Upper Canada Soap Celebrates the Naturally Signature Collection with The Awesome Canadian Woman-Review and Giveaway

I am proud to be a Canadian woman for so many reasons. I believe I live in one of the greatest countries in the world and I love sharing information about our wonderful nation with others that I meet. So when Upper Canada Soap, a company that has provided Canadian women with the best all-natural bath and body products since 1969, contacted me to tell me about their brand new The Awesome Canadian Woman video, I couldn’t wait to check it out.

This new ad campaign is an adorably cheeky look at the ultimate Canadian woman. Whether she’s swinging an axe or sipping champagne, you know she’s in her element! And with a little help from Upper Canada Soap’s Naturally Signature Collection, she’ll be looking and feeling her best the entire time! Check out the video below; it really is pretty cute:

I received a gorgeous gift basket containing the entire Upper Canada Soap Naturally Signature Collection to review and I have to admit, I was feeling like an awesome Canadian woman myself with such decadent bath and body products! The entire product line boasts a Golden Maple Sugar scent that is just dreamy. It doesn’t have a strong smell of maple sugar but the scent definitely had that addictive hint of maple to it and reminded me of a sweet maple cookie.

The basket contained body wash, bar soap, hand and body lotion, whipped hand repair balm, lip balm and bubble bath. To my delight, the lip balm had the genuine smell of real maple sugar and it smelled so amazing that I was almost tempted to take a bite out of it! All the products were so nourishing and I couldn’t believe how soft my skin was after using the body wash in the shower.

My personal favourite product was definitely the whipped hand repair balm though. The whipped texture made the balm much easier to apply than a solid balm and it did such a great job of healing my dry hands. We haven’t had as much cold weather as we usually do here in Saskatchewan this winter, but my hands still suffer in the dry air and this balm was just what they needed to look and feel great!

upper canada soap naturally signature basket

Upper Canada Soap believes every Canadian woman is an Awesome Canadian Woman, and so they are offering three lucky readers the chance to win their own Naturally Signature Collection gift basket, an $85 value, for themselves! To enter, just share The Awesome Canadian Woman video by clicking any one of the share buttons (Facebook, Twitter or Google+) on the YouTube video to spread the message of awesomeness to other amazing women!

I loved this decadent collection and I especially loved the fact that, like all products from Upper Canada Soap, the line contains only natural ingredients and is completely free of harsh chemicals and preservatives. It’s even made right here in Canada! If you want bath and body products that will nourish your body and your soul, the Naturally Signature Collection from Upper Canada Soap is a great choice for you. After all, us awesome Canadian woman deserve the very best!

Buy It: To purchase any of the great products in the Naturally Signature Collection from Upper Canada Soap, check the website for a retailer near you or shop online now

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Katie M. Berggren-Painting Intimate Moments of Motherhood-Review and Giveaway

I’ve seen a lot of different products in the last two years of blogging and so it’s pretty rare for me to find something that both touches my heart and blows me away with its brilliance all at once. But that’s exactly what the paintings from artist Katie M. Berggren did to me and I knew right away that I had to have one.

These painting are simply stunning; there’s no other way to describe them. Katie is hailed as the #1 motherhood artist in America and her artwork features gorgeous depictions of parents and children that almost seem to radiate love and energy. I was thrilled when I was given the chance to review an archival print of one of her paintings for myself.

katie m berggren happy hour print

While Katie M. Berggren has a huge collection of gorgeous paintings, I knew immediately which one I wanted to review. Happy Hour took my breath away from the first moment I saw it and I couldn’t imagine a picture that better represented my love for my boys.

I requested the 12” by 12” print and I was so happy to see how carefully it was packaged when it arrived. It came in a stiff mailer envelope and when I pulled it out I saw it had been placed in a clear plastic envelope with an acid-free cardboard backing to ensure that it reached me in mint condition. Even though I didn’t have the frame ready for it yet, I still had to pull it out right away and examine it close up.

The print looked even more vibrant and radiant in real life than it had looked on the website. I was so excited and decided to hang it up over the desk where I do my blogging to remind me of my boys and help keep me inspired.

The prints all come unframed and while I’m sure I could have found a suitable frame at a department store, I really wanted to do something special for this picture so I decided to have it professionally framed. I’m so glad I did; it makes this gorgeous print even more special to me! To enjoy all the newest artwork from Katie M.  Berggren, I highly recommend visiting her Facebook page or following @kmberggren on Twitter.

katie m berggren set of six 4x4 paintings

All of Katie M. Berggren’s prints are of archival quality so that the colours won’t fade over time, ensuring you’ll be able to enjoy your print for decades to come. I can’t imagine any mother not falling in love with this stunning artwork and if you’re craving one of your own, you’re in luck because Katie M. Berggren is offering THREE lucky Mommy Kat and Kids readers their choice of any one of her gorgeous 8×10 archival prints! But while you’re waiting to find out if you’re one of the lucky three, you have got to check out this collection of prints for mothers and families for yourself. You’ll be sure to find one that touches your heart and reminds you of just how wonderful being a parent truly is!

Buy It: To purchase any of the paintings, prints or other products featuring the work of Katie M. Berggren, shop online now

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Taylor Joelle Designs Baby Boutique-Review and Giveaway

taylor joelle cape shirtI love boutique kids’ clothing because it lets my boys have a style that’s all their own, and the gorgeous clothing from Taylor Joelle Designs fulfills my desire for originality perfectly. This great online baby boutique offers unique clothing and accessories for infants, toddlers and older children and I was thrilled when I got the chance to review one of their adorable shirts.

I received the Cape Shirt with Lighting Bolt in a size 3T to review. This shirt is absolutely ingenious. The bright lighting bolt decal really stood out on the jet-black shirt, and the removable black cape that attached with Velcro was the perfect finishing touch! Benjamin loved the shirt as soon as he saw it and I couldn’t wait for him to try it on!

Benjamin in Taylor Joelle Cape Shirt

My sweet boy showing off his Taylor Joelle Designs Cape Shirt!

The shirt looked wonderful on my son, but what I really liked was how soft and comfortable the shirt was. It was made of a rayon and polyester blend and it had a great smooth and stretchy feel. Benjamin, on the other hand, was much more fascinated by the lightning bolt and the cape. He had so much fun running around pretending to be a superhero with his Cape Shirt on!

Taylor Joelle also offers adorable choices for girls, including the too-cute Ruffle Romper, and great accessories like ties, leggings, hats, headbands and so much more! And all the pieces are so unique and are sure to make your baby or toddler stand out in a crowd!

taylor joelle ruffle romperFor the latest news from Taylor Joelle Designs, check out the Taylor Joelle Facebook page or follow @TaylorJoelleDes on Twitter. I am so in love with my son’s superhero-style Cape Shirt and he loves it too. He has so much fun running around with his big brother defeating “bad guys” and I have so much fun watching him! If you want clothes and accessories that are as unique as your kids, check out Taylor Joelle Designs for yourself. The gorgeous clothing choices will ensure that your prince or princess is the most stylish child in town!

Buy It: To purchase any of the great clothing from Taylor Joelle Designs, shop online now

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Pambra’s The Original Bra Liner-Review and Giveaway

If there’s one piece of apparel that I’ve always had an issue with, it’s my bra. I have a larger chest and finding a bra that looks good, feels good and offers proper support is no easy task! In fact, I often end up settling for a bra that nether looks nor feels good but that does offer proper support.

pambras bra linersAnd then summer comes, the sweating starts and even the most comfortable bra in the world isn’t very comfortable anymore! Thankfully, Pambra’s has a solution for me and other large-chested women!

Pambra’s is the creator of The Original Bra Liner and these ingenious breathable cotton liners looked like just what I needed. I recently got the chance to try out a package of Pambra’s liners for myself and I couldn’t wait to see how they worked!

I received a package of three white The Original Bra Liners in Large to review. The liners came in five different sizes to fit women with bra band sizes between 34 and 50 inches. The Large liner looked like it would fit in my 38DD bra just perfectly. The liners had a shape that reminded me of a hanger cover; the curved centre of the liner went under the centre of the bra to cushion against those uncomfortable underwires while the long strips on either side fit on the inner bottom half of the bra.

I used the liner inside a black lace bra that I really liked but that was incredibly itchy. I had actually been worrying that I wouldn’t be able to wear it anymore when Pambra’s liners came along! When I put the liner into the bra, I was surprised and pleased to see that the liner didn’t show. Since the liners were white and my bra was black, I was expecting it to be visible, but the liners are designed to fit completely inside the bra. All I had to do was fold down the centre portion of the liner slightly and nobody could ever have guessed that I had the liner inside my bra.

I was delighted with how much more comfortable the bra was once I had positioned a liner inside and I was glad to see that it didn’t’ shift around in the course of my day. Despite a very warm winter, I wasn’t really having issues with sweating just yet, but I could tell from the soft sponginess of the liner that it would be wonderful at absorbing moisture. And I was glad to see that the liners were machine washable and dryer-safe too!

While I’m sure that I’ll be glad to have the Pambra’s The Original Bra Liners when summer arrives, they are an item I’ll be using year-round to make my uncomfortable bras tolerable. If you’re looking for ways to deal with itchy undergarments or summer sweating, check out Pambra’s liners for yourself. These are an example of one of those simple and ingenious products that you’ll try once and then immediately wonder how you ever lived without it!

Buy It: Pambra’s The Original Liners are available at retailers across North America and online, so check the website for a retailer near you

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Book By You Personalized Novels-Review and Giveaway

If you have a book lover to shop for and you want to give them a gift that they’re sure to love, you have got to check out Book By You! This original website offers personalized books for adults, teens and kids. I can’t think of a more fun and surprising gift than a full-length novel starring that special someone and their friends!

book by you the adventures of robin hood coverI spent some time on the website to see what the books were like and I noticed almost at once that the site offered classic novels as one of its categories. I browsed through the available titles and was thrilled to see that I could star in so many of my favourite books, from Alice in Wonderland to Dracula. I decided to create a preview to see how the process worked.

I chose Robin Hood to create my preview and I was very impressed by how quick and easy the personalization process way. I simply entered the names I wanted to use along with some other details like hair and eye colour and then submitted the details to create my preview. It was so much fun to see how the story read when I was one of the main characters!

The full personalization process is even more specific and includes up to 26 unique characteristics of your choosing. You can even include a favourite pet in some stories!

Book By You novels are available in a variety of genres, from romance to mystery to fantasy, but my personal favourite category was definitely the classic books. I’m so excited to create a personalized novel for myself; I’m going to surprise my husband with one about him to see if it motivates him to do some reading!

And if you want to try creating one of these clever books for yourself, you’re in luck because one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader is going to win a gift certificate for a Books By You paperback novel (classic, teen, mystery or romance) of their choice! So why not check out these fun books for yourself, create a preview or two and see what you think? No matter which book you choose, a Book By You personalized novel is sure to be one of the most unique gifts you ever give!

Buy It: To create and purchase your own personalized novel, visit Book By You online today

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Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure DVD-Review and Giveaway

While most people have pink and red hearts on their minds today, Easter is just around the corner and Nickelodeon is celebrating with a brand new DVD release of the beloved Dora the Explorer series, Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure! Here’s a brief synopsis of the DVD:

dora the explorer dora's easter adventure box artDora and Boots are waiting for their friend, the Hip-Hop Bunny, to bring his basket filled with eggs and treats for their big egg hunt. Just as the Bunny arrives at the forest, Swiper swipes the basket and throws it far into the Rainbow Garden – where it’s headed for a waterfall! It’s Dora and Boots to the rescue as they join the Bunny on an Easter Day Adventure singing the Hip-Hop Bunny’s Easter song, going past the scratchy flowers at the Garden and racing down the Rainbow River on a giant rubber ducky to save the basket. Plus two more episodes and a bonus game!

The DVD featured three episodes; the Easter-themed title show and two shows about the Grumpy Old Troll and Troll Land. My boys really enjoyed the title episode; despite the fact they are enjoying some sweet Valentine’s treats today they are still eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Easter Bunny in a couple of months! They love coming home from church on Easter Sunday to discover that the Easter Bunny has been to our house and left fun surprises all around the house and yard. And watching Dora help the Hip-Hop Bunny had them eagerly looking forward to the upcoming holiday!

The DVD also had some exclusive special features including five Karaoke music videos and an interactive play mode game. For a limited time you can even receive a $3 coupon for the DVD when you visit NickelodeonDVDCoupon.com. The fun bonus content was a hit with my boys and helped make this one of their favourite DVDs. So if you’re tired of winter and ready to welcome spring, check out this fun DVD for yourself and have fun anticipating the upcoming season with Dora!

Buy It: Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure is available today, February 14, 2012, across North America so check your local DVD retailer or shop online now

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Zax’s Original Kid’s Bruise Cream-Review and Giveaway

Growing up in small town Saskatchewan, I lived a pretty wild and free childhood, complete with all the bumps, bruises and scrapes that come along with things like sledding, bike riding and exploring the tree-filled greenery of the Qu’Appelle Valley. And for the most part, my boys are enjoying the same type of rough-and-tumble childhood that I did. They are both incredibly high-energy kids and I love spending time running, jumping and playing with them.

Zax's Original Kid's Bruise CreamBut all that playtime means that my boys also tend to acquire their fair share of bumps, bruises and scrapes. Whether I’m dealing with Zackary’s skinned palms after a bike-riding mishap or Benjamin’s bumped knee after a stumble on uneven outdoor ground, our house has its fair share of minor injuries to treat!

Recently I was given the chance to test out a tube of Zax’s Original Kids Bruise Cream and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect product for our household. This natural cream uses traditional herbs to help relieve pain and speed the healing of bruises. Only another mom of highly active kids will be able to understand how excited I was to try out this cream!

The cream’s active ingredient is Arnica and when I rubbed the cream on a bruise on my leg to see what it was like, I noticed that the cream seemed to get warm as I rubbed it in. I found the warmth to be quite soothing so I looked forward to seeing how the kids would like it.

And in the next few weeks, I got ample opportunities to test it out! First Zackary rolled off the couch while doing a headstand and bonked his leg. Then his friend Jossy was hit in the arm by a Hot Wheels car during a rather exuberant race. Finally, to top it off, Benjamin tripped and bonked his head into the door as he fell forward.

All the bumps and bonks got a dab of Zax’s Original Kid’s Bruise Cream and all the kids just loved it. While Zack’s friend Jossy initially said that it felt hot, she soon decided that she liked it and wanted some more! And I noticed a difference in the speed of healing almost immediately. The bruise on Zackary’s leg was gone within a few days. And to my amazement, Benjamin’s forehead never developed a bruise at all!

I found the cream worked best if it was applied right away so I made sure to keep it in the kitchen where I could grab it at a moment’s notice. I really didn’t see the same speedy healing when I applied it to existing bruises like the ones Zackary brought home from school. But when one of my boys had a mishap in the house, I made sure that I gently massaged a dollop of Zax’s Original Kid’s Bruise Cream onto the bump first thing and the results were always impressive.

Childhood is usually filled with hard knocks but in my opinion, that’s just part of growing up and having fun! I’d rather deal with the occasional bruise than have my boys sitting and staring at the television all day! And when they do get those inevitable bumps and bruises, I’ll be turning to Zax’s Original Kid’s Bruise Cream first thing. It’s such an easy and effective way to help my boys forget about their injuries and get back to enjoying their day!

Buy It: Zax’s Original Kids Bruise Cream is available at pharmacies and health food stores across Canada, so check the website for a retailer near you!

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Booty Buns Cloth Diapers-Review and Giveaway

Since Benjamin was about six months old, I used cloth diapers and I absolutely loved the experience. But then he started walking. And then he started running. And then he started jumping! And the more active he got, the harder it was to keep his diapers in place. In fact, about fifteen minutes after I put a diaper on my son, I usually found it around his ankles. I reluctantly switched to disposables and consoled myself with the fact that my son wouldn’t be wearing diapers much longer anyways.

booty buns cloth diaper assortmentThen Booty Buns Cloth Diapers contacted me about reviewing one of their adorable one-size pocket diapers and I decided to see if the diaper designed to fit babies between 3 and 45 pounds could also stand up to the high energy of my toddler!

When the diaper arrived, I couldn’t wait to try it out. With four rows of riser snaps and seven rows of double waist snaps on the super-cute jet-black cover, I could tell already that the diaper would be easy to adjust to just the right size. And I loved that it came with two different sizes of inserts and a cotton liner to protect a baby’s delicate skin from diaper rash!

The inserts themselves were so convenient to use. They had a handy snap at the top to keep them in place and since I was planning on using them for a baby that moved around a lot, I really appreciated the idea. The other disadvantage of using cloth diapers with a toddler is that the inserts tend to shift around as baby moves, increasing the chance of leaks. The snap on the top of the insert solved that problem and worked much better than similar systems I’ve used that have the snaps at the back.

I tried the diaper on Benjamin and to my delight, it stayed around his waist exactly where it was supposed to be! I think what really made the difference was the extra inner snaps that ensured the wings of the diaper didn’t move out of place; this was my main problem with cloth diapers once Benjamin really started moving! The inserts were very absorbent and I loved that I finally had a one-size pocket diaper I could use again! And to my toddler’s delight, the diaper also came with an adorable matching cloth wipe which he immediately decided was the only one he wanted to use when he needed his bum cleaned!

Booty Buns Cloth Diapers wants to make sure that all babies have comfortable, eco-friendly diapers and so for every diaper that they sell, a diaper is donated to a third-world country to help a needy baby. It takes only 20 cloth diapers to last a child from birth to potty-training and momtrepreneur Shannon Carillo, owner of Booty Buns Diapers, hopes to one day donate a lifetime supply of diapers to every needy child.

booty buns cloth diaper singleI was very impressed with the Booty Buns diaper, both because it stayed in place on my son and because it is able to fit such a large weight-range. The fact that the same diaper can be used from birth to potty training makes this a great economical choice for a cloth diaper as well as an eco-friendly one! At $35 including shipping, the price is fairly mid-range in the world of cloth diapers, but the fact it can be used for so long makes it worth every penny, especially since each purchase is also a donation to a needy child!

So if you want a cloth diaper that grows with your baby and supports a great cause too, check out Booty Buns Cloth Diapers for yourself. They may cost a little more than some other cloth diaper systems, but their ease of use and versatility make them well worth a little extra expense!

Buy It: To purchase Booty Buns Cloth Diapers, visit the website today

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