Hot Wheels® Build It, Race It, Win It Contest

My children enjoy playing with Hot Wheels because it allows them to build, as well as race it! Hot Wheels has lots of cool play sets that allow children to develop cognitive skills in subjects such as science, as they think about how infrastructure systems are constructed.

I Love DK Contest

Every February DK creates a boutique of their most popular books selected by readers. Throughout January until the 31st, DK invites their fans to submit their choices for their favourite DK book of all-time. Then they pick 20 of the top books and offer them up at 30% off. Each person who votes is entered into a draw for a $250 DK shopping spree where they can choose whatever books they like from the website.

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Fall Adventures With Disney Junior

I am very excited to announce about Disney Junior’s Princess and Heroes Contest. The grand prize for this contest will include round-trip flights to Toronto, two nights stay at a hotel, rink side seats, backstage character meet and greet for a family of four. The winning family will also get a $1000 for a Disney Store shopping spree.

Win a Stay At The Esperanza Resort, Mexico

popchips and the Esperanza Resort have teamed up to bring Metro shoppers across Ontario a chance to jet off to snacker’s paradise! The #snackersparadise prize sends the lucky winner and a guest to the world-renowned Esperanza Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to havea weekend of self-indulgence without all the guilt. 

Top Chefs Canada is back on air with a chance for us to win

Top Chef Canada is back on air with its 3rd season. Sixteen of Canada’s most talented chefs are competing for the coveted title and the $100,000 cash prize that is presented by SpongeTowels, one of Canada’s favourite paper towel brands.

Contest:

SpongeTowels is also providing one lucky viewer a chance to win - cooking demonstration and dinner

Exciting #LEGODUPLO sale @ChaptersIndigo + Win $50 to shop

Even before my husband and I had children Chapters/Indigo has always been our go-to indoor place during all seasons.  We like hanging out in the calm environment at Chapters/Indigo surrounded by books.  Indigo is a good place to sit, relax, read and have something delicious from Starbucks; that is not the only motive :)

We have continued this "tradition" even after our children were born.  My husband and I hangout in the children section and take turns supervising the kids so we can get some alone-time to read the latest magazines and books.  I can also spends lots of time looking at the beautiful home decor products they have, controlling my wants so I don't buy the whole of Indigo :)

When I was attending cake decoration classes, my husband's go-to-place was Indigo.  He entertains our kids either by reading to them or participating in the organized children's programs at the Indigo Kids Play Area.  These free programs at Chapters/Indigo has fun, crafts children can make as well as a Indigo staff member or a local author reading the latest children books to the kids.

Click to make it big; this is what is happening during the March Break at the Kennedy Commons location

For my family and I, on top of the fabulous products at Indigo the free WI-FI for members, clean environment, children friendly washrooms and the play area has been motivating us to keep going to Indigo.  

As you probably know we are big fans of LEGO so we are very excited to let you all know that this month all LEGO products at Indigo will be 20% off.  
If a store is not close to you, don't forget to check Indigo online.

Giveaway:
If you like shopping at Indigo as much as I do then you will be happy to know Create With Mom will be hosting a giveaway for you to win a $50 Indigo gift card.  
Enter this Canadian giveaway before March 20th through the rafflecopter below.
The winner will have 24 hours to respond from the time of contact.  You can enter similar giveaways on other sites, but will be eligible to win only one.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I am a LEGO DUPLO play ambassador and receive special perks for being part of this.  All rights reserved on mentioned photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2011 - 2013. Please Ask First

Eggciting news from Kinder

This is the time of the year we will all soon be thinking of eggs.  Here are some eggelicious ideas.

• Boiled eggs
• Scrambled eggs
• Party eggs
• Drawing characters on eggs
• Dying eggs

Kinder has lots of eggciting news for all of us...

Kinder Shake and Win Contest
Enter the Facebook contest until March 8th to win their coupons.  Kinder will be giving away 1000 free Kinder Mini Eggs coupons and 1000 Kinder Surprise 100g Egg coupons.

Kinder will be supporting Children's Miracle Network by donating $1 up to $25,000 for every new friend on their Facebook page from March 1st to 31st.  This will bring joy to many children across Canada so be a part of it and spread the word.

Check out the New Kinder Easter Gallery to see the fabulous toys found inside their Kinder Surprise Maxi 150g and Kinder Surprise 100g eggs.  Don't forget to vote for your favourite 2013 Easter toy collection.

Kinder's Easter bunny Harry will be touring and making surprise visits to family events in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver this March to celebrate Easter.  Harry will be giving out free samples of Kinder Mini eggs.  Keeps tabs where Harry will be visiting by checking out the Kinder Canada Facebook page.

Just in time for the Easter holidays Kinder has some delicious, cute Kinder Surprise packages. 

Egg Painting Kit, where children can decorate the plastic shell and put a Kinder egg inside to give as a gift or hide it for egg hunting.  We don't have to worry about smelly eggs just in case they forget where they hid the eggs :)  

We really like the soft toy and the mix of different Kinder chocolates in this cute gift package that is sure to please adults and children.

Disclosure: I am part of the Kinder Mom program and receive special perks as part of my affiliation   All rights reserved on mentioned photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2011 - 2013. Please Ask First

Million Moments of being a Mom

Petting a deer... innocence of childhood

Fisher-Price is launching the Million Moments of Joy campaign that celebrates the REAL joys of motherhood. I know we all have the joyful, good, scary, stressful and ridiculous moments we've experienced throughout the years. Our journey of motherhood starts from the first day of our pregnancy.

My son's first time under a sprinkler during a hot summer day in the park.

I had overall good pregnancy experiences with both my children.  I loved it when I felt my babies kicked and when my belly was getting bigger everyday :) Although, I did have moments of morning sickness and irritability. I gained a lot of baby weight because I couldn't control all my cravings ;) thankfully it was baby weight that I lost overtime. We were OVERjoyed when we had our children, although delivering babies were scariest moments in my life.  

I was and still am OVERjoyed when I think about their first smiles, every time they tightly held my fingers, their smell, cuddles, when they first turned from their belly, first time they crawled, balanced, walked, waddled, ran, ate solids, raked the garden, first lessons in soccer, swam, oh there are so many... even now when they say the funniest things they crack me up. Getting a "I love you mom hug" and "I missed you today" is somethings I am truly thankful for as they are beautiful blessings.

There were also many days I felt OVERtired and OVERwhelmed because my son barely slept when he was a baby.  I didn't know what to do as he kept me awake all the time.  I had so much to do during the day because my eldest was 3 years older than him, so as a preschooler she needed my attention in lots of things.  My husband and I were definitely tooooo tired and very stressed during the earlier years but looking back I don't think I would give anything to trade, we learned a lot and learned to appreciate each other and be thankful :) 

Being a mother is a very important part of my way of life.  I feel honoured by this blessing and take all the OVER moments as it comes thanking God for giving me strength during the OVER moments that were hard.  And for the family and friends that were there when we needed them :)

Loving the journey of being a mother :)

Disclosure: I am participating in the Million Moments of Joy campaign by MC Canada on behalf of Fisher-Price.  As a thank you for sharing my opinion I received compensation.  All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2011 - 2013. Please Ask First

Our dreams may come true as Royale celebrates their 50th year

Royale Golden Kittens are celebrating their 50th year by generously offering one Canadian a chance to win $50,000. They will have 4 runner up cash prizes and 500 instant prizes such as Samsung TVs, Samsung tablets, Blu-ray players, Spa finder gift cards.  

There are 440 tickets hidden in specially marked Royale bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towel and dinner napkins.  We can win 60 tickets online through royale.ca and their Facebook.  

What will you do if you win $50,000?  I don't know where to begin because there are so many things that I want to do, which is only limited because of money :)  

Some of the things that I want to do are:
Give some money to my family and friends, and donate some to charitable organizations to help those in need. 

Then I want to travel the world with my family and see a part of every continent.

I want to see places like Morocco, Egypt and Turkey in Middle East and Africa, as I admire their landscapes, culture and architecture.

I want to see the snow filled mountains in Alaska.  I like to see all the provinces and territories in Canada.  We want to go to Disneyland and see all the Disney parks and explore the land of dreams :)

There are many countries in Asia such as Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Maldives that I want to visit, so I can explore the cuisine, culture and the excitement of these tropical places i.e. the spas, beaches.

I want to explore and take pictures of the South American rainforest.  And visit places like Brazil and Cuba.

Singapore

The best part is if I win, I can do all these without going to work for at least a year God willingly with good health. Even if all our dreams will probably not come true, no one can stop us from dreaming.  I am glad this contest from Royale made me think about all the things I can do if I win $50,000.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Golden Kittens Blog Tour by MC Canada on behalf of Royale.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and sharing my opinion.  All rights reserved on mentioned photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2011 - 2013. Please Ask First

Cashmere EnviroCare dress and What is truly "green"

Cashmere EnviroCare has made the first ever children's dress crafted from 100% recycled bathroom tissue by designer Izzy Camilleri.
White Cashmere Collection was revealed in celebration of Fashion with Compassion to raise awareness for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  
We can contribute to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation by casting a vote for our favourite dress. For every vote, Cashmere will donate $1, up to $10,000, in the winning designer's name.  
To vote, all you have to do is visit votecouture.ca or Facebook.com/Cashmere and select your favourite design.  All voters will be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of four $2,500 shopping sprees.

Recent research conducted by Kruger Products show that people want to buy green products, but they rarely actually buy.  Many people are confused about what elements differentiate truly 'green' products from the ones that claim to be 'green', therefore not knowing what to trust as credible.  Here is a link of the results from the research.

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Fall into Flavour with Puff pastry Apple pie

Fall is the time, I like making apple pies with puff pastry. My family and I cozy up to enjoy these apple pies for dessert, snack and breakfast :) The smell of cinnamon, which is our favourite spice with soft sweet apples inside the flaky puff pastry makes these goodies irresistible. Little ones are sure to love this dessert.

To make these puff pastry apple pies you will need...

3 apples

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 slices of bread

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp cinnamon

puff pastry

1 egg

Remove peels of the apple if you wish, and chop into pieces. Toast the bread and crumble it. Toss the apples with the bread, cinnamon, sugar and flour.

I used store bought puff pastry. Fill the pastry with the apple filling and make a wreath shape. Apply the beaten egg on top and sides of the pastry. Make slits so the air will escape and the pastries will puff well. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a glass baking tray lined with a baking sheet at 375F until the pastry is golden and puffed. Cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving. 

All rights reserved on photographs and opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

DK LEGO books and contest

This LEGO DK ultimate sticker collection book was really enjoyed by my little one.  It is better to paste the stickers with the young children instead of them doing the book by themselves.  This way we can ask questions and talk about which stickers belong where i.e. which sticker should we put in the farm or the zoo etc.  

This LEGO DK Brickmaster brings reading and play together.  It helps children follow instructions and build creative toys.  This set allows children to recreate the story that they have read.  It was fun to build the LEGO pieces with my children and see the lego characters from the book in action as the children played with them.  

I liked that the book has five chapters so we can read and build one chapter at a time.  With each progressing chapter the amount of building increases.  Children can also get creative to make their own structures and tell their own story.  This LEGO DK book is for children over the age of 5 years although with supervision 3 1/2 to 4 year old children can participate.  

My daughter enjoyed reading this DK reader about Friends. She liked the pictures throughout the book and related the story to the LEGO characters. 

The story in the reader was interesting so she didn't mind sitting to read the whole book :) These types of DK readers are encouraging for the children to read. The books have fun stories with reading levels. The stories are not too long to finish reading from beginning to end for young children.

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Smucker’s Uncrustables contest

Smucker’s® Uncrustables® Partners with Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic gold medal figure skater, mom and children’s book author to host a Contest for a chance to win a $15,000 Unstoppable Family Adventure and a year’s supply of Uncrustables sandwiches.

Uncrustables® are portable, thaw-and-serve crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  

Until November 1st, parents in the US can go to the Uncrustables site and submit a photo showing where their families enjoy Smucker’s Uncrustables sandwiches with a brief caption. Ten finalist entries will be posted on the site in January 2013 for a nationwide online vote for a chance to win the grand prize.

All rights reserved on opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Hungry Jack® Recipe Contest

Hungry Jack® pancake mix, syrup and potatoes invite everyone in America to explore a world of delicious meal possibilities using Hungry Jack pantry staples. To help Americans recognize their pantry’s potential and ease the stress of mealtime preparation, Hungry Jack invites consumers to share their creative, original recipes using Hungry Jack® pancake mix, syrup, and/or potatoes for a chance to win a year’s worth of groceries in the Hungry Jack Use Up the Box Recipe Contest. 
By simply looking to their pantry, consumers can get creative, explore the versatility of common staples and bring smiles to the whole family.

All rights reserved on opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite coming to Toronto

Max & Ruby will be performing in the musical Nutcracker Suite in select provinces/states in Canada and US this holiday season from November 9th till December 18th.  

Coupons and Contest
From August 21st to 23rd we can use the code ENCHANT to buy our tickets.  
Enter this Facebook contest for a chance to win 4 tickets to the performance.

Download free activity sheets and learn more about the show and its locations/dates.  

We are excited that Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite will be coming to the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts (1 Front St. E Toronto M5E 1B2) on Saturday, December 15th at 1:00 p.m.

All rights reserved on opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Dunkin' donuts coffe at home contest

Dunkin’ Donuts® packaged coffee is available at grocery stores. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee fans can share a photo of themselves with their mug of coffee to win exciting prizes including a $10,000 Grocery Gift Card, one-year supply of Dunkin’ Donuts packaged coffee and an extra-large Dunkin’ Donuts branded mug.
Contest:
Open to everyone in the US over the age of 18 years.  The contest ends on August 26th.
The prizes are drawn randomly every week, with the grand prize drawing on the 29th of August.    

Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Staples Back to School event and contest

Staples Canada is the largest office products company that has a wide choice of office services and products.  Staples offers an assortment of designs and essentials throughout the year to fit the needs of students from kindergarten to college and university.

Here are some product trends:
The Staples Better Binders that mix and match notebooks, pencil pouches and other basics come in beautiful themes such as Sugar rush (vibrant candy-coloured hues) and Graphic Fantastic (retro 80s sci-fi era).
Everyone will enjoy the cute cool lunch bags such as the built NY lunch bags, fun lunch bags and personalized water bottles.  I liked the stylish lunch bags i.e. Elle for girls and ladies.

Staples has a wide range of backpacks that come in fashionable colours, Disney themes to attract the princess and superhero fans.    
Older children can choose from the selection of ergonomic bags i.e. Hilroy Five Star backpacks to help avoid injuries because the shoulder straps ensure even distribution of weight and sits correctly on the back.  
There are lots of products and learning supplies for educators, preschoolers and young children. 
 
I liked all the locker gears.  The selection of locker accessories are vast, wish some of these were available when I was in high school :)  Everything was in fashion inspired colours and patterns.  They also have different styles of Dudley combination locks.  
There are lots of innovative stylish calculators and earbuds.  The Crayola Earbuds looked really cool.
Many products were in animal prints such as pencils, books, scissors and many more.

The functional flash drives were very neat, everything looked cool enough for us to start a collection.  There were different types of USB drives i.e. cartoon characters, movie characters and cars.  I liked the car USBs; I wouldn't have thought these were flash drives.

I liked the products that were available for home office and geared for moms to help stay organized such as the planners, colour coding files, labels etc.

Staples back to school 7th annual school supply drive
Many Canadian families struggle to provide their children with the supplies needed to succeed; so Staples Canada along with the customers are collecting money or supplies until September 9th.  
Support your local community by donating.  All donations remain in the respective local communities.  These items are not just tools, but a way to start the school year with confidence and enthusiasm.  Staples goal is to raise a total of $1.5 million.  

Contest
Build Your Backpack on the Staples Canada Facebook and win school supplies prize packs.  Students will be encouraged to share both their creativity and wish lists through the app.

This pen reminds us of the upcoming September 14th Finding Nemo on 3D coming to the theatres, are you excited to SEA it as well :)
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Avengers costume and app

Marvel is launching an all-new App in July building up to the home entertainment release of Avengers on September 25th.  “The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen App” gives fans unprecedented access to exclusive content such as special access to the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, links to character profiles, stories and scenes, interactive Marvel digital reader comic books and more.  These will be unleashed bi- weekly in July and August.  App owners will receive push notifications whenever new content is uploaded and available.

I had an exciting opportunity to choose this Marvel Avenger's character cute costume for boys.  My son is a fan of captain America so I chose this in the small size.  He excitedly sprung to action wearing this costume, he didn't want to remove this comfortable jumpsuit.  The costume comes with the jumpsuit and head mask, not the shield.

The material made with 100% polyester is lightweight and soft.  The small size is for age 4 to 6 years.  I had to stitch up the leg and hand part a little because it was a little too long for my son.  The body of the costume and the vibrant colours resemble the superhero.  The suit has a soft elastic to stretch comfortably to fit to the child's body and there are three velcros on the top part of the body as a closure.

Although, the head mask is soft on the head and my son liked wearing it I didn't like it as much because the hole and fusing by the eye area didn't look as comfortable.  I told my son to put it only over his head.  The mask also has a soft elastic that allows it to stretch to fit the child's head.

Just hand wash and line dry, cool iron if needed but don't put bleach or in the dry clean.

It would be better if the whole costume was double stitched because we all know little guys can't stand still and we don't want to be mending the costume or stitching the rips. Here are some facts about costume parties in America. If you want a chance to win $100, then put your own review on their site and you could be one of the two randomly picked winners.  They have this contest every month so join in.  If our review post includes a picture then we can win $200.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First