Gift Giving with Crayola & Giveaway

Ever since I was chosen to be a part of Crayola's Mom Advisory Panel, I have been amazed by the variety of cool products that Crayola has.  I used to think that Crayola was just about crayons and felts.  From toddlers to tweens, Crayola really is a wonderful way to explore their creativity.  Which is why I am excited to share with you once again several of Crayola's products with you. 

Pixies Naomi's Color Glow Lamp: "A Pagoda-inspired plastic shade that girls can assemble, decorate and transform into a one-of-a-kind lamp that lets their self-expression side shine through! Perfect for display in their room or any place where they like to spend time, Naomi’s Color Glow Light casts cool, colorful effects that will enhance any décor (8+, $14.99)."

This is an extremely cool gift for an older child.  The shade comes flat with a package of stickers that can then be used to decorate it with.  Once it's decorated, it's a simple task to fold the shade up and slip into slots in the base.  Because it takes batteries, it's easy to move around.  My daughter prefers to have hers by her bed where there is no plug and since the plastic shade makes the lamp more durable, her siblings and her have even used it in one of their "tent" forts. 

Color Wonder Sound Studio:"Bring Color Wonder creations to life - with sounds! This interactive coloring pad lets you choose from 60 sound effects and place them anywhere on any Color Wonder coloring page. Create endless sound combinations that play back when you color your picture! (3+, $32.99)"

I think I've mentioned before how much I love Color Wonder.  It's the absolute perfect felt option for those little ones that want to color but you just know they won't stop at the paper.  So imagine how excited my son was to try this out. 

 Not only does he get a cool new pad to color on but it makes sounds AND there are expansion packs available of their favourite Disney Characters like Toy Story 3 and Disney Princess.  It was like Buzz was talking right to you.  My only complaint was everyone wanted to try it at once and I had to referee a little.  

Model Magic Presto Dots To The Max: "Make fun creations with bumpy, 3D textures. Presto Dots to the Max is a deluxe collection with more bases, forms, Model Magic colors, tools and more fun-tastic ways to create! (5+, $19,99)"

This is so neat, it's completely different from playdough.  I can only describe the texture like marshmallow fluff.  It's incredibly soft and squishy.  It comes with all these tools that you use to cut shapes out of which you then "pop" all over the bases to make these cool fluffy creatures.  Once they are done, you simply leave it out overnight to dry.  You do need to make sure any unused product is stored back in their air tight containers or it will dry out.

Stick N Play Poster Fairies: "Reusable and interactive wall creations stick to most surfaces to decorate over and over (4+, $12.99)."

This is for the little fairy enthusiast of the house.  This is one of my favourites because it's so interactive and so pretty.  It's not a simple, color and be done project.  It can be played with over and over.  It comes with over a 100 stickers including ones that glow in the dark and ones that can be coloured in with washable crayons. 

I would stick with the age recommendation with this one because it's so tempting for little ones to stick the stickers everywhere and not just on the poster.  Since the poster peels and re-sticks so easily though, this is an easy project that can be brought out for supervised play and put away once they are done.

As always I recommend checking out Crayola.ca for more amazing Crayola products.  If you have older children (7+), I'd definitely suggest you check out Pop Art Pixies on their website.  There are a lot of really neat craft projects from mosaic picture frames, to herb gardens, to shadow boxes. 

The GIVEAWAY

Crayola.ca has kindly offered to send one of my lucky readers a Crayola Product to be chosen from the items reviewed above by the lucky winner.  Just in time to help with that Christmas shopping, am I right?

The DETAILS

Contest ends November 25th. Open to Canadian Residents Only.

To ENTER

MANDATORY  * visit Crayola.ca and come back here and leave a comment about one other product not mentioned above that you saw.

EXTRA ENTRIES (leave one comment per entry completed)

* follow me on google friend connect

* Friend me on Face Book  User name Zee Maid

* Follow me on Twitter @ Zeemaid

* Tweet this giveaway once per day.

Thanks to Crayola.ca for providing me with the opportunity to review these products and host this giveaway.

*Disclosure Note:  I was provided with one of each of the above products in order to conduct my review.  These are the honest opinions of myself and my family and I was not compensated in any other way.

Holiday Decorating

Well it's that time of year again when  Halloween is over and Christmas is just around the corner.  I love decorating for Christmas and while I try (somewhat) not to go overboard, I do have more than six large bins dedicated to my Christmas things.  I actually put away the every day pictures and ornaments to make room for them.

I am that much more excited to decorate this year since we are in a new home and out of that hovel of a basement. My husband may be less grinch-like this year and more amenable to hanging up my garlands. One can only hope.

Of course, that means I am a sucker for Christmas decorations and when I got an email regarding Hallmark's seasonal line, I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you.

Christmas Mugs are an especial favourite of mine.  I have been known to keep my Christmas mugs out way past the holiday season.

This, I thought was particularly cute. What great way to countdown to christmas in this digital age.

It's Adorable.  Need I say more?

I also really love decorations that play music. Not the non-stop kind of music but ones that you can turn off if you need a break from little fingers pushing buttons. ;) I also love snowmen so this Snowman Band is just perfect!

These are just a few of the things available through Hallmark but they are some of my favourites!

Hey, how about sharing a photo of your favourite holiday ornament with me?    Which one has particular meaning for you and why?  Send me your photo and I will not only post it but also a link to your blog.  Photos to be in by December 2nd. 

***disclosure note - this was not a sponsored post.  I was sent a holiday email via Hallmark so I have permission in sharing their images.  I posted because I truly love holiday decorations.  I was not compensated in anyway for doing so.****

Men are Crazy

I swear if I live to be 100, I will never understand men and they say we are the complicated ones. 

I've been up and down emotionally since our whole tiff about the working together thing.  I've been through the gamut of emotions from not feeling appreciated or valued as an intelligent person and contributor to the business, after all I owned a video store first and longer than he has, to being angry at the way he dealt with it. 

I've tried to get over it.  I've tried to distance myself emotionally from everything that has to do with the business while trying to continue on as normal with him in our life together.  It's a hard go, especially when I am constantly reminded of things that he's planned or doing or money he's spent concerning the business.  How can I tell him not to talk to me about work when it's a normal part of life for a husband or wife to tell each other about their day. 

When he elicited my help to help do up the display for the candles he'd ordered, I politely declined.  Did he say anything.  No. He knows I'm still upset. 

This has been going on for two plus weeks until yesterday.  He hit a financial crisis with his business.  The bank lady kindly called us first to inform us that unless we got money into the account ASAP his rent cheque was going to bounce.  I step aside and take over running the kids to school etc so he can sort it out only to find out that one of his solution was to go to the bank and witdraw money from our personal line of credit.  A line of credit that money from the sale of my business helped pay down.  Did he ask me or talk to me about it?  No. 

It's not like I had a choice in the matter.  We have to do what we have to do in order to keep going but still I would have appreciated having the matter at least discussed with me.

Finally, I could hold it in no longer and we ended up having it out. I'm talking discussion here, not an all out fight.  I do feel better, I've had a chance to clear the air and feel that our relationship is somewhat back to normal.  He does want my help but was frustrated and what he said to me before was out of his frustration.

But why did it take for me to have to bring it up?  He has lived with us being in discord for over two weeks.  Sure we've been trying to be normal but the intimacy we usually share wasn't there.  I asked him.  He said it was awful and that he would have said something eventually.  Eventually?  I was floored.  He would rather let us be miserable and let his wife feel unhappy and full of self-doubt than discuss it or possibly get into another fight about it?  Are you kidding me?   I think that hurts more than anything else.  I asked him if he was just planning on waiting it out until I got over it?  He said no, of course not, he would have said something.  But I have my doubts. 

Did he say anything when I dropped a box he asked me to at his store, and wouldn't set foot inside or even kiss him goodbye because I was so mad?  Did he say anything about the fact that I haven't been in his store since the tiff?  Did he say anything when I declined to help him with his display, a project we had both intended to work on together?  Did he say anything when I emailed him the label file so I wouldn't have to do the labels at home anymore?  No.

The amazing thing is that now we've had this conversation, instigated by me, he's completely back to normal.  I realize now that he was holding back before because he knew he'd likely be rejected.  And I'm not just talking about sex.  I'm not one of those women that will withold sex to get their way.  I'm talking about quick kisses, hugs etc that normal couples do throughout the day.  Let's face it, it's hard to be loving when you don't feel valued.  

Men seem to be able to brush it off and get over it while we women tend to stew on things for a few days.  Like I said I do feel better but when I stop and rethink it all through, I have to say it completely confuses me and still bugs me. 

Is there something crazy your husband does that you just don't get?

Journey to Wellness

While I try to make sure my kids eat healthy and get plenty of exercise, I don't always set a good example.  It's the old "Do What I Say and Not as I Do" that comes into play more often than not.  They are young now but soon they will be old enough to judge me for the hypocrite I am and call me on it. Because why should they eat their fruit and veggies when mom is sneaking chocolate chip cookies? There I said it, I'd rather eat a cookie, any cookie (except maybe ginger) than a piece of fruit. 

Which is why I admire Lynn from Walking with Scissors for starting on her Quaker Journey to Wellness.  She saw a need to make healthier lifestyle changes for both her and her family and is now committed to meeting new challenges each month.  Quaker believes the journey to health and wellness is not an all or nothing effort.  It's more about taking care of yourself, making positive changes to all aspects of our lifestyle such as stress management, healthy eating, increasing our physical activity etc. Which is why Quaker has invited Lynn to document her family's journey to improve their lifestyle.

I think my own personal challenge this month would be to eat less processed/pre-packaged food.  There is no reason why I can't take the half hour it requires to bake a batch of cookies, muffins or even my own granola bars rather than purchasing them. Not only will I be controlling what goes into my family's mouths but I will be saving money.  It also helps that I can often sneak in an extra serving of veggies or fruit into those tasty snacks.  Sure it will require a little extra planning but the savings and health benefits will be worth it.

Sometimes to make changes all we need is a little inspiration and for me often other bloggers provide that inspiration.  So I'd suggest you check out Lynn and her family's journey at Journey to Wellness.  There are weekly and monthly prizes you could win simply by voting on a weekly poll, commenting on a post or suggesting a tip for Lynn.  Plus each month we get to vote on what challenges we'd like Lynn to take for that month. 

What steps are you and your family taking towards a more healthier lifestyle?



Disclosure ***I am participating in the Quaker Journey to Wellness program by Mom Central on behalf of Pepsi Co. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Blog Called on Account of the Flu

Tis the season, the flu season. E was home sick on tuesday. While she was vomiting, it seemed to end quick for her, she was just tired all day. Yesterday was O's turn and while he wasn't physically sick until dinner you know something is up when this active little boy spends the day on the couch.

Unfortunately it's my turn and while I'm not going to whine about being up all night sick, it just totally pissed me off that hubby went to work this am with every sign of coming down with the flu too. Not only do I have to go it alone I probably will have to take care of him.

Damn murphys law.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Shoppers Drugmart - V.I.B. Program

If you or anyone you know are expecting a baby, you will definitely want to check out Shoppers Drug Mart V.I.B. (Very Important Baby) Program.  Along with a New Baby Gift Pack:

• Each v.i.b. member stays connected with life stage relevant content, exclusive Optimum offers and hot deals on baby products through their enewsletters;
•  V.i.b members get to take advantage of the Shoppers Drug Mart focus on health, nutrition and wellness of pre-natal and new moms.

This really is a great program. With the gift pack it gives us moms a chance to maybe check out a product we haven't used before or to even just have extras on hand in the diaper bag while the enewsletter helps keeps us up-to-date with great information on health and nutrition and new products. I don't know about you but I always appreciate getting an extra coupon or knowing when a sale is coming up.

I have been a Shoppers Optimum member for a while now and it's amazing how quickly your points add up just for buying things you would normally be buying anyways.  I've always found Shopper's pricing to be very competitive and considering that many of Shoppers Drug Marts are open til midnight or even 24 hours, it's great for those late night diaper runs.  Plus there's always a pharmacist there for advice for those times when the baby is sick and you just don't know what to do.

Sign up to be a v.i.b member between November 3rd and December 1st and you could win 1 of 50, $50 Shoppers Drug Mart gift cards*! PLUS as a new member you’ll receive 2500 points the next time you purchase any Pampers diaper products!  Click Baby Contest to enter.

Read the fineprint “*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Visit www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/babycontest for full contest details and information on how to enter without a purchase. Approximate retail value of prize is $50. Chances of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Correct answer to skill-testing question required to be declared a winner. Must be a Canadian resident and age of majority or older in province or territory of residence. Valid Shoppers Optimum Card® required to participate. Contest ends December 1st, 2010.”

Disclosure:  I am participating in the Shoppers Drug Mart v.i.b program by Mom Central on behalf of Shoppers Drug Mart. I received a gift card and a new baby gift pack as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Been There Done That

Well now that I've been fired by my husband, (a rather long story that has to wait for another day) it's either find myself a job outside the home or figure out some way to make extra money while staying at home.  It still does not make sense for me to go back to work just so I can pay out half my income in daycare costs and O has another 2 years before he's in school fulltime.

After my long stint in the office world, I'd really value some way of being creative for employment.  Is it so selfish of me to want to do something I'd actually enjoy?  Plus, I'm tired of working evenings.  I've done it for 6 years and while it was the perfect solution when the kids were younger, it really ate into our family life once E started full days at school.

It really is too bad I can't get paid for reading.  Well, I could if I was an editor but I don't have the educational background for it.

So I'd like to make things and my theory is that if I made a variety of simple items, I won't get bored with what I'm making nor put so much time into it that I'd never garner a profit.  Sounds easy, right? Not so much.

My first idea, last year I made some really nice Christmas cards only one simple search on Etsy revealed 87 pages of a variety of Christmas Card offerings.  It seems like everything I can think of someone else has not only made it but made it better than I ever could. 

It's enough to discourage a gal.

Halloween Memories - Really Just an Excuse to Show off My Kids

I really enjoy Halloween.  Apart from all the candy (which is huge in it's favour), I love to see all the kids in their cute costumes.  Which is why it was one of the first things I was looking forward to doing when I finally had a child. So even though E was only 4 months old at the time and there was no way she was going out trick or treating at that stage, I couldn't resist dressing her up. 

You can tell how thrilled she was. ;)

Of course the following year I got ambitious and was determined to make a Halloween costume myself.  Monster Inc was big then and since my little E was (a) adorable and (b) had a full head of hair, I figured she'd be a perfect fit for Boo from Monsters Inc.  Of course, I didn't want her to be just an ordinary Boo with pigtails in a pink nighty, oh no, that would have been too easy. Instead, I had to devise a Boo in her Monster costume instead. 

While I'll admit it did turn out pretty cute, I was disappointed because how I pictured doing it, didn't work out at all.  Plus I had a hard time purchasing supplies.

Freakin cute, right?

Of course, back then we had all sorts of spare time to get all creative with our pumpkins.



Now we settle for more simpler and quicker pumpkins.

Although life has gotten more hectic now that we have 3 children, Halloween is just as much fun as it was when we just had one.  Cause now we get to see three cute kids in costumes, instead of just one.

Happy Halloween!

This post brought to you by the Lovely Girls at SITS (Cause Tiffany really is so pretty ;) who are holding a camera giveaway.  Not familiar with SITS or want to win a camera  Check them out here SITS

The Cheese Touch

The Cheese Touch.  It's from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie.  I had watched this movie myself as I watch most of the new movies that come down the DVD line but still it took me awhile to remember what that meant when my daughter asked me about it.

You see she hadn't watched the movie herself so you can only imagine her dismay when one girl in her class proclaimed that E had "The Cheese Touch" and incited all the rest of the kids to run away from her.  Fortunately, one boy did stand up and say that that wasn't very nice and refused to participate but still, it embarrassed my daughter to no end. 

When it finally struck me what the heck the cheese touch was, I was able to tell her where it came from but she wanted to know why the kids would do that.  (If you don't know what it is.. the story goes that there is this piece of cheese lying on the basketball court, no one knows how long it's been there but we're talking years here.  If anyone so much as touches the cheese, they instantly become labeled with the cheese touch and are completely ostracized, no one wanting to be accidentally touched by the person who has the cheese touch.)  I didn't know how to explain why kids would do that.  Sure I could go on and on about insecurities, jealousies etc.. but really, how much would she get?  In the end, it comes down to reassuring her that there is nothing wrong with her.

Thinking back, there was a good reason why I didn't let my daughter watch this movie.  It's the same reason why I felt bad having let her watch Alvin & the Chipmunks 2:  because of the bullying that's portrayed.  Sure there's always a message in the movie, don't bully, just be yourself etc but how much of that message actually sinks in?  Did the no bullying message sink in with that little girl in my daughter's class?  No.  What she learned was a creative way to single out a kid for teasing.

Do my kids really need to learn about swirlys? I don't think so. 

Going to school is daunting enough without being shown all the many ways one can be bullied.

My Life Does Not Suck

I recently watched a movie where that was a phrase repeated several times by the main character. Of course, he was trying to convince himself (unsuccessfully) that his life really wasn't that bad. 

Being a very much in the moment kind of person, I found myself repeating "My Life Does Not Suck" to myself a lot lately.  In the midst of things going wrong, it sometimes can be hard to remember that it's really not all that bad.  Between asking myself what did I do to deserve to be taken so for granted, to O deciding to colour on our LCD television (with a wax crayon fortunately), to money being too tight to get groceries at the moment so we are living on the dregs of the pantry (bleh), to headaches, meeting a new doctor and feeling very foolish in front of said doctor, to constant cracks from my children about my weight or "did you used to be skinny" or to daddy "maybe we should get some of those (diet) pills for mommy", to being in a new community where so far it's been very difficult making friends, there are days I just want to throw in the towel and put my head in the oven.  Too bad we don't have gas.  Sigh.

I have to stop and remind myself of the moments of fun, like making my little ghosties, playing "Go For It" with hubby and getting together at McD's for coffee with my girlfriend while O played and made new friends.

I am actually blessed in a multiple of ways including my husband and three children.  I just haven't figured out how to live peacefully with everything that I have been blessed with. 

Easy Peasy Halloween Ghosties

I had an epiphany.  While I consider myself a crafty person, I generally have to rely upon someone else's ideas.  I am a sponge.  That I am.  AND even if I do have an original thought ;)  I never can get it to turn out like I wanted to.. case in point E's "Boo" costume for halloween years ago.  I wanted to recreate little boo's outfit from Monsters Inc. 

So I was particularly pleased when this little inspiration struck and I have to say, that as far as I am aware this idea is 100% me.  The idea came when I was walking past a neighbour's house all decorated for halloween.  They had what look to be skulls hanging in white nylons strung along their porch.  I was wondering if I could do a similar effect but with ghosties.  I think I came up with something better and cuter and even better yet, something the kids could help me with.  I was actually able to draw something that was pretty close to what I was imagining and E and J were able to sew this up with minimal help from me.  All I had to do was keep threading the needle for them.  Of course, I couldn't leave O out, so I placed the stitches but he got to pull the needle and thread through the fabric. 

What you will need:

• paper
• white felt
• white thread
• googly eyes
• sewing needle
• black thread or felt for mouth
• cotton batting for stuffing

Depending on size or how many ghosts you'd like to make you can get at least two out of one felt square.  Ghosts are double sided.

Draw a ghost on paper, cut it out and use as pattern for cutting the ghosts out.  Pin your ghosts together, and using a overcast stitch sew your ghosts up leaving a space for stuffing to be inserted.  Stuff lightly.  Glue eyes and felt and voila you have an Easy Peasie Halloween Ghostie.

I liked it so much I decided to do a bat too.  I think it still needs a mouth though.  I'm working on that.

The plan now is to attach a string to the top and hang them up.

So, what's your favourite Halloween craft?

Journey To Promethea - Movie Review

If you are like me you just love historical movies like Gladiator, Rome, King Arthur, Kingdom of Heaven and the list goes on.  These movies are known not only for the great story lines but also for the acting and amazing presentation of the historical period. 

So even though I knew this title was a small title coming out this week, meaning we didn't get many copies of it in to rent in our video store, I still set it aside with the pile of movies that I wanted to watch this last weekend.

I was hopeful.  After all the cover art made the movie look promising and I figured it was going to be this little gem of a movie that we will be chatting up all week long. 

Obviously you can tell from my preamble that this was far from the case. 

I probably spent the first 20 minutes laughing at the stupidity of this movie before we finally turned it off.  The acting was terrible, the set, the design, the dialogue.. everything about this film was awful.  You take medieval peasant type people, send them off into the wildnerness doomed to wander all the days of their lives because of some curse and they do it too... in sparkling white shirts and bold green and read skirts.  Their faces are dirty but their clothes are a walking advertisment for Medieval Tide. 

In another scene this 20 year old "boy" was being taught to milk a cow because he never knew when his father might not be around to help him, when his brother comes up and says "that's not how you do it, do it as you would to yourself, a gentle tug and pull".  I kid you not.. that is the line in the movie. 

Watch the trailer.  If I had watched this first, I never would have watched the movie at all. 


I have to say that I am surprised that someone like Billy Zane, who is an experienced actor, would even be in something like this.  It reminded me of the time we watched In the Name of the King, starring Jason Statham.  After watching him in all those movies like Crank and Transporter, it was hard to watch in something as poorly done as In the Name of the King.  I mean, can the actors not hear how bad the dialogue is?  Don't they get an idea of how stupid the story is when they read the script? 

So don't waste your money on this one unless, of course, you'd like a good laugh!

An In the Mommy Trenches Movie Review

Chair Renovation

It seems that something is in the air at this time of year because apparently a lot of bloggers are painting their homes at the moment.  I think for me it's because so much of my time has been spent outside supervising or playing with the kids this summer and with the great weather it would have been a waste to spend it indoors.  Now that the weather is turning cooler, we've moved back inside and we can actually get to some of those long awaited projects.  That doesn't keep me looking back outside with some regrets of all the projects we didn't get completed this summer. 

Still, this project is one that I am particularly pleased with.  My husband brought into the marriage a lovely antique oak dining table.  It's nothing spectacular, a rather plain table in all except that it has two leafs and can seat up to 10 people with ease.  I also like it's simple lines as the legs are in the corners where they belong, which no one ever has to sit in front of a table leg.  Kind of a pet peeve with me having grown up with my mom's antique table that folded out.

The one thing I did not like about my husband's table was the seat cushions.  They were well worn and used when we married but after three kids, they became disgusting. I am serious.  I was actually beginning to be embarrased to have anyone sit on my chairs they were so awful looking.  In our old home the table sat in a nook and E always sat in the nook.  Well imagine to my disgust some months later when I discovered she had been wiping her hands on the seat cushion all that time.  The corner was positively turning blue with mould.  Yech. 

So I finally manage to get my hands on some inexpensive material and it only took me a couple more weeks to actually get my husband to find his staple gun for me.  Once I had my tools in hand I was all set and I guess my enthusiasm, or perhaps a deadline of getting the chairs ready for our company dinner, got my husband into the act and he became my champion staple puller.  Of course, I quickly googled "recovering dining chair" so I'd have some idea of what I was doing.  What did we ever do before Google and Youtube?

In the end, it was really quite simple and I am very pleased with the results.  I was more pleased with my MIL's reaction when she came to dinner.  Being the germaphobe conscientious woman that she is, I can only imagine how much she probably cringed everytime she had to sit on my chairs.

I also went the extra step by covering the chairs with clear vinyl so that any spills or sneaky hand wiping by children, can be easily cleaned. 

BEFORE

I know, pretty awful right?

AFTER

Look how nice it's going to go with my new paint colours!

So what do you think?

I Have Been Deceived

I  have continued to neglect my blog and somewhat my house this week since I am still reading books I've downloaded from the library on my Kobo Reader.  As you may know, I have a weakness for Jane Austen and even though I am a purist, I thought I'd try to read one of the Pride and Prejudice knock-offs.  You know, one of those books that claims to know the inner voices of the characters like what Mr. Darcy really felt etc.

So I downloaded  Pride/Prejudice by Ann Herendeen

This is the description of the book as had from the library itself.

For readers who've loved Jane Austen's most popular novel—the inestimable Pride and Prejudice—questions have always remained. What is the real nature of Darcy's intense friendship with Charles Bingley, to explain why he would prevent Bingley's marriage to Elizabeth's beautiful and virtuous sister Jane? How can Darcy reconcile his own desire for Elizabeth with his determination to save his friend from a similar entanglement? What is the disturbing history behind Darcy's tortured relationship with his foster brother, George Wickham? And what other intimacies, besides their cherished friendship, are exchanged between Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas?


Ann Herendeen, acclaimed author of Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander, reimagines this classic love story, focusing on the untold aspects of Jane Austen's timeless novel. Pride/Prejudice brings to light all the buried secrets, potential scandals, and unspoken, forbidden loves of Austen's story, weaving a tale of intertwined passions, pride humbled, and ultimately, freedom from prejudice.

Okay, now I know I'm guilty of skimming and I'm pretty sure I missed the innuendo in this sentence "And what other intimacies, besides their cherished friendship, are exchanged between Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas?"

But really, the last thing I expected to read was Mr. Darcy getting all jiggy with Mr. Bingley in bed in the very first page.  Or was it just me being naive?  Going back to read the backflap excerpt once again, I can only imagine how the rest of the book is going to go. After two pages, I knew I couldn't read anymore as it just didn't get any better.

I should have realized what was coming when I read the dedication page wherein in the author admits that she realized too late that she shared a dark and twisted sense of humour with her late father. 

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a gay bashing thing at all.  I just have my Mr. Darcy up on a pedestal and want him to stay there.. devoted to me.  There's no room for a third in this fantasy and I know if I read this book, however, interesting it may be, it will forever taint my view of him.  Kinda like watching a movie before reading the book then you when you do read it, you have the actor's faces in your head the whole time.

Sigh... I will just have to find myself another book to read now.

Painting 101

This week I have been painting my living room and thought I'd pass on a few tips here.  Who knows, I might just have to refresh my own memory when I do it again in a couple of years!

Now I don't profess to be an expert on types of paint or what rollers you should use.  I will unashamedly admit that my husband bought both the paint and the rollers for the job.  It was also his recommendation what paint brush I use to cut the paint in.  Apparently it's a specific brush, it's cut on an angle and it does do a very nice job.  My only insistence on paint for my walls is that it has to be satin finish. 

Now the paint experts will tout eggshell as the be all and end all paint for ease of cleaning etc but I have never once had anything but grief with egg shell paint. Now granted, not all paint brands are created equal.  However, I am not interested in wasting my time or money figuring out which brand of eggshell works the best.  In our old home, I had permanent grease marks down the entire hallway from my kids' hands and nothing, NOTHING I did removed the stains.  Which is why my kids were pretty much banned from their grandparents part of the house the entire time we were trying to sell (2.5 years).  Yeah.. lot's of fun.  Whereas I've never had a problem cleaning grubby marks from Satin finish. 

Now there was a little setback when hubby went to buy the paint.  Apparently, I had picked colours from the Martha Stewart line and apparently she does not offer satin paint as an option.  This does not sound like a big deal but apparently, you can only use Martha Stewart colours with Martha Stewart paint and it's a whole copyrighted thing so they'll get in trouble if they accommodate us.  OMGoodness!  We eventually found a similar enough colour and my husband quipped to the sales girl how we should write Martha Stewart and tell her she should offer her paint in Satin finish.  To which the girl replied... "Martha Stewart would probably just shake her head and say 'oh those Canadians'".  That gave us all a good laugh.

So Martha if you're reading this, well I know you're not reading this, but possibly have some assistant or autobot gleaning references to your name, please offer Satin finish to your sales line in Canada.  We Canadians tend to do things just a tad differently from our American cousins.  Thanks so much!

Okay... here are my paint tips.

• Be prepared.  Gather all your supplies into one spot and have it ready for use. 
• Use old sheets as drop cloths. Unless you're tres experienced like my husband, there are bound to be droplets.
• Fill any holes or dents with polyfil and allow to dry.  
• Remove outlet covers, place plates and screws in one spot out of reach of little fingers. 
• Sand your walls lightly.  This roughens the surface enough to give the paint something to stick to.  You don't need to TSP or wash your walls when you sand but you do need to wipe your walls down with a slightly damp cloth including over the polyfil areas to get rid of dust.
• My FIL recommends dabbing a little paint with your paint brush over any polyfilled areas before rolling it, it eliminates the spot from being shiny. 
• If you are going to paint with the same colour for more than one day, simply wrap your brush in a plastic bag (a sandwich bag works great) and place your paint tray and roller in a garbage bag.  Close up the bags as much as you can.  The brush and roller won't dry out this way and you will save yourself some cleaning.
• When rolling, it's best to place your roller on the wall and paint a "W" shape.  This first roll usually has the most paint and this way you spread the paint out a bit and avoid runs.  My husband pooh poohs this suggestion but all the big painting sites recommend it and I found it worked great for me. 

My biggest suggestion is take your time and don't worry when it's drying and it looks all splotchy. You didn't mess up it's just the paint drying.  Give it an hour or so and it will all come together perfectly. 

PHOTO TIME

Since my house is still reasonably clean from Thanksgiving, I figured it would be a good time to take a few photos to show you the end results. Yeah, yeah, I'm bragging, I know.  I am that pleased with it!

It's hard to tell in these photos but the wall by the fireplace is a light green while the wall by the couch is a darker contrasting green in sage.  I absolutely love the colours myself!

We also did one accent wall in the family room the darker green as well.  That's as far as we've gotten painted so far and I hope to finish off the rest of the family room/kitchen soon.  

I just have to show off my new light fixture.  After hitting all the lite shops and home fix it type of stores in town, I finally found something I like and best of all, I could afford it.  I am inordinately pleaesd with it because it's different and whimsical looking.  It is one bright bad boy though as it takes 4 50 watt halogen lightbulbs which means my living room is now lit up brighter than day.  It took us a few days to get used to all that brightness because the lighting was so poor in the room before.  Now I can sit and do crafts while we watch our movies without squinting.

Do you have a paint suggestion for me? I'll be working on my family room next so any tips would be greatly appreciated!



Arm & Hammer - Review and Giveaway

I was recently given an opportunity to review three laundry detergents from Arm & Hammer.  As I had been adding baking soda to freshen my laundry for years, it seemed crazy that it hadn't occured to me to buy a laundry soap that already had baking soda in it.  Especially since I find Arm & Hammer to be very reasonably priced.

Arm & Hammer® Essentials® Power Gel

• The added power of Arm & Hammer® Baking Soda helps freshen, while the gel formula works to remove stains

• It is the first gel detergent made with biodegradable plant based soaps in Canada and can also be used to pre-treat stains


• Is gentle on fabrics


• Contains no phosphates or bleaches

Arm & Hammer® Original Laundry Detergent

· Arm & Hammer® Liquid Laundry Detergent is designed to power out dirt and odours. Special agents in the detergent trap soil in the wash water, rinsing away dirt and stains so it does not redeposit on clothes.

· Arm & Hammer® Liquid Laundry Detergent fights odours leaving laundry smelling fresh and clean. Available in Clean Fresh Scent and Clean Mountain scents.


· Arm & Hammer® Clean Fresh High Efficiency detergent is specially formulated for today’s technologically advanced and environmentally friendly washers. Designed for use in less wash water, trapping soil and rinsing it away clean every time


· Arm & Hammer® 2x concentrated Liquid Laundry delivers 44 medium wash loads in a 2.03 litre size; SRP: $4.99-$5.99.


· 2.95 litre size with Clean Fresh scent delivers 64 medium wash loads; SRP: $7.99


· 4.43 litre size with Clean Fresh scent delivers 96 medium wash loads; SRP: $9.99

Arm & Hammer® POWER GEL plus OxiClean®

· The new gel formula attacks the toughest stains to power them out, quickly dissolves in the wash, and then rinses clean, leaving no residue behind

· The added power of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda helps freshen, while the gel formula works to attack and remove stains

· Gel formula can be used to pre-treat


· 2x concentrated enzyme formula works great on the toughest stains


· Available in an Ocean Breeze scent· Delivers 31 medium wash loads in the 1.62 litre size
 
 
I have to say I absolutely loved using these cleaners.  Not only did they work great but they smelled great and that great smell lasts for days.  One thing I really appreciated in having three different cleaners in my cupboard is that I chose a different cleaner depending on what I was washing.  If I had a really tough load that I felt needed an extra cleaning boost, I used the Arm & Hammer® POWER GEL plus OxiClean®.  Otherwise I'd simply use the regular one. I also used the POWER GEL to pretreat any stains I had and it worked like a charm.
 
I also especially liked that there was a green option with the Arm & Hammer® Essentials® Power Gel.  I actually said to my husband that it smells exactly how you would expect "green" to smell.  It worked absolutely great and I could see no difference in the cleaning capabilities than the other two.  In other words, just because it didn't have the harsher chemicals didn't mean it didn't clean as well. 
 
My husband told me specifically that I had to add in here that what he liked about the Arm & Hammer® Essentials® Power Gel and the Arm & Hammer® POWER GEL plus OxiClean® was that their bottles were see-through which meant we could see exactly how much detergent we had left. 
 

The GIVEAWAY

 
Arm & Hammer has graciously offered one of my readers their very own chance to try out each of these three products plus a little something extra as you can tell from the photo!

 
TO ENTER (leave a comment for each entry)
 
MANDATORY:  Must be done before any other additional entries.  Leave a comment telling me the worst stain your child ever made and on what.
 
Extra Entries:  Leave a comment for each one.
* follow my blog via Google Friend Connect
* follow me @zeemaid on twitter
* retweet this giveaway.  You can use the button at the top of the page. May be done once per day!
 

Contest open to Canadians only, ENDS Oct 25, 2010.

 
*Disclosure.  The only compensation received in return for my review was the product upon which to base my review.  All opinions declared herein are the honest and true opinions of Zeemaid of In the Mommy Trenches.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

With the Canadian Thanksgiving looming this weekend, I have been busy trying to get my house in order for company and figuring out how I'm going to get everything accomplished that I want to.  Like any aspiring hostess, I want to not just satisfy my guests but dazzle them a little with my culinary skills and leave them begging for more.

So on top of everything I have to pre-prepare this weekend, I added homemade cranberry sauce.  I'm not a fan of it myself but my husband and FIL are and you know how to keep the men happy?  Feed em, Feed em and Feed em some more. ;)   This sauce was incredibly easy and takes next to no time at all to prepare.

Basic Cranberry Sauce

8 oz cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water



Make sure you pick over the cranberries carefully. Use only the ripest or reddest berries and remove anything that looks yucky so you don't add in any nasty or odd flavours to your sauce.

Add sugar and water in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add cranberries and reduce to low heat and simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries pop.  And I do mean pop.  You will hear them literally popping in the pot.  I made sure all of mine were popped and good and soft.

Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature before placing in the fridge.  The sauce will set as it chills. 

I'd definitely make this the day before to give it plenty of time to set.  Also, for variety you can add orange zest while cooking to give it some zing and I understand many people also add walnuts or pecans to the sauce.  Also, you just serve it as it is or puree the sauce for a more smoother sauce.

I have to say it smells absolutely fantastic and I will definitely be trying this with my turkey this year.



Ps.  My reluctance to eat cranberry sauce could stem from my own youthful memories. My mother, not a fan it either, would grudgingly serve it by dumping a can of it into a dish and placing it on the table where it sat with canned rings and all adorning it. She didn't so much as mash it into the bowl. Nothing looks so unappetizing as seeing a jellied mound of red stuff with can rings.  Yummm.

Added Sunday, October 10 2010  - We had our turkey dinner last night and the cranberry sauce was a hit.  My FIL knew immediately that it was fresh sauce and everyone raved about it.  Our friends said that they tolerated the canned sauce but this was something else.  So there you go.  Once again, fresh beats out canned!

Do You Believe in Name Brands?

I'm talking Grocery Name Brands.  We've all grown up with specific brands of food items and we continue to buy those same name items simply because of that.   Robin Hood Flour, Kraft Dinner, Kelloggs, Delta Rice, Hershey etc.  I bet you could pull two names right off the top of your head that brings back not only child hood memories but you also buy today to recreate those memories for your own children.

Somewhere down the line we've absorbed the belief that name brands are better and no name knock-offs are just not the same.  But is it really true?  I mean it's pretty hard to buy that bag of Robin Hood Flour when the no name brand is sitting right next to it at almost a dollar less.  Which would you buy?  I bought Robin Hood because it's familiar and I know it's good quality.  For years, I have stuck to my guns on certain name brands but when you are feeding a family of five, it's tough to stay true. My eyes now automatically slide to the cheaper can next to it and more often than not I'm buying it.

So what have I learned in the process?  Are the name brand products really all that superior? 

Yes and No.

I know that doesn't really help but really it comes down to a product by product comparison.  Some products are better than others.  Take chocolate chips. I generally buy Hersheys but sometimes I get frustrated by how expensive it is for a little bag (Thankful they now sell jumbo bags) so I tried the much larger bag of no name chocolate chips and I have to tell you it was so bad, we still have chips sitting in the cupboard that I won't make cookies with.  I don't know why I don't just throw it away.  So I've learned you can't mess with chocolate.  Quality of ingredients is very important or you just might find yourself buying "chocolate flavored" products like they now sell in Advent Calendars and Easter Bunnies.  Gross.

Other items, I swear it's the same company just repackaging the same product in a cheaper package so as to target us cheapos er thrifty people.  Safeway corn or Green Giant corn?  Uncle Ben or the knock off Uncle Paul rice?  Pretty much tasted the same to me. 

However, when I tried to switch to the bulk bag of fruit loops vs Kelloggs.  That didn't go so well.  While the ingredient list seemed the same and it had the same amount of Iron as it's more expensive sistah, they definitely were a poor quality turning into a big soggy mess in five seconds.  I definitely could not pour the milk until the child was at the table or they'd refuse to eat it. 

No Name Macaroni and Cheese? Blech.  It just doesn't taste the same something even the kids noticed and they wouldn't eat it.  Not that we eat much of this but I do like to have it now and then.

We don't have all the big box stores like they do in the US or the bigger cities in Canad so unfortunately, I have to really be aware of the sales going on at my local stores and shop as smart as I can.  Which, when you are lazy busy is hard to do.

What about you?  Have you tried no named brand?  What is the one brand you would always stick with no matter what the price?


Do you look for grocery coupons by brand?

Family Photos

I think I might be a little old fashioned in my decor choices and I often wonder what one of those designers off of HGTV would say when they saw my china cabinet full of tea cups, mother and child plate collection and my mantle covered with photos. 

When we were trying to sell our house I had to put my photos and other knick knacks away and away they've stayed for 3 (THREE) whole years.  When we moved to the new house, I ended up not unpacking those boxes because there didn't seem much point since we were planning on painting. 

Today was the day that box finally got unpacked and my mantle was graced once again with lovely photos of my family.  Until today I had almost forgotten what was missing from my home and I can't tell you how pleasing it was to walk into the front room and see those photos on display.  It may be out of style or old fashioned to have those types of photos and decorations out but to me, it really makes my home seem a home.

It's sad to think that my children had forgotten the pretty frames and photos that mommy used to have out.  O was a newborn when the photos first went away and J was only 17 months.  Sad also to think that I had not a single framed photo of my O because that's how long the box had been packed away and how long since we were able to put photos out.  Believe me, he noticed immediately that there were no photos of him.  I assured him that I had photos, I just had to find them.  Thank goodness I have a digital photo frame full of baby O photos. 

It was worth the extra work today when the girls came home and were oohing and awing over the photos and hubs agreed that we had just made one more step towards making this house our home. 

Do you think it's weird that I'd still have my wedding photos out?  I mean it has been 11 years.  I can't recall my mother ever having wedding photos on display.  What do you think?

By the way, that's my husband with his folks and then me with my dad and my mom.  No, they are not divorced.  I couldn't find one decent photo of the three of us like K and his parents so I just put out my favourites.

Multi-Tasking = Multi-Disaster

I've been a tad busy this week.  Oh I've got the usual mom stuff taking care of the house, making lunches, getting kids off to school.  It's when you throw in two after school activities on top of trying to paint my living room all while trying to keep up with posts and hosting a couple of giveaways on my site that things start to go wrong. 

Day one of painting on my home was wonderful.  It felt so good that I actually painted a whole wall by myself.  So the cutting in didn't blend in with the rolling but that's what second coats were for.  This is something I did sans help and/or without someone standing over me telling me how to do it better.  IE Father in law.  Last time he intimidated me so much, I gave up trying and just let hubby do it.  My FIL was a professional painter so to say he's picky is an understatement.

I digress.  Day two was somewhat trickier.  I had to take O downtown to preschool, meet up with a friend for tea, scope out a light shop and make it back in time to pick up O before heading home.  I might mention here that our city is currently under siege.... to construction.  It seems every major route in our town is getting upgrades and has been for months and it doesn't seem like it will ever end.  Some days it's not so bad and other days if you go so much as one street too far.. you're well screwed. 

I also desperately wanted to get another day of painting as my husband has informed me that if I paint every day there was no need to clean out my brush and roller. (so long as I wrap in plastic in between etc).  What a prime example of my laziness right?  Only E had jazz after school and so I needed to get home and get the wall done prior to picking the girls up from school at 2:30.  This gave me two hours to do everything on top of feeding O lunch.  No problem I thought.  After all the paint job went so well the day before. 

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong.  It meant I was rushing and when you rush you make mistakes.  First, I had a hard time cutting in without getting paint on the trim or ceiling and once when I was two vigorous with the roller I hit the ceiling and we've got that textured ceiling style that's so popular in Canada.  If you wipe it the texture dissovles leaving a smeared discoloured blob.  I just barely got the wall done when it was time to slip on my shoes and run out the door to get the girls when O put his hand right into the wet paint.  Apparently you can't open the door without a little wall support too.  Sigh.  I refrained just barely from swearing and marched him over to wash his hands before leaving.  His hand print is still there.  I was bummed because I so much wanted my husband to come home and say WOW, what an awesome job. Not... it looks good dear but I'll do the cutting in for you next time.  ;)

In the middle of all this my house is a disaster.  I have taken to closing my blinds before leaving the house in case someone stops by and rings my doorbell and peeks through the window.  The furniture is all askew, I've got paint cans and paint trays on my counter, screws, outlet covers, hammers all on my kitchen counter to keep little fingers from fiddling with.  Despite this,  I still found a screw sitting on my son's headboard. 

I figured the mess would be worth living with just so my house can get painted and I thought I was doing well keeping up with the basics like laundry until O ran out of jammies and then underwear.  Um borrow your sisters. Just pick out a nice non frou frou pattern. Fortunately, he's only three so he doesn't really care. So I madly rushed to throw his laundry in this morning before taking him to preschool.  I get home to switch over his clothes only to find........ (dramatic drumroll please)  an exploded pull up in the wash.  That's right.  In my haste, I had not noticed that he had tossed a pull up in his laundry basket.  Most likely it was still in the legs of his pajama bottoms.   I've been literally trying not to gag every time I accidently touch that mushy gel stuff.  Would you believe it went through the entire wash cycle and it still looks yellow?  Yup. 

Add to all this a Meet the Teacher night, choir practice for E and getting good solid nutritious meals on the table every night.   

Okay, so no real major disasters (apart from the exploded pullup) actually have happened.  Just a lot of minor frustrations and mistakes that can easily be fixed. Still I know I piled too much on my plate this week when one of the moms approached me and asked me if I was okay. Apparently I had seemed "off" at E's dance class and they were concerned.  Which when you're trying to make new friends and hopefully arrange playdates for your kids with these mom's kids... you don't exactly want to come off as a grump. 

I do not know how you really active moms do it all.  All I could think all week was how much I wanted to sit down and read on my Kobo.  Do you find you take on too much in a week?  How do you say no?
Any tips on getting my washing machine clean from the pull up disaster would sure help!