Style Kid: Summer Sale!

Thinking of cute, practical, original gift items for baby showers, birthdays, or "just because"?  Style Kid's Annual Summer Clearance Sale starts now!

 If you're looking for items babies, toddlers, kids, AND parents will love, I'm sure you'll find something you'll like at Style Kid.  Recently, we had 5 (yes, FIVE!) baby showers to attend. We were only able to make it to two out of the five, but bought gifts for all five (of course!).  My toddler also wanted to give a gift to Lolo and her baby (from the Canadian singing duo, Bobs & Lolo). Guess where the gifts came from? Ummmm hmmmm. Style Kid.


Hop on over and check out Style Kid's website. I know you'll love them!

Sale Details: 

30% off already reduced Sale items  (some exclusions may apply)

Cannot be combined with any other offer

Use code SUM30

Expires at Midnight, July 28, 2011 PST

Canadian Small Businesses - Want to Win $15,000?

Everyone knows that owning and starting up a small business can be exciting, but challenging and costly at the same time.  Just thinking of even here on Manitoulin Island, we have many talented small business owners with fabulous products and services to offer. Whether your small business be in the form of an organic soap making company, chocolate shop, photography business, jewelry making business, or quilt shop, (just to name a few!), extra funds are always useful.

This is why I am excited to spread the news about centrsource.ca! Small businesses all over Canada can will be happy to hear this!

CentrSource is having a contest for all Canadian small business owners just like you. You can win a grand prize of $15,000! 

TO ENTER:
Simply enter your business information and a product offer for friends and family to vote on.

Over $40,000 in prizes to be won!

* Grand prize of $15,000 cash + 6 months of free advertising on CentrSource.

* Secondary prize: One ad will be randomly selected out of 50 entries for one prize of $5,000 cash + 3 months of free advertising on CentrSource.

*  Every Week, there are chances to WIN! A winner will be drawn randomly from ALL ad entries each week to win one of 8 weekly prizes of $1,000 cash + 1 month of free advertising on CentrSource.

Think that's great? It gets even better!  Even if you don't have a small business, you can still enter to win an iPad 2 just by voting!

FOOD FACE!

My friend and his family came up to the Island for a visit last week. They gave Little One the most fabulous gift. A Ms. FOOD FACE plate!


It was the first time I had seen or heard of the Fred & Friends product. Little One loves it so much that she takes it everywhere with her!


Here's a photo of Little One's FOOD FACE plate on our recent brunch date with friends at The Garden Shed Cafe!

What a novel idea! Little One taps into her creativity through food art. It's fun and she loves eating from this plate. At first, I thought it might deter her and make her want to just play with her food. On the contrary. She actually wants to eat more from it!


Little One is not a picky eater at all and she's got a hollow leg. We have no problems getting her to eat, but this plate would be great for parents to try on their kids who may need some inspiration when it comes to eating. It's appealing, fun, and Little One approved!

 

The mid-sized plate is crafted from food-safe, hotel-quality, high-fired ceramics. It's heavy enough that Little One doesn't easily fling it across the table. Not that she would do that or anything. No. Our child never knocks over bowls and cups, and she never drops cutlery on the floor either. Pfffffffffft! 

 

Judging how much Little One loves this plate, it's something I would definitely get my nieces, nephews, and friends' kids as presents. 

 

 

JUST AN ASIDE: While perusing the Fred & Friends website, I found these brilliant CHIMPSTICKS! The chimp is made from washable, food-grade silicone rubber and the removable chopsticks feature little monkey hands at the tips to help grasp food. Aren't they the coolest? Tell me you don't want a set of these?!

There are all sorts of great gift ideas for everyone on the Fred & Friends website. I'm making my wishlist now!

Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks Winner!

We're  headed to the beach as soon as Little One wakes up! Yes, it's 8:30 on a Saturday morning and my toddler is STILL sleeping!

We're fortunate to be living on an island, surrounded by lots of beautiful beaches! Of course, we're taking along her Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks Sand Toys! A day at the beach without building sand cakes? 

Before we head out, I would like to say that megcolmcg is the winner of 4 sets of sand toys from the Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks collection! Congratulations! 

 

megcolmcg said... 18

"Liked" Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island REVIEWS on Facebook. me*******re@gmail.com

You will be contacted via e-mail. Please reply within the next 48 hrs or a new winner will be chosen. Thanks to everyone who entered! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy!

Press Pause for Family

This year has been my first year teaching ESL again since I gave birth to Little One. I can honestly say that being a mom, a farmer's wife, an ESL teacher (among many other things), I've noticed just how valuable time with family is. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done or to be everything to everyone. Little One craves my attention and I am reminded of the need to "Press Pause" and take time for family...even when you're exhausted from everything else.

Now that Summer is here, our weekends are filled with countless baby showers, birthday parties, weddings, and other special occasions. Every weekend of the Summer has been booked with one thing or another. Thanks to Hallmark, we've got all our bases covered!

As part of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel, I have the opportunity to sample and review some fabulous Hallmark products.  Hallmark has been a trusted brand in our family ever since I can remember. With thoughtful greeting cards for every occasion to keepsakes to pass down to family members (photo frames, albums, etc), they've got something special for every loved one on your list.

 

I was excited (and shocked) to receive this in the mail! It is now one of my absolute favourite items in our house.

 

I love my new family tree from Hallmark! The branches can hold little picture frames that hang from them. Photos of the special people in your life can be put in the frames and displayed on this gorgeous tree. It makes a great focal point/centre piece/conversation piece!

I would definitely get this family tree for any of my friends or even for my mom, aunts, or grandmother. Anyone who loves displaying photos of their family would love this beautiful family tree.

I have to admit that ever since I gave birth to Little One, I've been addicted to scrapbooking and memory keeping. Hallmark now has a variety of amazing Recordable Memory Albums. You can relive stories from behind favourite photos and preserve them in an album. How cool is that? Little One can replay stories that go with the photos of all of her favourite people (Ahem! Grampy and cousin Kenny!).

 

We received this adorable Kids Recordable Memory Album and a Disney Recordable Storybook with Sound. Little One immediately went for the What Makes a Princess? storybook! She loves the Disney princesses and she LOVES books! 

Little One and I read lots and lots of books together. I think we go through a dozen books each night. She'd have me read all of her books if I let her! The beauty of the recordable storybooks is that I can record my voice reading the book and if for some reason I'm not able to read to Little One at night, Daddy can either read the book to her or play my voice reading it!

 

I now have lots of great gift ideas for all occasions! I appreciate thoughtful gifts and what can be more special than helping preserve all those amazing memories with loved ones? I love the recordable storybooks for kids, scrapbooks, photo albums, picture frames, gifts for all occasions, and of course the greeting cards!

For more gift ideas, check out the Hallmark website.

 
Disclosure: I’m part of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Absolutely Kidorable!

Yay! 10,000 Facebook Fans for Kidorable! In celebration of their 10,000 fan likes, Kidorable is announcing a special coupon on their Facebook wall! The first 10 fans to use the code will receive the free Kidorable umbrella, rain boots, and raincoat ensemble of their choice, all with free shipping. Facebook url: www.facebook.com/kidorable

Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks Giveaway!

Summer is finally here! I can think of no better way to spend the summer than by being outdoors with my family and friends. We live on an island and are surrounded by many beautiful beaches. You know where we'll be this summer!

I am looking forward to creating lots of fun memories with my toddler. She loves running on the beach, swimming, and...playing in the sand!

Melissa & Doug is one of my absolute favourite and most trusted brands when it comes to children's toys. They've got everything from educational toys, art supplies for kids, wooden puzzles, to play food and all kinds of other fun items to promote children's imaginary play and cultivate their imagination! Not only are their toys fun, but they're also safe, durable, and high quality.

My own toddler has an impressive collection of Melissa & Doug toys and puzzles. She loves them! She loves to scoop ice cream and make sandwiches with her toy food and she absolutely loves her Trunki!
You can only imagine how thrilled I was we were when Melissa & Doug sent me us a set of their Sand Play toys!

Perfect timing! The weather is gorgeous, it's sunny outside, and the beach is beckoning! It's definitely time to hit the beach and have fun in the sand with the new Sunny Patch Sand Play toys!

Seaside Sidekicks Sand Baking Set 

When I'm not teaching or helping Hubby with something on the farm, I'm in the kitchen preparing something for my family and ESL students to eat. Little One really enjoys being in the kitchen with her Mama. Sometimes she loves it too much and it makes getting dinner on the table a lot slower.

Thankfully, she now has the Seaside Sidekicks Sand Baking Set! The set is complete with a mixing bowl, a lid (which when turned upside down can double into a sifter!), three measuring cups, a mixing spoon, and a whisk. To say that Little One enjoys playing with her baking set is a huge understatement! She's been screaming, "I cooking! I cooking, Mama!" all afternoon!

 Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set
What does one do with a sand baking set? Bake cupcakes of course! With all the mixing and whisking, Little One created adorable sand cupcakes with her cupcake set! Cake Boss, watch out!
The set comes with a cupcake tray, four cupcake tins, four cupcake toppers, a molder, icing tool, and a mesh bag to keep everything handy and together! The mesh bag is by far Mommy's favourite! What a great way to keep all these amazing sand toys together!? Love it!

Seaside Sidekicks Sand-Molding Set
What kid doesn't love to create things with sand? These sand molds help make creating sand creatures even more fun! Mommy loves that all the pieces fit perfectly inside the turtle. It makes for a hassle-free, compact way to store toys when going to and from the beach (or even the sandbox!).

Clicker the Crab Pail and Shovel
A must for kids in the Summer? Definitely a sturdy pail and shovel! There's nothing worse than a cheap plastic pail and shovel that will break into pieces under the weight of wet sand! This cheerful, bright pail and shovel is fun with the adorable Clicker the Crab designs!

 WIN IT!
Want a set of your own Melissa and Doug Seaside Sidekicks Sand Toys? I am very excited to be working with Melissa & Doug and to give one lucky reader a chance to win a complete set of the Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks sand toys! That's right! All FOUR sets of Sand Play toys! Melissa and Doug is generously offering a prize pack of all four products to one reader!

To win, leave me a comment on my blog and tell me how these Melissa and Doug Seaside Sidekicks Sand Toys would make your summer an even better one! (1 entry)

Please leave your e-mail address (and a separate comment for each entry if you are making additional entries).

Additional entries:

1. "Like" Melissa and Doug on Facebook and tell them  Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island  REVIEWS sent you. (1 entry)

2. Follow Melissa and Doug and @chancesmommy on Twitter and tweet this giveaway!
    "I entered to win a @MelissaAndDoug prize pack from @chancesmommy http://fb.me/OO39mufe" (1 entry)

3. "Like" Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island REVIEWS on Facebook. (1 entry)

4. Follow me on Google Friend Connect. (1 entry)

5. Follow me on Networked Blogs (1 entry)

6. Grab my button and post it on your site. Please leave me the link where I can find where you posted. (1 entry)

Contest Rules:
This contest is open to U.S. residents only. Contest ends on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 11:59 PM ET. A winner will be chosen at random via Random.Org and will be notified by e-mail. The winner has must respond within 48 hrs of being notified, otherwise another winner will be chosen. The prize will be mailed directly to the winner from the prize sponsor.


Good luck, everyone! Hope your little ones enjoy these sand toys as much as my toddler does!

 "Look, Mama! I cooking!"

DISCLOSURE: This giveaway is sponsored by Melissa & Doug. All the thoughts and  opinions expressed on this blog are my own. Facebook has no responsibility for this giveaway.

Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Ultimately Chocolate TOFFLE giveaway and for joining in on The Great Canadian Blog Bash! I hope you had a great Canada Day long weekend! The winner has been chosen via Random.Org.

409cope said... 87

I tweeted-https://twitter.com/409cope/status/85147786709958656 cardshark42(at)hotmail(dot)com

June 26, 2011 8:50 PM 

409cope is the winner of a box of Toffles. An e-mail has been sent out to you for shipping information. Please check your inbox and reply within 48 hrs.