Mother's Day Gift Ideas from Hallmark and Lucky Puppy

So, these two items aren't exactly on my wish list, since I already own them, but you might want to consider asking for one or both yourself.

As part of my role on the Hallmark Press Pause Panel, I received a box of goodies for Spring holidays (and non-holidays) and I particularly like one of their Mother's Day selections: "Mom and Me: A Conversation To Keep Recordable Book".

This book provides questions on each page to prompt your child, and his or her answers can be recorded. For example: "What does Mom tell you when you're scared or having a bad day?" and "If you could travel anywhere in the world with Mom, where would you go and what would you do there?" Some questions are funny, and some are sentimental, and on the left hand side of each page is a cute kangaroo mom and child illustration. I can't wait to try it out with my girls and record their answers.

I think this would be a great gift for Daddy to pick up and help the child(ren) complete as a terrific Mother's Day surprise.

There are other titles as well that would work for Dads and Grandparents, and they also carry traditional storybooks with the recordable feature.

My kids became a huge fan of the Hallmark Recordable Book when my parents gave them (and my brother's kids) "The Very First Christmas" this year. (My sister-in-law is no considering converting to my holiday-themed bins system after being startled awake too many times this Spring to the sound of my Mom's voice reading "This is a story of impossible things, of a baby and angels, of shepherds and kings" in the next room!)

Another cool gift idea is Mommy and Me matching t-shirts from Lucky Puppy. Maggie and I received the "Wings - Burnout" style (shown below), and the tops are absolutely adorable. They're soft and comfy, and the only caveat I would offer is that ladies who purchase this white style will definitely want to put a tank or some other layer underneath. (Ladies who are not exhibitionists, I mean.)

The mom's version is $30, and the child's is $28.  They have tons of other cute designs and products (onesies, dresses, etc.) and a great sale page. They also donate 15% of their online sales to Animal Haven Shelter. Check them out!

Now of course these material things are not important, and what I really and truly want for Mother's Day is to spend quality time with my family.

I mean, wouldn't it look awful if I publicly admitted that the best gift would be a day to myself? What kind of mother would say that?

Disclosure: I received the above-named items for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

PUSH...One Mother of a Show: Guest Blogger Erin Keaney

Today I am excited to welcome a guest post from stage and television actor and writer Erin Keaney. Erin's credits include Comedy Inc., and the US tour of the musical Rent. She is also the creator and star of the hit web series Motherloadtv. Erin and her cowriters/stars will soon be presenting "Push...One Mother of a Show" in Toronto, just in time for Mother's Day.


Here's Erin (a.k.a. Resident Director of Bum Wiping and Snack Packing) on the lack of sleep, Mother’s Day + PUSH...ONE MOTHER OF A SHOW.

I didn't think about the amount of sleep I would lose having kids. I mean, before I had kids, I'd hear from women with kids, about how tired they were all the time. But I didn't really "hear them". I love sleep. If sleep were single, I would propose marriage. I would give sleep the most beautiful engagement ring you've ever seen. I wouldn't sign a prenup. That's how much I love sleep. I have two girls. The first one was a good sleeper, but I was soooo worried - she was my first child - so I never slept. The second one was a horrible sleeper so again, I never slept. I haven't slept through the night in seven years, mainly because now the two of them take turns getting up in the night and getting into bed with us. I do however love the "sleep in". This is when my husband and I take turns letting the other sleep in. It's so luxurious. This happens on holidays and the coveted Mother's Day. I get breakfast in bed and I have a torrid affair with sleep for two, maybe two and half hours. My husband is okay with my affairs with sleep. He has them too.

Clockwise from top left: Erin Keaney, Fiona Carver,

Precious Chong, Sarah Carver

This Mother's Day after you've had your sleep in, come and see PUSH...ONE MOTHER OF A SHOW, May 4th to 8th, at Tarragon Theatre Extra Space (30 Bridgman Rd at Bathurst + Dupont). It’s a LIVE comedy show written and starring myself, Erin Keaney, and Fiona and Sarah Carver and Precious Chongtarragontheatre.com. And, we’re having a raffle with a portion of the proceeds going to Nellie's Women's Shelter. The prizes are geared towards making a mom's life easier. Here's a look at the prizes...a housecleaning, wash and fold pick-up and drop-off laundry, stripper pole classes, massages, waxing, facial and so much more.

Bring the girls, bring your mom, bring your husband, and see our comedy sketch show about motherhood. Feel good about the fact we're all just juggling – we all drop the ball sometimes – and take heart in the fact that we’re all doing the best we can.

Thanks, Erin...and good luck to you and all of your costars with the show! I'm so sad that I can't make any of the dates, as it looks fantastic! What mother out there couldn't use a good laugh? (And a good night's sleep...oh, how I agree with you, Erin...)

You can watch the hilarious opening number of the show on YouTube by clicking here.

Stars on Ice: Review

Last night my Aunt Sue (huge skating fan) and I hit the big city for Sears Stars on Ice Presented By Samsung.

The Stars on Ice team is four shows in to their Canadian run, which began on the East Coast, and is now continuing westward from Toronto. This was the first time either of us had seen one of their performances, and we weren't disappointed.

First of all, the music was fantastic. Lots of recognizable hits, both past and present.

While my interest occasionally waned during the slow, formal, as-seen-in-competition type of numbers, I was quickly energized by the more fun and casual routines with props and storylines (Shawn Sawyer was terrific as a businessman gone wild in one selection) and I particularly enjoyed the group performances.

Salé and Pelletier were definitely my favourites...and there still has to be a huge amount of trust between this now-split couple, since he literally holds her life in his hands during several "Oh my God, how is she doing that and please don't let her skull hit the ice!" moves. (Click here for my Momterview with Jamie Salé.)

Photo: Michelle Harvath

Kurt Browning, still a strong skater, shone as a true entertainer, offering comedic commentary and hilarious moves which engaged the crowd and provided some continuity and flow to the entire show.

Photo: Michelle Harvath

Other world-renowned cast members include Belbin and Agosto (until Virtue and Moir return from World's competition), Joannie Rochette, Evan Lysacek, Kyoko Ina, Sasha Cohen, and Jeffrey Buttle.

The running time was almost two and a half hours, with a 20 minute intermission halfway through.

If you're not at all interested in figure skating, I don't think I'll be able to convince you to see Stars on Ice. However, if you're even mildly enticed by the idea, I encourage you to check it out. It's a great show.

For the tour schedule, tickets and more information, visit the Stars on Ice website.

(And by the way, if you're ever headed to an event at the Air Canada Centre, the Real Sports Bar and Grill across the street in Maple Leaf Square is a terrific --and busy-- pre- or post-show eatery, especially for die-hard sports fans.)

Disclosure: I was provided with tickets to the show for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Piggy Paint Review and Giveaway

Giveaway open to US and Canada.

The chocolate was a hit, and the stuffed-animal-with-the-book is getting lots of love, but Frannie's favourite Easter gift, hands-down (no pun intended) was her new Piggy Paint nail polish (her shades shown below).

Sea-quin

Angel Kisses

She was a little concerned that the Easter Bunny was contravening Mommy's you're-too-young-for-nail-polish rule, but fortunately for her Mommy finally caved because of Piggy Paint.

Melanie Hurley, mom of two fancy girls, was painting their fingernails one day and dropped a glob of solvent-based polish on a foam plate...and shortly after it began to bubble and 'ate' the plate! She tested out other "kid" polishes, which did the same, so she decided to create a water-based product that would truly be safe for children.

And safe it is. Melanie's Piggy Paint can boast the following:

• Water based
• Non-toxic
• Natural ingredients
• Free of formaldehyde, toluene, acetone, etc.
• Hypoallergenic
• Odorless

You can even purchase Piggy Paint Polish Remover which is also odorless and solvent-free.

Little did I realize how stylish my daughter is, as she immediately gave instructions that the colours were to be alternated on her fingers. We used two coats of the pale pink, but found that one of the blue was enough. (By the way, the skinny brush is perfect for little fingernails.) I used the blowdryer for a minute to set the polish, as suggested, since such a natural product takes longer to dry than the chemical-filled polishes we ladies normally use. The colour has lasted a few days, which is really all I want (and can expect) in a children's polish. (You can purchase Piggy Paint Topcoat and Primecoat for improved performance.)

Frannie's final result:

In addition to adorable individual colours, Piggy Paint also sells great gift sets, both everyday and seasonal, as well as products for older girls. They even have a new "Refined" line of chemical-free polishes, in more sophisticated shades for the grown-ups (safe for use during pregnancy).

Toe-Tally Fancy Gift Set

If you're a celeb-watcher, you'll be impressed to know that Piggy Paints have been purchased by such stars as Jessica Alba, Marcia Cross and Allison Hannigan at the high-end LA Boutique Pumpkinhead's. The product made its Hollywood debut in 2009 at the birthday party of Stella McDermott, daughter of Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, where the Piggy Paint ladies polished nails of guests and parents alike!

And guess what? Piggy Paint is giving a $15 gift code to one lucky This Mom Loves reader!*

To enter, simply visit the Piggy Paint website, and come back and let me know what your favourite shade is! Be sure to leave your email address if it's not on your profile. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

For additional entries, once the mandatory entry has been completed, leave a separate comment letting me know that:

• You follow This Mom Loves publicly through Google Friend Connect
• You subscribe to This Mom Loves through email
• You follow @thismomloves on Twitter, and have tweeted (once in total) about this giveaway (feel free to use "US and Can: Piggy Paints gift code #giveaway http://tinyurl.com/69flz8t")
• You follow @PiggyPaint on Twitter, and have tweeted (once in total) about this giveaway (see above)
• You like Piggy Paint on Facebook (you can look forward to special offers and secret sale info)

The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday May 13th, after which time a winner will be chosen by random number generation.

*Canadian entrants please note: Piggy Paint will cover half of the shipping costs, but the winner will be responsible for the other half. Canadian shipping rates to residences are a flat rate determined by Canada Post. They charge Piggy Paint $35 regardless of size and weight. Piggy Paint has discounted the rate to $25 for their customers. They will cover half of this for the winner of this contest. Canadian shoppers can save money by finding local retailers on the Piggy Paint website.

Voice Lessons To Go for Kids!

My girls love to sing. Their musical abilities come primarily from their father, so I have decided that my role is to be the supportive anti-stage mother. (Which is, of course, why I had Frannie on stage in March. That story will come later.)

Back to the point: whether it be kids' CDs, church hymns, or pop songs, the girls love to sing along, and we try to encourage this. (A particular favourite is Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now", or as Frannie calls it, "The Quarter After One Song".) They're far too young yet to even consider any sort of singing lessons, so at this point "practicing" just means standing by the piano and singing along while Daddy plays. (And Mommy supplies lyrics. He's a musical genius, but remembering words presents a bit of a difficulty.)

When I heard about "Voice Lessons To Go for Kids", I thought it would be perfect for Frannie, and I was right.

Ariella Vaccarino is an accomplished Opera singer who created the "Voice Lessons to Go" CDs originally for adults, and has now expanded her products to include "Sing Out Proud", version 1 of her kids' line.

This CD is designed for young singers (pre-K through Grade 6) to learn how to warm up their voices and have fun doing it. The CD begins with insider advice on posture, breathing and diction, and moves on to vocal training exercises. I have used it with my Grade 3 students, who at first felt a little silly singing "la-a-a!" and "1-2-3-2-1!", but quickly got the hang of it. While based on expert music education, the program takes the intimidation out of singing lessons for young children.

Musical terms such as major scales, chords, octaves, staccato and legato are sung through and explained in a child-friendly way.

Frannie puts the CD on in her room by herself, and actually prefers to sing along without me there to prompt her. She enjoys feeling like she's a "real, fancy singer". (And when I told her I wanted to take the CD to school, the little monkey went and hid it on me!)

"Sing Out Proud!" nurtures children's music ability and familiarizes them with serious singing. It isn't a replacement for a rousing car ride belting out their favourite tunes, but instead a complementary product to help them develop their skills before they're ready for something more formal.

And believe me: these are the cheapest singing lessons you'll ever find, with the CD costing less than an hour of instruction. (Regularly $19.99, currently $14.99). For such a cheap price, I feel no pressure to schedule "practices" or drill my daughter to the point of tears. She can put it on when she wants to, and reap the benefits accordingly.

This is a unique gift for any child who enjoys singing and would love to enhance his or her abilities, whether it's for choir, the school talent show, or serious theatre performances...or even just for family room concerts for Grandpa and Grandma!

Click here to visit their website.

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the CD for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Room, Annabel And An Easter Thought

(Preface: If the following seems like a quick summary, it is in fact a quite accurate indication of how much time my friends and I actually spend discussing our reading selections at our book club meetings.)

My mother really questions the choices of my book club. Last time around, it was Emma Donoghue's "Room". Room is where five year old Jack was born and where he lives with his Ma, held captive within the four walls since she was kidnapped seven years earlier. (Great book, but I didn't like the end. Can't tell you why without spoiling it.)

This time, we're reading Annabel by Kathleen Winter. The first line of the publisher's description: "In 1968, into the beautiful, spare environment of remote coastal Labrador, a mysterious child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor girl, but both at once." (Not my mom's type of reading material.)

I'm not quite finished, but so far the book is beautiful and moving, though definitely not a light read.

I've sent my regrets to my fellow members for this month's book club meeting (Stars on Ice is taking priority), but in their honour I'd like to offer one of my favourite quotes from our latest selection:

"She was not a person who froze someone's character in her mind, calling this one egotistical and that one not nearly confident enough and another one truthful or untruthful. To Thomasina people were rivers, always ready to move from one state of being into another. It was not fair, she felt, to treat people as if they were finished beings. Everyone was always becoming and unbecoming."

What a timely message of rebirth, renewal and redemption.

Happy Easter, everyone.

Winner: Scholastic Kids Cooking and More Pies!

Congrats to the latest winner from This Mom Loves and Scholastic, who will receive a copy of Klutz Kids Cooking and More Pies by Robert Munsch:

Crystal P. of Yarmouth, NS

$50 RONA Gift Card Giveaway: The BMO Eco Smart Mortgage

Giveaway open to Canadians.

I'm sure your home isn't in need of any updates, right? Okay then, move along. You certainly don't want to win a $50 RONA gift card, and I'm sure you have no interest in learning how to save on utility bills and possibly qualify for a fantastic mortgage (how does 3.89 % sound?)

Oh, you are interested? Well then, let's dig right in.

Right now, BMO is offering an Eco Smart Mortgage to qualified homeowners, in an effort to reward and encourage Canadians who are making changes and looking to reduce their energy usage. The BMO checklist varies depending on whether you own a house or highrise condo, but the idea is that you have to meet their energy efficiency criteria in order to qualify. Check out their website for details and FAQ. If you qualify, contact a mortgage specialist at your local BMO branch. Even if you're not looking for a new mortgage at the moment, it's still worth it to read on. Promise.

I completed the checklist myself, as I have an eight year old house that I assumed was pretty energy efficient. Though I'm not currently shopping for a new mortgage, I am certainly interested in learning about how to make home improvements, and let's be honest, save money. The results?

High-efficiency heating system: CHECK!
Our oil furnace is more than 85% efficient, which meets the criteria.

High-efficiency cooling system (or no cooling system): CHECK!
We don't have central air right now, although my husband keeps talking about it. We live in the country on a nice breezy hill, and there are only a handful of too-hot days each year that we can easily spend at my parents' pool. Why pay for AC? (On a more selfish note: I LOVE the heat. Listen up, over-air-conditioned restaurants, offices and theatres: one should not be required to wear a sweater in the summer.)

Energy Star qualified or metal doors with no cracks or air gaps: CHECK!
All of our exterior doors are metal.

Good quality attic insulation: NO
I didn't pay that much attention when we built our house (come on ladies, do any of you know your R-values off the top of your head??), but a quick look at our contract confirms that in our attic we have R40 blown insulation. The BMO criteria specifies R49 or higher, so I don't think we can check this one off.

Energy Star qualified windows with no cracks or air gaps: NO
I think our windows are great (no cracks/gaps), but I don't see an Energy Star sticker anywhere...

Energy Star qualified hot water system or solar or or tankless hot water system: NO
Again, no sticker..

At least three Energy Star qualified major appliances: NO
Can you believe the only sticker I found is on our dishwasher? I'm shocked that we didn't buy any other Energy Star appliances!

Do you think it's possible that I went around obsessively removing "Energy Star" stickers from every door, window and appliance after we moved in? Or maybe it was some sort of baby brain/"nesting" thing...I'm a little concerned.

Anyway, you need 6 out of the above 7 criteria to qualify for this special mortgage, so we would be out of luck with our three checkmarks...and we live in what I still consider to be a "new" house! We certainly won't be investing in new windows or doors any time soon, but of course the next time we do, we'll be going Energy Star all the way! We've also talked a lot lately about looking in to solar energy, so that might be next on the agenda.

How does your home rate? And more importantly, what about the giveaway I promised? Here you go:

To enter to win a $50 RONA Card, all you have to do is leave a comment about an eco-smart change that you have made, or plan to make, to your home. That's it! Be sure to leave your email address if it's not on your profile. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

For extra entries, once the mandatory entry has been completed, leave separate comments letting me know that:

• You follow This Mom Loves publicly through Google Friend Connect
• You subscribe to This Mom Loves through email
• You follow @thismomloves on Twitter, and have tweeted about this giveaway (once in total). Feel free to use the following: "Win a $50 RONA GC from This Mom Loves http://tinyurl.com/3ojfkz7 "

Contest will close on Thursday, May 5th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, after which time a winner will be chosen through random number generation. Good luck, and get Eco Smart!

Disclosure: I am participating in the BMO Eco Smart Mortgage program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of BMO - Bank of Montreal. I will receive a gift card as a thank you for my participation. Opinions are, as always, my own.