, to confirm that you have no complications that could be affected while traveling.



** This post was sponsored by cheapflights.ca. I was compensated for this post, but all opinions are my own and your opinions may vary. Please speak to your medical care provider before choosing to fly**

toddlers and tantrums

I had forgotten the world of a toddler's tantrum.....oh, what fun.

The other day we were outside playing, but Kyle wouldn't keep his mitt's on. After about 10 tries, I finally told him if he didn't keep them on we were going in the house. He ripped them off as he stared at me. I picked him up (while he was kicking and screaming) and brought him in the house. Repeating that I knew he was upset, but we need mitt's on outside in the winter blah blah blah.

He proceeded to throw himself on the floor and kick/scream for a good 20 minutes before finally calming down. Why did he calm down you may wonder? He saw me eating chips.....

Today at the doctor, she gave me some samples of children's advil - he was playing with the bottles while we were chatting, and then it was time to go. I took the bottles away and put them in my purse - cue epic tantrum - again.

Out in the waiting room he finally calms down because he likes to play with the boot mats. Well, when it was time to go that caused another huge tantrum - which was relieved when the nurse came and let him choose a sticker.......

So if you were at the same medical center as I this morning, a child wasn't being tortured - they just were not getting their own way.

Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers and fellow bloggers.
Hubby and I gave up celebrating it 6 years ago, as our wedding anniversary is February 4; often buy a card for each other, but that's it.

For the kids, I normally do a special breakfast and Julien and I often make heart cookies or a red cake for dessert - however, this year I was slacking.  I did get the card for hubby, and I picked up a little treat for each of the boys, but that was it....no special breakfast or dessert - the boys and I, however, all have red shirts on, and Julien took valentine's cards to school.

Funhaven - review part 2

Now that you have read part 1 of my Funhaven review,  I will let you know how our experience was.

Grand Opening of Funhaven is Wednesday, December 14th~! Head on over and check it out for yourself!

Hannah was an awesome tour guide - she is one of the party hosts, and I can see why. She certainly knew how to help show us a great time - I can only imagine how much fun a birthday party would be with her!

Julien was so patient while she was showing us around, and I know he was really wanting to try out the Jungle Gym/Ballocity. Once she finished giving us our tour, we headed over to the cashier so we could get our funcard. I decided to purchase the Hobbyist pack - since he also wanted to bowl, it seemed a perfect fit for our needs.

He had a blast on the jungle gym. The floor is padded with soft mats, so it's easy to walk on. The balls are super soft, so no need to worry about getting hit with them. They have 6 guns (3 on either side) on the upper level of the jungle gym, so you can load them up with balls and shoot them at people.  If your looking for a place for your kids to burn off some energy - it's awesome. I joined Julien on the climber, and it was pretty fun!  They have yellow bags that you can fill with balls so you don't have to constantly run and grab a few at a time!

Julien looking out from the upper level

Jule's heading for a gun

posing for mommy to take a picture

I don't think Julien ever would have been finished at Ballocity, but I wanted to try out the bowling lanes. We headed down the twisty slide (it goes fast and you land hard - but it was fun!) and off we went to bowl!  I think 4 is a little young - he doesn't quite get that you don't THROW the balls, he did enjoy it, but it didn't hold his attention for too long; I think a few years older and it would be an awesome attraction - they even have the gutter guards up!

When we finished with bowling, we headed to the gaming area and played air hockey - it's one of my favorite games, so I had a blast!

Julien taking a shot - he scored!

After air hockey, we had a look around the games to see what else he might like to play, a motorcycle racing game it was!

posing for mommy again!

He found a game that he wanted to try, but we were out of money on our card. I headed off to the kiosk to load it up. I found it slightly confusing at first, but it didn't take me long to figure it out. If your someone who is not technically inclined, then you could always have the cashier load the card for you. Be warned, it won't give you money back - so make sure you have the right amount of coin to load on, or use your credit card.  I only had a few dollars in change - so I chose to load on $3.00 - unfortunately, it wouldn't accept my looney, or 2 of my quarters.  After some digging around, I managed to find 2 more quarters that it did accept.

We headed over to the next game that caught his eye - but when I scanned my card I noticed that it was saying I had less money than I loaded with.  I figured when we finished playing that game, I would go to the cashier to have her look into it. Unfortunately - the game would not let us play.  When I saw the cashier, she looked up the card and it showed that we HAD played. There was a supervisor/manager there, so she brought us over and scanned her card so we could play - but there were still issues. She had her tech guy come over ,and in the meantime took us over to the claw game (candy prizes) and gave us 4 free plays - which was awesome. She was super friendly, and Julien had a lot of fun.  I am sure the glitches will be worked out - and I felt she did MORE than she needed to rectify the situation. Again, a testament to the employee's that they have hired.

After playing with the claw, we tried a few more games and then headed over to the redemption counter.  The clerk scanned our card, told us how many tickets we had and Julien picked his prize.  We still have 4 tickets left to carry over to our next visit.

Be warned - they have an extremely large selection of prizes - so if you have a lot of tickets to use, it may take awhile to decide what you want (or should I say what the kids want!)

We honestly could have stayed for another 2 hours - I know Jules would have loved to get back to the jungle gym, but we needed to get home. So we headed to the frozen yogurt bar and got a cup. Julien liked that he could get his own (with a little help from me) and he enjoyed sitting at a table to finish his treat.

Enjoying his treat at the end of a fun day, and his prize sitting on the table!

I found the staff to be extremely friendly, the floors are clean and the attractions were as well. I was really impressed with the cleanliness of the bathroom (automatic toilets, soap dispenser and taps) and the fact that they have a child sized sink thrilled both Jules and I.

I really think that all ages would have fun here. I probably wouldn't go just with Kyle (15mths) but to bring him with us as a family outing would be fine. He would have a blast at the ballocity/jungle gym.

Cost wise, it may work out to be a little expensive - but I think the prices are worth the experience that you receive.  If the staff can maintain their friendly attitudes, and the place stays clean (cause a lot of times things start to slip after being open for a while) then I think that Funhaven will do amazingly well

All in all, we had an amazing Mommy and Julien afternoon! I will definitely head back with the kids!

**I was not compensated at all for this review; I paid for our experience out of my own pocket, and this is an honest review of our experience. As always, opinions stated are that of Tales of Mommyhood, and your experience/opinion may vary**

Celebrate Back to School with Boston Pizza {kids card giveaway}

Boston Pizza Kids Cards will be on sale September 5th! Help raise money for charity, while feeding your own child! I was recently contacted by a PR rep for Boston Pizza, and they asked me to post about the Kids Cards that will be available for the month of September - a way to celebrate Back to School! When you purchase a Kids Card (minimum $5.00 donation) you will receive 5 kids meals free - with an entree purchase of $14.00 or more.

Check out the press release below:


A Delicious Way to Raise ‘Dough’ for Canadian Families
There are two things Canadian kids love - going out for dinner, and helping other kids in need. Why not combine the two and enjoy friendly service, a lively atmosphere and special food tailored just for them while helping a great Canadian cause?



Starting September 5th, 2011 families can take advantage of one of the most valuable family restaurant offers anywhere. For a minimum five dollar donation to the Boston Pizza Foundation, guests get five free kids meals (a value of more than $35). More information is available at www.bostonpizza.com/kidscards (link will be active on September 5th)

Boston Pizza’s Kids Menu also offers fresh, healthy and trans-fat free options including baked salmon, whole wheat linguini and fresh pint-sized pizzas on whole wheat crust with fresh toppings. Healthy, kid-approved sides include tossed salad and steamed vegetables as well as Jell-O and a reduced-sugar fruit cup for dessert. Kids can also enjoy the new BP Kids Cheeseburgers - two mini burgers sized perfectly for kids.

The five dollar donation supports hundreds of local, national and global non-profit organizations committed to making a difference in the lives of Canadian children and families in need.

“Giving back to our community is part of Boston Pizza’s culture,” said Cheryl Treliving, Executive Director of the Boston Pizza Foundation. “The Kids Card program is the perfect way for families to make a meaningful charitable donation while also receiving something special for their kids. Everybody wins. Last year Canadians rallied around our Kids Cards and helped raise over $200,000.”


Over the last 20 years the Boston Pizza Foundation has raised more than $12.1 million through the BP Kids Card program and other local and national fundraising initiatives. Money raised supports national charities like the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, Juveniles Diabetes Research Foundation and Kids Help Phone, as well as a host of many local and global organizations that directly support and enhance the lives and health of children and families in the communities we live in.





Buy It: head on over to your local Boston Pizza location  (starting September 5th) and you can purchase your own BP Kids Cards!


Win It: enter using the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win 1 of 5 BP Kids Cards! As always, for rules check here - this giveaway is open to Canadians only and will end at midnight (est) September 8th, 2011. **both mandatory entries must be completed for your chance to win**

memories

My mind travelled today to when I was a kid.  Anytime (and I do mean, ANYTIME) we left my grandparent's house, they would stand on their front porch and wave until they could no longer see the car.  It was wonderful - I can remember turning around in my seat and waving until I could no longer see them.  It's such a trivial thing, but it is a very fond memory I have of both my grandparents!

Helpful Kyle

Kyle loves to be helpful. So much so, that he thought he would "help" me with the dishes

"we are canadian" blog hop

Good morning everyone! I am taking part in the "we are canadian" blog hop this week! Check out the button below and it will take you to the co-host's page where you can add your blog link, and check out other Canadian blogs along the way!

Congratulations to......

.......Trudy - lucky comment #26! I have sent you an email, please respond within 48hrs to claim your prize!


Trudy said...

Liked BabyDdrops on Facebook.
June 12, 2011 1:09 AM




True Random Number Generator

Min:  1
Max: 35
Result:
26

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Thanks to everyone that entered the giveaway; and a big thank you to Baby Ddrops for supplying me with a bottle to try, and providing one for the givewaway!

On the fence!

Pleae take a quick moment and vote for me over at picket fence blogs! You can find the link in the button on the left of your screen! Thanks so much!