Summer Fresh Salads: review and giveaway (Canada only) -CLOSED

I was lucky enough to come home one day last month and find a giant cooler box on my door step, full to the brim with Summer Fresh Salads dips and Meals to Go. I can't even quite remember how many different kinds of hummus there were inside - I just know it was a LOT. My husband in particular was very excited by the dinner and snack possibilities that the box presented. They were really very generous.I have bought their products during my grocery shopping before, but I can't say that I paid much attention to the brand or the nutrition label. I have now, though.

My favourite thing about the Summer Fresh Salads products is that every single ingredient on the labels were something that you fully expect to be in the dip or lunch meals. No preservatives. Nothing unpronounceable. Exactly what you'd expect to find in hummus or artichoke & asiago if you made it yourself. For me, as a busy working mother, that's the best kind of convenience food - I can trust this brand and know there is nothing weird or funny added to their food.

Also, they were yummy and we all liked them. My youngest decided he liked to dip blueberries in the artichoke & asiago dip. Whatever floats your boat, kid.

I brought a couple of the Meals to Go products to work and I'll honestly say they weren't my favourite. I was probably the wrong person to test these out as I'm not the greatest fan of cold grain salads for my lunch. As much as I liked the addition of trail mix to the boxes, this is actually a problem as up until recently I worked in a nut-free office. I did like the flatbread crackers and hummus, however!Summer Fresh Salads are a Canadian company. Their president, Susan Niczowski, was recently profiled in MOMpreneur magazine. You can find them on facebook or twitter. Their website is a comprehensive listing of their products and recipes and contests.

Would you like to try some Summer Fresh Salads products? The company has offered one of my readers a $10 coupon towards their products.

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave me a comment. What Summer Fresh Salads product would you like to use the $10 coupon to try?
   
2. Leave the comment before 9pm EST on Wednesday March 2 2011
3. Be Canadian
4. Have a valid email address I can use to contact you (leave it in a field/in the comment)

And...one entry per person, please! I'll use random.org to pick a winner soon after contest close. Good luck. Thanks to Summer Fresh Salads for the giveaway.

Disclosure: I was provided with samples of Summer Fresh Salads products to review for this post and was not compensated in any other way. My views are my own.

Ddrops review & $25 gift card giveaway (Canada only) - CLOSED

I was recently sent some Kids Ddrops to review -- Vitamin D in liquid form, aimed at kids. Ddrops are a Canadian-owned vitamin company, and I was already familiar with their product, although we hadn't tried it before.

There's a lot of evidence that tells us we should all be supplementing with Vitamin D, particularly in the winter time. I try to take some myself when I remember.

I'm not exactly diligent about giving the kids vitamins (they sit in a cupboard and they take one when someone remembers) but sometimes we give them a soft chewable multi-vitamin that contains sugar. They think of it as candy. I'm totally fine with this - treats are ok around here. But if you aren't, one major appeal of Kids Ddrops is that all they contain is Vitamin D and a vegetable oil as a transport method for the D. The good thing about the oil is that you can see it if you add it to water, to make sure you actually got the drop in.

I guess that was my only concern with this product - sometimes I wasn't sure if I had actually got the drop in or not - milk was challenging. Although I wasn't that worried as I figured they could handle a double dose in the winter time. We all need it, right?

The kids enjoyed their Ddrops and liked to try to guess whether or not they would be able to taste it - they never did, in the end.

If you'd like more information, the Ddrops website is very comprehensive, covering their products and general Vitamin D information. You can also find them on facebook and twitter.

They've also been very generous to my readers - would you like to try some Ddrops? Ddrops is offering one of you a $25 gift certificate from either Shoppers Drug Mart, Jean Coutu or well.ca.

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave me a comment. Ideas to discuss: do you give your kids Vitamin D? How do they like to take their vitamins, if you do? Have you tried Ddrops, for your kids or yourself?
   
2. Leave the comment before 9pm EST on Wednesday March 2 2011
3. Be Canadian
4. Have a valid email address I can use to contact you (leave it in a field/in the comment)

And...one entry per person, please! I'll use random.org to pick a winner soon after contest close. Good luck. Thanks to Ddrops for the giveaway.

Disclosure: I was provided with a sample of Kids Ddrops to review for this post and was not compensated in any other way. My views are my own.

Review: Planet Echo on Aboriginal People's Television Network (Canada)

I was recently asked to check out a kids' show on the Aboriginal cable channel APTN called Planet Echo. I completely (slightly shamefully) admit that I think this is the first time I've ever turned on that channel - it's one that I'm very glad to see is offered on my cable box, but I'm not sure what's on there for me.

I'm happy to report that Planet Echo is a great reason to watch APTN (and I'm sure there are many more) if you are looking for a different & new kids' show with an emphasis on Canada, history and the environment -- particularly if your little ones are aged 7-12. This is a little bit older than my kids, but when we turned it on yesterday afternoon, their interest was piqued.

The show is all about the adventures of two brothers, Chuck (the athletic, academic, science guy) and Andy (the urban, outdoorsy culture hound). Along with the fun characters and some silly stuff, there's a strong environmental science theme. The episode we watched was about trying to find the 'greenest' way to travel across the country.

In addition, given the French-Canadian/Aboriginal background of the brothers, there's lot of great Canadian history and culture thrown in. I very much appreciate these themes when I think about the educational potential of children's television (they do actually learn things from TV sometimes, you know).

The brothers reminded me of the Kratt Brothers, who we've watched on TVO before. Planet Echo seems like something we'll check out again, particularly when the kids are a bit older.

Planet Echo's website also features videos and games for the same sort of age range. I didn't check them out with the kids as we didn't have a lot of time to spend on the computer this weekend, but the website seems user friendly to me. It's also kind of neat that the show ties into the website - they display code words on the screen that I believe you can enter into your profile on the website for more 'points'.

Check your local listings and see what your kids can learn from Planet Echo, fellow Canadians.

Disclosure: to thank me for taking the time to review Planet Echo, I will be receiving a gift card. My opinions are completely my own.

EZSOX winner is...

moplans! Lucky number one.
Congrats!



I'll be in touch.

Review and giveaway: EZ Sox (USA/Canada only) (ENDED)

When I first got the email offering up a pair of EZ Sox for review, it made me chuckle. I mean, socks with handles! Come on! Then when I actually thought about it, about how hard it is to get my kids to put their own socks on? I replied in the affirmative immediately.

Seriously, the putting on of the socks can be quite stressful when you're trying to get out of the door in a hurry. Oliver, at 5, still has trouble with them. Anything that can teach independence, while also making things a bit easier? Why not try it out?

In November, I received a pair of Teddy Bear EZ Sox and terribly, terribly misplaced them over the holidays. Which is why I am only now getting to this very late review. My apologies, EZ Sox. The good news is that Callum (age 3) thinks they were worth the wait.

He put his own socks on. And was quite happy to do so. I'd say that's a positive review.


You can buy them online or in several shops in Canada and the US. If you shop now, you can receive 20% off online orders using the code EZ20. They are also running a "buy 6 get 1 free" offer at EZ Sox.


Would you like to win a pair for your own little one, or a little one you know? (USA/Canada only)

Rules:
1. Leave a comment on this blog, telling me which animal design or colour EZ Sox you'd like to win (this page has the choices).
2. One comment per person, please.
3. Make sure your comment/comment entry has an email address so you can be contacted.
4. Leave your comment before Tuesday January 18th 2010 at 10pm EST.
5. At that time, or soon after, I'll pick one winner using random.org. I'll contact them and post their details on here.
Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided a pair of EZ Sox to review. I was not compensated for this review. My views are my own.

Phillips Sonicare Toothbrush Winner

The wiener (with apologies to the Pioneer Woman) is...


Jennifer!

Congrats. I'll be in touch. Thanks for playing, everyone. And thanks to Aquafresh and Mom Central Canada for the prize.

Aquafresh® Advanced Futures Blog Tour: Win Philips Sonicare for Kids Toothbrush (Canada only) (CLOSED)

What are you hoping for, for your children? I wish that when they are grown up they will be happy, healthy, and not spending every day in therapy. Is that too much to ask? Probably. Oh, and a little education and good careers would be nice too - that's why we're currently putting as much as we can into their Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). We are lucky to be able to do so.

Aquafresh, the toothpaste brand, is running a contest until November 30, 2010. If you share a wish for your child/children on their website as part of the Aquafresh Advanced Futures contest, you have a chance of winning a $10,000 RESP, courtesy of new Aquafresh Advanced.

*

I'll be honest. Getting my kids to brush their teeth is one of my least favourite things to do with them every day. Oliver, almost 5, is much better than he used to be, as he has a clearer understanding of what threats of CAVITIES and PULLED OUT TEETH mean. (Why yes, I do parent through threats. Don't judge me. I already judge myself!) Callum, at 3, is a little trickier. We usually have to do quite a bit of coaxing. He'll be going to the dentist for the first time soon - so I hope that visit will give him a little fear of what could happen if he doesn't help me help him clean his teeth. (Why yes, I do parent through making my children fearful. Don't judge me. I already judge myself!)

Anyway. Do you have any toothbrushing surefire tips for toddlers or preschoolers? That might improve my terrible parenting skills? If you leave me a comment, you can win a cool prize.

As part of the Aquafresh Advanced Futures blog tour, Aquafresh is kindly providing a Philips Sonicare for Kids Toothbrush valued at $70(MSRP) and a sample of Aquafresh Advanced toothpaste as a prize. Leave me a comment about toothbrushing tips and tricks and you're entered to win.

Rules:

1. Contest closes November 22nd 2010 at 9:00pm EST.
2. One comment per person, please.
3. No extra entries available.
4. You can enter on multiple blog posts (there are many out there if you Google it), but you can only win once.
5. Please make sure I have a way of contacting you (e.g. email).
   
6. I'll pick one winner through random.org soon after the contest closes.
   

Good luck!

Disclosure - I am participating in the Aquafresh Advanced Futures program by Mom Central on behalf of GSK. I received a sample of Aquafresh Advanced and gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.