What Emma Thinks About Stuff

Arm & Hammer winner

2011-05-15T17:51:00.001-07:00

And I can blame Blogger being down and the fact I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30pm last night for the fact that this is so late. Also, I'm turning down giveaway opportunities because clearly I can't meet deadlines right now.

Anyway, congrats to...

Anna Annacdotes! Hope your family enjoys the toothbrushes. I'll be in touch.

Arm & Hammer toothbrushes for your family (giveaway - Canada only)

2011-04-25T07:47:00.005-07:00

I'm so behind on blog posts and reviews that April was Oral Health Month and I'm writing this in May. At least it's the beginning of May? I should be fired.

I was kindly sent a package Arm & Hammer electric toothbrushes for our family to try.

The kids were particularly excited to open their Spinbrush My Way! toothbrushes, and have been using them happily ever since. The cool thing about these toothbrushes is that they come with a ton of stickers for the kids to decorate them themselves. We received a pink one and a blue one, but luckily Oliver is a fan of pink, and Callum shared his 'boy' stickers - actually, they both used some from both packages.

I tried the Spinbrush Globrush. It's meant to stay lit up for 2 minutes of brushing time, which was really helpful while it latest. It also changes colours halfway through. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a problem with the battery in my brush, and it's not replaceable. I'm an infrequent user of electric toothbrushes, anyway, so no great loss. They sort of make my head feel funny. I'm back to my regular dentist freebie one now.

My husband tried the Spinbrush Pro Clean Sonic toothbrush and felt it cleaned his teeth thoroughly. He's a big fan of electric toothbrushes. It's a serious looking brush with replaceable AA batteries.

In celebration of the month after Oral Health Month (maybe next year I'll get this right), would you like to win your own pack of toothbrushes for your family?

Giveaway: Arm & Hammer dental pack containing:

•1 Arm & Hammer Spinbrush My Way! toothbrush for boys
•1 Arm & Hammer Spinbrush My Way! toothbrush for girls
•1 Arm & Hammer Spinbrush Pro Clean Sonic toothbrush for adults
•1 Arm & Hammer toothpaste

All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment. It can say whatever you want, but I'm curious: do you like electric toothbrushes? Do you think your kids would enjoy the stickers on the My Way! brushes? One comment/entry per person, please. Make sure it includes a valid email address.

This giveaway is open to residents of Canada only and will close at 10pm EST on Wednesday May 11 2011. I'll pick a winner using random.org at that time or soon after.

Good luck!

Rice Krispies baking gift basket winner

2011-04-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we are going to bake with our Rice Krispies gift basket - who is going to win their own?

Congrats to moplans! I will contact you for your mailing address details. Thanks to Kelloggs Canada for the great baskets.

Giveaway: $100 value Easter baking Rice Krispies gift basket (CLOSED)

2011-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I don't believe in or participate in organized religion, I do celebrate 4 day weekends that involve chocolate consumption. Easter! You are awesome.

I had already planned to make some cupcakes with the kids this weekend, using some toasted coconut to make nests on top, with Mini Eggs (if I leave any after opening the bag) as the bird offspring for some seasonal decor.

But thanks to Rice Krispies and Kellogg's, I plan to do even more baking this weekend. Yesterday a lovely gift basket arrived at my door and we're very exited to dig in! It contains:

A copy of Rice Krispies Chocolate Bunnies Recipe and some of the ingredients and tools necessary to make the recipe including:
A full size box of Rice Krispies Original Cereal
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
A bag of marshmallows
Williams Sonoma food colouring
Baking Pan
Spatula
Cookie Cutters
President's Choice gourmet jelly beans for decorations

My youngest is an especially big fan of Rice Krispies cereal, and both of them are excited to see how the chocolate bunnies turn out. What a very generous basket! How would you like to win one to cook with your kids next week? Okay, it may arrive a little late for Easter but I know my kids would be happy to have it come anytime.

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave me a comment. Any favourite things to bake with your kids/small relations?
2. Leave the comment before 9pm EST on Thursday April 21 2011.
3. Be Canadian.
4. Have a valid email address I can use to contact you (leave it in a field/in the comment).

One entry per person, please! I'll use random.org to pick a winner soon after contest close. I will try to get the PR company to send the gift basket as soon as possible. Good luck. Thanks to Kellogg's for the giveaway opporunity.

Winners...

2011-03-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

Congrats to comment #2, Katie from motherbumper, for winning the $10 coupon towards Summer Fresh Foods.And congrats to comment #4, anonymous (who left their email address), who won a $25 gift card courtesy of Ddops!Thanks for playing, everyone.

Summer Fresh Salads: review and giveaway (Canada only) -CLOSED

2011-02-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to come home one day last month and find a giant cooler box on my door step, full to the brim with Summer Fresh Salads dips and Meals to Go. I can't even quite remember how many different kinds of hummus there were inside - I just know it was a LOT. My husband in particular was very excited by the dinner and snack possibilities that the box presented. They were really very generous.I have bought their products during my grocery shopping before, but I can't say that I paid much attention to the brand or the nutrition label. I have now, though.

My favourite thing about the Summer Fresh Salads products is that every single ingredient on the labels were something that you fully expect to be in the dip or lunch meals. No preservatives. Nothing unpronounceable. Exactly what you'd expect to find in hummus or artichoke & asiago if you made it yourself. For me, as a busy working mother, that's the best kind of convenience food - I can trust this brand and know there is nothing weird or funny added to their food.

Also, they were yummy and we all liked them. My youngest decided he liked to dip blueberries in the artichoke & asiago dip. Whatever floats your boat, kid.

I brought a couple of the Meals to Go products to work and I'll honestly say they weren't my favourite. I was probably the wrong person to test these out as I'm not the greatest fan of cold grain salads for my lunch. As much as I liked the addition of trail mix to the boxes, this is actually a problem as up until recently I worked in a nut-free office. I did like the flatbread crackers and hummus, however!Summer Fresh Salads are a Canadian company. Their president, Susan Niczowski, was recently profiled in MOMpreneur magazine. You can find them on facebook or twitter. Their website is a comprehensive listing of their products and recipes and contests.

Would you like to try some Summer Fresh Salads products? The company has offered one of my readers a $10 coupon towards their products.

Here's how to enter:

Leave me a comment. What Summer Fresh Salads product would you like to use the $10 coupon to try?
Leave the comment before 9pm EST on Wednesday March 2 2011
Be Canadian
Have a valid email address I can use to contact you (leave it in a field/in the comment)

And...one entry per person, please! I'll use random.org to pick a winner soon after contest close. Good luck. Thanks to Summer Fresh Salads for the giveaway.

Disclosure: I was provided with samples of Summer Fresh Salads products to review for this post and was not compensated in any other way. My views are my own.

Ddrops review & $25 gift card giveaway (Canada only) - CLOSED

2011-02-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

I was recently sent some Kids Ddrops to review -- Vitamin D in liquid form, aimed at kids. Ddrops are a Canadian-owned vitamin company, and I was already familiar with their product, although we hadn't tried it before.

There's a lot of evidence that tells us we should all be supplementing with Vitamin D, particularly in the winter time. I try to take some myself when I remember.

I'm not exactly diligent about giving the kids vitamins (they sit in a cupboard and they take one when someone remembers) but sometimes we give them a soft chewable multi-vitamin that contains sugar. They think of it as candy. I'm totally fine with this - treats are ok around here. But if you aren't, one major appeal of Kids Ddrops is that all they contain is Vitamin D and a vegetable oil as a transport method for the D. The good thing about the oil is that you can see it if you add it to water, to make sure you actually got the drop in.

I guess that was my only concern with this product - sometimes I wasn't sure if I had actually got the drop in or not - milk was challenging. Although I wasn't that worried as I figured they could handle a double dose in the winter time. We all need it, right?

The kids enjoyed their Ddrops and liked to try to guess whether or not they would be able to taste it - they never did, in the end.

If you'd like more information, the Ddrops website is very comprehensive, covering their products and general Vitamin D information. You can also find them on facebook and twitter.

They've also been very generous to my readers - would you like to try some Ddrops? Ddrops is offering one of you a $25 gift certificate from either Shoppers Drug Mart, Jean Coutu or well.ca.

Here's how to enter:

Leave me a comment. Ideas to discuss: do you give your kids Vitamin D? How do they like to take their vitamins, if you do? Have you tried Ddrops, for your kids or yourself?
Leave the comment before 9pm EST on Wednesday March 2 2011
Be Canadian
Have a valid email address I can use to contact you (leave it in a field/in the comment)

And...one entry per person, please! I'll use random.org to pick a winner soon after contest close. Good luck. Thanks to Ddrops for the giveaway.

Disclosure: I was provided with a sample of Kids Ddrops to review for this post and was not compensated in any other way. My views are my own.

Review: Planet Echo on Aboriginal People's Television Network (Canada)

2011-02-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked to check out a kids' show on the Aboriginal cable channel APTN called Planet Echo. I completely (slightly shamefully) admit that I think this is the first time I've ever turned on that channel - it's one that I'm very glad to see is offered on my cable box, but I'm not sure what's on there for me.

I'm happy to report that Planet Echo is a great reason to watch APTN (and I'm sure there are many more) if you are looking for a different & new kids' show with an emphasis on Canada, history and the environment -- particularly if your little ones are aged 7-12. This is a little bit older than my kids, but when we turned it on yesterday afternoon, their interest was piqued.

The show is all about the adventures of two brothers, Chuck (the athletic, academic, science guy) and Andy (the urban, outdoorsy culture hound). Along with the fun characters and some silly stuff, there's a strong environmental science theme. The episode we watched was about trying to find the 'greenest' way to travel across the country.

In addition, given the French-Canadian/Aboriginal background of the brothers, there's lot of great Canadian history and culture thrown in. I very much appreciate these themes when I think about the educational potential of children's television (they do actually learn things from TV sometimes, you know).

The brothers reminded me of the Kratt Brothers, who we've watched on TVO before. Planet Echo seems like something we'll check out again, particularly when the kids are a bit older.

Planet Echo's website also features videos and games for the same sort of age range. I didn't check them out with the kids as we didn't have a lot of time to spend on the computer this weekend, but the website seems user friendly to me. It's also kind of neat that the show ties into the website - they display code words on the screen that I believe you can enter into your profile on the website for more 'points'.

Check your local listings and see what your kids can learn from Planet Echo, fellow Canadians.

Disclosure: to thank me for taking the time to review Planet Echo, I will be receiving a gift card. My opinions are completely my own.

EZSOX winner is...

2011-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

moplans! Lucky number one.
Congrats!

I'll be in touch.

Review and giveaway: EZ Sox (USA/Canada only) (ENDED)

2011-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

When I first got the email offering up a pair of EZ Sox for review, it made me chuckle. I mean, socks with handles! Come on! Then when I actually thought about it, about how hard it is to get my kids to put their own socks on? I replied in the affirmative immediately.

Seriously, the putting on of the socks can be quite stressful when you're trying to get out of the door in a hurry. Oliver, at 5, still has trouble with them. Anything that can teach independence, while also making things a bit easier? Why not try it out?

In November, I received a pair of Teddy Bear EZ Sox and terribly, terribly misplaced them over the holidays. Which is why I am only now getting to this very late review. My apologies, EZ Sox. The good news is that Callum (age 3) thinks they were worth the wait.

He put his own socks on. And was quite happy to do so. I'd say that's a positive review.

You can buy them online or in several shops in Canada and the US. If you shop now, you can receive 20% off online orders using the code EZ20. They are also running a "buy 6 get 1 free" offer at EZ Sox.

Would you like to win a pair for your own little one, or a little one you know? (USA/Canada only)

Rules:
1. Leave a comment on this blog, telling me which animal design or colour EZ Sox you'd like to win (this page has the choices).
2. One comment per person, please.
3. Make sure your comment/comment entry has an email address so you can be contacted.
4. Leave your comment before Tuesday January 18th 2010 at 10pm EST.
5. At that time, or soon after, I'll pick one winner using random.org. I'll contact them and post their details on here.
Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided a pair of EZ Sox to review. I was not compensated for this review. My views are my own.

Phillips Sonicare Toothbrush Winner

2010-11-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

The wiener (with apologies to the Pioneer Woman) is...

Jennifer!

Congrats. I'll be in touch. Thanks for playing, everyone. And thanks to Aquafresh and Mom Central Canada for the prize.

Aquafresh® Advanced Futures Blog Tour: Win Philips Sonicare for Kids Toothbrush (Canada only) (CLOSED)

2010-11-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

What are you hoping for, for your children? I wish that when they are grown up they will be happy, healthy, and not spending every day in therapy. Is that too much to ask? Probably. Oh, and a little education and good careers would be nice too - that's why we're currently putting as much as we can into their Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). We are lucky to be able to do so.

Aquafresh, the toothpaste brand, is running a contest until November 30, 2010. If you share a wish for your child/children on their website as part of the Aquafresh Advanced Futures contest, you have a chance of winning a $10,000 RESP, courtesy of new Aquafresh Advanced.

I'll be honest. Getting my kids to brush their teeth is one of my least favourite things to do with them every day. Oliver, almost 5, is much better than he used to be, as he has a clearer understanding of what threats of CAVITIES and PULLED OUT TEETH mean. (Why yes, I do parent through threats. Don't judge me. I already judge myself!) Callum, at 3, is a little trickier. We usually have to do quite a bit of coaxing. He'll be going to the dentist for the first time soon - so I hope that visit will give him a little fear of what could happen if he doesn't help me help him clean his teeth. (Why yes, I do parent through making my children fearful. Don't judge me. I already judge myself!)

Anyway. Do you have any toothbrushing surefire tips for toddlers or preschoolers? That might improve my terrible parenting skills? If you leave me a comment, you can win a cool prize.

As part of the Aquafresh Advanced Futures blog tour, Aquafresh is kindly providing a Philips Sonicare for Kids Toothbrush valued at $70(MSRP) and a sample of Aquafresh Advanced toothpaste as a prize. Leave me a comment about toothbrushing tips and tricks and you're entered to win.

Rules:

Contest closes November 22nd 2010 at 9:00pm EST.
One comment per person, please.
No extra entries available.
You can enter on multiple blog posts (there are many out there if you Google it), but you can only win once.
Please make sure I have a way of contacting you (e.g. email).
I'll pick one winner through random.org soon after the contest closes.

Good luck!

Disclosure - I am participating in the Aquafresh Advanced Futures program by Mom Central on behalf of GSK. I received a sample of Aquafresh Advanced and gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Review: Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter

2010-09-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

I get really paranoid about peanut butter. To be honest, the kids haven't had that much of it, ever, which is a damn shame. But with kids who have been going to daycare since they were a year old, and then school more recently, I haven't wanted to take the risk that they'd have residue on their hands or messy faces and then happen to play with a friend with a severe allergy. I mean, I don't even want to think about it.

That's part of the reason that I agreed to review Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter - because, really, they could do with more peanut butter in their lives (and, of course, a good hosing down after wards).

Basically it's just regular old peanut butter, except with some air whipped in. Which might not sound that interesting to you. The best thing about this product is how easy it is to spread. Or it can be used as a dip. Imagine trying to dip some fruit or vegetable pieces into regular peanut butter. Thunk. Air! It's good!

We've used it, since school started, as an after school snack. I don't know about you, but my kids are absolutely starving when we all get home. So I'm hauling them and their stuff, and my stuff, in the door sometimes after 6pm, and I've got to get dinner on the table stat. At least this can give me a few minutes. Tonight we had cocoa cookie heart sandwiches. I have to say, they were pretty yummy.

Easy to spread. Looking forward to trying it on this fall's apples. Great occasional after-school snack. Thumbs up.

New Moon Kitchen cookies - winner

2010-09-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks for entering.
And the winner is...

Samantha!

Enjoy the cookies.

Review and giveaway: New Moon Kitchen cookies (US/CAN only) (ENDED)

2010-09-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

To perfectly coincide with the trauma of having to pack my kids' lunchbox everyday, Clutch PR sent me some New Moon Kitchen cookies to try out.

Actually, technically, I had already tried their cookies as a packet of them was included in the lovely gift bags we received at the Canadian Embassy Party at the BlogHer conference in August. I remembered they were yummy. I wanted to try some more.

And of course, I wanted to send some in Oliver's lunch - I knew they'd be great.

New Moon Kitchen cookies are:

nut-free
made with organic spelt flour
dairy- and egg-free
vegan
preservative-free
and, as they point out, lovingly made

They make the perfect lunchbox treat - because I can send them without having any pre-packaged guilt. I didn't make them myself? So what? A small bakery did. And they are pretty healthy while still being a treat. And of course having that nut-free label on them means I can throw them in his backpack without thinking about it.

We were sent a box of Chocolate Chip cookies, which the kids completely devoured in what seemed like minutes. I kept the other box of Momints ones for myself, having a guilt-free nibble here and there. We were also sent some individual packets. I sent a packet of two Oatmeal Goldies to school with Oliver, who proclaimed them to be completely delicious.

The cookies are not too sweet - just sweet enough, really; they also seem quite filling. Importantly, I can recognize every single ingredient on the labels. That's excellent.

I took a packet of Chocolate Espresso Mokas to work with me, for a perfect afternoon pick-me-up snack. And I'm about to open the last packet of Ginger Snappers as my mid-morning-can't-quite-make-it-to-lunch-after-a-7am-breakfast nibble. Yep, took a bite now: yummy, with the sharpness of the fresh ginger.

You can use their website to figure out where you can buy them in North America. I just discovered I can get them at a Highland Farms fairly close to my house, so I'll be checking them out there.

But! You can also win some. You'll receive two boxes of cookies, and two snack packs.

Giveaway rules:

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada.
To enter, leave a comment on this post before 8pm EST on Friday, September 17th.
Visit New Moon Kitchen's website, and indicate in your comment which type of cookie sounds yummiest to you.
There are no additional entry options. One entry per person.
Please make sure your comment includes your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.
Winners will be asked to provide their postal address for the purposes of shipping the cookies only.
Good luck!

UnderWAY supplement drinks

2010-08-03T19:53:00.001-07:00

Congrats to the 5 entrants - I will be in touch regarding your postal address.

UnderWAY supplement drinks: review & giveaway (Canada only) ENDED

2010-07-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for something to bridge that lunch and dinner stretch, especially at work. Around 3 or 4 I seem to be looking for something to eat, and if I don't have some decent snack at hand at my desk, I come home and grab the first thing I see in the cupboard. Which might just be some Cadbury's from England. Occasionally it's something healthier. But sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

Anyway, because of this, I was interested when Mom Central asked if I'd like to review some new beverages that claim to curb hunger. underWAY drinks have no sugar, no preservatives, no sodium, no artificial flavours and have added fibre. They are only 10 calories a bottle, and come in Acai-Pomegranate and Grape flavours.

Sometimes I will have another cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon to try to tame my own hunger, or just some water. I don't normally drink juice or other beverages similar to this (e.g. Vitamin Water).

I've tried both flavours now, and I think I prefer the Grape. Both of them are fairly pleasant. I'm still trying to determine if I can tell if they impact my level of hunger or fullness or not. I think that I eat different amounts of food on different days, and without a more scientific experiment, it's going to be hard to attribute my fullness to a beverage.

However, adding extra fibre and vitamins to my body can't hurt it, right?

Would you like to try them out? Would you like to see if they can affect how full you feel?

Here's how 10 of you can try out the drinks:

1. Leave a comment on this post between now and August 3, 2010 at 7pm EST. Perhaps you'd like to say why you'd like to try them?
2. Please leave one comment per person only. There are no extra entries for any other activities (e.g. tweeting about it).
3. Please make sure your comment includes your email address.
4. Contest is open to Canadians only. Readers may enter the contests on multiple blogs participating in this underWAY blog tour, but are only eligible to win once.
5. I will use random.org to select 10 winners if there are more than 10 comments.
6. I will contact you and ask you for a postal address if you have won. I will provide your name and postal address to Mom Central Canada for it to be used to send you your prize.
7. Up to 10 individuals will receive a box, sent on behalf of Mom Central Canada, that will include eight bottles of underWAY (four Acai-Pomegranate and four Grape) along with a Smart for Life food assortment including cookies, cupcakes, soup, cereal, shake, bagel, and crunch.

Good luck!

Disclosure: I am participating in the underWAY blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Better Health Beverage, LLC. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Winner - Maple Leaf Foods giveaway

2010-06-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm bad at running contests. Almost 2 hours late, I'm drawing the winner.
Congrats, Melissa! I'll be in touch to arrange post/delivery of your bag of goodies.

Thanks.

Review and Giveaway (CAN only): Maple Leaf Foods products

2010-05-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

At the Maple Leaf Food's blogger's roundtable event last Thursday, we were treated to dinner cooked in a professional kitchen by some proficient chefs. They made some starters from their new Natural Selections line of deli meats. They took the Dempster's Oven Fresh baguettes and topped them with cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. They grilled some lovely vegetables, and made some nice potatoes. They roasted some delicious chicken - dijon mustard & herb chicken breast, and seasoned flattened chicken. It was really very good.

We were provided with a cooler bag to bring home with samples of these products. Over the weekend, my family tried them all.

I'm quite happy with the Natural Selections meat - it tastes good, the package re-seals possibly the BEST of any re-sealable package I've ever come across, and the ingredients (which are all recognizable) are stamped across the front. It's like someone did their market research and asked me what I wanted in a sliced deli meat.

I also like the Dempster's baguettes. When we lived in England, Mark always had packages of part-baked baguettes around. It means anytime you have a hankering for fresh bread, it's 8 minutes of cooking away. (which, is dangerous actually...carbs!!) The kids just adore fresh bread and butter. Who can blame them.

I wouldn't normally buy pre-seasoned chicken - I pretty much always buy plain chicken and season it myself. The dijon mustard & herb chicken breast cooked up quite nicely - quite moist, but I found the seasoning a bit salty for me.

My family, particularly Mark, adored the flattened chicken. Can we just say spatchcocked, though? Because that's an awesome word. We made it on the barbeque, probably over-cooked it a bit, but it was really very flavourful, and the meat was very good quality.

Would you like to try some of these? Thanks to Maple Leaf Foods, I'm giving away a cooler bag of the following products:

2 white Dempster's Oven Fresh Baguettes (vacuum sealed)
2 multigrain Dempster's Oven Fresh Baguettes (vacuum sealed)
a butcher's apron
a meat thermometer
a Maple Leaf Foods pen
a coupon for a FREE box of Prime Frozen Meat Products ($11.99 value)
a coupon for a FREE package of Natural Selections deli meat (~$5 value)
a coupon for $5 off your next purchase of any Prime Naturally product

I'm going to be covering shipping myself, so I'd really prefer if the winner was in Southern Ontario, but if not, we can work something out!

Here's what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post (just say hi, if you want)
Make sure your comment includes your email address
Only enter once, please
Do it by Tuesday, June 8th at 7pm EST, please

Good luck.

Review: Lysol Healthy Touch anti-bacterial soap dispenser

2010-04-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

When I was asked if I'd like to review some new anti-bacterial soap, I replied with an enthusiastic YES because there's this person living in my house who is obsessed with hand washing. Obsessed with having buckets of anti-bacterial soap in the house. Someone who washes their hands before they even get their kid safely off of the diaper changing surface, no matter how high that surface might be, no matter the safety risk! Hint: it's not me. Hi Mark!

The Lysol Health Touch anti-bacterial soap dispenser features a fully automatic, sensor-activated and hands-free dispensing mechanism. You move your hands underneath and out comes the soap. I decided to put it in the kitchen as that's where we handle things like raw chicken (not, like, everyday, but a couple times a week or so!) or putting out waste or dealing with the dog or whatever.

So let's call this portion What Mark Thinks About Stuff. As he thinks the most about soap.

Mark, quoted:

"I quite like it. It dispenses slightly too much soap for me. It's easy to use. It seems to be reliable. I haven't checked to see how easy it is to change the refill or if it's refillable yet. If you have to get specific refills, it could get very expensive. I think it's pretty good, though, yeah."

Now, What Emma Thinks?

I like the smell of the scent we were provided, Hydrating Cucumber Splash. It didn't dry my hands out. I like that you don't have to touch the pump. But it's not that important to me.

I prefer to use mostly environmentally friendly cleaning products. Right now we have a 'green' competitors' foaming hand soap in our powder room and I really like that.

I also prefer to use reusable containers. In fact, just before I received this product, I had just bought a new kitchen soap dispenser from Kitchen Stuff Plus that also holds dish cleaning scrubbers in the front. It's probably meant for dish detergent but as we go through so much hand soap (MARK) I thought it'd be good for us. I think I prefer that. If they combined the no-touch automatic dispensing system with a reusable dispenser, I'd be much more likely to buy it.

But overall, not a bad product. Probably just not for us.

Disclosure: I was provided with a sample of this product to review. I was not compensated in any other way.

Book review: Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor

2010-03-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Penguin Canada, I was provided with a copy of Even the Dogs, by Jon McGregor, with no obligation for a positive review.

I was specifically interested in this book for a number of reasons: it's set in the UK (I used to live there); it's about "lives fallen through the cracks...and the havoc brought by drugs, distress and the disregard of the wider world" (quoted from the back cover), and I have worked directly with people living such lives in a social services & educational capacity; and, the book is getting rave reviews in the UK, and is being mentioned in the same sentence as the Man Booker Prize.

The book starts with the discovery of Robert's dead body in his flat. It continues with snippets of information about him, his friends, and how the authorities are dealing with his body.

I'm not actually finished reading the book. I'm about halfway through. I'm being totally honest here: it's hard to read. It's good, it's interesting, and it's very authentic - but it's hard to read. Due to the nature of my life (working full-time, 2 little kids, all the odds and ends that come with parenting and keeping a house habitable), I find it quite hard to have time to read. So I usually read before falling asleep in bed. And a book on these topics of drugs, and death, and poverty, with a narrative style that involves unfinished sentences, and dwelling on darkness - it's hard to read at that time of day.

However, I want to finish it. I want to know what happens. Because this one paragraph at the beginning, on page 4, has sucked me in:

"They don't see us, as we crowd and push around them. Of course they don't. How could they. But we're used to that. We've been used to that for a long time, even before. Before this."

So who is the narrative voice in this book? I don't know yet. Is it Robert's friends, alive, but invisible to most people (as many homeless or impoverished people are)? Or is it a group of ghosts, of friends who have gone before? I want to know.

And it's true. I know from my limited experience working in a homeless shelter in Ottawa, and working to support people who are homeless or who have limited opportunities to access adult education in the UK. We don't see them. So I'm reading. To see them more clearly. To be reminded.

You can find this book at many bookstores, on shelves now. You can also meet Jon McGregor tonight at Ben McNally Books, in Toronto, at a book launch complete with reading and signing.

PS: the Torontoist has an interesting interview with the author here, too.

hydraSense Mom Central blog tour: hydraSense Nasal Aspirator review & coupon

2010-03-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

Keep reading to the end if you are interested in receiving an $8 off coupon for a hydraSense nasal aspirator.

Soooooo...baby snot.

One of the things that no one tells you about parenthood, one of about 3000 things that no one likes to share because otherwise the human race will end in this generation, is that you are going to end up removing snot from your kids' nose by any which way necessary. Which can include your finger. I'd never do that, of course. Pick someone else's nose? Ew. *whistles*

Anyway - here's a better solution! A hygienic & safe snot sucker! Sorry, official name: a nasal aspirator, brought to you by hydraSense®.

Before Mom Central Canada gave me the opportunity to review some hydraSense® products, I had already signed up for their Dolphins Club. I'd heard about their products on TV, seen them in the stores, and thought the Mists for congestion relief seemed like a great idea.

Particularly because ever since they decided that cough syrup and decongestant was of the devil? Parents have very few options for treating colds. And a snotty, stuffed up, congested nose can mean little Johnny can't sleep very well, and suddenly Johnny's parents are also losing sleep, and the whole family collapses into tears. (Never happened to us! Nope!)

Anyway, so, I don't have a baby to try the hydraSense® nasal aspirator on. I do, however, conveniently have a 2 year old with a snotty nose! Hurray! So he was my guinea pig for the Ultra Gentle Mist. And instead of freaking out, it made him laugh, having water up his nose. And immediately, his nose was running. Which is good, when you have a 2 year old who isn't so skilled at blowing into a tissue yet. We are going to keep using it until that nose stops running. Perhaps in high school.

The 4 year old is very interested in "the science of the sea" as he keeps telling me (which is slightly freaky as my kids don't see very many commercials - so good marketing, hydraSense®!) and may end up as a guinea pig himself for the box of Easydose nasal care drops we also received. If he gets his brother's cold. If. Ha ha.

I'm going to give the hydraSense® nasal aspirator I received to a friend about to have a baby.

Do you have a baby? Or a friend with a baby? Sign up for the Dolphins Club using this link (see the promo box at the bottom, Mom Central) by April 10, 2010.

Once logged back into your account, you can enter the code MC2010 under the online coupons tab, in order to get an $8 off coupon to be used towards the purchase of the hydraSense® Nasal Aspirator (the coupon expires December 31, 2010).

Want to know more about how the nasal aspirator works? Watch this video at this link.

Happy snot sucking! (Oh come on, it's kind of fun.)

Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central and received a Mom Central gift pack to thank me for taking the time to participate

Smelly Washer Winner

2009-12-09T16:11:00.001-08:00

Congrats to moplans - you've won the Smelly Washer cleaner. I'll be in touch.
I don't have anything else up my sleeve to giveaway but I'll link back here next time I have something to post about!

Extension - Smelly Washer

2009-12-07T06:10:00.001-08:00

I'm giving this contest a few more days as we were distracted by kiddie illness and Christmas parties. You have until Wednesday 7pm EST to enter, now.

Smelly Washer : Review and Giveaway (CAN and USA)

2009-12-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, I'm not going to send you my smelly washing machine.

Do you have an HE front loading washing machine? They've become quite popular in North America in the last few years. They are the norm in Europe. When I lived in the UK, everyone had small front loading washing machines (and no dryer, but that's another story). When we moved to Canada, Mark immediately purchased a nice washer and dryer set.

Well, nice, except it stinks and it's filthy.

So Smelly Washer sent me an email asking if I'd like to try out their product, and I agreed, because yes my washing machine smells and I haven't done anything about it. Add cleaning out my washing machine to the list I have of things to do that's about 10 pages long. (Apparently some machines have a setting now that is for self-cleaning, like an oven; seems like a good idea).

I'm very sorry that the internet does not have scratch and sniff photos yet. Oh wait, you're probably not sorry. This is my washing machine, before I used Smelly Washer. Take my word for it - it stank and my clothes did not smell nice.

No need to post an after photo, it looks the same - BUT the result is that my washer does not smell and my clothes genuinely smell fresh for the first time. Really. We don't use heavily scented detergent, and we don't use fabric softener liquid at all, but I had no idea we were missing out so much on that 'fresh' smell.

It's easy to use. It asks you to use the hottest setting on the washer (which for mine is actually just 'warm'), and add a cap to the load. Run it for two minutes, then pause it overnight, and finish the cycle in the morning. That's it.

I've done that cycle with the powder a couple of times since receiving this product in October. It does remove the smell, but it doesn't actually remove the mold or mildew or whatever. You mean I still have to clean my washing machine?! Damn. At least this is a fix in the meantime, and it's safe for septic systems (like we have).

I received one bottle of Smelly Washer for this review, a bottle that says it's a years' supply (about 24 capfuls). Actually probably the only complaint is that it can get a bit messy pouring it into the small cap. Hopefully an easy fix.

Want to try it out on your washing machine? You can win a bottle, just like I received. Here's what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post before 7pm EST Sunday, December 6th. Please include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
Have an American or Canadian postal address.

I will use random.org again to select the winner, and I will provide your name and postal address to the company so they can send you your product (once I contact you by email).

If you'd like to buy it yourself, Smelly Washer has kindly provided my readers with a promo code for 10% off. The code is wherewiller.