Winter Getaway: The Wizard of Oz in Toronto!

Every year we try to get our girls tickets to something as a Christmas gift (you know, experiences over "stuff". Which isn't to say that they didn't get any "stuff".) This year, we decided to surprise them with a family getaway to Toronto for Mirvish's The Wizard of Oz. While the kids put on a nice polite show when opening the gift on Christmas Day, the thrill of it never really hits them until we arrive at our destination ...this time the stunningly beautiful Ed Mirvish Theatre (formerly the Canon Theatre), where we were greeted by giant-sized ruby slippers!

Six year old Frannie adored the show, never taking her eyes off the stage. (She had to catch all of the details in order to answer her own incessant questions from the drive there: How will they do the tornado? How will they put "Surrender Dorothy" in the sky? How will the monkeys fly? Will all of the songs be the same? You get the idea.)

As for four year old Maggie, she covered her face at the first appearance of the Wicked Witch of the West (played by Lisa Horner, who completely stole the show) and spent most of the time on one of our knees, but she also enjoyed it, and was later quoting lines that we thought she missed.

Dorothy is played perfectly by 20 year old Danielle Wade, who was voted into the role after 8 gruelling weeks and 16 episodes of CBC's Over the Rainbow.

Here I am with the girls in front of a poster:

(On a completely random note, I believe there is irony in the fact that this is my first time wearing a beautiful jacket handed down to me by a friend as it was too tight on her chest...and I wore it over a double pushup bra and almost immediately popped two buttons off.)

Now Frannie can't wait to watch the movie again in order to properly compare it to the theatrical production. Hey, I'm never one to back away from a teachable moment. But don't worry, I won't make her write it out in a Venn Diagram or anything. It's holidays, after all!

I did lament the cost of the tickets a bit before Christmas, until my husband reminded me that people pay as much to attend professional sporting events. After the show, I was quite satisfied that we got our money's worth...and more! I'd definitely recommend it for any little Wizard of Oz/live theatre lovers.

We stayed at the Marriott Toronto Eaton Centre, which is always a favourite due to a great pool and hot tub and an indoor connection to downtown Toronto's largest shopping mall. I'll leave you with a shot of the girls striking a pose with the Sears mannequins which greeted us each time we entered the mall. (I have no idea where they get this drama queen thing from.)

Last Minute Family Gift Idea: Jenga

While out Christmas shopping, my husband decided he wanted to buy some sort of game we could play with the girls, and he chose Jenga. And then couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to them.

It's been a huge hit. It's very quick and easy to play (we're not quite at the Monopoly marathon phase of family life), I can argue that it helps with fine motor skills, and my daughters love it. However I'm not sure they love how every time we play it, I insist on singing the jingle from the Jenga commercials of my childhood:

(Insert music notes here)

"Jenga...Jenga...J..J..J..Jenga. You take a block from the bottom and you put it on top, you take a block from the middle and you put it on top. That's how you build the tower; you just don't stop. You gotta build that tower putting blocks on top. And it teeters and it totters, as you build it on up; it weebles and it wobbles, but you don't give up. You take a block from the bottom and you put it on top, you take a block from the middle and you put it on top, till someone knocks it over, and that's when you stop, but you start all over putting blocks on top!"

Sorry.

In case you're not familiar with the game, the object is to pull blocks out of the tower, placing them on top, without knocking the whole thing over. Of course my perfectionist six year old always prefaces her moves with "If it falls over, it's because I'm actually trying to do that".

Portable and perfect for kids or game-players of any age, I think we've already played it more than any other board game with our girls. Keep it in mind if you still need to cross someone off your list!

How To Order a Microsoft Surface in 31 Painful Steps

I am not a demanding customer. I hate to return things, I apologize for bothering staff, and I avoid conflict at all costs. You need to know that before you continue.

You also need to know that this post could potentially put you to sleep. So if you're just surfing mindlessly during a bout of holiday insomnia, then please proceed, and good night.

However, just to make this interesting (and keep you awake) I'd like the rest of you to turn on your powers of empathy full force. Imagine you are me. Put yourself right in my shoes. They're 10's, so they might be big, but you're not going anywhere, believe me. Okay, not quite so close to my husband...good, right there.

As you read the details of the saga I endured just to order a Microsoft Surface tablet (which is a Christmas gift for my family by the way, so please don't tell them) I guarantee that if you empathize fully, your (usually low) blood pressure will begin to rise. You may experience heart palpitations and sweats, and horrible words that you have never even dreamed of saying will be on the tip of your tongue. Sounds fun, right? Damn that Oprah and her "Favourite Things". Here we go.

Monday December 3rd

• Went to Microsoft website at lunchtime and ordered a Microsoft Surface, type cover and insurance. Website promised delivery to Canada in 3 -7 business days.

• Checked my account a couple of hours later, and it said there was no order history.

• Did the online ‘chat’ with an employee who told me that my order had been cancelled for some reason, but that he could help me do it again through chat.

• Spent a great deal of time communicating back and forth and going over the order and at the end he said that he couldn’t ship it to me because I was in Canada. (I had been on the Canadian site when I hit ‘chat now’.)

• He provided me with a different number to call for Canada. I called that number, but while waiting on hold, I went online and tried to put the order through again myself.

• I finally got to speak to a person who said that it looked like both orders had been cancelled but to wait until morning to see.

Tuesday December 4th

• Overnight I received two separate confirmation emails from Microsoft with tracking numbers saying that the product had been shipped to me...so I was getting two, when I only wanted one.

• I phoned again to cancel the second order, and was told that actually nothing had shipped at all, those emails were both in error, and I would probably have to go through the order again with a different credit card. (I don’t have one. I have one Visa, with a healthy limit and excellent credit.)

• E-mailed back and forth with a Customer Service rep who said that she would process my order over the phone. Had to play e-mail/phone tag throughout my work day, and then wait by the phone when I arrived home as she was on another call.

• Finally spoke with her shortly before 5 p.m. and she attempted to process the order again, but then informed me that I would need to set a Microsoft security question and answer, and provide the answer to complete the order. I did not have a computer at home, and attempted to do this on my BlackBerry, but the site told me I had to be on a PC to access the options.

• Was told to call in the morning to complete the order.

Wednesday December 5th

• Arrived at work, went into my profile to set a security question and answer, and emailed my answer to the rep.

• She then said she would have to call me to complete the order, as the final go-ahead has to be verbal.

• Waited on my lunch hour for her call.

• Provided my Visa number again and order details, and she assured me it would then be processed.

• Received an e-mail a few minutes later saying that I needed to call Visa to authorize the charge, as they were not authorizing it.

• Spent more time getting the number for Visa and waiting to speak with someone there only to be told that there was no problem at all at their end authorizing the charge, and that in fact the charge had gone through.

• E-mailed rep to update her, and she said she would go ahead with the order.

Thursday December 6th

• E-mailed rep to ask for an update and received a reply that “Your order is still in review. Our fraud team is running behind with all the orders that are being placed this holiday season.”

Friday December 7th

• Checked online banking and discovered that my Visa had indeed been charged TWICE for this order, which "had yet to be processed".

• E-mailed rep prior to 8 a.m. and received no response.

• Called Microsoft, was put through to the Microsoft Store customer service department.

• After a 40 minute phone call, was told that all three orders were cancelled and they had no record of me ever being charged. I was asked to send copies of my invoices and proof of being billed to my Visa, which I immediately did, yet heard nothing back.

Okay, stop skimming and wake up. Here's where it gets good.

• Arrived home to find two boxes on my doorstep. Yep, the two orders HAD gone through, and I was the proud owner of two Microsoft Surfaces.
• I immediately e-mailed for instructions on returning (and most importantly, being reimbursed for) the second tablet.
• No response.

Saturday December 8th/Sunday December 9th

• Nothing. Didn't really expect to hear over the weekend, but it's Christmas season and we are talking about Microsoft. Not exactly a little mom-and-pop storefront.

Monday December 10th

• Nothing.

Tuesday December 11th

• Called Customer Support for the Microsoft Store and was told that they would issue me a UPS return label for the second tablet, and start the process of refunding my Visa.
• Then I got as demanding as I could possibly be with a stranger, and politely asked to whom I needed to speak to see what they could do about making me a satisfied customer. The response to that was that the "volume" of this problem is so high that they are unable at this time to offer any sort of compensation (so the fact that it's happening to lots of people is supposed to make me feel better?), but that he would let his supervisor know. Wow.

Wednesday December 12th

• UPS picked up the second box.

As of this date, I am still waiting to have my account credited back. And I'm sure I will be waiting a long time to be compensated in any way for the hours and hours of my time that I spent just to order this product.

Can you believe how long this story took? You were so sweet to stick with me throughout my ordeal. Is your blood pressure up yet?

Now, let me be clear: each rep I spoke with was polite and apologetic. Obviously they have a good (though slightly patronizing) script and know how to talk people off a ledge. It's the system that I have a huge problem with. Why did they think multiple orders were cancelled when they weren't? What did I do to make them think my order would need to be checked by the fraud department? Why did I deal with multiple people, playing e-mail and phone tag to get answers?

So, what do I think of the Microsoft Surface? It was easy to set up, but I won't know much until after Christmas when the family gets using it. All I know is it better be worth it.

(And for you iPad fans who cannot fathom why I went this route, I really wanted Microsoft Office on our tablet, as it will be for business and pleasure.)

Christmas Idea # 6: DIY Decorative Pots

Again inspired by Pinterest, I decided to do some jazzy pots for my walkway this year. The pots are actually leftovers from Spring 2011 when I picked up ready-made arrangements at Costco. Almost still full of dirt, there was a perfect base to start with.

I used dollar store red 'stuff' (what's the real word?), red and green ornaments, and some natural evergreen branches that my parents kindly brought me from their woods. The bows (which are a bit overdone, but it's Christmas!) are also Dollarama steals.

My final result:

The original Pinterest pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/175288610467931890/

Christmas Idea # 5: Printables

Thanks to Pinterest, I am so into printables these days. I jumped on the bandwagon around Easter, and have been loving them right through summer and fall.

I know lots of bloggers who keep one beautiful frame in a prominent position in their home, and then rotate the contents to coordinate with the season. I took a lazier and only slightly more expensive approach, and buy a new 8 x 10 Dollarama frame each time.

To go with my Christmas décor: this cute "Baby It's Cold Outside" printable, of course courtesy of Pinterest:

Original pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/175288610468015134/

Even if you're not interested in something Christmas-y, you can find tons of neat ideas for every room of the home. I also have a cute one up in my laundry room:

And remember, you don't have to join Pinterest to browse the great ideas. Just go to www.pinterest.com and search whatever you're looking for (e.g. "nursery printable"). You can bookmark your finds the usual way; you just can't save them to "Boards" like Pinterest members can. Happy printing!

Christmas Goodies From Hallmark

As part of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel, I receive a few boxes throughout the year of hot-ticket Hallmark items to review, and the Christmas selections are always my favourite!

Here are the items I'm recommending this holiday season:

Unicef Cards: At $13 for a box of 12, it's not much more costly than the dollar store, and a portion of your price goes to support a good cause.

Bell's Big Move: This is a book with a read-along CD, and the dog responds to certain phrases. Frannie's getting this one for Christmas, which I think is particularly appropriate since the dog we used to have was named Belle, and although another family adopted her five years ago, Frannie still included her in the first family portrait she drew at school this year. ($34.95)

Mini Instant Scrapbook Kit: The perfect size for 4 x 6 photos, this little book comes with 20 Christmas-themed scrapbook pages and a little package of decorative attachments. ($14.95)

Talking Mistletoe: This motion-activated decoration would be fun to have up at a party, though with "8 flirty fun sayings" this one's not for the kids: "Where I come from, we do everything in French...you know what I mean, don't you?", "Did you make the naughty list this year? Well, there's still time!", "I wish you a Merry Kissmas!"

Wireless Children's Angel Choir: This is not your ordinary choir... and my girls are loving these! We received "Michael" and "Faith", two of four choir members who can sing songs on their own, or sway and harmonize with the other angels' songs. Whichever choir member you activate first takes the lead and the others follow. Ours perform "Joy To The World", "Silent Night", "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". Each angel is $14.95 with any purchase.

Light-Up Frame: This cute battery-operated 4 x 6 frame has lights that can blink for 1 minute or 1 hour, depending on how long you press the button. ($24.95).

Disclosure: I was provided with the items above for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Christmas Idea # 4: The Throw Pillow

Okay, I know pillows aren't exactly the most original idea in the world, but I love this one because it's unique.

Mom is into making pillows and transferring pictures onto them, and when I first saw one I oohed and ahhhed enough to prompt her to ask "Would you like me to make you one?" (If it had been Dad, I would have batted my eyes).

I love the retro-looking picture she used here, and I'm glad to have something new and different to add to my décor this year.

Here are mom's instructions: "I found a free graphic online, and saved it in 'My Pictures'. Then I printed it on TAPS (transfer paper...like tshirt transfer paper) and ironed it on the fabric. I used canvas painter's dropcloths from Home Depot, washed and dried first. Then I make an envelope type pillow. (Instructions are all over the web for those)."

And here's one of hers:

As much as I would have loved to pass these off as my own creations, loyal readers wouldn't have believed me. Especially since my most loyal reader is the one who made them!

Christmas Idea # 3: The Holiday Book Basket

As my regular readers may remember, one of my organizational strategies involves keeping all holiday-themed stuff in bins, which are brought out well in advance of each occasion. This includes not only decorations, but also toys, books, games, etc.

When I pulled out the Christmas bins a couple of weeks ago and let the girls dig in, you would have thought that it was...well...Christmas! There's enough there to keep them busy and entertained right through 'til the holiday actually arrives, including favourites like Nutcracker figures, the Little People nativity, and the light-up village they have split between their two rooms.

Also a very popular item: the book basket. It's amazing how Frannie's reading comes along each year, as she can now enjoy several titles that were too difficult for her last Christmas. Maggie also has the task each holiday of weeding out any "baby" books that we don't need anymore and we pass them along to a coworker's little guy

Other years I've kept the books in a photocopy paper box (the most accessible storage system for teachers but not that attractive sitting on my living room bench). This year I pulled out a basket from the basement to use for a nicer display. Some favourite titles:


The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry, illustrated by Lorraine Wells

Patricia Pingry's books about various holidays do a great job teaching kids about the religious meaning behind each, while still validating and honouring some of the less "religious" traditions we enjoy.

The Very First Christmas: Hallmark Recordable Storybook

My parents recorded this one for my girls a couple of years ago, and I think it's such a special keepsake to treasure.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

A great story, to be sure, but what I love about our version (also a gift from my parents) is that it comes with a CD and cassette, which provides a wonderful listening and reading opportunity for the kids.


The Night Before Christmas: Classic Edition by Clement Moore

Yep, another gift from my parents (thanks Mom and Dad!) this title is in honour of the tradition I grew up with, when my brother and I would sit with Dad at bedtime on Christmas Eve and he would read this book to us. (This was right after snacking on his homemade fudge.)

And a new addition to the basket this year:

A Bit of Applause for Mrs. Claus

Behind every successful man stands a great woman, and this cute story for young children recounts the hard work Mrs. Claus must undertake when Santa falls ill on Christmas Eve. (Personally, I'm quite sure that Mrs. Claus does more than her share of the work even when her hubby is in good health.)
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We will continue to enjoy these books for the next few weeks, because they will be safely stored away on Boxing Day. Or maybe before I go to bed on the 25th. I know, I have issues.

Books For Teaching Christian Kids About Hanukkah

While my students are Christian (most Catholic, as are my daughters) I see a great value in reading stories about Judaism (as well as other religions). I mean, we share a whole Old Testament of history and beliefs with the Jewish people, and it creates a great opportunity to teach about differences. The simple bottom line that I share with kids is that the Jews don't believe Jesus is as important as we do, but we still have lots in common.

Two titles I've shared with both sets of "kids" recently:

The Story of Hanukkah by David A. Adler, illustrated by Jill Weber




This picture book has a fairly short chunk of text on each page, along with colourful illustrations that take kids back to Israel at the time of the King Antiochus IV and the Maccabees. My kids were fascinated to learn about the miracle of the oil, and are so innocent that they were shocked to learn religious freedom didn't (and doesn't) exist everywhere.

The back of the book also has a recipe for latkes and instructions for how to play the dreidel game, two other ways to expose kids to other religious traditions.


The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate by Janice Cohn, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth



Also picture book style, this story is actually much longer than a traditional picture book, with many of the 39 pages completely full of text. (Not a quick read-aloud.) I read this to my students over the course of two days, and used it as an exercise in visualization, as the kids sketched what they were picturing as they listened.

The Christmas Menorahs is the true story about the town of Billings, Montana, where a rock was thrown through the window of young Isaac Schnitzer's bedroom simply because it was lit up with a menorah. The book recounts how the community came together, with many of those who were not Jewish placing menorahs in their windows as well to stand up against hate and prejudice.

One line that really resonated with the students and helped them to relate: "She had been trying to imagine how she would feel if someone threw a rock into her window because she had a Christmas tree."

While on the one hand I think it's very important for children to have a certain awareness about prejudice, I also find it heartwarming that at this point, the idea that someone could be targeted because of their religion is a completely new concept for most of the children in my life.

Easy Sight Words Game

As most of you know, I'm a teacher. And I'm well aware that when it comes to early learning, flashcards are taboo. But you know what? I still think they have their time and place within a balanced approach to literacy (or numeracy, or whatever the case may be).

When it comes to sight words, we've used cards to help our girls learn, and it hasn't hurt them yet. But this time we tweaked the flashcard idea and saw a great improvement in our younger daughter's motivation.

Maggie (who's 4 and in her first year of Ontario's Early Learning Kindergarten Program, which is all-day, every day) wasn't originally very enthused about practising her words. So I used a bunch of my old business cards from when I had a central teaching position (they put "Kathleen" on them instead of "Kate" which really deterred me from using them) and made them into a matching game with Maggie's Year 1 (JK) words. If you find a match, you have to be able to read the words in order to keep them.   Maggie plays this game with her older sister, and she loves it. I'm not kidding: she actually begs to play, and has even cried on nights when we didn't have time. Plus, it's very low-organization and low-supervision for the parent (I realize I must come across as lazy sometimes, but I also try to put myself in the shoes of busy parents - which isn't hard - and I know that if an activity is too lengthy or complicated it just won't happen).

(I also saw Maggie's competitive nature emerge when she came home one night all excited to tell me "My teacher says that when I know the Year 1 words, I get to have the Year 2 words!")

In case you're looking for word suggestions, here's what our Kindergarten parents were given:

Year 1 Words (JK - 4 years old)

a
and
he
I
in
is
it
of
that
the
to
was

Year 2 Words (SK - 5 years old)

at
big
can
come
for
here
little
look
not
on
said
see
too

(P.S. If "sight words flashcards" is the most taboo topic I've covered here at This Mom Loves, I think I have to resign myself to a "vanilla" designation. For the blog, at least.)

Christmas Idea # 2: Displaying Christmas Memories

This idea came from my friend C, after I saw her hall table adorned with years of framed photos of her children with Santa, as well as some Santa shots from when she and her husband were kids.

While I don't have a lot of official Santa shots (there is one gem of my brother and me with Jolly Old Saint Nick) there are lots of Christmas photos of my girls, some which were made into holiday cards, and some that are snapshots of the four of us (we usually take the same photo op on my parents' couch every Christmas Eve). My husband is the eighth of nine children, so there are few photos of him at all, let alone on Santa's knee!

As always, I turned to Dollarama for my supplies, picking up a few silver frames and some Christmas wrapping paper, which I used as mattes behind the photos. The results:

I displayed these last Christmas for the first time, and they're real conversation-starters. I think they'll mean even more as the girls get older and perhaps refuse to wear coordinated red and green velvet outfits...or Santa hats.

Kids' Books For Bedtime

Some of the cutest books I've received for review lately have a common theme. Here they are:

Bedtime is Canceled by Cece Meng, Illustrated by Aurélie Neyret

This is a great story about the mayhem that takes place when a brother and sister write up a notice that "Bedtime is Canceled"...and it gets into the wrong hands! My six and four year olds loved it, and I appreciate the media references (there are newspaper and television reporters, and a lot of texting and e-mailing going on in the story. Kids these days can relate to that.) Both the story and illustrations are very funny.

Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

 

In this story, a not-so-sleepy little princess asks "Does everything in the world go to sleep?" and learns all about the sleep habits of different animals. I could totally connect to the parents (not because they're royal, of course) and their patient attempts to coax their daughter to bed every time she insisted she wasn't tired: "They nodded their heads and said she didn't have to go to sleep. But she had to put her put her pyjamas on," and "Her parents said that was fine. But she should wash her face and brush her teeth." If only I could be that patient about it! The illustrations are beautiful, and as the jacket says "this bedtime book insipres a gentle fellowship with the natural world..."

Mama I Can't Sleep by Brigitte Raab, Illustrated by Manuela Olten

This title is coincidentally quite similar to the one above, only this time it's a non-royal little one trying to convince her mom that she can't sleep, while attempting to copy the nocturnal manoeuvres of different animals. Oddly enough, she has some difficulty sleeping while standing on one leg like a stork, keeping her eyes open like a fish, or hanging upside down like a bat. My girls had a good laugh over the silly things this girl tried.

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Any of these books would be a worthwhile addition to your bedtime story collection.

Christmas Idea # 1: The Festive Lantern

So, I've had this beautiful lantern hanging around for years, without really having a great idea for what to do with it. (No offense if you gave it to me. It's lovely, I'm just not creative enough.) Thanks to the inspiration of Pinterest, I decided to pull it out and incorporate it into my Christmas décor this year. A few packs of ornaments from Dollarama, and I was all set:

The original pin that inspired me: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/175288610468060889/

  

Since I'm adding some new holiday-themed items to my home this year, that means editing out some of the old ones...and my school bag is packed full of the goodies that didn't make the cut, and are destined for my classroom treasure box. (My apologies if your child brings one home.)

Stay tuned for more (usually inspired by Pinterest) Christmas ideas!

This Mom Is Everywhere!

Do you ever feel like you just can't get enough of This Mom Loves? (Crickets...crickets...anybody?)

For those (two) who have been asking lately how to find me on various social media, here are all the details:

Twitter (@thismomloves)

https://twitter.com/thismomloves


Pinterest (katewinn77)

http://pinterest.com/katewinn77/

I'm not much of a recipe blogger if that's your thing (but if you're here reading this blog you clearly have other interests). My boards include Decorating/Home, Arts and Crafts, Education, Organization, Fashion, and all of the various holidays. Watch this space for some new as-seen-on-Pinterest Christmas ideas, coming soon!

Leave a comment below with your info if you'd like a Pinterest follow-back. I love scoping out new ideas!


E-mail:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=ThisMomLoves&loc=en_US

Signing up for e-mail guarantees that you'll receive every new complete post (no partial posts, no link-clicking* required) delivered right to your Inbox. I have my settings so that new posts are mailed out around 9 a.m. each day. (Yes, I am in class at this time, but it is an automatic feature. I'd like to stress that.) Once you sign up, you'll receive a "Feedburner E-mail Subscription Confirmation" message, which very well might go to your spam folder. You need to open it and confirm to be added to the list. Many of my friends and family members do it this way, so they can read posts on their phones and not have to keep checking the blog for updates.


Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-Mom-Loves/194451707245670


I'm relatively new to Facebook, but I know it is the Holy Grail for some, and you might prefer to get updates from me right in your timeline. Be sure to like, comment on or share anything that interests you! (The more you interact, the bigger the guarantee that Facebook will generously allow my new stuff to appear in your timeline. I currently have 1390 Facebook 'likers', and my last status update was seen by 21 people. What??? Of course Facebook encourages me to pay to promote my updates, in order to have them seen by more people. No thanks.)

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If any of these links don't work for you, they're all in my sidebar as well at www.thismomloves.blogspot.com.

*Before I proofread this post, I was assuring you all that there would be no link-licking required. I'm not even sure what that could mean, but it doesn't sound good.

Anastasia's Picks: Books for Tweens and Teens

Check out the latest book recommendations from my 11 year old niece, "Anastasia":

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THE LAST FREE CAT by Jon Blake

Jade has always been a quiet girl, until a strange but beautiful cat shows up in her backyard. A boy named Kris shows up at her house, knowing the cat quite well. He tells Jade that it would be be best if Jade and the cat [given the name Feela] should embark with Kris on a journey, for cats are not supposed to just "show up" in people's yards, and cost millions of euros to buy. After the death of a family member, Jade agrees to the plan, and they set off together, to find Feela a better home, themselves a better home, and try to achieve what they want most: to keep their cat as their own.

My favourite part of the book is when Kris and Jade are in impossible situations. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering "what's going to happen next?"

I would recommend this book for 12 to 16 year olds. A good action read definitely! Out of 10 stars, a definite 9!

DARK OF THE MOON by Tracy Barrett

"She who will be goddess"[lets just call her 'swwbg'] is preparing to become "she who is goddess." But SWWBG has a secret. Her brother is the feared minotaur of Athens! But as SWWBG learns more about her past, she starts to doubt her future. Meeting a new boy sent as tribute from another country, SWWBG realizes that her brother just wants to die instead of living his life in horror, and that there is more to her life than the falling city of Athens.

My favourite part of the book is when SWWBG is caught in a terrible dilemma, and she uses her smarts to pull together a last minute solution! Right before a very important moment too!

I would recommend this book for 13 to 16 year olds. A very descriptive read. 7 out of 10 stars.


THE DOLLHOUSE MURDERS by Betty Ren Wright

After a fight with her mother, Amy moves into her aunt's house. But something scary is happening! An adorable little dollhouse in the attic makes scratching sounds at night, lights come on and the dolls move by themselves! After hearing terrible stories about a murder involved with her family, Amy decides to find out the mystery of the dollhouse with the help of her sister; and possibly find out who was the killer himself.

My favourite part of the book is when Amy hears scratching sounds from the attic and goes up to the attic to try and find out what [or who] is making that noise.

I would recommend this book for 10 to 13 year olds. A very suspenseful read. 8 out of 10 stars.


THE UPSIDE OF ORDINARY by Susan Lubner

Jermaine wants to become famous, and what better way to do it by making her own reality show! But when an uncle disappears, a tarantula is lost,and other things start getting out of hand, Jermaine has to decide: family and friends or being famous?

My favourite part is when Jermaine can't find her tarantula! Funny and suspenseful.

I would recommend this book for 9 to 12 year olds. 6 out of 10 stars.


THE SISTERS 8 BOOK NINE: THE FINAL BATTLE...FOR NOW  by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The sisters 8 disappear into a magic snow globe in an attempt to find their father. There they meet 8 boys with the same powers as them, and are offered 8 challenges to compete against each other: If they win they find Daddy! A story about not underestimating your own limits and determination.

My favourite part in the book is when one of the sisters takes up a challenge. They are so serious it's funny!

I would recommend this book 7 to 10 year olds. 7 out of 10 stars.


THE BOOK OF BLOOD by HP Newquest

 

A great non-fiction book: everything you need to know about blood. From legend and myth to science, "The Book of Blood' is your guide and go-to about the world's most puzzling mystery: blood.

I love reading about how doctors have progressed through the years. Fascinating!

This book is for 14 and up. A whopping 9 stars!

Halloween 2012 Recap!

Our Halloween Recap:

• Spent too much on costumes, but Maggie has only ever had hand-me-downs and Frannie has only ever had one new costume (plus, I've been at the same school long enough now that I've run through all of my old ideas and needed something new too!)
• I was impressed that Frannie went with something not "pretty" (although I can't say I really set a good example for her, with my princess look, did I?) and really enjoyed freaking people out as a scary raccoon.
• As organized as I may appear, our candy was purchased on the 29th (why did we buy 48 full-sized boxes of Smarties when we usually get a dozen trick-or-treaters?) and pumpkin carved on the 30th (we did a neat idea from Pinterest - using the drill to make holes in the pumpkin. The light from that is really pretty).

Source: strawberry-chic.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

• Living in the country has many benefits. The four of us went out trick-or-treating as a family, and left our goodies on the porch for visitors to help themselves. (I think we missed 8 or 9 kids, who all helped themselves to 'one of each' as per my posted instructions.) I am told this system would not work in the city.
• My biggest compliment was at school, from a parent who had popped in for our Halloween Fashion Show: "I feel like I'm at Disney World! It's always been a dream of mine to meet Cinderella!"
• My fall/Halloween decorations were cleared away before I went to bed that night. The house looks pretty bare at the moment, but as soon as Remembrance Day is over, the Christmas decor will be out!
• Hope you had a wonderful Halloween!

Girls' Night Out at Mandarin Chinese Buffet

It may surprise my loyal readers to hear this, but while I love to eat out, I have not actually been to every chain restaurant in Ontario.

In fact, Saturday night was my first trip to the famous Mandarin Chinese buffet. Another secret? As a picky eater, I'm not even a huge Chinese food lover...but I did not go away disappointed.

When we arrived for our girls' night out, the first thing I noticed was that parking was overflowing from the huge lot onto the street. Obviously it's a popular place...and thank goodness we had reservations! We were given a very warm greeting, a quick tour of the buffet, and then we were shown to our table in room F (the rooms are named so you can find your way). This location is 18,000 square feet, yet the dining rooms still feel intimate. (Ours had a neat fish tank separating from neighbouring room; other rooms have special themes).

We were offered drinks, and while of course I surprised no one with my choice of Diet Coke, one of the ladies had a glass of wine, and three others tried out the Mojito Wildberry, which received very positive reviews (the fresh mint garnish was particularly noted).

Then it was time to load up on food. Wow. I have honestly never seen such a selection at a buffet (well, maybe except for the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Vegas). And let me assure you, if you've been passing by Mandarin because you have a member of your family/group of friends/coworkers who doesn't like Chinese food, they will do fine here. I managed to fill three plates, and that's before I went for dessert.

I appreciate how every item is labelled, not only for someone picky like me, but also for the many who have dietary restrictions or allergies and don't want to risk taking a mystery item. (Though the food has not been analyzed for allergens or nutritional content and caution still needs to be exercised, it's at least helpful to know the name of each item.)

There were stations for soups, salads, vegetables, meats, and of course all of the traditional Chinese dishes you would expect from Mandarin. My favourite? The prime rib. Two words: Yum my.

The service was excellent. Water glasses were filled before they were even empty, and plates were cleared away just as soon we finished with them. As a blogger, I am sometimes unsure if special attention like this is attributed to the fact that the staff know I'll be reviewing the place, but it was obviously happening all over the restaurant, and my friends who had been there before confirmed that it is the norm.

Some feedback from the gals who were with me:

• "They made sure our water was full- which is important for me. I hate it when I need a drink and you can't get the wait staff's attention to fill your glass."
• "They make a mean mango salad. In fact the salad bar was pretty impressive."
• "Their mixed veggies (not sure the official name was) were nicely done. They were al dente, just the right amount of crisp."
• "I think I really like the wide range of choices best. Some may think the Mandarin only serves Chinese food, however, they have a varied selection of food that aims to satisfy any appetite."
• "It is family friendly and the staff provide prompt service as they anticipate your every need."
• "It is refreshing to find a restaurant that can feed every member of your family, offering great choices and unlimited amounts of your favourite food."
• "I really enjoyed the garlic shrimp and the salmon, and the chocolate mousse cake was also very light and creamy. I would definitely recommend it!"

And the negative? We're grasping at straws here, but one friend found the chicken balls "doughy". Gasp!

To top the meal off, we were presented with hot hand towels and individual fortune cookies. A staff member agreed to take our photo, and then offered to print us each a copy...which he presented in little magnetic Mandarin frames:

As we cracked open the fortune cookies, one of our group informed the rest that when reading your fortune, you need to add "...under the sheets" to give it an element of humour (or truth?) Hence, here are some of our fortunes:

"A danger foreseen is half avoided...under the sheets."

"Fearless courage is the foundation of victory...under the sheets."

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination...under the sheets."

And mine:

"The best year-round temperature is a warm heart and a cool head...under the sheets." I'll let you know how that goes. (No, I won't.)

I would absolutely recommend Mandarin for a girls' night, but I will be back with my family as well. The prices for kids are very reasonable (kids 5-12 are half price, 4 and under are only $2 for sharing), and there are more than enough options for my daughters' palates. After our all-inclusive March Break trip, I know kids love the novelty of buffets, and I can see mine finding the atmosphere neat as well.

Disclosure: Although this post was generously sponsored by Mandarin, opinions are, as always, my own.

Hearts For Hearts Girls: Dolls For a Cause

So I know I said we're cutting back on "stuff" for the girls this Christmas, but I don't think either one of them is ready to celebrate the holiday without a new doll...and these ones actually help support a good cause too!

Hearts For Hearts Girls: You can empower girls to change the world with this charitable doll line from Playmates Toys featuring six authentically dressed dolls from India, Belarus, Laos, Mexico, Ethiopa and the U.S. A portion of each sale goes to World Vision Canada.

Right now, there are six Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls: Lilian (Belarus), Rahel (Ethiopia), Nahji (India), Tipi (Laos), Consuelo (Mexico), and Dell (United States). Each of them has an important story to tell about life in her country, inspired by real girls who are strong, smart, courageous, and determined to rise above challenging circumstances. (My girls will be receiving Lilian and Consuelo for Christmas. While I don't think we'll be in Belarus any time soon, the Mexican doll is very appropriate after our March Break trip last year).

When you buy a doll, Hearts For Hearts Girls donates part of the purchase price through their charitable partner, World Vision, to programs that support girls in that country. Whether it’s malaria nets in Africa, schoolbooks in Asia, or food supplies in the US, these programs help girls to thrive and succeed.

And as with most toys these days, each Hearts For Hearts Doll also comes with a special product code for online fun. Once you enter that code and create a user name on the hearts4heartsgirls.com website, you can enjoy all of the online content (like reading the diary of each girl) and activities—for free!

Each doll comes with a friendship bracelet, comb and storybook. I have a feeling these are going to be a huge hit around our place Christmas morning!  

Disclosure: I was provided with two Heart To Heart Girl dolls for review purposes. Opinions are, always, my own.

Blissdom Canada 2012: An Introvert Goes To A Conference

Many people attend Blissdom for the famous Costumes and Karaoke party.

I attended in spite of it.

When Blissdom was taking place last Fall, I followed the Twitter stream and read the blog posts, feeling like I had really missed out on a great opportunity to make connections and learn more about the art and business of blogging. So as soon as registration opened for Blissdom 2012, I jumped all over it.

But then I started getting nervous. While I'm certainly comfortable socializing with "my people" (family, staff, close friends) I'm not so confident with strangers. I started worrying about the Costume party, the meet-and-greets, the meals and round table sessions where speaking to others is kind of essential. Would everyone else know each other? Was I crazy to sign up?

Then I had an epiphany. I was paying for this conference, so I should get exactly what I wanted out of it. I vowed that I would push my limits enough to feel like I had "grown", but not put myself in any situations which would stress me out. And that's exactly what I did.

I know many gals had a great time at Friday night's Road Rally, but I got a good night's sleep at home, ready to head into the big city the next morning.

My fears began to dissipate during the welcome message, when it was made clear that "Everyone is welcome here. No cliquiness, none of that. Not allowed."

Saturday's microsessions were the part I was looking forward to the most. Picture a ballroom with 500 women (and a few men), 41 round tables, each one with a session leader and a specific topic, and did I mention the sessions were first-come, first served? That part was a little crazy, and I know many ladies strategized where they would eat breakfast in order to be at or close to the first table they wanted!

Here's what I took away from my sessions:

Bookkeeping for Canadian Bloggers (Brian Kent-Baas)

• Yes, products, gift cards, etc. received through the blog are considered income
• But:, the expenses a blogger can write off are vast: a percentage of home expenses, such as heat, hydro, property taxes, etc.; a percentage of business travel and meals; products and services that have been purchased and then reviewed on the blog; the list goes on

Creating the Perfect Pitch (Jen Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Family magazine)

• I was excited just to be sitting at the same table as Jen, and of course I said little and just took it all in
• She made a great point about how the magazine's website looks for "evergreen" article topics, but the print issue doesn't want "evergreen", they want things that are more timely. I know that with such a long lead time (pitches coming in now should be geared to Spring topics) it's not like you can cover breaking news, but the subjects still need to feel fresh
• Most articles in her magazine are 650 words, and are seen by many sets of eyes before print
• She receives 50-60 pitches per day, and can't possibly respond to them all

How To Price and Value Your Services (Rebecca Brown)

• I'm beyond working for free, so this topic was of particular interest to me
• Rebecca's handout was full of gems like "Pricing is both an art and a science", and some case study information which showed me what another site with the same traffic as mine should charge for ad space and sponsored posts.
• She also suggested contacting small, local businesses when selling ad space

Sessions which I didn't get to, but would have loved to check out: "Media Training" (with Alison Burke of Impressions PR), and "How To Establish Yourself as an Expert" (with food maven Theresa Albert. Clearly our areas of expertise are very different.)

The afternoon featured several guest speakers, such as:

Jian Ghomeshi: broadcast host, musician, writer and producer

• The best tidbit I took away from Jian (who shared hilarious excerpts from his memoir, 1982): He said that when he started doing interviews, he had to decide whether he was going to follow in the style of Larry King (the "everyman" who doesn't prepare in advance for his conversations) or Barbara Walters (who prepares meticulously, reading the books, watching the movies and conducting extensive research on her subjects). I liked hearing about this, as I consider myself an "interviewer" as well (with over a dozen celebrity Momterviews to my credit) and I, like Jian, have chosen the Barbara Walters approach. I agree with him that the other person is going to open up more and take things to another level when they know that you've come prepared.

Susan Cain: author of "Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking"

• My mom raved about this book when it first came out, and I'm excited to see this focus on introverts (I'm especially interested in how it relates to education - as we continue to force our littlest introverts to do more and more group work and 'collaborative learning')
• Though she didn't delve too deeply into this point during her presentation, Susan's bio in the conference program also mentioned "the phenomenon of the social media extrovert but real life introvert, and what it means to be both personality types when we engage both online and in real life." I am WAY different online than in person. I can't even imagine how many fewer opportunities I would have had through the blog if they had required cold calls or visits instead of risk-taking emails (which are far easier for me).

The next big highlight was Sunday morning, when Blissdom attendees participated in various excursions, which were selected through another first-come, first-served process, this time online (thanks to my cousin Kerry for handling my registration, since I was on a field trip with my students at the moment of sign-up!)

My destination?

Behind the Scenes Television Excursion on the set of The Marilyn Denis Show

Hosted by Maureen Dennis and Alison Burke, with special guests Michelle Crespi, Executive Producer of the show, and Steve Ladurantaye, Media reporter for The Globe and Mail, this was a jam-packed two hours full of tips for pitching to a wide range of media.

Being on the set wasn't new to me, as in 2011 I went behind-the-scenes at the show and even sat down for an interview with Marilyn, but this was an entirely different experience.

• Michelle pointed out that for The Marilyn Denis Show, she's looking for "unique things that girlfriends share with each other", and that you don't need the word "Pitch" in your subject. Just go straight to the headline.
• We even had the opportunity to work in a group to present a pitch and a segment and receive feedback from the panel. Very valuable! Thanks to these four for giving up their Sunday mornings to educate us.

When the session ended, it was back in the car and homeward bound...but my mind was absolutely spinning, and still is. You should see the lists that have come out of this!

I know other Blissdom attendees may say that I missed out by skipping some of the conference events, but if it was all a required package deal, I probably wouldn't have gone at all...and would really have missed out on so much!

The point I want to make is that Blissdom can be great for everyone, if you make it what you want it to be. I'm already looking ahead to Blissdom 2013!