Our Kids Private School Expo #OKSchoolMem

Did you know Canada.. we are participating in the Private School Expo blog hop, and as part of that I wanted to share one of my own fond memories from the elementary years.

I attended a Montessori pre-school before attending Kindergarten, there was no JK in those days!

Amazing how being in my EARLY 30's I can still picture as clear as day the classroom, my friends, sitting at circle time talking about the weather, stringing beads for necklaces and more.

I was an only child and for some reason there were not a lot of kids on our street so I didn't have many playmates before I got to school, even now I remember being very shy when I first started at Montessori. I was lucky enough to have not one, but two girls, twins, who chose to befriend me during those first few nervous days. From that moment on we were inseparable for years, even after Montessori and heading to different grade schools. We were always the first attendants at each other's birthday parties, there were sleep overs and days at the park, feeling like another member of each others family. Though we eventually lost touch as children often do when they are not close by, I will cherish those days and my first real friends forever.

I hope my own twins have lifted someone's day at school as those girls did for me, and my twins already have their own (what I hope to be life long) friend they met in JK who already feels part of our family, these days of grade school friendships are the best. :-)

I'm participating in the Our Kids Private School Expo Blog Hop.  Yesterday's School Memories post  can be found at Downshifting.  Tomorrow, the fun is happening at MapsGirl.
Join the conversation!
Twitter: hashtag #OKSchoolMem
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ourkidsnet

Stay tuned for Twitter Party Dates and times!

Looking for a Private School for your child?
Don’t miss Canada's most successful, best-attended Private School Expos.  They’re the easiest way to learn about private and independent schools.

• Meet the leading private and independent schools and speak with current students and parents
• Learn how to find the right private school for your child and explore different types of schools, educational philosophies and special programs
• Find out about the admissions process, when to apply and what schools look for
• Understand how to budget and receive information about scholarships, bursaries and tax credits

Montreal, SEPTEMBER 16
Calgary, SEPTEMBER 30
Halton-Peel, OCTOBER 14
Toronto, OCTOBER 20
Vancouver, NOVEMBER 11

Click here to register and receive free admission for a family of 4.

Thanksgiving in Canada

Did you know Canada..  it's Thanksgiving weekend!  A weekend to spend with family, maybe draw some secret Santa names for Christmas, get a last romp in the backyard, and eat massive amounts of food - what could be better!

Canadian Thanksgiving happens on the second Monday in October, and officially is the Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season.

It was on Thursday, January 31, 1957, that the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:
“A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.”

In it's history our First Nations always celebrated the close of the harvest, thanks to Wikipedia I also learned..

Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year, but the date was initially a Thursday in November. The date of celebration changed several times until, in 1957, it was officially declared to be the second Monday in October. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed each year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In its early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary.

After World War I, an amendment to the Armistice Day Act established that Armistice Day and Thanksgiving would both be celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred, starting in 1921. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day. From 1931 to 1957, the date was set by proclamation, generally falling on the second Monday in October, except for 1935, when it was moved due to a general election. In 1957, Thanksgiving was permanently set to be the second Monday in October.

It might have snuck up on us a little early this year, especially with the warm weather some of Canada is still enjoying, but I for one am very thankful.  I am also going to be remembering how thankful I am for my husband, children (including our new baby on the way), our home, and the fact that we can enjoy a meal with the people we love.

What are you thankful for??

Recipe Round Up - 10/05

Did you know Canada.. we got the latest recipe posts over at Canadian Moms Cook to share...

Butter Tart Squares
Sugar Cookies with Butter Icing
Pork Stir Fry

And, although this one was posted quite a while ago, it continues to be a reader favourite! Check it out:
Taco Pasta Bake

I encourage you to head on over to Canadian Mom Cooks where you will find some family tested recipes, food ideas, interesting food products and more.  Co-author Multi-Testing Mommy and I have been sharing some of our food adventures with our families over the past couple of months.

Feel free to follow Canadian Moms Cook on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

Made By Hand Show is almost here!

Did you know Canada..  mark your calendars, the Made By Hand Show is almost here!  On October 27 the Fall Made By Hand Show is being held once again at the International Centre, Hall 6 in Mississauga.

With Over 190 Handmade Exhibitors, FREE Face-Painting, Surprise Princess Visit, FREE Swag Bags to the 1st 100 families, and FREE Parking, this is one event no to be missed.  Only $2 for admission, and remember, door proceeds are benefiting Crafting for a Cure and children are free.

Get all your Christmas presents and be ready to wrap in no time!  Handmade gifts chosen with care make gorgeous gifts and they don't have to break the bank.  Plus, of course, they are all Made IN Canada!

I am loving the Made By Hand Show's Gold Sponsor - Curbside Cupcake Bliss! Curbside Bliss Cupcakes is where they bring you delectable, mouth watering, baked-from-scratch goodness...curbside from their mobile cupcake kitchen - how awesome is that??

So, visit the Made By Hand Show website so you can check out all 190 exhibitors and be ready to shop Canada!

Healthy Eating with Lydia Knorr

Did you know Canada..  Toronto Representative Faniya has some great news..

This week I am going to meet Lydia Knorr, mom of three girls, Registered Dietitian and Yoplait spokesperson who is going to give us some expert tips to help families get back into healthy routine, that is so important but so hard to stick to especially on fall (season changes, Back-To-School, holidays preparations)

So here are some quick tips on maintaining a healthy routine from Lydia Knorr I learned so far:

•Eat breakfast every day to keep energized and fuelled for the entire day

•Plan meals ahead by creating a weekly menu that makes shopping and nutrition a breeze

•Create a wall calendar with appointments, chores and extracurricular activities all consolidated in one space

And I am excited to learn more about healthy eating and share with you later on Did you know Canada?

Faniya

Teddy Out-Ready

Codie Prevost - Get Loud

Did you know Canada..  you'll remember a couple weeks ago we talked about Canadian Codie Prevost, a country music singer, when he drew massive attention from country music fans all over North America at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards arriving on the event’s green carpet in a very unique way -- aboard a John Deere 9410R Tractor.

We've been listening to Codie's album Get Loud, and love it!  Easy to listen to, even the kids have been singing along :-)  We really like Rolling Back To You, check it out..



Have you listened to Codie yet?  Do you have a favourite song??

If you don't already have the album, we have a special treat for one of our readers, enter below for your chance to win a copy of Codie Prevost's album - Get Loud!!!  Good Luck Canada, and be very proud of this Canadian Superstar!

Giveaway

Toys"R"Us Vendor Fair

Did you know Canada..  Toronto Representative Faniya checked out a recent Toys R Us vendors fair, see how it went!

In August we were invited to Toy fair hosted by Toys"R"Us. That day I was very excited to learn about the coolest toys of upcoming holiday season. Luckily Toys"R"Us Chief Play Officer Julianne Bisnaire was there to talk about the hottest and most anticipated picks for the holiday season.

This showcase was filled with colorful, creative toys and gadgets starting with Winx Club that continue to surprise us with their magic and beauty presenting 11.5-inch  Feature Doll Magic Bloom and 2-Pack Doll Set- Bloom & Sky. Another girl’s favorite is Barbie and her new Sister’s Cruise Ship to take a magical trip. The boat has a pool, two slides for racing, a grand buffet and two beds with pillows and blankets so that Barbie and her three sisters could have a good time.

For crafty little hands there were lots of products, jewelry fashions to create your own jewelry, decorate bags, backpacks, shoes and accessories including ORB Factory kits for purses, pillows and mosaics sets.

     

The interesting and cute new plush toy FURBY that may develop a sweet personality if kids play nicely with it; but shake or pull FURBY to see its not so friendly behaviour. FURBY will let kids know how it feels through its expressive LED eyes.

MegaBloks were very impressive with their displays and characters, same the LEGO booth with Monster Fighters.

Kids gadgets are coming into our lives and becoming more sophisticated every year ; tablets, games and apps are new must-have items not only for adults, kids want to have them too like Leap Frogs LeapPad2 with front-and-back cameras and video recorders, e-books, music, downloadable learning apps (available on-line too).  The subjects like reading, math and science on LeapPad2 are fascinating adventures where kids play the major role. The Kurio Kids Tablet is a full-featured Android 4.0 tablet with a multi-touch touchscreen, front and rear facing cameras, Wi-Fi and HDMI & USB connections. Kiddos can watch videos, surf the web, play music, take photos, read e-books and download apps.  Wii Fit U scored with unique possibilities for gaming allowing each player to reach different challenges and views within the same shared gaming experience.

So lots of toys I saw that day and walking through this toy paradise I am almost sure I met Santa’s Reps learning what will be on kid’s wish list this holiday season. This only means we are going to visit Toys"R"Us   more often next months!

Faniya

Teddy Out-Ready 

Wholly Guacamole!

Did you know Canada.. Thanksgiving is coming up QUICK!!! It sure snuck up this year, we just got over summer! But turkey waits for no man, so we better get planning.

This year we are adding a tasty twist to our Thanksgiving meal and serving Wholly Guacamole's Chilled Avacado Soup as a starter. A cool dish before we dig into the hot turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and more.  Perfect during a huge meal too, because it doesn't take up a burner, and there's definitely now room in the oven, plus you can make ahead of time!

I made this soup for lunch this week to try it out, we skipped the Jalapeno this time as I didn't have any on hand, I think it's going to be yummy with or without it!

Be sure to have some extra guac and salsa on hand to serve with chips while everyone chats while the big meal is cooking too!  Click here to receive a Wholly Guacamole Canadian coupon!

Are you introducing any new dishes to your Thanksgiving meal??

Check out what a couple other Canadian Bloggers are serving up for Thanksgiving this year:
Tales of the Ranting Ginger
Maple Leaf Mommy

We have a great surprise for our readers!  Wholly Guacamole is going to have one lucky winner covered for an entire year - think of all the new dishes you can try!  Enter below for your chance to win FREE Guac for a year and some Wholly Guacamole swag!!  We also have FIVE runner up prizes of 3 free coupons and Wholly Guacamole swag!

Good Luck Canada!!

Giveaway

Dora's Digital Story Book

Did you know Canada..  Nickelodeon has a fun new clothing line available at Walmart for Dora the Explorer that includes a code for Dora's Digital Story Book experience online!

As you know, we have boys, but we shared the shirt with a friend and tried out the code for ourself.  I appreciated the option to select your character as a boy or a girl, and you get to customize clothing, hair colour and more.

It also takes your little ones name, age and city and includes them in the story.

You great to drag all these characters onto each page and set up the picture how you want, my guy has tons of fun working on this.  Not only is he working on computer skills, eye/hand coordination, working on his reading, we're also creating and I love to see how proud my boys are when they've created something.

This would make a fantastic gift for a preschooler in your life, not only are you giving a cute outfit, you are also giving many hours of a fun online experience.

We have great news for our readers as well!  Enter below for yours chance to win an adorable Dora outfit (Tee Shirt and Leggings set SIZE 2T) complete with a unique PIN for you to also try out the Dora Digital Story Book!!!  Good luck!!

Giveaway

MommiesFirst

Did you know Canada..  this September a new Canadian company began delivering care packages to the homes of new expectant and new moms. MommiesFirst sends its members a beautiful box each month filled with 4-5 of the most relevant products for a mom to discover during that particular stage of her pregnancy or her baby’s life (from 0 to12 month in age). MommiesFirst is the first service of its kind in Canada!

MommiesFirst was started by Lorena Pacheco Scott, a Toronto mother of two, in response to her own experience as a new mom.   Lorena says, three years ago when my first son was born I was scared, overwhelmed, and confused. At first I thought I was the only one who felt this way, but in talking to other mums, I very quickly discovered these are emotions many of us experience. I never forgot those feelings of despair and loneliness, and after my second son was born, I resolved to do something about it.  MommiesFirst was created to help make a difference for all the other new moms out there.

So, we are now on a mission to make lives for Canadian moms a little bit easier and a lot less stressful. How are we doing this?  With the help of the MommiesFirst Council, a group of moms, dads, and baby experts, we are doing a ton of research on behalf of our mom members.  The MommiesFirst Council is tasked with finding, testing, and reviewing the HUGE amount of baby and mom focused product out there in order to create the right care package for our members. It is our hope that sending MommiesFirst care packages that are both beautiful and helpful, we make it easier for moms to discover the best products for them and their babies.   We don’t pretend to be able to solve all of a new mom’s challenges, or worse yet, sugar coat these issues. Instead, we appreciate the difficulties because we’ve 100% been there too.

Overall it has been an unbelievable journey since launching our website in May and then shipping our first boxes in September, and the response from moms has been wonderful.  Their feedback serves as a constant reminder of why we started MommiesFirst.  Another incredibly rewarding aspect of creating MommiesFirst is supporting Canadian mompreneurs.  There are A LOT of Canadian businesses started by mothers who were inspired by their own personal journeys and decided to create great products to help other moms. MommiesFirst is giving these amazing women a platform to tell their stores and showcase their lovely products (many of which are also designed and manufactured right here in Canada). 

If you or someone you love is interested in signing up to receive a MommiesFirst care package, please visit www.mommiesfirst.com. A subscription costs $25 per month, with free shipping.  All of our boxes are delivered with love and care! 

Additional Information:
Company website:  www.mommiesfirst.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mommiesfirstbox
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MommiesFirstBox
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mommiesfirst/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mommiesfirstbox?feature=results_main