Find the Perfect Gift for Your Mom at Canadian Tire-Giveaway

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and if you’ve been hunting for the perfect gift for your mother, Canadian Tire has some great choices that will be sure to put a smile on Mom’s face! Here are a few of the store’s top picks for Mother’s Day this year!

canadian tire mother's day gifts

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Inspire Artistic Creativity with Gifts from the Guggenheim

I love toys and games that inspire creativity and coming from a family of artists, I am always looking for ways to inspire my boys’ artistic imaginations. Any talent at visual art skipped me completely but Zackary and Benjamin are both quite proficient artists for their ages so I try to encourage their development every chance I get. And there’s no better way to do that than with gifts from the Guggenheim!

In addition to artwork, jewellery and home decor, the Guggenheim store features only the best educational and artistic toys and games for everyone from babies to adults and I was absolutely blown away by some of the inspiring products the gift shop had to offer. I was lucky enough to receive a Doodletop and the Color Game to review and I had so much fun sitting down with the boys to play with them.

guggenheim color game [Read more...]

Hasbro Has Tons of the Hottest Toys of the Holiday Season-Giveaway

Shopping for older children can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. The latest fads change so fast that it’s hard to know what the newest and best gift for an older child might be. Fortunately, Hasbro specializes in creating toys that keep up with the trends and this year, the company has some great gift ideas for the older children on your list!

hasbro twister danceTwister Dance

This innovative version of Twister isn’t just a fun and active game; it’s your own personal dance instructor! The game combines hit music, the traditional Twister spots and flashing lights to let kids learn how to dance to hit songs! Just follow the lights from the Twister Dance console to start grooving.

But the coolest part is that you can even plug in your MP3 player to the console and dance to your favourite songs! Twister Dance’s beat-detection technology provides dances for your songs too! [Read more...]

Find Fresh and Functional Gifts for your Favourite Coffee Lover at Williams Fresh Cafe

Williams Fresh Café has won acclaim across Ontario for its fresh and tasty food and delicious holiday drinks. But this Christmas, the popular coffee chain has expended its holiday line to include a fantastic selection of gifts all priced under $25!

sentiment mugI received a box of the Williams Fresh Café gift items to review and I feel in love as soon as I opened the box. Coffee mugs, travel mugs and gift sets are designed with a fresh and contemporary look and feel that is sure to be appreciated by your favourite coffee lover.

My personal favourite product was the Sentiment Mugs. These mugs feature two different inspiring words, one on either side of the mug, and I loved the idea of starting the morning off on the right foot with one of these uplifting mugs. Best of all, they are just the right size for that first cup of coffee or your favourite Williams Fresh Café drink. Candy Cane Hot Chocolate anyone? [Read more...]

Turn Learning into a Game with the LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer

My family has always loved the interactive and educational products from LeapFrog. From the time my oldest son was just a toddler right up until today, our toy collection has always featured the hottest new LeapFrog products and our Leapster Explorer is the boys’ favourite gaming system years after receiving it. So I was delighted when I received the new LeapPad2 to review this year.

leapfrog leappad2 explorerWe don’t own the LeapPad, but I did a little reading up on it and I noticed a lot of upgrades that kids and parents will both love. The big difference is the camera. Pictures are utilized in many of the games and apps on this device and the previous LeapPad had a fairly basic 0.3 megapixel camera. The LeapPad2 features 2.0 megapixel cameras on both the front and back of the device. That means that not only are pictures bright and beautiful, but kids also now have the ability to take pictures of themselves!

The memory also increased quite a bit compared to the first LeapPad, from 2GB to 4GB. I loved that the LeapPad 2 worked with my boys’ Leapster Explorer games and, as always, my boys both adored the many apps that we could download to use on the device. The LeapPad2 comes preloaded with two apps and features one free app available from the App Centre, but there are hundreds of other great apps, games and videos that can be downloaded for the device as well. [Read more...]

Give the Gift of Quality Family Time with Netflix-Giveaway

Are you looking for a last minute gift that will be enjoyed for months after the big day has passed? I’ve been a Netflix subscriber for almost two years now and it really is a gift that keeps on giving. While I don’t watch television and movies too often, I love having access to so many great family and children’s programs for just nine dollars a month!

Netflix_Holiday logo_Green_Bow_101112

So is a Netflix subscription a good choice for that last-minute gift? Well, anything that lets a family watch unlimited movies may just be a popular preset nowadays! New research from Netflix and Leger Marketing shows that watching movies together is amongst the top five holiday traditions in Canada. The survey also found that among the respondents: [Read more...]

Find Great Gifts for the Whole Family at Overstock.com

I used to enjoy Christmas shopping in malls and department stores when I was younger, but with two boys to bring and the challenge of trying to hide whatever I’m buying from their inquisitive eyes, I’ve started to do as much of my shopping as possible online. It took me a little while to really embrace the online craze, but now that I have, I’m hooked. Having everything I need for Christmas come right to my front door is so much easier than braving crowds!

o.co logo

That’s why I immediately fell in love with O.co, also known as Overstock.com. This online superstore has all kinds of top brand name products for kids and adults at amazing prices. And best of all, shipping is free on your first order! I recently got the chance to pick out one of the products from Overstock.com to see for myself the variety and quality of the products the store offers and I couldn’t wait. [Read more...]

Anna’s Budget Tips-Keeping the Holiday Gift Giving Under Control

christmas presentsIt’s the most wonderful time…but also that time of year that might just make you want to grab your cash and credit cards, crawl into a hole and not come out until after New Year’s. Between parties, decorating, travelling or hosting out of town guests, requests for year-end charitable donations and, of course, gift giving, the holidays can throw even the most disciplined budgeter for a loop.

Tackling the gift list is a great way to trim the holiday budget…and cutting costs doesn’t have to mean feeling like Scrooge! Here are a few ideas to get the holiday gift giving (and spending) under control. [Read more...]