They’re at it again!

President’s Choice has come up with a ton of new and exciting taste sensations for summer!  I was thrilled when I received a few of these new products to try, and I have to admit, I’ve already put a bunch of them to the test!  Here is the run down on some of my favourites!

Are you a fan of avacado?  

President’s Choice has two new avacado products just for you!  The first is a sandwich spread, like a mayo just enhanced with the rich flavour of that delicious green fruit.  Avacado spread is a tasty alternative to your regular mayo!

Looking for more avacado flavour on your salad?  Then I suggest trying the new President’s Choice Avacado dressing!  Full of zing and flavour, but with much fewer calories than your regular salad dressing.

This next thing was one of my favorites!  As soon as I saw it in store, I knew I had to have it.  It’s a cupcake kit!  This is the perfect addition to any family night.  For only $8.99 you get two cupcake mixes, icing mix, paper cups and sprinkles!  Add your own muffin tin and oven and you are ready to go.

Last but certainly not least, let’s get that BBQ ready! (Or better yet, the meat!) With President’s Choice new meat marinades!  If your having pork, chicken or beef, these maranades are sure to be a hit with family and friends!  We especially loved the Steak Spice marinade that we added to our dinner last night.  Though, we used it on pork, it was still delicious!

I have two $25 SuperStore gift cards to give to my fabulous Canadian readers to help you kick off summer!

To enter, just follow the instructions in the form below!
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PHINEAS AND FERB: THE PERRY FILES DVD with Digital Copy and Perry Activity Pack available June 5^th!

While Phineas and Ferb do it all to make every day the best day ever, evil lurks just around the corner! But there is hope for the unsuspecting citizens of Danville. Now, for the very first time, crack open the top-secret archives of O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) to expose… THE PERRY FILES!

Join Perry the Platypus–a.k.a. Agent P.–on his most exciting adventures as he thwarts his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, at every turn. With groovy gadgets, mad skills and his trademark brown fedora, this semi-aquatic, egg-layin’ mammal of action is unstoppable! Experience the hilarious havoc as he defends the Tristate Area against Doof’s “inators,” battles rogue agent “Dennis the Bunny,” and much more. When it comes to secret agents, Perry’s not only the real deal, he’s real teal!

Here’s a quick giveaway for you!  I’ve got three copies of Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files DVD to giveaway to my fabulous Canadian readers!

To Enter just follow the instructions in the form below!

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This story starts out many years ago…so many years I care not to count. It begins when I was a small child, and as of yet, it still hasn’t ended.  But it is a story that deserves being told.

I was raised by two woman. The first, my Mother.  A hard working woman who worked her ass off to provide for her children.  My mother is an amazing woman, who has earned every dollar she ever had.  But this story isn’t about my mother, she deserves a story of her very own, and that I will get to….this story is about the other woman who raised me, my grandmother.

My grandmother was a beautiful woman.  Though as a small child I didn’t know this.  To me, she was the babysitter when mom was working, the cook, the cleaner, the woman who got after us when we didn’t listen.  My sister and I spent many nights with my grandmother.  When my mother worked nights, we would stay with Nan.  We would sleep in her bed and wake when she did.  This happened often, as I said before, my mother worked a lot.  The time I spent with Green Nanny, gave her and I a special connection…one I still crave today.

I wish I could tell you about her childhood, about her marriage and her own life with young kids.  But I don’t know that part of her story.  I don’t know what it was like for her to lose her husband with 5 kids at home, I don’t know how she managed to clothe and feed them.  I don’t know the stresses she felt or the tears she cried.  I was not a part of her world then.  And if she ever told us about it, I was too selfish to listen.  I do know that it must have been heart wrenching.  To lose your husband, your support and your best friend so very young.  To have to do everything on your own.

I want to tell you about the part of her I do know.  The part of her that let me stay up late.  Where she would play with my hair and run her fingers lightly over my back…calming me to sleep.  The part of her that could make a single box of Kraft Dinner feed two kids and herself.  The part of her that nurtured us every day.

Summers were spent outdoors.  Little to no supervision, it’s just the way it was back then.  Our playmates were the neighbor boys…we crossed the tracks to play in an old building, we went into the woods to pick may flowers and look at the lady slippers, we played in the swamp behind the junk yard.  We got in trouble for the swamp…we were never supposed to go there. I vividly remember the neighbours boys’ father coming to get us out of there more than once.  We still went back.

What I really remember about my grandmother, at least from when I was very young, it that we were never allowed to go to bed with dirty feet.  Now, we didn’t bathe every night,  but before bed our routine was to brush our teeth and our hair, wash our face and hands, and our feet.

Now, you wouldn’t think that washing your feet at night would be something special.  That it would mean anything deeper than the action itself.  But now, that I am a mother, now that I have two young boys who know how to get dirty…who know how to jump in puddles and dig in the dirt, now I understand why.  I don’t do it every night, not even half of the nights.  Bedtime for us can be a struggle most nights.  With my oldest not wanting to let sleep come, and my toddler just being at that age where he doesn’t want to miss anything.

There are many nights when I think to her…like a silent prayer to her directly to give me the strength to be a good mom, to love my kids the way that she loved us.  I like to believe that she had a hand in my oldest.  I know it may seem strange, but while she was sick, lying on my mother’s sofa, she and I had a chat.  She told me how she felt about dying, about not wanting to die.  She was livid that she was sick…she was still very young.  Just over 70.  She felt lonely.  I told her my about my desire to start a family, about my longing for a baby…She loved babies.

She died shortly after that conversation, it was only a few weeks if I remember corrrectly.   And a few weeks after she passed, I found out I was pregnant with Ben.

I thanked her, to this day I believe he was my gift, the last thing that she could give me.

A few nights ago, a night where Ben had fallen asleep early, I was getting William ready for bed. We were singing and he was jabbering through the teeth brushing and the face washing. We had spent many hours outside that day…running barefoot through the field, and when I noticed just how filthy his feet were, I filled up the sink with warm soapy water…just the way my grandmother used to do for us. It was like a strong wind of emotion took over me.  Like she was standing there next to me, smiling…I love it when I know she’s here.

I smiled, my eyes welled up a little bit…

…and I washed his feet.

It’s been 8 years since my grandmother passed. I still think of her everyday. I still tell her I love her, and that I wish she was here to help me with my own kids.

Photo Credit: Sandy Lumsden-Gallant

Eat Right

Before you grab something to eat, plan a meal for your family or pull something off the shelf at the grocery store, ask yourself a couple of questions. “Did this food grow from the ground?” and “What nutrients are in this for my health?” You will find very few truly healthy foods wrapped in cellophane or stored in cardboard boxes.

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown and not processed. When choosing cereals, breads, pastas, and rice, go for the ones that use the whole grain, 100% whole wheat with lots of fiber and very little additives or sugar. When planning a meal, make sure you include protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and open as few ‘packages’ as you can.

Eating right gives your body the fuel it needs to be healthy.

Exercise

There is no avoiding this one. In order to stay in shape and feel good, You Must Move. You heart, your lungs, your brain all need you to move. Exercise gets your blood pumping and keeps everything oiled to keep you going!

Find something you enjoy doing at home, outside or at the gym. Fit in 15 minutes here and another 15 minutes there, then increase that 15 minutes to 30 minutes or more. Find a friend, mix it up to stay motivated, buy a workout DVD and use it.  Get that heart rate going.

Exercise gives your body the energy it needs for a healthy lifestyle.

Vitamins
Do you really need to take vitamins? The perfect diet is rich in all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep your immune system functioning and ward off viruses. Truth is, not many of us eat a perfect diet.  You need to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein daily to get all the vitamins you need.

Since many of these nutrients are water soluble, they pass through your body and require daily replenishing. Taking vitamins is like an back up plan, it provides the nutrients your body needs should your diet not make the minimum requirement that day.  Certain vitamins such as Vitamin D, Omega 3s, B-Complex and B12 can be difficult to get from foods alone and taking a supplement ensures you are covered.

Vitamins ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

BIO: Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active.  You can visit her websites to learn more www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com

1. Did you know that the #1 cause of breakdowns is because of your battery?  It really is.  Most car batteries only have a life of 3 to 5 years.  So think back, how old is your battery?  If you don’t know, or you think it’s pushing 5 years, have it tested before you hit the highway.  You’re local Auto Zone can test your battery for you and save you from the added expense of a toe truck.
2. When was your last brake job?  Are you confident that they’re in great shape?  You’re brakes are second only to your own driving skills in stopping your car in an emergency.

Ok, so those are the big things…. But what about the little things that can make a huge difference?

The thing is, when you always have a pile of laundry…there is bound to be something wet in that pile.  Wet things stink…FAST.

So for the last 15 years I’ve had stinky laundry.

Hanging my head in shame…

But…as part of my new #OrganizedMom adventure, I vow to no longer have stinky laundry.

I can hear my mom and my sister laughing right now…and placing bets on how long this will last.

So…How does one get rid of stinky laundry without washing everything in the house umpteen million times in a row?

First.  We change our habits – No more leaving a load in the washer over night!

Excuse me, I must go switch my laundry over now… go grab a coffee, I’ll be right back.

Second.  Hang as much as I can on the clothes line…fresh air does wonders on laundry.

Third. Donate extras… they just get piled up on the floor and cause more laundry. If you don’t wear it, give it to someone who will…

And last, but not least….

No, you do not have to rewash every last thing that is already put away or hanging in the closet.  I used my new Lysol Fabric Mist to spray the closets (they’re very full of clothes) and already my mother is noticing a difference!   We were both very surprised with the scent of it, and I love that my bedroom currently smells Very Nice!   

Since so many of our clothes hang for a long time before being used (think coats, sweaters, sports equipment, ect…) they pick up scents very quickly.  So, instead of having to wash clean (but slightly smelly) clothes all over again, just routinely spray your closet with Lysol Fabric Mist (I’ve been doing it once a week for the past three weeks) and you’ll notice a difference almost immediatly!  Lysol Fabric Mist eliminates tough odours like sweat, cooking and smells from cleaning…but it does more than that.  It kills 99.9% of bacteria on fabrics, eliminating the cause of the odour…not just hiding it! (Exactly what this lack-o-laundry-skills-mama needs)

For more information on Lysol Fabric Mist, visit Lysol’s NEW Facebook page!

Disclosure: I am part of the Lysol Healthy Families Ambassador Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

On our grill tomorrow you’ll find some of the basic must haves for any BBQ party.  Burgers and Hot Dogs!  But because I’m special, I always throw on a chicken breast or two just for me.  (I’ll share if you ask nicely)  If BBQing is in your itinerary for tomorrow, here is some easy things you can do tonight to make tomorrow that much more relaxing!

1. Boil Potatoes: Boil your potatoes and eggs for your famous Potato Salad.  That way they’re nice and cold for adding in your mayo and/or dressing.  If you boil a few extra, you can plan to have fried potato hash for breakfast too!
2. Make your burgers ahead of time: If you don’t already have your ground beef/pork/chicken/turkey out of the freezer, take it out now.  It’ll be ready to go before you go to bed tonight.  Pre-make your burgers and refrigerate them.  You can use parchment paper to keep them separate.  Hint: Before you put them on the grill, indent the middle of the burgers with your thumb.  This will help your burgers to grill more evenly.
3. Hit the farmer’s market: Go, Now!  Pick up everything you need for your grilling adventure tomorrow.  Garden salad on the menu?   Pick up tomaotos, cucumbers, old cheddar cheese, peppers, mushrooms, onions…and everything else you may like to add to your salad.  *Add a few sliced hard boiled eggs to your garden salad, a great way to add protein and they taste YUMMY with salad dressing.
4. Make sure you have tin foil:  Tin foil makes the perfect grilling package for mushrooms and onions.  slice them up tonight and put them into a tin foil envelope with a bit of butter and your favorite spices!  Then just throw them on the grill to add to your burgers and hot dogs!
5. Check your propane tank:  The worst thing that can happen at any BBQ (besides rain) is when you run out of Propane half way through grilling!  Check it today, make sure there is lots of fuel…and maybe, just to be safe, pick up a back up tank.

If you’re looking for more grilling recipes, be sure to check out Life Made Delicious!

“Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

I wasn’t wrong either!  Steer-Me Steve became an instant hit!  As soon as we had the packaging off, he had flipped up the dump truck and plopped his little butt down on it. (FYI – This toy is NOT a ride on toy, but it handles a 37lb toddler quite well.)

Steer-Me Steve comes with traditional MEGA bloks.  There are just enough to fit inside the dump truck.  As you can see from the image the blocks not only fit inside, but kids can use them to build on the truck as well.  On the top of  Steve’s head, there is a functioning steering wheel that allows kids to steer Steve in any direction… When they get to where they’re going, they just pull the red handle  to dump out the load of blocks! Not only is the toy fun to play with, but it helps at clean up time too! (Well, the toy doesn’t actually help…but the basket in the back is a great tool to help teach your kids how to put toys away.

 I’ve got a MEGA Bloks Steer-Me Steve to giveaway to one of my fabulous US Readers! To enter, just fill out the form below.  Lots of additional entries to get!

Contest Rules: Contest is open to residents of USA only.  Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.  Winner is selected at random.  Contest period: May 19th (12:01am) – May 30th 2012(11:59pm) Atlantic Time.  Winner will be contacted on May 31st, and we will announce on our facebook page as soon as we have confirmation.  Chances of winning depend completely on the number of entries received.  Prize Value approximately $20.00 USD.