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Help Your Child Build Confidence for Life at Muskoka Woods Summer Camp #MuskokaWoods2013

April 29, 2013 by Kathryn 12 Comments

I still remember that moment when my mom dropped me off at overnight camp for the very first time. I was an outgoing and adventurous child, but attending camp was going to be my first time sleeping away from my family with children I had never met and I couldn’t help feeling a little nervous and lonely as my mom drove away.

But before I knew it, I was completely captivated by all the fun activities at overnight camp. I made lots of new friends, had a great time eating in the large dining hall and learned some of the silliest songs I had ever heard sitting around the campfire at night. Since I was quite young, we didn’t participate in activities such as archery or canoeing. But that didn’t mean that we didn’t have lots of fun! Nature hikes, arts and crafts, swimming and sports filled my days.

roasting marshmallow over fire [Read more...]

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Celebrate Earth Day with Eco-Friendly GE Lighting Bright from the Start CFL Bulbs

April 22, 2013 by Kathryn 8 Comments

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It’s Earth Day and there’s no better time of the year to make changes to your life and your household that will help protect the environment for future generations! This year, GE Lighting wants to help you “see the light” when it comes to making your household more eco-friendly. And the best part is that making earth-conscious choices for your household can often result in lower utility bills too!

GE Lighting Bright from the Start energy smart CFL bulbs are the perfect example of how a small change can make a big difference when it comes to minimizing your environmental impact. The bulbs contain a halogen capsule that provides instant brightness on 15 and 20 Watt bulbs and offer an incandescent-like light with CFL savings. In fact, one bulb can last up to 7.3 years, saving $39 in energy over the life of the bulb!

The best part is that the new GE Lighting Bright from the Start bulbs look like regular bulbs and are designed to give off a softer, more diffuse light than traditional CFL bulbs. Finally, you can see your home in its best light and still save money and energy! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: bright, bright from the start, cfl, cfl bulbs, day, earth, earth day, eco-friendly, efficient, energy, energy efficient, ge energy smart, ge lighting, green, lightbulb, lighting, save, save money, smart, start

Share Your Dream Destination and Enter to Win the Sobeys Tastes of the World Pin-a-thon

April 9, 2013 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

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I’ve done a lot of travelling in my life so far and I hope to do a lot more in the future. Visiting another country is more than just a chance to get away from everyday routines; it’s a chance to immerse yourself in the ways of a culture that’s completely different from your own.

Taking off on a European vacation may not be in everyone’s budget, but there are ways to experience some of the aspects of another culture from the comfort of your own home and one of the best ways to do that is through food! Whipping up a Thai Chicken wrap or indulging in a Limoncello Blackberry Trifle is a great way to introduce a touch of exotic fun to your day.

Earth’s Best is Giving Your Child the Chance to Be the Next #BabyFoodie

March 20, 2013 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

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We all love showing off our precious little ones, and is there any better time to do that than at mealtime? After all, babies are always at their cutest when they’re at their messiest! That’s why Earth’s Best created the #BabyFoodie competition on Instagram! The steps to compete are simple:

earth's best babyfoodie [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: baby, babyfoodie, best, earth's, earth's best, foodie, instagram, organic

Earth’s Best Organic Introduces the New Earth’s Best Rewards Program

February 28, 2013 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

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As an Earth’s Best Blogger, I get to share the latest news from Earth’s Best as well as trying the newest products. And this month, Earth’s Best is proud to announce the Earth’s Best Awards Program! With this new loyalty program, you can earn points from your Earth’s Best purchases and redeem them for great discounts and prizes. The Earth’s Best Rewards program is the company’s way of saying thank you for raising your little one as part of generation pure.

earth's best rewards logo

Using your home computer, smartphone, or other mobile device, sign up for the program at earthsbestrewards.com. After you create your Earth’s Best profile, earning points is easy. Just check in when at your local Earth’s Best retailer, purchase Earth’s Best products, and enter the UPC codes on the site within 48 hours after you return home. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: baby, baby food, best, earth's, earth's best, food, infant, organic, organic food, program, reward program, rewards

How Would You Spend the $50,000 Royale #GoldenKitten Grand Prize?

February 9, 2013 by Kathryn

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There’s nothing I love more than daydreaming about the things I would do with a sudden windfall of money. Whether I’m spending millions in imaginary lottery winnings or a smaller imaginary raffle prize, it’s always fun to plan out how I’d use the money if I won, so that “I’m ready just in case.” And right now, Royale is asking Canadians what they would do if they had $50,000 to spend!

Now while I love daydreaming, the truth is that I’m incredibly practical when it comes to money. So while I would be thrilled to come into such a large amount of money, I wouldn’t be running to the mall with it! Instead, my first priority would be on securing my family’s future by paying down our mortgage. A $20,000 payment would make a huge dent in the total amount of the mortgage and would mean paying it off a decade earlier.

Support Causes in Your Community with the Aviva Community Fund

January 2, 2013 by Kathryn

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This post brought to you by Aviva Community Fund. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love causes that support community initiatives. While there are many amazing national charities doing great work, I feel that remembering the smaller local causes is just as important. That’s one of the reasons that I’ve always been a huge fan of the Aviva Community Fund. This program is designed to support the local causes that are important to Canadians and by voting for ideas in your community, your favourite cause could get the funding it needs to become a reality!

The process is simple. After a quick registration process, you simply choose the ideas that are important to you and click the “Vote Now” button on your favourite ideas. You can cast up to fifteen votes during each of the initial qualifying rounds of the program and another fifteen votes during the semi-finals.

You can vote for an idea once a day and can support as many ideas as you like with the votes you have, so make sure you’re choosing the causes you really are passionate about! And to make voting even easier, you can now vote directly through the Facebook voting app on the Aviva Facebok Page too! And don't forget to Like Aviva Community Fund on Facebook and Follow @Aviva to learn about the newest submissions!

The reason I find this charitable initiative so fantastic is that it allows any worthy organization to present an idea that could benefit their community and with the support of friends and family, those ideas just may come to fruition! So check out the nominated projects for yourself and vote for your favourite idea submitted to the Aviva Community Fund. Just imagine how great it would feel to see one of these worthy ideas become a reality thanks to your help!

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: aviva, aviva community fund, causes, charity, community, community causes, fund, initiative, votes, voting

KitchenAid Invites You to Support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and Cook for the Cure this Holiday Season

December 20, 2012 by Kathryn

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Christmas is a season of reconnecting with friends and family and visiting loved ones, but Christmas is also a season of giving and Cook for the Cure presented by KitchenAid has a brilliant way of combining those two concepts to help raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. This innovative organization has been encouraging women to turn that ordinary dinner event or cocktail party into a Cook for the Cure party to help raise money for this worthy cause.

So how does it work? Simply let your guests know that instead of hosting that traditional annual Christmas Eve cocktail party or New Year’s bash, you’ll be having a Cook for the Cure party instead! It could be a regular casual gathering or you can get fancy and create a fun theme for your party to raise awareness and funds at the same time!

Recently I was invited to check out the Cook for the Cure website so I could see for myself exactly what was involved in hosting a Cook for the Cure party. It all starts with a quick and easy registration on the website. Not only does this provide a wealth of information for party planners, it also lets guests donate online if they prefer!

I loved the fact that the site gave me so many amazing tips for planning my own Cook for the Cure party. From recipes to party tips to photos of parties hosted by other women, there was plenty of inspiration available! I especially appreciated the tips on how to graciously request donations from guests. This is one of the things that I have a hard time doing, and the idea of requesting a donation in lieu of a hostess gift was an especially ingenious one to me. After all, having money go towards a worthy cause makes much more sense than getting another muffin tin or candleholder. [Read more...]