Reviews and Giveaways

Support Breast Cancer Research with a Stylish Carpet One Welcome Mat

October 21, 2019 by Kathryn 61 Comments

Just a month after my mom’s 60th birthday, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. My grandmother had passed away from the same disease when I was a child, so my mom’s diagnosis was a tough time for all her children and grandchildren.

After a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she’s now looking and feeling great again. But far too many women aren’t so lucky. In fact, a fellow blogger I’ve chatted with since I first started my website recently passed away after her breast cancer reappeared for a third time.

welcome-a-cure-mat-in-front-of-door

That’s why I’m passionate about supporting breast cancer awareness and research, and I love it when companies join in the fight as well and find unique ways to contribute! Carpet One Floor & Home is one of those companies; for years now they’ve created a unique set of Welcome-a-Cure welcome mats each October that support the Breast Cancer Research Fund. [Read more…]

Get Ready for Winter with Live Clean Natural Hand Soap and Body Wash-Giveaway

October 1, 2019 by Kathryn 172 Comments

Fall is here and for me, that means it’s time to stock up on essentials for the cold weather. With two boys in school, I like to make sure I always have plenty of hand soap to help keep cold and flu germs away. And for years now, Live Clean natural hand soap has been my go-to!

Recently, Live Clean sent me a care package of natural hand soap and body wash to help keep our family clean and healthy. I love having a variety of soap to choose from; one of my favourite things about Live Clean Hand Soap is that there’s a formula to suit everyone.

My husband most enjoys the light scent and cleansing of the Fresh Water hand soap, so we keep that one in our en suite. I prefer the sweet aroma and moisturizing of the Monoi Oil hand soap and always have it beside the kitchen sink. And the Coconut Milk hand soap is perfect for the main bathroom; it smells so good that my boys actually get excited to wash their hands!

[Read more…]

Add Extra Fun To Your Toddler’s Time Outside with the Little Tikes Cape Cottage Playhouse

September 24, 2019 by Kathryn 3 Comments

My toddler has loved spending time outside since he first learned to walk. And in what feels like no time, he’s gone from wobbling unsteadily across the yard to climbing, jumping, sliding and running!

I want to make sure that Cormac continues to enjoy his time outside, so I’m always on the lookout for fun new outdoor toys he might enjoy. And recently, Little Tikes helped me out by sending me its adorable Cape Cottage Playhouse to review!

boy-in-little-tikes-playhouse

Cormac has always been a natural mimic. He’s helped me cook in the kitchen since he was old enough to stand on a chair beside me, he loves putting on his dad’s hat and carrying his keys to go to “work,” and he’s always excited to grab the mop and broom out of the pantry to do some cleaning. [Read more…]

Reviewing SkinCeuticals Serums from BeautySense.ca

August 28, 2019 by Kathryn 4 Comments

For most of my thirties, I enjoyed skin that was firm, youthful and healthy looking. The most irritating issue I had to deal with was some hormonal acne every month. But overall, I loved my skin.

Then I gave birth to my youngest son and suddenly, I felt like middle age had arrived with a vengeance. My skin had lost its healthy glow, had developed fine lines around my eyes and mouth, and overall seemed to have gone from youthful to tired.

But I’m on a mission to get my glow back, and BeautySense.ca recently offered to help by sending me some of its amazing SkinCeuticals serums. The company focuses on providing high quality skincare, hair care and bath and body products shipped right to my door. And with over 4000 different products to choose from, there’s great choices for every woman!

[Read more…]

Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner Review – The Best Student Planner for Teaching Time Management

August 16, 2019 by Kathryn 5 Comments

My oldest son is officially a teenager, and I couldn’t be prouder! He’s grown to be a hard-working, intelligent and caring teen that loves every sport he tries, rarely complains and helps out when I ask.

But, just like his mother, Zack has one fault that he can’t seem to overcome…he is hopelessly disorganized! I know full-well he inherited that trait from me, so I can’t help but be compassionate.

Still, I also know from experience how detrimental disorganization can be when it comes to schoolwork, especially during the high school years. I don’t want him to be stuck doing the same work twice because his first copy was lost.

That’s why this year, I’m going to be working with him to try to keep his schoolwork organized. And to help me do that, Order Out of Chaos sent me the best student planner I’ve ever seen, the Academic Planner, to review!

While some schools do provide students with a daily planner, the planners generally only have small squares for each day to record any homework or assignments. That’s a problem because kids have no way to add any out-of-school activities that might take up their time. A child may check their planner and realize they have a test the next day, but no time to study because of a sports game that night.

The OOOC Academic Planner, on the other hand, is designed to be the best academic planner for students, with a layout that lets kids visualize their entire week and the work they need to hand in for individual subjects at a glance. Each page features the days of the week at the top, and a place for recording each school subject on the side. Homework and tests are put in the appropriate column so kids know exactly what subject’s work needs to be completed on what day.

The bottom section of the page also includes a spot to record extra-curricular activities. For my sports-loving son, this feature is incredibly useful. He plays volleyball, basketball and badminton during the fall and winter, and takes part in lacrosse and track and field in the spring. Being able to mark down those commitments means he’ll be able to quickly see when he has blocks of free time to complete schoolwork.

Of course, one of the keys to making even the best student planner work well is actually recording events in it. And I know that’s one of the areas where Zack is going to struggle. For students like Zack, Order Out of Chaos also offers a fun accessory pack to help make recording tasks and events easier!

The accessories include monthly sticker tabs to quickly find each month in the planner, a detachable ruler bookmark that marks the current week and a set of fun and easy-to-use stickers to remember tests, homework, special events and more!

The stickers are the one thing that I’m hoping will make a difference for my son this year. Being able to just grab a sticker and put it in place on the appropriate day and subject may be all he needs. He has a great memory in general, so he likely won’t even have to add notes about exactly what work needs to be done!

To help naturally disorganized kids like Zack (and their frustrated parents), Order Out of Chaos also has tons of great free resources on their website. Print out worksheets and homework profiles, download an online tutorial video on using the Academic Planner or take part in a free webinar! And if you’re ready to buy the best student planner for your child, use coupon code PLANNER20 to save 20% off your purchase of an Academic Planner!

For parents and kids that need even more information, a variety of educational videos are also available to purchase, so that parents have all the tools they need to teach their children the valuable skill of time management.

Our school year is only a couple weeks away and I have high hopes that I’ll be able to enjoy fewer comments from teachers about Zack’s poor organization this year. With his Academic Planner, a little support from me and a bit of effort on his part, I know he’ll be able to excel as he learns the skills he’ll need for high school next year!