End of #2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE EVERYONE!!!

Have fun and stay safe!!!

#newyearseve #nye #2016 #nye2016 #happynewyear #lotsoflove #staysafe #safecelebrations #celebrate #celebration

Art easel

This is a great easel! I wish it was a little easier to put together, it was a bit frustrating at times because some steps could have been explained better and in slightly different order (ie they show you how to put the board on, but the recommended height for age doesn't come until after - so we had to re-do the screws because of that). The overall quality is however good and my almost 23month old daughter loves it - she is able to use the chalkboard, the dry erase board, and I did purchase some paper as well. The easel does NOT come with a roll of paper, just fyi.

You can purchase yours here - I did too! :)

#easel #melissaanddoug #Melissa&Doug #art #kids #Christmas #christmasgift #giftformykid #child #childrensart #supportart #drawing #draw #fun #insidefun #winterfun #letsplay

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

It's while Christmas where I am which is really nice - it did not happen in a few years! :) The roads were a mess since it started snowing, but everything looks sooooo beautiful!

#merrychristmas #happyholidays #whitechristmas #Christmas #joy #familytime

Orville Caramel & White Cheddar popcorn

Ok this thing is seriously addictive!!! So so so yummy. Combines two of my favourite things, cheese and caramel. You seriously cannot go wrong :) It took hubby and me minutes to basically inhale the entire bag. I meant to take a pic beforehand but forgot so this is a pic from minutes after opening the bag :) Now I wish the bag was bigger but then if it was, so would be my waistline so all is good. Super excited about this product, will be most certainly buying again. It's not the cheapest snack but the taste makes up for it for sure...and better snack on popcorn than chips. Love it love it love it!

#orvillecwc @influensterca @orvillecanada #popcorn #snack #yummy #yummysnack


Got this product complimentary for testing purposes but these opinions are my own!

I hate spam!!!

So, I keep getting contacted by someone from this address: eugenemi1949@outlook.com

This is the text:

Dear Dana Duncan, I would start by saying thanks for your response. How is your family doing? I hope okay. My proposal is very important to me so please I want you to take the content of this mail very serious. All I want is an honest business transaction between us. First of all, I will start by introducing myself. My name is Eugene Miksch; I am a citizen of United States. I am currently working with Bank of America. I have been working here for 21 years now, and I have a good working record with my bank. 

I am also the personal accountant to Engineer (Stephen Duncan), a foreign contractor who has an investment account with my bank with a huge sum of money in it. My late client was a chemical consultant contractor with Royal Dutch Shell until his death in a fatal car accident while at France on sabbatical with his entire family. The accident unfortunately took the lives of the family members comprising of himself, his wife and two kids in the summer of 2007 may their soul rest in perfect peace. He banked with us here at Bank of America and had a very huge sum of money in his account which has still yet not been claimed by anybody as there was no living will in place when he died. The amount of money involved here is about $15,812,664 (Fifteen Million, Eight Hundred and Twelve Thousand six hundred and sixty-four US Dollars.) in account with indefinite interest. Since the death of my client; my bank and I have made several inquiries to his embassy to locate any of his extended family members or relatives but this has proven unsuccessful. I came to know about you in my search for a person who shares the same last name as my late client.

I employed the services of LinkedIn search solely for this purpose as I feel it would not have been the last wishes of my late client for his whole life work to be transferred to a government (Es cheat) he had always complained of their unfavourable public monetary policies, taxes and so on while he was alive. My bank has issued me several notices to provide the next of kin or the account risk been es cheat within the next 10 official working days. The last notice for claim came to my desk last week. I am contacting you to assist me in repatriating the funds left behind before they are declared un served by my bank. I am seeking your consent to present you as the next of kin of my late client since you share and bear the same last name. As such, the proceeds of the account can be paid to you as soon as you contact my bank and apply for the funds to be released to you as the next of kin. If we can be of one accord, I see no reason why we would not succeed. We both have to act swiftly on this matter in other to beat the deadline es cheat date. Please get back to me immediately for us to proceed.

I propose that upon successful completion of this deal, we will split the proceeds 50:50 ratios. I am after the success of this transaction with your full co-operation. All I require is your honesty and full co-operation to enable us see this cool deal go through. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you and me from breaching USA laws. I want to also inform you that I am a very religious person and I cannot tell a lie because of my strong believes; I would expect the same from you.  I will attach a copy of my international passport in my next mail for authenticity so we have equal ground to trust each other. If you are interested in my proposal I will send you more information directing, you on further procedure on how we can claim the money in the account successfully. If this proposal is alright by you then kindly get back to me. The content of this mail should be treated with utmost confidentiality and a quick response from you will be highly appreciated. However, if you are not interested in this proposal, please accept my apologies for sending you the message and kindly delete message, I promised that you will never hear from me. I anticipate your co-operation.

Thanks you for your time and do have a great day. 

Best regards,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMMMM NO!! First of all...this is waaaaay too obvious scam. Second of all....I already told you I am NOT Dana Duncan, so I have no idea why do you email me every few days.

So, I am trying new tactic as putting this email into spam folder did not work. I am sending the very same text back to this Eugene Miksch. Let's see who will last longer....First response was "Can we proceed?"

Is this scammer for real? LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

#spam #eugenemiksch #stop #notimpressed #bankofamerica #claim #claimspam #idontthinkso

Huggies Pull-ups

My almost two years old has been showing on and off interest in potty training. From creaming while sitting on the potty she eventually went to sit on the potty with her clothes on on her own, and eventually we removed the clothes as well. The pull up diapers are an awesome addition to the training process - she loves to take off her diaper but obviously with the regular diaper she is nowhere near being able to put it back on, while these pullups are basically like underwear so she can take the undies off and then pull them back on. I don't think the cooling effect has much impact on her but overall things are going well and the pull ups are definitely helping to keep our carpets kind of clean!

#pullups #huggies #diapers #pottytraining #potty #baby #influenster #gotitfreetotest


We tested Pull-Ups for free thanks to Influenster but all the opinions are personal opinions. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Activity tracker

This is an awesome heart rate monitor/activity tracker. It comes with a USB cable and three wristbands with different color each - black, yellow and blue. The description doesn't mention three bands so I did not expect that, what a nice surprise! The wristband is nicely narrow, I have tiny wrists so a lot of the common brand trackers look super bulky on me, unlike this one.

The tracker counts steps, heart rate beats per minute, sleep cycle and it also tells time. I don't think the sleep monitor is exact but then again so far none of the trackers I had was, so not a big deal.
The band has an app that is super easy to install.

The tracker should be compatible with Bluetooth 4.0; Android 4.4 and above or iOS 7.0 and above (iphone4s above) - I have an android so cannot speak to ios but I would expect it work just as smoothly - too many people out there use iPhones ;)

All in all, great device at a very reasonable price!

You can purchase yours here.

#activitytracker #hrmonitor #stepscounter #GOSUND #fitnessband #reasonablypriced #goodvalue #tracker #fitness #steps #fit

I have received sample unit to test and evaluate. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Baobites

I am sooo happy I got to try these thanks to SocialNature!

I got three packs at 10g each, one peach/mango, one pomegranate and one blood orange. Even though this is superfruit snack it basically tastes like super yummy candy!!!

The snacks are made of African Baobab fruit, they are rich in Vitamin C and electrolytes. I love that the snack is organic, non-GMO! The packaging also says gluten free but that's something I would expect from a fruit - I don't think there even is a fruit out there that has gluten?? The snack has no preservatives or fats. I love that the baobab fruit is ethically harvested, it will make me feel better about buying it for my kid. I absolutely loved all three flavors, I am still deciding on my favourite and have a really hard time picking one.

So, so, so, so yummy!!!

And despite these being soft chews, they don't get stuck in your teeth! Really awesome product, definitely plan on buying more, hopefully I will be able to convince he owner of my local health food store to carry these in the store!

#baobites #trynatural #florahealthy

US Election 2016....

Am I really surprised at the results of the US election? Sadly, not really.

As much as I love my US friends, let's face it - I'll generalize so apologies to those Americans who know better (which is all of my FB friends!) - USA is a country where even highly educated people think that Europe consists of Germany, Russia and Prince William. It's a country where average citizens often have no clue there is a country to the North of their border...and if they know, lots of them ...believe the people "up North" all live in igloos. Some have no clue where do Mexican illegal immigrants come from. 

It's a country where most people still believe in the "American dream", which is un-achievable to most no matter how hard they work. 

And....Trump promised them exactly that - the American dream. He did not say what does it mean or how would this be done, but may be that was the point? To promise something that means so many different things to so many different people? ...and eventually backtrack his words, as usual, to "I've never said that"...? 

Who knows. All we know is that the world as we know it ended, and all we can hope for is that he will turn out to be more polished and more reasonable than the crazy loose cannonball he has been throughout the whole election process. 

The entire world expects the worst from him...may be he'll surprise us in a good way? We can only hope....

#elections #2016 #Trump #Hillary #Clinton #Donald #USelections #vote

Drawer bin set

Ok these are seriously awesome. I have such a hard time to keep things organized in my drawers but these boxes help big time.
They come in a set of six - two large, two medium and two small, all folded. The medium and large bins have a flat piece that goes inside for a hard bottom, the small ones are put together by zipping the bottom up. Super easy! and extremely functional.
I immediately used one medium bin and one small in my daughter's top drawer - all of her socks go into the medium one (it's rectangular not square like the small and large) and her stockings go to the small one. And bam, all of a sudden that drawer does not look like a pile of mess. Love, love, love it. My next step will be to organize her long and short sleeve t-shirts into the large bins - both bins will fit in her larger drawer at once so it will be perfect!
The bins seem to be very sturdy and well made - I really can't find anything to criticize or anything that could fall apart.
Really impressed with this product, five stars out of five from me!

You can purchase yours here.

#drawerbins #box #bin #cleaning #organizing #organizedhouse #householdchores #chores #cleanhouse





I have received sample product to test and evaluate. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Adapter - converter

Pretty impressive little device. It's super lightweight, and it comes in a very handy storage pouch. The device itself can serve as an adapter and as a converter for things like a cellphone or a travel hairdryer - basically it will work with anything that doesn't work on super high watts. The device is good for 110-240V so will get you covered in most of the world.
Where-ever you are, you just press a "clip" on the side of the converter to eject the appropriate electrical plug that will fit into all different electrical outlets.
The only reason I am rating four out of five is because I found it quite challenging to retract the plug back into the device. It should be a little hard so that it doesn't retract when you are trying to actually plug the adapter in, but I have to admit I struggled a bit. I am sure I will get a hang of it over time!
So far I have not fully tried the converter, just the adapter, so will update once I get to travel again and once I try the actual converter for something that doesn't have a cord that handles 110-240V.
All in all, great device, will be travelling with me everywhere. Did I stress enough how lightweight and compact this thing is? :)

Purchase yours here.

#adapter #converter #travel #travelgadgets #electrical



I have received sample product for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Kitchen tongs

Great kitchen tongs. You get two pairs in the box, one small and one larger - 9 inch and 12 inch to be exact (not as huge as some of the outdoor bbq tongs could be).
The part that touches food is made of food grade silicone so perfectly safe for handling food. The part on the handles makes for a great grip, the tongs won't slip out of your hands even when your hands are wet.
I also like the color of the silicone parts - it's beautiful red.
All in all, at this point five stars from me. I am still yet to discover any flaws, there tongs are very similar to a large outdoor bbq pair that I have had for years, but this product is a lot more affordable.

Purchase yours here.

#kitchen #gadgets #kitchentongs #tongs #bbq #cooking #funutensils #utensils



I have received sample product for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Olympic Natural Yogurt

This is absolutely wonderful yogurt. I love how creamy it is, I love that it is made locally, and I love the taste!!! You seriously cannot go wrong! Knowing there is no gelatin or preservatives makes it that much better - I know the site also says no gluten, but in reality, I am not sure how would gluten get in??? (unless it's a yoghurt with added granola etc., it should always be gluten free!).

I just wish it was a bit cheaper, I do get sometimes you have to pay for great quality, but with the amount of yoghurt my family eats, I sadly cannot afford to only buy Olympic - I truly wish it was the case though because it is our favourite!!!

I really want to give a five star rating but due to the pricing I am giving four. If you don't need to watch every penny, read this as five :)


#OlympicDairyProud     

http://crowdsocial.ca/crowdsocial-product-reviews?product=olympic_natural

Disclosure - I have gotten a discount coupon from crowdsocial to test and evaluate this product. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Playhouse

This is so so so awesome!!! I am yet to buy balls for the ball pit but I can already say this is such an awesome play structure for the indoors - the description says indoors outdoors but I will keep mine indoors not to get it too dirty haha. The entire play structure consists of three parts - the ball pit, the tent, and the tunnel. The tunnel has a sheer part so nobody will freak out when they get in, they'll always see what's outside of the tunnel :)
All three pieces fold easily into a carry bag which is provided. The product itself really doesn't have huge smell to it, it first smelled like a brand new polyester toy when I took it out of the carry bag but the smell faded within matter of a few minutes. No smell at this point.
The fabric is sturdy and won't tear easily. The seams are soft and the pieces holding structure are not sticking out anywhere. The pieces can be tied together if you want to make sure they keep together when more kids play at once and it's a rougher play.

You can purchase yours here.

#playhouse #playtent #tent #playstructure #Suidcsui

I have received sample product for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed. I have to add I have not been THIS impressed with a product in a while, my little one is super excited about it and so am I! Now I just need to buy a big bag of balls to make it even more fun!

Umbrella

This is a pretty neat umbrella. I love that it is collapsible and so easy to use. There is a button on the handle that you press and the umbrella opens up. You press it again and it collapses, and then you just push the metal rod in. The umbrella is a great size and it comes across as quite sturdy. The umbrella is supposed to be made windproof, so will update accordingly if I find that it lacks in this area - it did rain today but the wind was not as strong as usual so cannot rate the wind performance just yet. It did keep me dry though :) The handle is from a non-slip material and did not slip out of my hand even when my hand was a little wet which I was pretty impressed by.

Rating four stars out of five because I was selfishly hoping the umbrella would be a little lighter than it in fact is - I have had a couple of umbrellas in the past that were lighter, and one performed quite well in the wind, so I was hoping this one might be a good replacement but despite the size I still find this umbrella a little heavy - which is acceptable on days when it's guaranteed to rain, but I wouldn't keep it in my purse just in case.

All in all it is a great product!

You can order yours here.






I have received sample product to test and evaluate. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Organic matcha tea

How can someone live without tea....??? Seriously. That's something I'll never understand. I can go without coffee, but I love my tea!. I have grown up drinking tea for breakfast - as a small kid, I used to put a sugar cube in, by the age of 10 I did not want anything to hinder the taste of tea anymore. Eventually I discovered green tea, rooibos, and any other tea I could get my hands on.
It was not until a few years ago that I discovered Matcha....and I have been hooked ever since. Matcha is almost like green tea on steroids :) Matcha Green Tea Powder has an Amino Acid called L-Theanine, which enhances energy, mental clarity and focus, but without the jitters a coffee can give you. At first I was so unsure about the powder but I got over that fear rather quickly.
Matcha is rich in antioxidants and helps you stay healthy if you drink it on a daily basis. I love that this particular product is 100% pure organic. No bad stuff added, it's as pure as it can be! Matcha is naturally gluten free and vegan.
A little disclosure, I don't drink Matcha for weight loss so I am unsure if it works that way or not. I just love drinking tea and I do love that it has so many antioxidants. It simply makes me feel good.
If you are not used to drinking tea, starting with Matcha might be a bit of an overkill. On its own, Matcha tastes a bit bitter. But there is a solution to this - this powder is awesome to add to fruit smoothies or shakes, or you can make it as a latte - if you still feel like the latte is too bitter, you can add a bit of honey or agave to sweeten it. And you can even add this powder to your baking - muffins with Matcha are super yummy!
This particular Matcha comes in a ziplock bag which helps to keep it fresh for a long time.

Give Matcha a chance, you won't regret! :)

#Matcha #tea #organic

You can purchase yours here :)

**I have gotten this product at a heavily discounted price in exchange for an unbiased review.**

Clairol

Thanks to @BzzAgent and @Clairolcolor, I got the opportunity to try the new Clairol Natural Instincts colour for free.

It came nicely packaged as packages from BzzAgent always do :) This was inside the box :)

I have coloured my hair a number of times already, so the whole coloring process was nothing new to me. I have some greys so I was a little curious about how will a wash-out colour do with the greys! And all in all, it's ok! It did cover them upon coloring, but the colour started to wash out pewrry quickly and the greys started showing first.

The colour itself did not have a strong chemical smell, it was easy to apply and I did not use up an entire hot water tank when I was washing the colour out after waiting the estimated time so that was definitely a bonus :)

All in all, this is a good colour if you want to try something new and may be different from your usual colour - since it does wash out, you won't do full damage as you would with permanent colour! I am curious though if the colour will wash out completely - my experience even with the wash-out colours has so far been that traces of the colour do stay in my hair even after 40+ washes so let's see about Clairol!

Here are the main pros and cons:

+

wash-out color - if you are unsure the shade will work for you, you won't be stuck with this colour

the smell is not a harsh chemical smell

easy to apply

-
wash-out color - if you want to cover greys, not the best option
the hair feels super nice and soft after coloring


Disclaimer: I have received this color for free for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

#Clairolcolor #BzzAgent #Clairol #beauty

Top #500

For the first time ever, I am in the Top #500 Amazon Reviewers!!!

Reviewer ranking

#485

TOP 500 REVIEWER

Thank you everyone who ever gave me a vote - each and every good vote is greatly appreciate! Reviews do take time and effort so it's great to see the appreciation :)

Thank you!!!

#top500 #amazoncanadatop500 #amazoncanada #amazonca #feelingaccomplished #proudreviewer

Majestic Home Goods Baby Pink Chevron Small Bean Bag

Great bean bag! Vibrant colors and it is nicely filled!
I was a little naïve and thought the bean bag would be a little softer but I think the softening will happen with use - my daughter normally adores bean bags because they are so soft that she can "dive" in them, which has not been fully possible with this one just yet but I am hoping the more we use it the softer it becomes :)
It's a shame these bean bags are so pricey, I'd love to get more but it will have to wait for when I am out of debt!

You can purchase yours here.

#beanbag #home #babybeanbag #pinkbeanbag #beanbagfun #moneywellspent

Kids watch

This watch could not be more adorable. It comes in a nice gift box, wrapped around a tiny pillow inside the box. The watch itself is bright pink, and has dinosaurs on the watch as well as the band. The band is made of soft plastic and has a nice buckle that is easy to use. It came with one extra battery which is awesome. The description says the watch is waterproof, I cannot attest to that just yet, but with how it's made I would definitely expect it to be at least water resistant. It's super light so it won't weigh your kid's hand down, it's super comfortable to wear. I am totally in love with the bright colors and with the cue dinosaurs that are on the watch. Great present for a kid that's hoping to have their first watch.
Another thing I love, it is a traditional watch which makes the kids think, it's not digital. I have a huge preference for traditional watch and want my daughter to be able to read a traditional watch (dial) rather than relying on the digital time.
Five stars out of five.

You can purchase yours here.

#watch #kidwatch #dragon #accessories #pretty #pinkwatch #macoon



I have received sample product at no cost for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Lunch bag

What a great lunch bag. Finally a lunch bag that actually fits my stuff! I use glass containers for my food as at work we don't have plates etc and I don't like heating up my food in plastic tupperware - it's just not healthy! So I carry my food in glass containers and/or jars, and I carry snacks as well. I damaged a couple of lunch bags because they were simply too small and I was overfilling them and that in return broke the zipper or the lining (or both) in the lunch bag. This lunch bag is a lot bigger than my usual bag, so it fits all that I need perfectly! It's insulated so it keeps my food cool until I am ready to reheat it. It comes with a shoulder strap that is detachable, and the bag itself has a nice sturdy handle on top. There are also mesh pockets on the side for smaller items that don't need to be in the insulated part.
The materials this lunch bag is made of are quite sturdy so I am excited to finally have a lunch bag that will last! Strongly recommend, high quality product.

You can purchase yours here.

#lunchbag #insulatedbag #lunch #cooler




I have received a sample product at a discount to test and evaluate. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed. 

Sluban Airport Express Delivery Car -75 Pieces (Brand New in Original English Box) 100% LEGO Compatible - Educational Toy - Building Blocks (M38-B0359)

Cute toy! Since I was a kid I have always loved anything similar to Lego (and Lego itself of course). This toy is a 75 piece car. It comes with clear instructions and it's not overly complicated to assemble. The car is about six inches by three. The plastic pieces are of good quality (ABS plastic) with no scratches or poorly made pieces, I could not find anything faulty :) There is also a mini figure included in the set.
The set really is as shown and as described! Five stars out of five. You get a toy comparable to Lego at a much lower pricetag. Strongly recommend.

#legolike #sluban #toy 



Purchase yours here. 


I have received sample product for free or at a discount for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Muslin swaddle blankets

These #ziggybaby muslin blankets are absolutely gorgeous! If you have are expecting, have a little one or need to figure out a baby shower gift for someone else, I strongly recommend you get these blankets!
They are beautiful, they are awesome for both genders, they are so incredibly soft!! They are super light and breathable. 100% cotton. This is a pack of three and each blanket has a different design. All the designs are grey and super pretty. I also love the size 48x48! That's bigger than most on the market and big enough to use not only as a swaddle blanket but as a regular blanket when the baby is a bit bigger. I absolutely love these.

Such good quality and so pretty.

A must have for every baby out there! :)

Purchase yours here.

#ziggybaby #muslinblankets #swaddle #baby #babygear #pretty #unisex






I have received sample product for free or at a discount for testing and evaluation. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.

Jump Rope

This is a great addition to my home gym. The jump rope is basically a wire cable with handle, and the length of the wire can be easily adjusted on both ends so that you can make the jump rope perfectly weighted. It comes in a cute little carry bag which makes it super easy to take the jump rope anywhere. I was surprised how light-weight it actually is, it barely weights anything yet you can get an awesome workout out of it. The handles are skinny and you can get a nice grip on them. They are plastic, so far I did not have any issue with them slipping when my hands get sweaty but was curious about that, I have a friend who's hands sweat excessively so he tends to prefer rubber handles which tend to slip less, but personally I had no issues with the plastic. And one awesome thing about the jump rope being basically a wire cable - it does not tangle easily! And it's super easy to fold into the little carry bag.
I get easily bored on an elliptical so I love that now I have an alternative for my cardio. Yay!

You can get yours here :)



#jumprope #fitness #gym #homegym #exercise



I have received sample product for free or at a discount to test and evaluate. Positive review was not required nor guaranteed.