Free Movies at Cineplex: October 22nd

As a huge movie-lover (who has passed the quality on to both of my daughters) I thought the following was worth sharing. In a nutshell: free movies and $2 concessions...and it's all for a good cause! Read on for details!

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SAVE THE DATE FOR FREE MOVIES! October 22nd is Community Day at Cineplex. Join us on the morning of Saturday, October 22nd at all Cineplex Entertainment theatres for Community Day in support of Starlight Children's Foundation. Doors open at 8:30AM with a great selection of FREE movies beginning at 9:00AM. Plus, enjoy a regular popcorn, regular fountain drink and selected candy for only 2 DOLLARS each with 100% of the proceeds donated to Starlight Children's Foundation! For more information, please visit: http://www.cineplex.com/Promos/Starlight/Community.aspx

About Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada:

For more than 20 years Starlight Children’s Foundation has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries. Through a broad array of in-patient, out-patient and online resources, Starlight works hard to support seriously ill children and their families from diagnosis through the entire course of medical treatment and beyond. Whether it’s a trip to the zoo, a toy-filled playroom or an exciting sporting event, Starlight’s mission is to bring fun, joy and giggles right where they are needed the most!

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My local Cineplex is showing great films like Yogi Bear (3D), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, and Green Lantern. I have a feeling my two will be voting for a rescreening of Happy Feet. See you at the movies!

Tween Titles From Scholastic: Giveaway

Giveaway open to Canadians.

Later this month I'm running a Beauty and Self-Esteem workshop for girls at my school (based on the Dove Real Beauty Campaign) and Scholastic Canada generously donated two copies of each of the following Klutz activity books for girls as draw prizes. Even better for you, they are also giving away a set of these books to one lucky This Mom Loves reader!

Me and My Friends: The Book of Us ($18.99)

"This is a book about you and your friends. And you and your friends get to complete it together. Leave no page untouched by your personal brand of brilliance. You'll find out more about your friendships than you ever knew you didn't know. Comes with keepsake envelopes and a perpetual birthday calendar. Includes activities for 2, 4, 8 or even 12 girlfriends to do together.  Comes with funny quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, doodle how-to's, messages in code, and tons more. Fill it out today, keep it forever!"

My [Not-So] Perfect Life: A Fill-In-The-Blanks Journal ($21.99)

"This book celebrates a tween's real-life, bumps and all. The journal is filled with friendly, funny prompts to help document the good and bad of real life. Think about it: if everything were really perfect, what would there be to write about?" Comes with a glittery pencil.

The Truth About My Name and What It Reveals About Me ($18.99)

"A clever little book of secrets, games and fortunes, all centering around your name. Learn how your initials reveal your inner awesomeness, discover your vampire name, make up tricky nicknames and more. Plus, personalize the five included metal charms with your own designer monogram!"

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All you have to do to enter to win these fantastic books (retail value $60!) is fill out the form below, and click submit. The contest will run until Thursday, October 27th at 11:59 p.m. EST, after which time a winner will be chosen through random number generation. Good luck, and thanks to Scholastic for their support! (By the way, I know we're not even through Halloween yet, but keep in mind that any tween girl would love to find these books under the Christmas tree!)

Halloween Goodies From Hallmark

As part of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel, I am lucky enough to receive care packages with samplings of their seasonal goodies, and I recently tore into my Halloween delivery.

Contrary to my clutter-phobe identity, I also have a cheesy side to my personality, and enjoy strategically placing holiday-themed items throughout my home. (Regular readers know that I decorate early, and take everything down pretty much by midnight on the day of the holiday.)

A couple of Hallmark items which will be added to my décor this year:

"Hokey Pokey" Skeleton ($14.95 with purchase of 3 cards): featuring sound and motion, this glow-in-the-dark skeleton "puts his whole head in" as he sings the hokey pokey song in a spooky voice. (Maggie gets a big kick out of this one.)

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Book With Sound ($9.95 with any Hallmark purchase): Based on the beloved television classic, this new special book edition captures the story for all ages. Push the buttons to hear your favourite Peanuts characters!

Hocus Pocus Treat Presenter ($14.95 with purchase of 3 cards): Open this "book" if you dare, and hear unexpected, cackled greetings. It's too small to hold our household treats on Halloween night, but I plan to use this as my classroom "treasure box" leading up to the holiday.

An item I didn't receive which is now on my wishlist:

Hocus Pocus Countdown Calendar ($12.95): This wooden ghost and pumpkin calendar will count down the days until trick or treat time. Great for young kids, and again something I could use in my class.

Head to Hallmark, and pick up a new Halloween goody of your own. Be sure to tell them I sent you! Just kidding. They would have no idea who you were talking about.

Disclosure: I received some of the above-named items as part of my role on the Hallmark Press Pause Panel. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Work/Life Balance...I Don't Know How Anyone Does It

Is there any mom out there who truly feels that she maintains a perfect balance between work and home? If so, she probably doesn't need to read my new article, "Work-Life Balance" from the October issue of Peterborough, Northumberland and Lakeridge Kids...but I would still love to hear from her. If she exists.

In the article I also mention that parents who have to miss bedtime may want to try recordable books, so I thought I'd share a couple of specific titles. Hallmark has some great ones:

The Disney books, like "What Makes a Princess?" and "Lightning McQueen and His Winning Team" ($29.95)

Or, in the reverse, you might want your child's face and voice to travel with you, in which case you might want to have the little one record a message inside one if these:

"Kids Say The Cutest Things" or "Baby Talk" ($24.95):

Gotta go. My husband/daughters/students/family/friends/treadmill/blog/lesson plans/marking/writing project/bathtub are calling me. Who do you think will win?

Disclosure: I received a recordable storybook for review purposes as part of my role on the Hallmark Press Pause Panel.

Wednesday Words

"Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

 

Skechers for Kids: Twinkle Toes and Hot Lights Review and Giveaway!

Giveaway open to Canadians.

Frannie had the good fortune of inheriting her mom's big feet. At age five with a shoe size of 13 1/2, you can imagine how often we have to buy new shoes. When Skechers asked me if I wanted to try out their new Twinkle Toes line for girls, I didn't think twice.

The Skechers Twinkle Toes line features sequins, lights, and colorful tattoo designs. When it comes to the boys, there is the Skechers Hot Lights line - these sporty sneakers feature smooth leather, synthetic and metallic mesh fabric, zigzag straps, and flashy lights.

Frannie loves the light up design, and finds the shoes very comfortable. As soon as she saw them she wanted to start wearing them to school, but the only glitch was that her pair is the regular lace-up style, and my little girl hasn't mastered the tying of laces. (Though they do come with two neat interchangeable lace colours.)

No fear though, as my friend Crystal over at 3 Jewels In My Crown posted about QuikSnaps a few weeks ago, so I picked some up and solved that problem. (The laces tie into the QuikSnaps, which the child only has to snap together - no lacing required! See photo below.)

My apologies to Frannie's teacher for the frequent flashing light shows...but at least there's no audio involved! (Please, Skechers, do not take that as a tip that you should design shoes with sound. Please.) And coming from a teacher: if you think your kids already have their school shoes and you're set for now, just a reminder: they'll be complaining that they're too tight by Christmas!

It should be noted that these are not the controversial "Shape Up" toning shoes for girls; just a regular funky sneaker style. (Though I have to say that for grown-up ladies, the Tone-Ups are fantastic, as I wrote about here. )

And yes...Skechers is offering one Canadian This Mom Loves reader a chance to win a gift certificate for a pair of Skechers Twinkle Toes or Hot Lights shoes (retail value $40-50)! All you have to do is fill out the form below. Contest will close on Monday, October 17th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, after which time a winner will be chosen by random number generation. Good luck!

Secret's Fall 2011 Collection: Which Personality Are You?

I recently received a parcel full of Secret's new Fall 2011 collection (I know, my life is rough), and the first thing that came to mind as I examined the all of the leggings, tights, pantyhose, and (yes) legwarmers, was that there's certainly something for everyone.

The "Animal Instinct" line (with ad copy like "make an outfit roar by displaying a little animal magnetism") is definitely for the gals who are a little wilder than I am. I just don't find that my day job teaching at a Catholic elementary school is the right fit for the Sheer Zebra Pantyhose or the Leopard Mesh Tight (I may save them for nighttime)...although with a long enough skirt, I think I might be able to do the Leopard Legging underneath. These styles are definitely edgy and eye-catching, and retail for under $12.50.

Next, we come to the "Colour Block" line. Very retro and right on trend...which I guess I am not, but you fashion-conscious gals will be all over the bright tights ($7.50 each)  in shades like "Deep Teal", "Sangria" and "Chilli Pepper". I realize I am totally giving up any hope of being called a fashionista by admitting this, but I tossed a couple of the brightest colours into my "Halloween" bin. They'll come in handy for something. If any other boring old schoolmarms are interested, the line does come in "Dark Charcoal" and "Black", both of which have already found their way into my rotation. (Note: I like to think I dress fairly well, but considering that this is the first time I have used the label "fashion" for a post, obviously I don't blog about the subject much!)

Finally, we come to the "Sweater Appeal" line, which I found very...well...appealing. All in a soft grey, there's a "Heather Tight", a "Floral Circle Tight" (I feel like kicking things up a notch with a pattern is still appropriate for my workplace) and a really cute "Sweater Cuff Legging", featuring a chunky little cable-knit cuff. These three styles are all available for under $12.50, and will be seen regularly in my classroom this winter. (Except on yard-duty days, when only long pants will cut it.)

And though I really, really, hate the cold, I still don't know if I'm ready to pull off (or, more accurately, pull on) the "Light Rib" or "Cable Rib Leg Warmers". They're under nine bucks, available in white, plum, charcoal and black (fairly safe colours, even for me) but I don't think I have it in me to set this trend locally. Though I could be encouraged to follow it, should someone else start it, for the sake of the extra warmth. (Hint: if any of my friends or coworkers would like to borrow a pair of mine to get the ball rolling, feel free.)

Leave it to a pantyhose company to set me straight about style for this season!

Something else noteworthy about all of the Secret products is that they're comfortable and durable, especially given the reasonable prices.

Secret's Fall 2011 Collection is available at retailers across Canada.

Which personality are you?

Disclosure: I received samples of the products for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Calling All Family-Friendly Companies and PR Reps!

Christmas is only three months away, and I have just begun putting together two exciting holiday features that you won't want to miss!

The "Christmas Extravaganza" at This Mom Loves will feature reviews and giveaways of great Christmas gift ideas, not just for kids, but for grownups too! If you want to promote a family-friendly item that one of my readers would love to either find or place under her tree, this is the place to do it.

"Companies That Give Back" will profile products (including photos, descriptions, prices and websites) which are donated through This Mom Loves to my school's annual toy drive. This could include gift ideas from infants right through to teens.

If you're interested in jumping on board either of these features, please email me at katewinn77 at yahoo dot ca for more info. Don't miss out on a great advertising opportunity, and a chance to give back!