Giveaway! Chunky Bling

Did you know Canada.. just in time for the Holidays, we've found a really funky online with chunky jewelry - ChunkyBling.com!!

With beautiful (and chunky) watches, bracelets, necklaces and really nice rings, they are the go to place for every girl on your Holiday list! I just got on of their gorgeous Swarovski Rings in crystal..

They also have beautiful Swarovski Pearl rings..

All Swarovski bead rings are strung on a stretchy cord which allows the wearer to easily slip the ring on and off the finger - this is perfect for the holidays especially as you do not need to know the persons exact ring size. They also have a really cool ring sizer tool on their site if you have no idea about what size you need.

Not only can you purchase all their beautiful jewelry but you could also host an online jewelry party!! With an online party you get your own custom party page, invite your guests, they make purchases through your site you'll earn FREE jewelry!!

I have gotten so many compliments on my new ring in the few days I've been wearing it, I'm going to be looking into getting one of their bead watches next. They have a really cool feature on their site where you get to build your own watch! In fact, we have a special coupon code for our readers: STACE324 - use this code until December 10th and to get any watch set for just $24.95!!! That is an AWESOME deal!

We are so excited that one of our lucky readers will win a Swarovski Ring of their own in ANY colour and style!!

Giveaway

Manitobah Mukluks

Did you know Canada.. have you heard about the boots that I think are THE most popular ones this year? Manitobah Mukluks!! I have seen them EVERYWHERE lately.

Aboriginally owned and hand made in Canada, these gorgeous Mukluks and Moccasins are perfect for everyone on your Holiday list this year!

Across Canada the temperature has REALLY dropped in the past week or so (-24C in Alberta anyone??), with the freezing temperatures I was very excited to try out my new pair of Manitoba Mukluks. These mid-height, classic suede mukluks are so comfortable, warm and stylish!

Don't think these aren't for everyday use either, with Vibram soles, (Vibram is the world leader in high-performance rubber soles) they have designed a sole that can withstand the effects of cold and high-abrasion urban environments.

My favourite place to wear them has been at the rink watching my boys play hockey twice a week. I've gotten so many compliments from other Moms, I've been happy to send them to the website and let them know I've seen them in stores across the board - the mall, free standing shoe stores, and always at the front big display - these are popular!

Not only will you look good and feel great but to have a pair of these Mukluks and Moccasins is to have a piece of Canadian Heritage. You can read about each of their artists here.

Follow them on Facebook for all their latest news!

Giveaway! DK Canada Holiday Gift Ideas

Did you know Canada.. we love DK Canada, in fact under our tree this year I know there will already be their Lego Idea book, and two books for a favourite uncle - Star Wars Year By Year and DC Comics Year by Year.

In DK Canada's Holiday Boutique they feature a selection of sure-fire great gift ideas for all tastes and budgets AND all at a specially reduced price for a limited time!

I've seen their 1000 Great Everyday Wines book in main displays at multiple book stores already this season, be sure to check it out for some Canadian wines in there as well! This book tells you everything you need to know for buying and enjoying wine at an affordable price.

The gorgeous Ultimate Food Journeys book has over 500 full-colour photographs, and it is the PERFECT book for food-lovers with an interest in travel.

Their site is full of great ideas for the kids too, who wouldn't love The Science Kit with more than 100 experiments with clear step-by-step instruction cards and easy-to-follow explanations - such great ideas and beautiful pictures. Or the 3D Dinosaur book! Filled with incredible 3-D dinosaur animations that literally leap right off the page!

Just in time for the Holidays on lucky reader will win a present of their own with a DK Canada Holiday Prize Pack containing a copy of 1000 Great Everyday Wines and Ultimate Food Journeys from their Holiday Boutique. Perfect for yourself or win for a gift, there's going to be someone very excited to see these under the tree!

Giveaway

Deliciously Canadian

Did you know Canada.. there is an awesome site full of Canadian Made Products - Deliciously Canadian!

The go to site to find unique Canadian made products and Canadian gifts, a real treasure.

We recently received a gorgeous tree ornament from Deliciously Canadian, Basic Spirit's pewter Tree With Stars Plant-A-Tree, and with the purchase of this ornament a tree will be planted in Canada and in Africa through Canadian Physicians for Aid & Relief! This ornament is handcrafted from fine lead free pewter in a seaside studio in beautiful Nova Scotia. Basic Spirit contributes 10% of profits to chariable organizations that promote flourishing life for all and with the purchase of this ornament in Canada and in Africa through Canadian Physicians for Aid & Relief. What a fantastic gift idea that means so much to so many.  It will be a beautiful piece on our tree this year.

They also have delicious food items like Muskoka Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce, Canada True Icewine Chocolates, Lobster Pate from Canada's East Coast, and look at these beautiful deerskin journals for Mom..

Or a shaving set for Dad..

All products Made in Canada, a fantastic site to visit to support Canadian businesses and find something for everyone on your list in one order. Orders over $150 before taxes receive free shipping as well!! Start shopping Canada!

PicQuic

Did you know Canada.. I've found a fabulous Canadian company to support for our Canadian men this Holiday Season - PicQuic!

Since 1988 PicQuic tools have been built directly in Canada, that in itself is something to be proud of! But my husband can atest, that's not all they have to be proud of. Their Sixpac Plus driver, their most popular product, is a new favourite in my husband's toolbox. Easy to change bits on the fly, it's always ready when you are for any project. With their system, you're storing a bit and ejecting the newly selected bit simultaneously and with the same motion, there is no easier way and perfect for keeping everything together.

Available at many of your favourite retailers such as Rona, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Home Hardware, Reno Depot, Kent Building Supplies, Totem Building Supplies, Irly Bird Stores, and many more - select retailers will also be carrying their special Christmas Edition, perfect for a son or daughter, hubby's stocking and any household, with no moving parts to break (or lose) and anodized aluminum alloy shank for years of use - this is a thoughtful, useful tool that absolutely everyone can use.

PicQuic is a Canadian company I highly recommend you support this Holiday Season.

Usborne Canada

Did you know Canada.. have you heard of Usborne Canada? It's a favourite of mine to browse for book ideas.

Founded by Peter Usborne over 30 years ago, Usborne Publishing revolutionized children's publishing in the UK. Since then they have expanded across the world, including into Canada, and is one of the world’s leading children’s book publishers.

Usborne Books at Home is a Canadian home based business where Usborne consultants sell books to friends, family, schools and more. You may know our favourite consultant on the web - Mama Moe of Ask Mama Moe!! Be sure to send her a note for any and all book orders, a fantastic gift idea for this Holiday Season. Books are treasured forever, they don't break, they don't get boring or old, they are friends for life until you can pass them on to the next little one to enjoy.

Mama Moe was lovely enough to give us a some tips on the latest and most popular books that would be perfect gifts!

See Inside Your Body is a best seller and babulous flap book that reveals the inner workings of the human body! I bet my boys would think this was sooo cool! :-)

Around the world is a Sticker Dolly Dressing book where each page shows dolls from around the world, with over 250 stickers to dress them in their traditional costumes such as a beautiful silk saris, colourful robes from Tibet and more.

How Big Was A Dinosaur is a really fun book where Pipkin, a little penguin, asks very BIG questions! Just how big was a dinosaur? As big as a car? As big as a house? Includes a huge fold-out poster, beautifully illustrated to show just how big a dinosaur was in comparison to little Pipkin.

One that I think looks like a lot of fun to read leading up to the Holidays is That's not my snowman... a touchy-feely book with simple, repetitive text. The whole series was awarded "Best Buy" by readers of Prima magazine.

Don't forget to send Mama Moe a note at askmamamoe@yahoo.com to order these books or any books found through Usborne!!

Did we find #EqualCanada at McDonalds? #CBias

Did you know Canada.. I mentioned a couple weeks ago we had been looking for @EqualCanada while out getting a coffee and none to be found. This past week the boys and I were at McDonalds and on the way out I grabbed a coffee for the road and decided to look again.

First we had our lunch at our local @McD_Canada, this was a big treat for the boys, a promise I was fulfilling after they were very nice and behaved as I had asked earlier. The boys enjoyed their usual chicken nugget happy meals - we were VERY excited about the toy - a hot wheels car!! One of my guys fav things!! As it was not busy they had fun driving all around the table and our little area.

After everyone was so good at lunch we hit up the play place!! Loved the slide and no one got stuck up at the top of the play structure for once! Last time one of them did and freaked right out, had to go on a rescue mission, didn't mind not having to do that this time.

When it was time to hit the road there was no line up which is so nice, so I grabbed a much needed coffee to take with me. I asked about a packet of Equal on the side but was told they have no packets just the generic sweetener in the dispenser machine. I mentioned the necessity of providing people with options and was promised they would mention it to the manager when she was available.

I was so surprised they didn't even know what they were serving, just pushing a button on their dispenser machine that says sweetener was good enough for everyone??

Be sure to visit Equal Canada online and on Facebook for more information about their product.

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

Stonz

Did you know Canada.. I WISH I had known about Stonz Wear when my boys were teeny tiny, I would have owned them all, they are such a fantastic idea.

Their award winning Stonz Booties are water-resistant, flexible, great for spring, fall and winter, and, one of my fav parts, can slip on over sleepers, socks and some shoes!!

100% made in Canada, Stonz are not only Booties! They also have Sherpa-fleece Linerz to keep toes warm in the winter, Mittz and Hatz that look great and stay on.

Luckly even at age four my boys can still fit into the large size booties, we have been wearing these cool ones..

I LOVE that they have Mittz and Hatz to match, they have Mittz in sizes up to age 7 and Hatz in sizes up to age 5, they got your little ones covered for every weather occassion.

I really appreciate that the Booties were designed in layers so that in the spring and fall they can just wear the Booties and in our cold Canadian winters you can add the Linerz for extra warmth, such innovation!
I have loved being able to slip the boots on my little guy for a quick run out the door without a struggle or worrying about what he already has on. There are PERFECT for us taking the boys to hockey as they wear double socks for their skates but those double socks don't fit into their running shoes and they are not able to jam their feet into other boots without help, yet the Stonz Booties slip right on and close tight using the adjustable toggles.

A fantastic gift idea this Christmas for any little one in your life, Mom and Dad will much appreciate these products as well. They will be styling in all the cool designs and be cozy through wind, rain or snow! Find them online and in stores.

Giveaway! Jumpstart

Did you know Canada.. my little guys have been playing a fun and educational browser-based game with a fun virtual world from Jumpstart!  A great gift idea for every family with young children!

I'm sure you've heard of Jumpstart for their educational products for use in the home and the classroom, they now have a virtual world where kids can create avatars called Jumpeez for themselves and explore magical worlds, discovering and unlocking games, videos and storybooks that teach everything from math to reading - we have been having SO MUCH FUN!

Easy to set up (which I love and am thankful for), easy for my four year old to understand, great graphics and fun games, it is one of the best online games for kids we've seen!

Play for free or for more fun get a membership to gain access to 1,000s of games and activities, download 4 bonus games, decorate a house, hatch a mythical creature - hours and hours of fun for you and your child. Jumpstart continues to add more features, portals, and learning games to the site as well.

There are many places to explore once you launch the game: The first is an area called StoryLand, aimed at 3-5 year olds. Children can also explore AdventureLand and MarineLand, designed for kids in kindergarten to second grade. In addition, children in 3rd to 5th grade may be interested in checking out FutureLand, geared towards older children. Last but not least, their just launched, most popular area, the Enchanted Sanctuary - where kids can hatch and raise their own dragons!

Our most favourite thing to do right now - Bugging Racing!!  Exactly something my little guy would love - in a safe online environment and easy for him to handle.  We have been having so much fun playing - driving around collecting tikis and earning coins, every girl and boy will have a blast - trust me!

Membership to this great site would be a fantastic gift for a young one in your family. Not only are they having fun but learning too. Don't forget that membership comes with 4 downloadable games AND complete access to MathBlaster.com! Have a full house? No worries! A single membership is good for SIX kids.

We also have fun news to share - one of our readers will win a 3 month membership!! Perfect timing to spend time with your child learning and playing this game over winter break.

Giveaway

Naturebag

Did you know Canada.. a fun gift for a little nature lover or adventurer in your family is a Naturebag!

Naturebag was created by Sylvie de Sousa and Katharine Byers, two mums from Vancouver that wanted to make it easy for busy families to go outside and have fun in nature without all the fuss and inevitable whining of unengaged children. They succeeded in their vision with Naturebag!

The Naturebag includes an activity booklet that will guide you through hands-on educational activities for children between 3 and 12. Everything you need to do the activities is right there in the bag:

1 rubber wood magnifier
1 box of soy based crayons
hemp twine
8 recycled cardboard colour cards
2 recycled cardboard leaf viewers
1 recycled notepad
1 recycled jeans pencil
1 organic cotton blindfold
1 activity booklet

Perfect to have by the door and ready for any adventure. My guys have been loving it!! Perfect for the park, backyard or hiking trail, we're not just going for a walk, we're going on a mission and my guys are all about missions! The colour cards are a fantastic idea and the magnifier had led to lots of great conversations and interesting finds. As Mom I really appreciated the help of the activity booklet too, exactly what I needed to keep the boys on track.

Check out their Naturebag as a fun gift for this holiday season for any boy or girl ready for their net nature adventure!!