The Mommy Diaries

The Re-Launch of Kinder Surprise in Canada (+ I’m a #KINDERMom)

Jemma — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:02:53 +0000

I have always been a fan on Kinder Suprise eggs. How can a combination of chocolate + surprise toy be wrong? I got introduced to them in my 20s and had a collection of their toys that I kept at work. I started buying them for my daughter but still kept the toys for myself. Now that she’s 3, I started letting her play with the little toys, still most of the time she’d rather play with the toy casing.

I am very happy to annouce the official re-lauch on Kinder Suprise in Canada. I’m glad that I also get to be a part of a wonderful group of Moms (through Mom Central Canada) that will be helping spread the word of this event, the KINDERMoms.

With the re-launch comes more new toys! You will find an awesome gallery on the Kinder Canada Facebook page. They are now bigger, better and more playful. I can’t wait to find out how they fit a 22cm giraffe in the little case! And if you act fast, they are not done giving out 10,000 FREE EGGS on their page. You never know, you might get the chance to play with one of their new toys soon.

Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

The Day That Just Keeps Giving

Jemma — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:03:13 +0000

GIVEAWAY WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAY 8/26!

You will find the updated list of WINNERS here!

As promised here is a schedule of bloggers and their prizes that are taking part in “The Day That Keeps Giving.

We have over $1,000 worth of cash, prizes and gift cards!

The links on the Rafflecopter form will be changing every hour so make sure to come back come back every hour to enter to win the prize from that hour. You will only be entered to win for the hour that you submit your entries. Grand Prizes will be drawn at the end of the day from the total entries. If you want to win the $5 Amazon GC you must enter that hour? Any questions?

Winners will be drawn using random.org and posted on our winner’s page (Giveaway Blogdom or Heavenly Savings) throughout the day. Entries will be accepted via Rafflecopter so make sure you have javascript enabled, this goes for your phone as well. At the end of the day there will be at least two grand prize winners from all the entries for the day.

A list of our fellow bloggers can be found below and will be updated hourly at Giveaway Blogdom and Heavenly Savings. Can’t wait to see you all there!

All times are listed in MST.

I struggle with Time Zone Conversions so to included is conversion for the four major time zones in the US. EST +2 hours, CST +1 hour and PST -1 hour.

Are we ready to win?

7:00 am –

Grand Prize Sponsors

8:00 am

Thrifty 101 – Bath and Body Works Prize Pack $20 Value and

Going Crazy!! Wanna Go!! – $100 in Coupons Plus 2 FREE Pantene Product

9:00 am

Penny Pincher Pixie – Goodie Bag for the Girls and

MusingMom6 – $10.00 Amazon Gift Code

10:00 am

My Coupon Lady – $25 Voucher to Inspired Savings and

The Tween and Me - $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card

One Sweet World: Brits Dealy Coups- $50 in Coupons and $5 Amazon Code

11:00 am

Cori’s Coupon Corner – $25 Voucher to bluebirdcards (+ FREE Shipping)

Staying Me - $20 Paypal

12:00 pm

Keenly Kristin – Book Package ($100+ Value) and

About A Mom – $20 Amazon Gift Code

1:00 pm

The Adventures of J-Man and Millerbug – $15 Paypal and

Sarah’s Blog of Fun – $25 Paypal

2:00 pm

Mommy’s Coupon Train -$20 Amazon Gift Code and

Seventeen Sirens – $5 Amazon Gift Code and

Still Blonde After All These Years – $40 Golden Door Cookbook

3:00 pm

Living in La La Land – $20 Paypal and

Week 99er -4 Unclipped Coupon Inserts, 1 handmade ring and 1 set of handmade earrings

4:00 pm

Money $aving Michele -$100 redeemable value – at least one FREE item coupon

Mommies Point of View – $20 to Usborne Books

5:00 pm

The Mommy Diaries – Learn to Dance DVD

Formula Mom -$5 Amazon Gift Card

6:00 pm

The Freebie Junkie – $40 to Krafty Kids Playhouses and

Thrifty Texas Penny -$10 Paypal or Amazon

7:00 pm

Mama’s Money Tree -Cordless Phone from AT&T and

Frugal Mom Rocks -Subscription to Every Day with Rachael Ray

8:00 pm

Children Teaching Mama – $25 Biatta Intimates Gift Code and

Insights By April -$5 Amazon Gift Card

9:00 pm

More Grand Prize Winners Will Be Drawn

Back to School with Tiny Prints

Jemma — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:14:49 +0000

Summer is almost over, how many of you have started your back to school shopping? What traditions do you have?

For my family, it will be our first getting ready for school shopping. I realize it’s preschool, only 2x a week for AJ, but she has been getting more and more excited the closer it gets. For me, it’s a mix of “I can’t believe my little girl is going to school!” excited, and “I can’t believe my little girl is going to school…” sad/scared. They grow up so fast.

For the past two years, her friends have been the other children from daycare. Now she will get to meet new kids and make new friends. She has never had a problem going into new environments with different people, so I’m hoping school will be a great adventure for her.

———

Tiny Prints have a variety of products to offer for back-to-school shopping. There are cute labels to attach to your kids’ stuff. Notebooks, notepads, stationery, even dorm decorations for the not-so-young children. There are also products for teachers available.

Disclosure: I will receive a Tiny Prints gift code for my participation in this Global Influence campaign. The opinions in this post are entirely my own. This post has not been reviewed or edited by anyone.

Aboutone.com #Review & #Giveaway (US Only)

Jemma — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:44:31 +0000

I have a confession to make, I am not good with paperwork and clutter. This is one area I know I need help with, how to get organized. When I had just the one girl, I was already getting a lot of notes from her different classes, and that was before she even started preschool. Now I have two, and more paperwork are coming.

I have tried different methods on how to declutter, from filing envelops, binders, boxes. It would work at first, but then I’d go back to what I used to do. Just keep piling everything up in a corner.

Now I am trying something totally different. Aboutone.com is a digital filing system and more. What’s different this time, is that I can bring all the information I need with me. I can access the site anytime on my phone, no need to bring bulky binders or envelops with my family’s information. It just takes a little time to input all the information into the website.

What is Aboutone.com? AboutOne is an online productivity tool for home managers that comes with a digital filing cabinet for all the information life throws at you. Between health and school records and adorable artwork that’s way too cute to toss, storing important paperwork and preserving family memories is no easy feat. Throw in thousands of photos and stuff piles up fast! AboutOne takes care of all that, and is a great mother’s helper!

After I signed up for my account, which only took a few minutes, I was able to add our whole family and create profiles for each member. I love how I was able to create a health record for everyone. I can record my children’s immunizations, any allergies, medications. You can even add a vehicle and create a maintenance history!

Another great feature is the ability to make a Family Newsletter. Another way to keep everyone in the family connected, especially if you live in different countries as we do.

This site has really started helping me out with my record keeping. As long as I keep at it, I’m sure it’ll be the help I have been looking.

Watch this video and see how Aboutone.com can be used to keep track of your children’s education records:

The Giveaway
(to be administered by Global Influence)

Mandatory Entry:
Sign up for AboutOne free trial (absolutely no credit card info required) through this link. The 17 day Free Passport gives you 17 full days of usage with no expiration date (requires no credit card information). Use each of your 17 days whenever you like. Their Yearly Plan gives you a full year of access to AboutOne for the low price of $30 per year.

Fill out the form below:

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Rules:
One winner will be chosen at random from all entries across all blogs to receive the following prize: $500 AMEX gift card and an upgrade to a free subscription to AboutOne.com to 1 grand prize winner + a $250 donation to the school of their choice. All other entries will receive an email with a code for 25% off a one year subscription to AboutOne.com. This giveaway ends September 9th at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to U.S. residents age 18 or older.

Disclosure: I was compensated by Global Influence Network for my participation in this program. I received a free trial account for the purpose of this review. The opinions in this post are entirely my own. This post has not been reviewed or edited by anyone.

What’s in Your Diaper Bag?

Jemma — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:27:12 +0000

Ellen from Ask Away… gave me this idea. Thank you Ellen!

I thought I’d make the concept a little different. I know we have a lot of moms reading this blog with children. Every time I see a mom walking with her kids, I think “I wonder what’s in her diaper bag?”

3.5 years now, I’ve been carrying around a diaper bag. I used to go out carrying my purse with just my wallet, keys and phone. Now I can’t go out without my huge bag, sometimes two! With two girls (a 3 year old, and a 3 month old), my bags contain 30% my stuff, and 70% their stuff. Here’s my bag now:

I have a Coach bag, bought at the Coach Outlet store for almost 70% off!!! I love big bags and totes now.

My stuff:

iPhone – not pictured. Used it to take the pictures. I also use it to take pictures and videos of my kids, almost daily.
Wallet – Coach as well, also bought at the Coach outlet store for 50% off!
Lip gloss – not pictured. I actually switch using either lip gloss or lip balm
Keychain/Lariat
Hand Sanitizer
Extra pair of eyeglasses – Ive broken a couple already, so now I know to always have a spare
Pens

Their stuff:

Baby diapers – I keep at least 3 in my bag
Baby wipes
Bibs and burp cloths
Nursing Cover
Extra baby blanket
Soothers
Diaper rash cream
Extra toys
Extra clothes for baby and 3 year old
Extra underwear for toddler who just finished potty training
Sunglasses for toddler
Hair ties – not pictured
Candy/Chocolate

That’s it!

Depending on the response, I will start this out at once a month. If I get a lot of people to sign up, I’ll change it to 2 features a month. If you’re like me, your bags and bag contents change regularly. You can sign up more than once for this.

What do you need to do?

Sign up using the form below. When I receive your contact information, I will confirm your feature date.
A week, or two, before you schedule, send me pictures of your bag, and bag contents.
Provide me with the name of your bag and a list of contents, with a description/reason why you bring it with you.
Send a short description of yourself and your blog, unless you prefer I write it.
Link to my blog when you get featured.

What’s in it for you?

Exposure for your blog, a link to your site.

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Directory of Blogs Using #Rafflecopter

Jemma — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:40:01 +0000

Do you use Rafflecopter for your giveaways? I would like to start a directory that I can place on my navigation for easy access.

Please link to your homepage, not directly to a giveaway post. Thank you!

THE Help #Review

Jemma — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:20:50 +0000

THE HELP is out in theatres today!

SYNOPIS: THE HELP stars Emma Stone (Easy A) as Skeeter, Academy Award nominated Viola Davis (Doubt) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny- three very different, extraordinary women in the Mississippi during the 1960?s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed – even if it means bringing every one in town face-to-face with changing times.

Deeply moving, filled with poignancy, humor and hope, “The Help” is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change.

REVIEW: Not having read the book, I walked into the theatre not knowing what I was in for. I figured it would be a tear-jerker so I was ready with a tissue in my hand. What I got was a perfect balance of heart and comedy.

The movie was a modest eye opener for anyone who was (fortunate enough?) to have had a nanny, a maid, a help, or for some, a second mom while growing up. Bottom line, their job is not easy and they’re often taken for granted. What I appreciated most about the story was that the sad reality of it all wasn’t just shoved down the viewer’s throat. It wasn’t all about the worse of things, and it really did get that bad for a colored person at time (racism, isolated outhouses, low income, etc). The bits of comedy were put in at just the right parts that even though your heart is hurting for these women, you can’t help but think that in the long run they’ll be just fine. One thing to point if you’re watching for it first time, you’re going to love the pies!

Although Emma Stone probably wouldn’t have been my first choice for a movie like this, she managed to pull me in and convince me of the importance of her role as a woman of that time. I couldn’t help but keep picturing her as the outcast from that movie, Easy A. But then again, she is the outcast of the town in this story… no husband not even a boyfriend to speak of, having a job, communicating with the help as though they’re in the same class. So different story, same emotions with a splash of southern accent? Regardless, she is a star that is making her mark.

After watching it, I think I might actually try to find the book, just to compare. And as for that tissue I had ready in my hand at the beginning if the movie, one definitely wasn’t enough.

THE HELP is a definite must-watch movie.

If you haven’t had the chance to enter yet, the giveaway for THE HELP prize pack is still open.

Disclosure: I received advance screening tickets for the purpose of this review. The opinions in this post are entirely my own. This post has not been reviewed or edited by anyone. I was not compensated for this post in any other way.

Wordless Wednesdays – My Girls (w/ linky)

Jemma — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:28:14 +0000

My girls, 3 year old AJ and 3-month old SA.

They grow up so fast.

BC Day Long Weekend (#WONDERSimplyFree)

Jemma — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:07:45 +0000

This is the final installment of my long weekend bbq posts. You can find the first 2 here and here.

Just to recap, the products I’ve featured on the previous posts are the WONDER+ SimplyFree buns. SimplyFree is the first Canadian National Brand of bakery products FREE of artificial preservatives, flavours and colours; it is also free of high fructose corn syrup and made with unbleached wheat flour. Don’t forget to check out all the recipes and bbq tips found through the Canadian Living website.

The summer is passing by so quickly. We have been taking advantage of it as much as we can. Swimming at the patio, bbqs in the beach, picnics at the park and playground.

For BC Day long weekend, we spent the day at the beach (Cultus Lake) with friends. It was the perfect day; the sun was out, but there was a cool breeze. And of course, there were lots of food. The kids were either in the water or playing at the playground, which meant I was either in the water or the playground with A.

One more long weekend before school starts for A. I wonder what we’ll do then?

Disclosure – I am participating in the Wonder+ SimplyFree program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Weston Bakeries. I received a gift card and free product coupons as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

4th Season of BlogMania

Jemma — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:16:57 +0000

In less than 2 months, the 4th season on BlogMania goes live. I am happy to say that I am participating once again. My 1st theme for this season is “Tu-Tu Cute”.

I am planning the giveaway prize pack around products suitable for girls between the ages of 0-4. I am currently looking for sponsors to work with me for this event. If this description fits your business/product/service, feel free to send me a message, info [at] themommydiariesblog [dot] com.

If it does not fit the description above, feel free to email me as well. I can always build another prize pack based on another theme. The more the merrier!