Don't Buy This Spice Rack

I took a photo of my beautiful new "9 Can Magnetic Spice Rack" (purchased at Canadian Tire) but then didn't get around to writing up a post that day. Good thing, since by the end of the day the cans had fallen off the magnets, and I began the almost daily process of hot-glue-gunning them back on (a few each day, repeating in rotation as it happened again and again. I see now that others who reviewed the product online had the same problem).

I know, I know: I should have returned it. But the packaging was already broken down, and I would have had to empty out all the spices and wash the cans before taking it back. Plus I'm just not much of a "returner".

So while I did love the look of it when functional (for a few hours) now it sits flat on my counter, looking awkward and taking up more space. And really, nine cans isn't enough anyway, so we still have multiple other spice containers stashed away in the cupboard. Live and learn.

I don't normally bother writing about products I don't love, but I thought this one might save someone else some grief! Once summer comes and I have time to assess my kitchen cupboard situation, I will be finding another place for the spices.

Our Backyard Reno (Pool and Deck) Phase One!

I wanted to let you in on the first few steps of our 2012 landscaping project: a deck extension and an above-ground pool! We toyed with the idea of an in-ground pool, but our slope is not ideal for it, and I knew we would have spent a crazy amount of money just to landscape afterwards. I also know that when the kids are grown, I sure won't be swimming on a regular basis (I'm more of a hot-tub girl...which hopefully will be Phase Three!) so we will have the easy option of taking it down.

View of the back before commencing

(Of course we usually keep an excavator there. It's art, don't you think?)

After the land was cleared and levelled, and some deck deconstruction (and dandelion growth):

And finally...the pool is in! We went with a 15 x 30 "rectangular" pool (not exactly a rectangle) with a saltwater system and a propane heater. (Neither of which are hooked up yet, as we are still waiting for the deck phase to be completed before deciding exactly where the permanent home will be for the eyesores essential components.)

We are extremely lucky to have hired my Dad and brilliantly talented uncle to undertake the construction project, so we know it will be done right...and that we are of course their first priority! When their work is done, I will be back to show you Phase Two! Until then, Frannie is having a blast swimming in the new pool, and Maggie is thrilled about sitting on the second step. (That's progress from the first step. We have all summer, she'll come around!)

Need a Grad, Wedding, or Baby Gift? Hallmark Has You Covered!

As part of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel, I receive goody bags filled with Hallmark's latest and greatest products. What's worth sharing this time around?

WEDDINGS

His and Hers Travelling Mug Set ($29.99): The bride and groom can enjoy this matching set of travel mugs with silicone lids and a no-slip grip.

Mr. and Mrs. Apron Set ($44.99): A fun way to start off the marriage...and ensure that both the bride and groom help out in the kitchen!




GRADUATION

Class of 2012 Flip Flops ($14.95): Ditch those heels after graduation and celebrate in style! Available for men and women.




2012 Autograph Monkey ($12.95, $9.95 with purchase of any Graduation card): This cute little stuffed monkey grad comes with a pen to capture the signatures of classmates.




BABY

What's That In Mommy's Tummy? Recordable Book ($24.95): My girls (with Daddy's help) completed a Hallmark Recordable Book for me for Mother's Day (not this title, I swear!) and I will treasure it forever. If the big brother- or sister-to-be is old enough to verbalize some responses ("What books should your parents read to the baby?", "What do you have to do to take care of a baby?"), this one would be a real keeper!





Cake Plush ($23.99): Celebrate baby's first birthday with this cute and cuddly plush cake. Reading "My 1st Birthday", the plush features light and music when the button is pressed.




Now, let me be honest here. When it comes to many of these occasions, I am as much a fan of cold hard cash (whether as the giver or the recipient) as anyone else. But it's always nice to have some meaningful little gifts that will help the special person remember the day (and you!) long after the money has been spent. Hallmark is definitely the place to go for memorable gifts to honour any celebration.

Disclosure: I received some Hallmark items for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Summer Splash Cash $400 {Giveaway}

Giveaway open worldwide.

So for those of you who missed it, a couple of months ago I participated in a great cash giveaway, which was a wonderful way to bring in some new readers and followers...and to give someone a fantastic prize!

(There were 245,000 entries by the way...no, I'm not joking! But remember that each blog/Twitter follow, Facebook like, etc. counts as an entry, so that doesn't mean there were 245,000 people.)

For your entering pleasure, I now present:

 
Welcome to the $400 Summer Splash Cash Giveaway hosted by Giveaway Promote.
 
We've joined a fantastic group of bloggers to give away $400 in cash via PayPal to one lucky person. Complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway. One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.
 
Do you love entering giveaways, sweepstakes and contests? You'll find the latest and greatest listed at Giveaway Promote. You can submit your giveaways and upcoming giveaway events for free today!
 

This giveaway is open worldwide.
It will end at 11:59pm EST on June 24th, 2012.

PC Cooking School Birthday Party (Alternate title: My Baby Is Four!)

This Mom Loves has moved! 

For updated content (plus all the posts found here) on our fresh new site, visit www.thismomloves.ca

A couple of weeks ago we held Maggie's fourth birthday party at our neighbourhood Loblaws. It was a PC Cooking School Birthday Party, and the kids had an absolute blast!

One of our nieces in Aurora did her birthday this way last year, and I knew I wanted to copy it for one of our girls. Because our kids' parties usually involve their godparents, and Maggie's have five daughters from ages 7 to 11 between the two of them, I try to tailor the parties to suit the older kids as much as the guest of honour. This idea was perfect for all of them (including the four boy guests as well).

I made the booking through the website, then went into the store to make a deposit and meet with "Chef Cat". She answered all of my questions, and even asked Maggie to make several important decisions about the menu for the day. I sent out the provided invitations, and left the rest of the planning and prep to the PC team!

Here are some highlights from the party:

Chef Cat welcomes the guest of honour



I bought a set of 12 children's aprons for $12 from e-bay (a few vendors have them; I found one with free shipping). Aprons are available for use at the party, but I thought this made a cute loot-bag replacement.

The kids began by making fruit kebabs with cut-up strawberries, apples, grapes, kiwi and melon. (Don't you love the chef's hats, which the kids get to keep and decorate?) 

Next, they prepared pizza toppings with their own little chopper. Pizzas were then put in the oven to cook. (You'll want to do this party around a mealtime.) Kids were encouraged to try toppings they might not usually eat, but there was no pressure.

While the pizzas were cooking, each child received their own round cake to ice and decorate. Even the candy toppings were included, as well as an official bakery box to transport the creation home. This was the "party favour" (replacing the idea of a loot bag...although I couldn't resist picking up those aprons too).

Next up? Enjoying the meal they had prepared themselves. This is Maggie's plate...with some yogurt and a dollop of whipped cream on the side for fruit-dipping!

Even the birthday cake was provided, made to Maggie's specifications. She chose a pull-apart cupcake cake with chocolate icing and pink and purple flowers!

(If you're wondering about this photo, my husband was egging my sister-in-law and me on in a who-has the better-macro-feature competition. It works for this purpose, as I don't want to show the whole cake with Maggie's real name on it!)

After the cake, time was provided for gift-opening (with the bonus being that you can leave all of the garbage behind!) and Cat was terrific about arranging a photo op and making the birthday girl feel very special.

From start to finish the party was two hours, but it is a jam-packed time period, so encourage your guests to be punctual!

As for the price...no prices are given on the website, which may mean that they vary by region, but we paid just over $200 for the minimum of 12 guests (extra for each additional guest).

It was well worth it, considering that our alternative would have been to throw the party at home as usual, providing a meal, an activity/craft of some sort, decorations and loot bags. (Not to mention the time it takes to plan and shop for all of that.) Plus, not having to clean my house before and after? Priceless.

I would highly, highly recommend this to anyone looking for that sort of venue party idea. While I likely wouldn't repeat it again with the same crowd, I could definitely see doing it for one of Frannie's future birthdays with her girlfriends from school.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or check out the PC Cooking School website for more information.

Disclosure: As hard as I tried, there were no deals for bloggers on this one! I'm promoting the party simply because I enjoyed it!

Father's Day Gift Ideas

It's hunting season again...hunting for the perfect Father's Day gift, that is!

Whether it's for your own dad or grandfather (lucky you!) or for hubby, I've got you covered with my 2011 Peterborough, Northumberland and Lakeridge Kids article entitled:
"Make This Father's Day Special".



Check it out not only for "commercial" gift ideas, but also for Mom-and-Dad-recommended crafts, activities and outings to enhance your celebration this year.

I would tell you how Frannie and Maggie will be honouring their Daddy...but I don't want to spoil his surprise!

Pinterest: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

If you've been following This Mom Loves for a while (or even a week), you know that I'm a big fan of Pinterest. That's why I thought it would be the perfect topic for my latest article for Peterborough, Northumberland and Lakeridge Kids Magazine, entitled: 

Get Pinning!

The basics of the site and advantages for busy parents are covered in the article, but here are a few more personal notes:

-If you want to follow someone, you don't have to follow ALL of their Boards. Just because you love their decorating stuff doesn't mean you want knitting or motorcycles. (Just a couple of examples.)

-If you get a message that someone is following you, definitely check her out, as you likely have something in common. (I have my settings so that I get these "follow" notifications through email, and I moved the first one to my Spam folder so all subsequent ones would filter there as well, to be viewed later.)

-Install the "Pin It" button in the toolbar of your browser, so that when you're on ANY website (not just Pinterest) you can "Pin" the things you like, to be saved to your boards and shared with your followers.

-I also went through my "Favourites" on my computer, and "Pinned" the sites instead. This way I can access all of my saved stuff from any computer, anywhere there's an Internet connection (plus others can find these great ideas on my boards.)

-If you sign up for an invitation on the site, you might be waiting a long time. Try to find someone you know on Pinterest (like me!) and she or he can invite you to speed up the process. (Leave a comment below with your e-mail address and I promise to invite you ASAP!)

-If you're looking for ideas for Boards, here's how I've organized my pins:

• Father's Day
• Mother's Day
• Fashion
• Blogging
• St. Patrick's Day
• Easter
• I Guess I Need a Recipes Board
• Haven't (Yet) Been There, Done That (places I want to travel)
• Halloween
• Organization/Cleaning
• Valentine's Day
• Christmas
• Decorating/Home
• Kids
• Arts and Crafts
• Education (this one will need to be sub-split into subjects eventually)

As I have completed some one-time-shot home projects, etc. I have removed the pins from my Boards (kind of like taking something off your to-do list) but some things like seasonal crafts for students will need to stay on as yearly reminders for me, and other ideas are just inspirational and will remain on the Boards indefinitely.

Check out my article for more tips and tricks, and the Peterborough/Northumberland/Lakeridge Kids Magazine site for tons of other parenting information and resources. (They're on Pinterest, too!)

One last note...if you follow me on Pinterest, I will follow back any Boards that fit with my interests (i.e. no cooking, sewing, or martial arts!) and remember, if you're still waiting for an invitation, wait no longer! I'd be glad to get you in!

Rock of Ages Cineplex Passes Courtesy of Splat!

Giveaway open to Canadians.

As I'm sure you are aware, the Rock of Ages movie hits theatres on June 15th, and Splat is giving away a pair of Cineplex tickets to one lucky This Mom Loves reader!

Based on the Broadway musical and filled with an all-star cast including Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Alex Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones, this is the perfect way to get the summer started. (And based on movie prices, this prize is worth about $452. Just kidding!)



And what is Splat, you may be asking? It's a line of vivid hair colours (wash out or semi-permanent) to help you get in the mood to rock! Visit their website for more details. (And no, I won't be sampling this product myself any time soon. Going blonde was wild and crazy enough for me for one summer!)



If you're interested in the tickets, there's a quick turnaround: this contest will be open for seven days only, closing on Friday, June 8th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. All you have to do to enter is leave your e-mail address.

Extra entries for following This Mom Loves through GFC, e-mail, Twitter or Pinterest, or liking my brand new Facebook page or Splat's Facebook Page. (See sidebar for links.) Be sure to hit "submit" when you're done!

Good luck, and get ready to rock!




Disclosure: I was provided with two pairs of tickets, one used for the giveaway, and one pair which I will use to check out the movie myself!