This Bird's Day

Pennies and Prayers 4 Penny

2010-03-12T08:12:00.007-07:00

I am joining many wonderful, fellow bloggers and mothers in a media blitz today to get the word out about a brave 11-month old girl who is currently battling Stage 4 Neuroblastoma (Cancer) in San Diego.

Pennelope Buttress is only 11 months old and she is fighting not only Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, but now also RSV.

This past week, March 9 to be exact. A beautiful 2 year old little angel named Layla Grace lost her battle with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Please also take some time to visit her site if you can.

As a parent (or human being), this is hard to read about, but I can't look away and go about my happy life. Layla and Penny have reminded me again what is important in my life and sharing their stories with you is the least I can do to try to help spread the word about this horrible cancer that attacks children.

*image rights to pennies4penny.org

Please take some time out of your day to say a prayer for Penny and her family. Drop by their site and help to speak for those little children who can't speak for themselves. I have faith that Layla's passing and Penny's battle will bring awareness and awareness will bring a cure. Share this on your facebook, twitter (use hashtag #pennies4penny) and everywhere else you visit.

There will also be an auction to raise money on Friday, March 16. Please visit Pennies4Penny.org to donate (if you are a company) or to learn more if you would like to bid. The family also has a button on their site where you can donate to help them with their medical bills as their insurance will only cover 60% of the costs and one test alone at the very beginning of all of this has already cot them $4,000 out of pocket.

No parent should have to bury their child and no parent should have to worry about money when the most important thing in the world to them is fighting for their life.

No Need to Get Sensitive: Crest & Oral-B Help You Brush Sensitivity Off

2010-03-11T12:23:00.014-07:00

Did you know that about 60% of Canadians suffer from some sort of tooth sensitivity according to the recent Crest and Oral-B Great Canadian Smile Survey? This includes sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet and acids and can sometimes have a big impact on what you choose to eat in a day.

Since being pregnant and having Baby Bird, I've added to my list of sensitivities. I always had tooth and sound sensitivities. I hate loud noises and have a constant ring in my ears (tinnitus). Now though, I get to add skin sensitivities to my list. Since having Baby Bird, I feel like all moisture has been sucked out of my body. I have dry skin, and even excema. I'm sensitive to cold. Really? I live in Canada -- aren't we all sensitive to cold? I'm just an all around sensitive person I guess.

I'm excited to be sharing with you the new Brush Off Sensitivity campaign. To help us treat tooth and gum sensitivity, Crest® and Oral-B® introduced the first group of sensitivity products designed to care for sensitive teeth or gums. Included in this are Crest® Pro-Health™ Sensitive Shield™ toothpaste, Crest Pro-Health floss for Sensitive Gums, Oral-B Advantage Sensitive manual toothbrush and Oral-B Vitality Sensitive Rechargeable power toothbrush.

I love slurpees... Seriously, what self-respecting ex-Winnipeger doesn't love slurpees? I mean Winnipeg is the slurpee capital of the world. I love slurpees -- and I suffer for it! My teeth are particularly sensitive to cold. I hate that I get the odd stabbing pain when I've forgotten to pay attention and the cold sits on my tooth for a second to long.

This is where the Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield toothpaste comes in. It contains Stannous Fluoride to help protect teeth from sensitivity.It also builds increasing protection against painful sensitivity and protects against the seven areas dentists check most: cavities, gingivitis, plaque, sensitivity, tartar, whitening and fresh breath.

Crest is also introducing Glide Pro-Health Floss for Sensitive Gums. It is designed to make flossing more comfortable for even the most sensitive gums.

To round out their sensitivity line, they also have the Oral-B Advantage Sensitive manual toothbrush and Oral-B Vitality Sensitive Rechargeable power toothbrush. It's your own preference whether you like manual or power toothbrushes and both come with soft bristles which my dentist tells me I need. The extra bonus that I like in the Oral-B Vitality Sensitive Rechargeable power toothbrush is that it includes a timer in the handle to help brush for the dentist-recommended two minutes. I'm positive that when I brush now I severely underestimate the whole 2-minute thing. I'm either tired, or I'm late for something and my teeth and gums always suffer for it. Now, I have a toothbrush to tell me when I can put it down and step away from the sink - I love it!

If you are like me (sensitive) and want to try any of these out, I found a couple of links to get coupons for both Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield toothpaste and Oral-B Vitality Rechargeable toothbrush so you can get a discount if you want to try them. Everything is available where you buy your oral care products so make sure you check them out.

In addition to these wonderful products, the generous people over at Crest and Oral-B also sent me a care package based on my survey to help me fight my own sensitivities. I received:

Olay for Sensitive Skin (fragrance free, hypo-allergenic)
Tide Free (no dyes or perfumes)
Silent Earplugs (washable, reusable, NRR rating of 32)
Sound Therapy (reduces noise, plays nature sounds. I can't tell you how welcome this is to someone with Tinnitus)
Reusable Instant Handwarmer (heats to 130F, works for 30 minutes)
Febreeze Allergan Reducer (reduce at least 75% of airbourne allergens - I have allergies but not as bad as my husband, so he says 'thank you')
Allergy and Waterproof Pillow Protector (100% terry top waterproof, noiseless backing)
Crest Whitestrips Daily Multicare (5-minute daily whitening solution - I really love these)
The book Don't Call Me a Drama Queen!: A Guide for the Overly Sensitive and Their Significant Others Who Need to Learn How to Lighten Up and Go with the Flow. (This book is on deck to read right now on my nightstand. I fear I may have some drama queen in me where Baby Bird is concerned and I want help.)

For more information on Crest and Oral-B sensitivity products, visit www.crestprohealthcanada.com and www.oralb.ca.

Birthday Freebies in Canada

2010-03-10T11:13:00.007-07:00

It's that time of year again where I get to post about birthday freebies. Yup, you guessed it, my birthday is coming up fast... this Sunday to be exact.

I was talking to Papa Bird last night and I was telling him about the coupon I got in the email from Joey's Only. Here's how that went.

Me: "Hey I have a coupon where we can get the percent equivalent of my age off of our entire bill up to a maximum of $25. So we would get 36% off of our order!"

Papa Bird: "Ummm... You mean 37%."

Me: "You suck!"

Papa Bird: "Maybe, but you're still going to be 37!"

So this brings me to my wonderful list of Birthday Freebies (BDF). This is what I have received from emails so far:

Sephora - This is always my favorite BDF because I don't get the chance to buy a LOT of makeup and these are always good for when we travel or for putting in my purse. Go to the Sephora Beauty Insider site and check out this years birthday gift. It is a Beautiful Eyes Kit complete with shadow, liner and mascara. There is no purchase necessary to redeem this BDF.

Joey's - So as I stated before, you can get the percent equivalent of your age off of your table's entire bill up to a maximum of $25 when you sign up to join their club online. Your coupon will be emailed to you one week before your birthday and is good for about 2 weeks from the date sent.

Reb Robin - Red Robin Gourmet Burgers are located in Alberta and BC (and most US States). You can join their eClub to receive a coupon for a free burger each year on your birthday. Your coupon will be emailed to you one week before your birthday and is good for about 2 weeks from the date sent.

Boston Pizza - You can join their email club to receive a coupon for a free gourmet pasta or dessert each year on your birthday. Your coupon will be emailed to you one week before your birthday and is good for about 2 weeks from the date sent.

Tony Roma's - You can join their Roma Rib Expert club and receive a coupon for a free entree each year on your birthday. Your coupon will be emailed to you one week before your birthday and is good for about 2 weeks from the date sent.

Orange Julius - You can join their OJ Quench Club and receive a coupon for a free 16 oz Julius Fruit Drink each year on your birthday. Your coupon will be emailed to you one week before your birthday and is good for about 2 weeks from the date sent.

Dairy Queen - You can join their Blizzard Fan Club and receive a coupon for a free 16 oz Blizzard treat when you purchase another blizzard treat each year on your birthday. Your coupon will be emailed to you one week before your birthday and is good for about 2 weeks from the date sent.

Let me know if you know of any others...

Splenda Free Trial Offer in Canada - Going Fast

2010-03-09T08:50:00.004-07:00

You can request a trial offer of NEW SPLENDA® Flavours for Coffee on their Living Well promotions and offers page.

Only 3200 left as I post this.

Update: The samples have all been claimed. I will post when I hear of another free sample.

Mystery Shopping Opportunity in Canada

2010-03-08T14:03:00.005-07:00

I've been meaning to learn more about mystery shopping in Canada and was happy to get an email from an old friend of mine telling me about Tell Us About Us, a company of his which has been in business since 1997 helping businesses and customers connect.

As you all know from my ~~long-winded~~ detailed posts, I love to give my opinion on things. There are a lot of different companies out there, so which one is a good one to choose? I'm going with this one and I'm signing up. If you're interested in learning more about mystery shopping, I suggest you sign up too.

Oh, and if you see me in a store or restaurant, don't out me okay? I'll be undercover!

I asked Tyler to put together a little welcome post for you guys and gals and here it is:

Thank you for your interest in the Tell Us About Us Mystery Shop Program!

At the moment, Tell Us About Us is offering several exciting opportunities for individuals interested in performing mystery shops. New mystery shop opportunities for certified shoppers are constantly arising across our ever growing client base. Should you wish to pursue the opportunities please feel free to visit our partner Sassie to enroll at www.sassieshop.com.

If you would also like to be a part of future growth at Tell Us About Us as a mystery shopper and panelist please visit www.tellusaboutus.com to begin receiving notifications about future employment opportunities.

We look forward to hearing back from you and would like to thank you for your interest in the mystery shopper position.

Tyler Gompf
Co - Founder CEO
Tell Us About Us Inc.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales Review & Giveaway

2010-03-08T12:01:00.003-07:00

Chicken Soup for the Soul released Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales in February 2010. Included in this book are over 100 stories from teachers and students.
Do you have a favorite teacher that inspired you to be your best, or one that made learning fun? Looking back on my school years I am lucky to say that I had numerous teachers that made a positive impact on my life and helped to shape the person I am.

Here is a brief description of this book: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales (Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, February 02 2010) The teaching industry has embraced this book, and more than half the stories are from "celebrity" teachers, including all of the 2009 State Teachers of the Year and the 2009 National Teacher of the Year. Those teachers who don't receive it as a gift are sure to buy it for themselves, to read these 101 true stories by great teachers and appreciative students, with lots of laughs, poignant moments, and some tears too.

Just like I had many teachers who inspired me (and still inspire me to this day), I had many favorite short stories in this book. Being a teacher is a powerful responsibility. I loved too many of these stories to pick a favorite, or even a top 5. Now that I have my daughter I am so aware of what an impact teachers make on our children.

This is a definite 'must have' book for all teachers. If you want to get your teacher something special to say thank-you, I suggest you get this book.

This is available for purchase online from Amazon.ca for $12.24 or Amazon.com for $10.17.

Chicken Soup for the Soul has offered to give two of my readers a copy of this book as a giveaway...

To enter:
Just leave me a comment below with a way of getting a hold of you if you win. *You must do this for any additional entries to count.

After you have completed the first entry, you can enter an additional comment one time for each of the following:

Follow Chicken Soup for The Soul on Twitter. Please include your twitter id in your comment.
Follow This Bird's Day on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Please include your twitter id in your comment.
Become a follower of This Bird's Day (in the right sidebar).
Subscribe to This Bird's Day (at the bottom of the page).

This contest is open to Canada and the US and runs until 12pm MST on Monday, March 15, 2010.

* I received a copy of this book for free to complete my review. The opinions expressed in this post are mine only and are in no way influeanced by any outside factors.

Over $100 in Canadian Coupons Winner

2010-03-08T09:53:00.004-07:00

My favorite giveaways are always the ones where I get to learn more about all of you. So thank you for sharing more about yourself. I really do love your comments.

It's also nice to share a love for coupons and saving money. I enjoy hearing your hows and whys you do it. So because you guys are so open about talking about yourselves and sharing your stories, I've decided to draw two winners.

The first winner will receive over $100 in coupons and the last flyer. The second winner (that I just decided on) will receive about $75 in coupons (i'll see after I get home and count them all up.

Congratulations goes to:

1st Prize: Comment #6, Wanda

2nd Prize: Comment #24, Little Deer

I will be emailing you shortly and you will have 72 hours to claim your prize (if you read this before I email you, just send me a quick email :)

Top 10 Ways to Get Votes in Online Voting Contests

2010-03-04T12:39:00.013-07:00

So you've entered in a contest where you are required to go through online voting as part of the contest rules. Make no mistake, companies do this for one reason only - to spread the word about them, their products and how generous they are that they are throwing a contest.

No company wants to throw a contest and only have the entrants know about it. That's like throwing a party and only asking the loners to show up!

They are giving away hundreds, thousands and some times hundreds of thousands of dollars. They see it as one big advertising campaign and they want to get the most bang for their buck. When it's all said and done, they want to know that the prize they gave away pales in comparison to what they will make in return.

In comes online voting! The whole point of online voting is so that companies can get you to do their dirty work for them. It's to get you, the entrant, to whore out as many links back to their site as possible. If the link is coming from you, then your acquaintances, friends and family are more likely to visit their link, and buy their product or service.

Online voting is tough and it takes a LOT of your time. I recently entered an online voting contest, and I want to share with you what I did. I averaged between 60 - 120 votes per day, but the work required to get them was tiring and time consuming. In the end of the online voting portion, I had the most votes.

Here are the tips I used to get there:

Have a Plan
When online voting starts you should be ready. Before the vote start date, sit down and make a small plan. It really sucks to start late in the game and always be trying to catch up. Make a list of everywhere you can look for votes and plan out who you will ask, and how often. Also have a back-up plan. If you have some people or a place to get some extra votes, but you're not sure if you want to use it, keep it in your back pocket in case of emergencies. Just knowing where you can access your votes will ease some stress (but not much!)

Friends and Family
In my situation, I relied heavily on my friends and family both online and offline. You NEED to know people. Not a city of people, but enough people to be able to get a steady stream of votes coming in.

The truth is, if online voting is a part of your contest, and let's say the contest is about favorite new painters. You could be the next Picasso, but if you live in a small town, don't use the internet and can count on your two hands how many people you know, you won't have the chance to prove yourself.

So, access your families and friends. Ask your coworkers, your teammates, your congregation, your moms group. It's best to do it in an email. This way, you can also ask them to forward the email off to anyone that also might be able to help you.

TIPS

In your email, include the link to vote for you, and be very specific about what they need to do for their vote to count. People HATE going to vote only to find out they need to complete a 5 minute survey first, so warn them ahead of time so they can prepare and do it when they have time.
If your online voting contest will allow one vote per day, include the suggestion of making their homepage the URL of your voting page for the duration of the contest. This way, when they log in each day, they will be sent directly to your 'Vote for Me' page and this will remind them to vote.

Email Contacts
You may also have some contacts in your email address book that you don't know personally but have emailed in the past for some reason or another. Go through and email everyone. Make sure that when you get replies from people telling you they voted that you thank them. If your contest runs long enough, you may need to send a second email to ask for another round of votes so showing your thanks to those that support you is important (and it's just plain nice)!

Facebook
I'm going to break this one down in to three categories because Facebook has a lot of features that you can use.

Your own Facebook - email your friends through facebook (see emailing friends and family above). Also post it on your wall as needed. I posted twice each day on my wall, once in the morning and once at night.
Facebook Applications - if you play games like FarmVille, Island Paradise, or any others where you can either send gifts or communicate with other players, then you can use this to remind them about your contest. In FarmVille, for example, you can send gifts to your neighbors. In sending these gifts, you can also include a message. You can include a friendly reminder to vote for you, and include your link in the message. Also in FarmVille, you can post messages on your farm. I had a little post on my farm and if my visitors clicked on it, I had a little 'vote for me' note with my link. Not sure if anyone ever clicked on it, but it was out there.
Facebook Group - I didn't use this tip myself, but I was impressed when I heard another entrant in my contest did. You can create a group and have your friends join it. In your group, you can share information on the giveaway and a link to vote for you. You also have access to those who have joined and can send out a reminder when ever you want.

Twitter
Much like Facebook, you can use this to reach a large number of people. It does however only work if you have a large Twitter following. I posted twice a day to my status. Like Facebook, once at night and once in the morning.

Twitter will also let you send out 250 direct messages (DMs) in a 24 hour period. The down side is you can only send out 1 DM at a time if you use Twitter. At the time of the contest I was in, I had 1,800 followers - that's a lot of time and effort.

I found a couple of sites that allowed me to significantly shorten this process. And what took me a couple of hours was shortened to a couple of minutes.

First, I exported my list of followers (you can only DM someone who is following you). To do this, I used Tweetake. Basically, you enter in your Twitter name, your Twitter Password, choose Followers, make sure you are exporting to the Excel-compatible option, and choose "Get 'em!".

Your follower information will be downloaded in to an Excel spreadsheet that will include a LOT of unnecessary information. Get rid of all of the columns except for the column titled 'screen name', then save your document. The nice feature here is that now your followers are also numbered, so you can easily select 200 of them at once without having to count them out.

Then you will want to use a Mass DM sender to send out multiple DMs at once. I use the Twitter Mass Direct Message Sender. You go to the site, copy your first 200 followers from your excel spreadsheet (highlight the first 200, then copy) and paste them into the follower list box on the page and click on 'add followers'. On the second page, you will enter in your Twitter Name, password and then your message. Once you are happy with the message, click on 'Submit My Message'. Don't navigate away or close the browser until you receive confirmation that the message is sent.

Then you are done, all of those DMs have gone out in a matter of minutes.

Tips

Want to build your followers? You can start by following me on Twitter, I'll follow back.
When you send out your direct messages (DMs) on Twitter, use a URL shortening service such as bit.ly - this way, you can check on their website and track how many people are clicking on that specific bit.ly link and you will get an idea of how many votes are coming from Twitter.
If you use the Mass DM sender, try not to email the same people over and over. Each time I sent a message, I deleted the people from my excel list. When I got to the end, I downloaded the list (which had more followers) and started again. Also, try not to send more than a couple of DMs to each person and leave some time in between the last message as you don't want to alienate your follower to the point where they unfollow you.
Even though Twitter will let you send out 250 DMs in a 24 hour period, I suggest sending between 200 - 225. This leaves those other DMs open for thanking people if they respond saying they voted and/or sending other DMs during the day.
As a rule, I got about 5-10% ROI for my Twitter efforts (so for every 200 people I DM'd, I could expect between 10 - 20 votes).

Forums
There are a lot of forums out there for different hobbies and interests. People come together to talk about what they have in common and to gain new perspectives, learn something new and share their knowledge. I've met so many wonderful people through shared interests and forums are a great place to also ask for support.

First off, only join forums you have an interest in. When you first join a forum, search out their 'welcome' or 'intro' post and tell them who you are. I suggest keeping it to you specifically and leaving out the contest in the first post. Many forums will have a section for off topic posts (O/T) where you can post your plea for votes there.

As with every other venue for asking for votes, make sure you thank those people that took their time. When people comment that they voted, leave a comment in your post thanking them for doing so. It will show other readers that you appreciate your votes and it will also push your post back up to the top of the section for others to read.

You can use a little give and take on forums as well. Read to see what other people are asking. Maybe someone else entered a contest and is looking for votes. Go and vote for them and leave a post telling them you did so, then ask for them to return the favor and include your link.

Tips

When you join a forum you can edit your profile information and add a signature line. I recommend adding a little about yourself, but the signature line is key. Make sure you include your name, then something short like "Vote for Me: Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes (insert your contest link here)". Your signature appears on every post you make (until you change it) so the more you post on the forum, the more people will get the chance to see it.

Blogs
If you have a blog, use it. Post your link on the main page as close to the top as you can get it. You can also post it within your blog posts or at the bottom of each post as a reminder.

If you don't have a blog, try to use others blogs, but be nice! That's their site and they work hard on it and you don't want to step on any toes to get your link out.

Check a search engine for your contest name and see if there is anyone out there who blogged about it (make sure they didn't blog about it because THEY entered too). Sometimes you can find a post where someone was just telling their readers about the contest, and sometimes they even ask for anyone who did enter to leave their link in the comments section to help with votes. If there's an invite to post in the comments, then knock yourself out.

If there isn't an invite to post, then you can always try to post it but be understanding if it doesn't get published and don't take it personally. If you do post on the site, take some time to learn about that site and what the topics are about so that you can word it appropriately. Also, you can thank the blog owner by following them or signing up for their newsletter.

I was lucky enough to have some great friends who blog as well and they did some wonderful posts for me and spread the news of my entry to their readers. So my link was in a lot of different places (THANK YOU - ya you! You know who you are).

Subscriber List
If you have a blog or website, you should have a list of subscribers -- you subscribe to my feed right? If you have access to their email, you could send out a request for votes. I am done with any type of online voting, so don't be afraid to subscribe, you will now only get my post updates.

Tread lightly on this one though. You don't want your subscribers to unsubscribe if you email constantly. I suggest emailing that list once, maybe twice throughout your contest and again, spread it out, make it short and be appreciative.

Hold a Giveaway
Also if you have a blog or website, you can encourage people to vote for you by holding a small giveaway. I held a giveaway for a gift card in a small amount. I cashed in some points I had to get it so there was no cost to me, and I held a giveaway where you could enter once a day for each day you voted. Read your contest rules first to make sure that this is allowed during voting or you could be disqualified.

Tip

You don't need to go overboard with prizes. Many people who visit your site will want to vote for you anyway. Something of low value, or free (to you) will be enough to remind most people to vote.

Other Social Media / Networking Sites
I am only really familiar with the social networking sites I spoke of above, but there are a lot more. Search around and find ones that appeal to you.

Tip

If you are in the middle of your online voting right now it will be tough to get any votes out of social media and networking sites. As the term states, 'networking' takes some time. You may not get a lot of response from these avenues. It takes time to grow and nurture good relationships online and off. It's like this, you can't just walk in to a party where you know no one and kiss the hot looking chick across the room and expect that she'll kiss ya back -- well, unless you're Gerard Butler...hmmmm. What? Oh yes... Where were we?
If you haven't started the online voting portion of your contest yet, you may want to get out there and start meeting people.

And now with one big general tip. I rarely posted asking for votes on the weekend. I updated my profiles on Facebook and Twitter, but I never sent out emails or DMs on the weekend. That is when most people are away from the computer - enjoying time with their friends and family. My site stats are always lowest on the weekends as well. There was no point in sending out perfectly good emails only to have them get lost in the piles of emails that everyone has to sift through come Sunday night or Monday morning.

And with all of these tips just remember, you get what you give. Be genuinely appreciative.

Are You in an Online Contest?
If you are and you came here for some tips then I hope you found some helpful tips you haven't thought of yet.

If you want to post in the comments section to ask for some votes, you are welcome to, but please leave the following information:

the contest link
who you are, so we know who to vote for
the date the online voting ends to save readers time
any other info we should know

The first three bullets must be entered or your comment will NOT be published.

If you leave a comment here, do the commenter before you a favor and vote for them. Kind of like pay it backwards! And I will try my best to vote for every comment left here as well.

GOOD LUCK!

Over $100 Canadian Coupon Giveaway (Closed)

2010-03-03T13:57:00.005-07:00

Time to have some more fun!

I have over $100 of Canadian coupons that I got off of store shelves. Plus one complete copy of the last edition of the RedPlum coupon flyer to giveaway.

They expire March 31 or later - most later.

To enter: Introduce yourself. Leave me a comment and tell me a little about yourself. You don't need to get too personal, I'd just like to get to know you a bit. Please also leave a way of contacting you should you win.

You can enter once per person. As the coupons are only good in Canada I am opening it only to Canadians. This giveaway will end at 12:00PM MST on Sunday, March 7, 2010.

Please note: if you live in the US and are close to the Canadian border and do a lot of shopping in Canada and can use these coupons, then you are welcome to enter as well. I just don't want these coupons to go to anyone who can't use them.

EA Sports Active - More Workouts for Wii Review

2010-03-03T11:48:00.011-07:00

At the beginning of the year, I posted my two resolutions for 2010. I'll start by saying that I am failing miserably at resolution number one (to be more organized). I am however doing well at my second resolution -- to be healthier.

I was beyond excited to hear that I would be reviewing EA Sports Active More Workouts on our Wii. I currently use Wii Fit so I thought this would be a great addition to my current workout programs on the Wii.

I first want to tell you more about this program. EA Sports Active - More Workouts is just that. It is the second installment of EA Sports Active. In order to do this workout program, you need the EA Sports Active Accessory Pack which comes as part of the first program, but not as part of this one. The accessory pack can be bought separately if needed.

The accessory pack includes one adjustable leg strap designed to hold a Wii nunchuk and one stretchable resistance band, with handles at either end. Some of the exercises require the nunchuk to be placed in the leg strap (such as the jogging exercises). The resistance band is used in place of weights when doing some of the other workouts.

In addition to the activity pack the Wii remote and nunchuk are needed for the exercises.

EA Sports Active will work with your Wii Fit foot board if you have one. I was able to weigh myself with it and I was also able to use it during some of the workouts for more accuracy with my slick workout moves.

I am at a beginner level and started the 6-week challenge and set up 4 workouts a week that varied in time from 16 minutes to 28 minutes. I have been doing these workouts now for a few weeks and I love them. Each day focuses on something different. Lower body, upper body and full body workouts are given to me on different days so that I am not just doing the same routine again and again. The routines are also split between doing reps, jogging in a race and various fun exercises like boxing and water skiing.

So ya... that's me! The very first day I did the routine I thought it was okay. I was able to easily follow everything, but I wasn't convinced that I was getting any real benefit from it -- until the next morning. My stomach, arms and legs felt like I had gone hard core at the gym the night before. By using the remote and nunchuk, you move your character on the screen. At the beginning of each exercise, there is a video that shows you how to do it properly, then you follow along with the trainer that is in the bottom right of the screen. If you are not moving properly, then your character does not move.

My favorite exercise so far is the boxing routines where you kick, punch and duck. I also enjoy the water skiing. As you go through your exercises, there is a beautiful background of beaches and blue water - it's always nice to have something relaxing to look at while you're sweating away.

By achieving certain milestones, you win awards and you can go and view them and your progress at any time. At the end of your routine, you can fill in some journals that ask you about your eating and exercise habits.

EA Sports Active also comes with a small nutrition book by Bob Greene that includes a journal, some recipes and more information about losing weight.

Overall, I really like this program. The workouts are not long, fun and effective. For a busy mom like me, that is a nice bonus. I have to admit, that it's also nice to hear Papa Bird ask me if I've lost weight - WHICH I HAVE!

You can pick up EA Sports Active at Amazon.ca for $44.99, or Amazon.com for $36.99 and this item is eligible for their free shipping on both sites.

* I received a copy of EA Sports Active: More Workouts plus the Leg Strap and Resistance Band for free to complete my review. The opinions expressed in this post are mine only and are in no way influenced by any outside factors.

Smart Source Canada Coupon Flyer

2010-03-02T13:28:00.002-07:00

The SmartSource coupon flyer will be out this weekend on or around March 6th. So check your flyers and your papers.

I say "on or around" as it is different in every city. Here in Edmonton, you should get the SmartSource insert in the Edmonton Journal on Saturday and in the Edmonton Sun on Sunday.

There are usually some great coupons in there for stacking.

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey on DVD Review

2010-03-02T12:25:00.003-07:00

Universal Studios Home Entertainment released Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! on DVD today. This DVD includes two never-before-seen shows from the all-new TV season on PBS that does not air until Fall 2010, a brand new interactive game, an exclusive music video and more.

We received a copy of this DVD and I put it on this weekend to watch. I have to start by saying that Baby Bird LOVES monkeys right now. She gets excited and imitates them by putting her hands to her chest and saying "eee-eee-eee". So when she saw Curious George on the screen for the first time, she walked around the living room pointing at the screen saying "mo -- mo -- mo" meaning monkey.

In this sequel, George tries to help reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. With security specialist Marcus Wolfe right behind them they make their way from adventure to adventure. This is a wonderful story about friendship, never giving up and realizing what is important in life.

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey features all-star voice talent including Tim Curry, Jamie Kennedy, Matt Lauer, Frank Welker and comedy legend Jerry Lewis, plus music from legendary songwriter Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

I grew up with Curious George and I am happy to see that new movies are still being put out with this lovable monkey and the Man With the Yellow Hat.

This DVD has a suggested retail price of $19.95 and is now available for purchase. It is on sale right now though and as of this post, you can buy it online at Amazon.ca for $16.99 and at Amazon.com for $12.99.

* I received a copy of this DVD for free to complete my review. The opinions expressed in this post are mine only and are in no way influenced by any outside factors.

This Bird's Day on CBC TV Edmonton

2010-03-01T10:48:00.003-07:00

I have the link to my interview with CBC TV where I talked about finding and using coupons in Canada.

Watch This Bird's Day interview with CBC TV.

I'm looking for comments on this one guys. How did I do? I was so nervous and I felt like I had a perma-grin on my face the entire time.

I even got a shout out in there to my dad! Note to dad: yes I do listen when you talk - sometimes!

I thought overall the clip was really good. I liked the part with the manager from London Drugs that spoke of how they feel about stackers. I thought it was really well put together.

A big thank you to Stephanie who found the link and emailed me.

McDonald's Canada: Free Coffee

2010-03-01T08:29:00.003-07:00

From today, March 1 until March 14 (my birthday!), McDonald's is giving away free coffee all day long. That's two weeks of free caffeine at all locations across Canada.

People, McDonald's is everywhere! But if you are looking for a location, or woke up hungover from last night's wicked hockey game party in some strange city, you can click here for McDonald's store locations!

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Winner

2010-03-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered to win the SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion.

Using a random number generator, comment number 1 was chosen as the winner. Congratulations goes to PSL - I will be emailing you shortly.

Honourable Mention

2010-03-01T08:14:00.004-07:00

I want to thank everyone here who spent day after day voting for my recipe to help to get it into the top three in my category.

The amount of support I received from everyone everywhere I looked was wonderful and overwhelming at times. Even getting to the point where others in the challenge had to cheat (ahem... vote irregularily) because they thought that there was no way I could possibly be getting that many votes legitimately.

The judging was apparently done last week sometime as I received a call indicating that I won the honourable mention prize.

I won:

Free Product Coupons ($50.00)
Cleaning Handbook
Some branded stuff

Thank you again for trying, voting and supporting my recipe.

Veggie Tales Winner

2010-02-26T13:58:00.002-07:00

A big thank you to everyone who entered to win Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving on DVD.

Using a random number generator, comment number 4 was chosen as the winner of this giveaway. Congratulations goes to Carla. I will be emailing you shortly to claim your prize.

I Just Won 20 SwagBucks...

2010-02-25T10:14:00.008-07:00

First off, for anyone who is unfamiliar with Swagbucks, you can earn points towards cash or prizes just by doing what you do all day. Searching and shopping online. You can follow their directions to add Swagbucks as a search engine on your toolbar. Then when I search for sites or information at home or at work (like I normally would use Google for), I am sometimes picked as a winner and awarded so many points as a prize.

Swagbucks has changed their point system, so you will notice a new look to the site and the notifications. The new 20 Swagbucks I just won for searching equals the old 2 Swagbucks I would have won. They took your current points and multiplied it by 10 to get your new point amount.

They also changed the look of their site a bit. The prizes have all been adjusted to reflect the higher point values too. So don't go over thinking you are going to get an iPhone with your 2,900 Swagbucks, which is what I did!

I cashed in my first round of points a few months ago for $5 which was put into my Paypal account. I now have enough points to get $20 in cash put into my Paypal account, or $30 in an Amazon.ca gift card. Not too bad for just adding them as my main search engine and doing what I do normally. There are also a lot of prizes to be won or cashed in for.

If you are looking to make some extra cash without doing anything different, then I recommend Swagbucks. Note: You won't 'get rich quick' on this, there is no such thing, but you may have enough at the end of the year to help pay for your Christmas presents.

Welcome to This Bird's Day

2010-02-24T18:00:00.006-07:00

I noticed that traffic is picking up here since CBC TV aired my interview tonight. I realize that getting up to speed on a blog is kind of like trying to jump on a moving train so I thought I would do a getting to know me and this site post.

First off - to welcome all new readers and to thank all of my long time readers, I will be posting a contest tomorrow where you can win a stack of coupons to either get started or to compliment your current collection so check back (I have to go through my coupons to see what I have to give away).

In the menubar at the top, you can read a little more about me. You can also find some great tips for finding and using coupons as well as a list of clubs you can join to find out about deals.

I maintain a list of places online where you can find coupons, it is on the left side under 'Coupon Clippers'. I also have a huge list under 'Savings Sites' where you can find freebies, deals and forums that will give you more information about saving money in Canada.

In addition, I post daily about deals, coupons, freebies, giveaways and reviews. I also post to remind everyone when a coupon flyer will be out on which weekend. If you want to go back and see any previous posts, I have both an archive and category section on the right hand side.

I post some product reviews here and I occasionally host giveaways. Those are listed on the right side at the top under 'Current Giveaways' and they are always open to Canadians.

If you would like to keep up to date and be notified when I do a new post, you can subscribe to get my updates by email at the bottom right side of this page.

I've met some wonderful people through my site, so please feel free to email or leave a comment to say hi or to ask any questions you may have. I love sharing what I know about saving money and coupon clipping.

Thanks for stopping by.

And a note to everyone who emailed me about the show - I think it will be online tonight or tomorrow so I will keep an eye out and post it when it goes up.

CBC TV Edmonton Interview

2010-02-24T14:22:00.004-07:00

I didn't post about this earlier as I wasn't too sure if I could.

I was interviewed last Friday night by Don Marcotte with CBC TV about how to save money. It was filmed both at London Drugs and at my house. The staff and manager at London Drugs were really great and friendly. I even got a chance to talk to one of the managers for a bit.

I spoke about coupon stacking and offered some other tips for saving money. I was so nervous and I'm pretty sure I had a perma-grin on my face.

At saving money, I'm an expert... On TV interviews, not so much ;)

Long story short, it is airing tonight on CBC TV Edmonton at 5:00pm MST. Not too sure if it will be online yet. I don't have access to this channel with my regular TV so I will have to see if I can hook up our old cable (if it's still hooked up).

If you get a chance to catch it, let me know what you thought!

Pampers: Tips for Parents by Parents

2010-02-24T11:26:00.002-07:00

You may remember my original post titled Pampers: A Parent is Born where I told you that Pampers was looking for our tips to share with new parents. They were looking for tips on baby/mommy sleep tips and coping with going back to work.

I shared with you my submission and I found out recently I was going to be considered for inclusion in their tip sheet.

Well, the tips are out, and my parent to new parent tip was included. I'm pretty excited to be in their tip sheet. You can check out their list of Tips for Parents - By Parents on their website.

If you're looking for my entry, it is on page 2 of the 'Balance Baby & Life' tip sheet. I also won a $20 gift card from amazon.ca as a part of their giveaway.

Did anyone else here enter? If your tip made it in, which one is it?

In case you are wondering, I spent my prize money on the 80's movie "My Science Project" on DVD. Can't wait to get it!

Olivia: Olivia Takes Ballet on DVD

2010-02-23T12:11:00.008-07:00

Nickelodeon will be releasing Olivia: Olivia Takes Ballet on DVD on March 2, 2010. This DVD has four episodes that have two stories in each for a total of eight shows.

The series is based on the books written by acclaimed author and illustrator Ian Falconer. Nick Jr.'s Olivia is a creative pig who can turn any ordinary day into a grand adventure. She uses her imagination to work out problems or hurdles that she comes across and has her own 'Rules of Life' that she shares with her viewers.

My favorite Rule of Life of all time is: "If you really want to hide your baby brother, change his diaper first." That would come in handy if we decide to have a second child.

The titles on this DVD are as follows:

Olivia Takes Ballet
Olivia and Her Ducklings
Olivia Runs a Carnival
Olivia Explores the Attic
Olivia and the Anniversary Surprise
Olivia the Pet Monitor
Olivia Goes Camping
Olivia Becomes a Vet

Olivia sometimes speaks to the viewer and Baby Bird really likes the interaction. She also loves the music, as I've posted before, she loves to dance.

I like that Olivia works things out in her head. I am at the beginning stages of getting Baby Bird to stop and think things through before getting frustrated and giving up, so this is a good tool for me. During the show, when Olivia stops to ponder something, I have been trying to point it out to Baby Bird by making a 'thinking' expression. Then I usually ask Baby Bird a question about the show and she 'thinks', then answers me. It's very cute to watch.

The DVD is about 95 minutes in length and the episodes are split up so you can put on a short episode and only run one at a time. It will be released on March 2, 2010 and the suggested retail price will be $16.99.

As of posting this, this DVD is available for pre-order and purchase online at Amazon.ca for the sale price of $12.49. It is also available at Amazon.com for $16.99.

* I received a copy of this DVD for free to complete my review. The opinions expressed in this post are mine only and are in no way influenced by any outside factors.

Neutrogena Free Trial Offer - Going FAST

2010-02-23T10:26:00.005-07:00

You can request a trial offer of 1 of 5 Neutrogena Skin Care Products on their Living Well promotions and offers page.

Only 1700 left as I post this.

Updated: They are all out - I'll post the next time I hear of a giveaway like this.

Oh, I Think I Can Garden... Maybe!

2010-02-22T15:32:00.003-07:00

So guess what?

I've entered in to another contest online -- groan!

BUT...

This one doesn't require online voting -- YAY!

I entered in to the 'So You Think You Can Garden?' contest by CanadianGardening.com.

The winner gets to blog for Canadian Gardening for 6 months, plus some other prizes. Me, I'd love the chance to blog for Canadian Gardening. I am still a really new gardener, but I love it. I've made some mistakes, both funny and not so funny over the past 5 years and I'd love to share my stories and experiences with other newbies out there.

If you get a chance, please stop by and check out my contest entry. You can also leave a comment if you'd like - but it isn't required. I know I asked a LOT of you guys on the last contest and I am still so grateful for all of your support.

If you are a gardener and would like to enter as well, you can enter using this link. The more the merrier...

Joey's Global Grill & Lounge Edmonton - Follow Up

2010-02-22T12:10:00.004-07:00

Many of you will remember my frustrated post back in January where we were upset with Joey's Global Grill & Lounge in Mayfield Common (Edmonton). You can read my initial post if you'd like the first part of this story.

After that post, and a follow up feedback form on their site, I was contacted by Dean and Nick, management with Joey's. They received my feedback and there was a confusion with my initial contact form as each person had thought the other had responded.

They apologized for the lack of response and the service and they invited us back to try to recreate the evening we were hoping to have the first time we were there. We are all moms and, as such, our schedules don't fall in to place too often, but we were all available this past Friday and we set a time to have another girls night out.

I have to say, we had a lot of fun and it was a very different experience than the first time we were there. Our server, Marina was very helpful and quick. She was friendly and chatty. I've been known to be chatty before (shut up Papa Bird!)... and I love friendly people so I was happy.

I ordered the same thing I did before, the Lobster Ravioli, which was amazing. I also ordered a Lava Cake for dessert that I had planned on sharing with the group, but there were no immediate takers so I gobbled it up! Everyone at the table ordered something different, and everyone said their meal was delicious.

During our time there, two managers had come up to make sure we were doing okay. Angela and Evan were both very nice and made a wonderful effort to make us feel special.

One of my friends said that this must be what being a celebrity must feel like. Regardless, it was really nice and we had time after our meal to relax and chat in the restaurant. Even better, we had even more time after our meal to head out for our girls night at the casino.

I know that things go wrong in every hospitality establishment. Things get overlooked, left out, forgotten. It happens - it's happened to everyone!

Joey's Global Grill did a wonderful job at having us back and they gave us a great night out. In the end, the team at Joey's Global Grill picked up our bill for us. They apologized that we didn't get the service to begin with and they went above and beyond to rectify it.

So, thank you to Evan, Angela, Marina and Nick for setting this up and making four moms who occasionally get a chance to get out together, feel special.