Glagla shoes are designed using high-tech materials that are light weight and breathable. The upper part of the shoe is a combination of DRYTECH mesh and NEOTECH+ material that helps ventilate, and keep your feet cool while also drying within minutes when wet. This makes theme ideal for a number of water and beach activities. The Neotech sole absorbs shocks and vibrations transmitted to the foot which is great for people who spend a lot of time on their feet or for walking. Unique ventilation in the soles add to the cooling ability of these shoes. Their eye-popping colors and fun styles add to the cool-ness factor. Visit this page for a graphic breakdown of their design and materials.

The Glagla shoes I received have quickly become my favourite pair of shoes.  They are perfect for quick trips to the store and they were perfect for our recent outing to the water falls.  I find them very comfortable and they were especially useful this past weekend when walking along the rocky shore at the falls. The sole conformed to the shapes of the rocks and helped me keep my grip, and when I stepped in a mud puddle on our way out of the park , my foot didn’t stay soggy for long.  I tossed the shoes in the wash that night and they were ready to go when I needed them the next morning.  These aren’t ugly old garden shoes, but rather a fashion forward shoe that works great in many different settings.  My only problem is figuring out which style should be my next!  I’m honestly in love with these shoes.

Glagla shoes has a variety of styles for men, women and even children. Visit the store locator to find a retailer near you.

*Disclosure – I received a sample to facilitate this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

On disneyjunior.ca they have everything you need to plan the perfect Disney themed party. Your preschooler can create easy birthday e-cards for the birthday boy or girl in your life, play fun games like the Happy Birthday Party Game or even print out coloring sheets of their favourite Disney character.  To make party planning easy on Mom or Dad Disney Junior has also provided party packs that include invitations, crafts, activities and party favours as well as ideas on what to serve to make the party complete!

Seeing as how my birthday is sandwiched between my Hubby and Daughter, and spent planning and baking, I decided to make today my new birthday!  If you haven’t caught on by now I love Pirates so I’ll be throwing a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party just for me tonight.  The kids think it’s a riot.   I am saving this cupcake just for Disney Junior though.

Make sure to catch the special birthday shows from your favourite Disney Junior show on Monday, May 21st to Friday, May 25th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm ET.  They also have one last surprise in store with a very special movie for us to enjoy.  I won’t bug you too much by keeping it a secret.  Make sure to catch A Bug’s Life  Saturday, May 26 starting at 6:00pm ET before it buzzes off.  I hope you are enjoying this month with Disney Junior as much as I am!

Don’t forget to connect with Disney Junior on Facebook and Twitter for fun discussions, details on your favorite shows and so much more.

Disclosure:  I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

I’ll be nominating my best friend Synthia for The Mom of the Year Award.  She has over come amazing obstacles, including being a single mom for many years and is still managing to raise bright and confident children. In the past year she has added wife, mom to two, career change and grey hound owner to her mommy resume and is rocking the lifestyle change.  She inspires me every day with her awesomeness, joie de vivre and love for her family.

This year to recognize how much Mom contributes to our families and  community Walmart had launched a new annual initiative – The Mom of the Year Award.  From Mother’s Day (May 13) through July 8, 2012 you can submit your nominations, be it your aunt, sister, friend or coworker, through www.momoftheyear.ca.  Eight finalists will be selected and notified in mid-August and will be treated to an award celebration weekend in September in Toronto. The Mom of the Year Award recipient will receive $10,000 for personal use and $100,000 to their cause or charity of choice. The remaining seven finalists will each receive $10,000 for personal use and $10,000 to their cause or charity of choice.  I bet your favourite mom could find just the right place to spend both.

Who will you be nominating?

Disclosure: I’m part of the Walmart program by Mom Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. Mom of the Year Award: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Internet access and valid email account required. Nominations open May 10, 2012 to July 8, 2012 for legal residents of Canada over the age of majority.  Entrants cannot nominate themselves. One (1) grand prize available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $100,000 donation by Wal-mart Canada Corp. to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Seven (7) runner-up prizes available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $10,000 donation to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000).  Charity/cause subject to verification and final approval by Wal-mart Canada Corp., at its sole discretion. Odds of winning depend on how the judging panel evaluates each entry according to the criteria. For Official Contest Rules and to nominate an entrant, visit [www.momoftheyear.ca].

Because we have a 3/4 basement that isn’t fully finished things that sit down there all winter can get musty so I have been using the Lysol Fabric Refresher to freshen up our spring coats and summer shoes.  Lysol Fabric Refresher gets rid of the basement smell and makes the rest of my house smell fantastic.  Sometimes throwing open all the windows only does so much to get rid of 6 months of storage smells.

For all of our winter gear that is going into storage I will wash what I can and give the boots an extra spray or two to kill the bacteria that causes odors so that when I bring them up next fall iI don’t have to wear hazmat gear.

Did you know that Lysol Fabric Refresher:

• Eliminates tough odours around the house such as cooking, sweat, smells from cleaning/personal care products.
• Kills 99.9% of bacteria on fabrics, therefore eliminating the root cause of odours caused by the bacteria.

I have loved using Lysol Fabric Refresher so far.  I am sensitive to overly cloying or strong smells, but have found that the Lysol Fabric Refresher scent isn’t overpowering, which means no headaches for me.  That’s important.  Lysol Fabric Refresher doesn’t just mask tough odors it eliminates them.  This has proved useful with my sofa.  No eau de spilled milk + flowers, just a light scent of spring blossoms.  For my kid battered sofa that has seen better days this product has been one of the best that I have used.

Next spring cleaning stop our 10-year-old minivan.  Car air fresheners can only do so much. I think it’s time to give the seats and the carpeting a once over with Lysol after a good vacuum and scrub down.   Get it summer ready for our family road trip.  I can’t wait!

Do you spring clean?  To join the conversation with Lysol check out their brand new Facebook page.

To see more macro shots of butterfly, bees and flowers head over to my flickr album.

What was your day like?

Alesia is a little miracle who in her short life touched many lives and continues to leave a legacy of love and generosity through a foundation , Alesia’s Magnolia’s , that benefits the Montreal Children’s hospital.  When I had a chance to speak to her Mother Sheyda I could feel the love she had for her little girl in every word she spoke.  It makes me infinitely sad that this Mother’s Day instead of getting sticky kisses and I love you’s from Alesia she will spend her second Mother’s Day feeling the loss of her daughter who was “just a pure joy!”.

Alesia was a happy, loving, smiling child who made her parents proud.  She loved Dora, and loved her sister even more and was content to play dress up with her everyday.  Her and sister Maro would spend hours playing together and wrestling in bed.  She was a budding foodie who loved to try new foods and was content to sit and eat as long as there was food in front of her.

Her first beach experience was when we went to cape cod and she sat on the sand with a bucket and collected rocks for 15 minutes straight, she was just 1 then. She had such patience. When she was 18 months every morning she would wake up go downstairs and sit on the first stair and wait for her dad to come out of the bathroom to say good morning, and my husband takes 15 minutes in the bathroom every morning. She always wanting to make everyone happy that was her mission that we all felt her heart.

On the weekend of April 30th Alesia’s parents, Sheyda and Bill were enjoying their first weekend away from their 2 young children thanks to the win of a hotel stay in Montreal.  It was the first time they had been away from their children and wanted to enjoy the time  as a couple before becoming a family of five as Sheyla was well into her 3rd pregnancy.  They had no worries that Alesia and her older sister would be well cared for by their close friends.

The morning after dropping off their two girls, Sheyda and her husband Bill were enjoying a walk through the botanical gardens and the blooming Magnolias when they got a call that no parent ever wants to get.  Alesia’s heart had stopped and she wasn’t breathing, the ambulance was on the way.  Sheyda and Bill ran into the street, took the first cab they could get and rushed to the hospital to await news.  It wasn’t good.  The doctors tried their very best to revive Alesia, but were unable to save her.  She was just 25 months old.

I can’t even imagine the heartbreak.

Montreal Children’s hospital helps hundreds of little miracles like Alesia every year.  From Cardiology to their Trauma department they care for every child with the utmost of care, treating parents and children like part of the family.  The Montreal Children’s Hospital, as a teaching hospital, “pushes the boundaries of pediatric care, through innovative research, teaching, technology and state-of-the-art medical care”.  Their first thoughts are always for the children and making sure each child gets the care they need both emotionally and physically.

Join my team and help me raise $1000.00 via my personal #MiracleMoms donation page for this amazing and innovative hospital.  Make a donation and make a difference in the lives of children.  When I reach my goal of $1000 I will dye my hair a wild color.  I am thinking purple, but I am open to suggestions!  Who knows if I find help I might even go rainbow.  Would look great for BlogHer, no?

I’ll be sharing more of Alesia’s story June 10.  You can also listen to Sheyla share Alesia’s story May 24 during the Caring For Kids Radiothon on CJAD, CHOM and Virgin from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Listen live on your radios, online or via Videotron Cable.  If you are in or around the Montreal area make sure to stop by Embassy Plaza in Laval for Alesia’s Magnolias indoor family fair benefiting the Cardiology department of The Montreal Children’s hospital on June 3, 2012 from 11am to 6pm.

I am participating in the #MiracleMoms campaign and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Hobbies? Kids? Married or rocking the single life?

I married my childhood sweetheart, almost 10 years ago. I was 14 when we started dating (16 years ago) and only 18 when we bought R first house. Today we have 4 beautiful children (6 & under) we are living R dreams. In highschool when I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, it was marry my hubby and be a stay @ home wife and mother. I am doing just that! I love to cook; I never follow a recipe, and never write them down. I love throwing ingredients together and they always seem to work out. As a family we garden, love the outdoors, hiking, exploring, travelling and enjoying R surroundings. My husband is the greatest man I know, and my soul mate. R children are amazing and make everyday special, watching them grow and learn is the highlight of my day.

Tell us about your blog. What do you blog about?

I blog about life as a busy mother of 4, Brands we love, products that make R life easier, R Little & BIG Testers share raving reviews. The kids get involved in a Q & A on products they love, which is always a hit with my readers. I hope to inspire mothers about parenthood through my writing on raising children. I share stories on our journey and travels along the way.

How long have you been blogging? Why did you start?

I started In R Dream, August 2011. I have always loved to write poems, and somewhere along the lines of being a SAHM I found a love of product testing. I stumbled across a few blogs and just fell in love with the idea, of sharing my writing with the world. I wish I stumbled on blogging much sooner; it was almost felt like it’s been a missing link all these years.

What is biggest motivator behind working with brands.

I love working with brands, falling in love with their products, and building a relationship with them. Customer Service is key to working with Brands I want to work with Brands who keep me informed of the latest and greatest, who appreciate me as the blogger and social media influencer for them. I stand behind what I write, I am dedicated to the Brands I work with and take pride in the relationship we build along the way. I am motivated to help them build awareness because I believe in what they have to offer.

How do you unwind?

If it’s alone time I need, a hot bubble bath with the jet’s roaring, my KOBO in hand and a warm tea or chocolate martini (depending on the day) My husband puts the kids to bed for me, and I enjoy the hour or 2 of silence.

What’s your favorite song at the moment?

I cannot get enough of “Sexy and I know it” LMAO

What is your favorite television program?

I PVR Cityline each day, it’s the only show I make sure I catch.

Are you reading anything good?

Just finishing up Hunger Games, I am always behind in the reading trends. It’s a great read!

If you could do any one thing (Ex. Skydiving, hiking up a mountain, writing a book) what would it be and why?

Own a piece of property on a Caribbean island. I would love to experience the culture, the food, the people, and the island life.

What is one gadget you can’t live without?

I have fallen in love with my smart phone!

Sweet or salty snacks?

Chocolate and Popcorn are my favorite snacks.

Favourite beverage?

Chocolate Milk!

Can you speak any other languages?

Oh I wish

What is your all-time favourite movie?

Sweet Home Alabama ~ Besides the love I have for the song. It’s such a cute love story!

Favourite quote?

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Make sure to catch her on Facebook and Twitter as well.

I couldn’t wait to wolf down one of her salad specialties; potato salad and cucumber salad. They were full of simple ingredients, easy to make and full of flavours.  When I make it for my family I can’t help but thing back to those times and smile.  She never made anything with a recipe, save for her cakes, she just mixed the ingredients to taste and sampled it as she mixed to make sure she was getting it right.  I never mastered the potato salad because hubby has something against dill pickles but my cucumber salad is awesome.

To make cucumber salad I thinly slice cucumbers and green onions, mix in a table-spoon (the actual spoon not the measure) of sour cream, liberally pour in vinegar, olive oil and mix well.  Then add in a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar (again the spoon not measure) add salt and pepper to taste.  Steal a few slices then refrigerate a couple of hours and enjoy!

As for what we Barbecue to go with the salad, we stick to the usual suspects hamburgers and steaks with Hubby at the grill.  I admit when it comes to the grill I am pretty hopeless, but I so enjoy eating what comes off it.  With the help of Life Made Delicious and their barbecue recipes maybe this will be the year we branch out and try something new.  These Asian Barbecued Pork Kabobs look delicious.

What is your favourite barbecue recipe?

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.

As rare and as special as an Elvis sighting, I had the most fortunate experience of meeting Raffi, the Canadian Children’s Singer Icon. I had the opportunity to visit with him, when he was in Toronto in April. My first introduction to Raffi’s music was during Teacher’s College, when as part of my unit on the environment, I taught the children the song “Baby Beluga”. Ironically, I still know all of the words to that song. When speaking with Raffi, I was delighted and fascinated to discover that his mission is focused on the environment and on helping children – just as mine is with my children’s healthy living campaign through kids yoga.

Raffi shared with me that he has been busy for the past 10 years working on launching his new “Centre for Child Honouring” organization, focused on raising awareness about making the world a better place by honouring children. He has garnered support from many famous people from all walks of life for his initiative, including Justin Trudeau, Ken Dryden and the Dalai Lama.

With his focus on his organization, he has not been doing concerts for his 10 million+ adoring fans. But I have excellent news! With the launch of his new song “On Hockey Days” he said to me that he was considering starting doing live concerts again!

In meeting face to face with Raffi, it was immediately clear to me what a kind and gentle person he is. He loves hockey and his favourite team is the Canucks. He is very concerned with the violence currently found in children’s sports. And I agree – over the years, a confusing message has been taught to children. Parents teach it is not okay to hit others or bully when in the classroom, playground, change room or locker room, but the moment children are on the ice, the rules seem to change and disrespectful behaviour is not only tolerated but sometimes encouraged and enforced with some parents and coaches yelling and screaming and even with some of the disrespectful behaviour spilling over into the stands between the parents and coaches.

The “On Hockey Days” song promotes fairness, fun and respect in play and it is already having a positive effect in hockey rinks. I offered to help Raffi spread this important message about his new song. I have been sharing this song with my family and friends and have posted it up on my Social Media platforms. I also reached out to NuggleMama, who I know also cares about children. I would urge you to help Raffi and his goal to raise awareness about his song so that all hockey rinks across the nation are safe and fun places for children to learn and grow.

I also had an opportunity to share my mission with him and to show him all the “What I See, I Can Be” resources I have created. He liked them so much that he posted about them on his Facebook Page.  How cool! I was thrilled to be acknowledged and endorsed by Raffi!

Please check out Raffi’s Child Honouring organization, and please help spread the news about the new song “On Hockey Days”

On Hockey Days is available on iTunes

Thank you

Janet Williams

Janet Williams is a Certified Primary/Junior Teacher, Yoga Instructor and author of the award-winning book “What I See, I Can Be: A Guided Yoga Flow for Children”. To learn more please visit: www.ChildrensYogaBooks.com and to receive a free gift sign up for her quarterly newsletter.

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