Playing with Fisher-Price's Newest Little People Friends #FPLittlePeople

At our house, it’s not a strange sight to see a giraffe riding a school bus. Or a penguin living with a pig on a farm. Or a gorilla driving the zoo train. I love how realistic Fisher-Price Little People toys are while leaving lots of room for big imaginations.

Just after she turned a year old, I started a “game” with Hannah. She brought me one of the farm animals from her Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm, and I started to sing “Old MacDonald”, galloping the animals around while making the noise said animal made. She would bring me each and every animal (even the farmer!) and I would sing that animal’s verse. Eventually she started to sing the words and make the animal noises with me. And then, last week, she sat at the barn all by herself - singing the song without me. I was so proud but also a little sad. Thankfully she let me join in.

Recently Fisher-Price introduced five new Little People Friends - Eddie, Mia, Sofie, Tessa and Koby.

Pink Tartan Washable Collection for Tide Pods (#PGmom #Giveaway)

Over the weekend tomato soup landed on my favourite sweater. Tomato sauce from pepperoni pizza landed on my skinny jeans. And somehow, noticeable green crayon ended up on the shin of my faded jeans.

I am a self-professed klutz, especially when it comes to food. My clothes shook with fear in my closet before I had a baby, and now that my daughter has grown into a curious, independent toddler all the stains above were actually her fault (and not mine...although I am still to blame on most occasions).

Kimberley Newport-Mimran of Pink Tartan recently released her Washable Collection (to relieved sighs of Moms and generally messy people everywhere). Here are a few of her style secrets:

Amoré Almond + Dairy Beverage Review

Amoré Almond + Dairy Beverage combines the goodness of dairy with the creamy, nutty taste of real roasted almonds. It is a healthy everyday pleasure to boost your daily milk intake. It is an excellent source of calcium, protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and riboflavin. In fact, Amoré contains 50 per cent more calcium per serving than milk!

Chris loves drinking it in the morning as an alternative to straight milk. I enjoy putting it in my coffee for an extra flavour boast. The Vanilla flavour tastes like a healthy vanilla milkshake!

Amoré  can be used anywhere you would use milk - on cereal, to cook with - always adding extra flavour.

Would you like a sip? Check out the Where to Buy tab on Amore's Facebook page to find a store near you.

Disclosure: I received Amoré Almond + Dairy Beverage for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions on this blog are my own.

© 2013 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.

Five ways to maximize your AIR MILES rewards this Halloween

Halloween is definitely one of my favourite holidays. When I was little I thought it would be the best birthday to have – not only did you get birthday presents, but bonus Halloween candy too!

I’m a big fan of bonuses - which is why I love my American Express AIR MILES Card. I’ve been an avid collector of AIR MILES reward miles since before I was even approved for a credit card. I was so excited to get my hands on an Amex AIR MILES Card – AIR MILES reward miles AND Amex Front Of The Line? What an awesome combo! Just this summer alone I got exclusive access to the Jay Z and Justin Timberlake, NKOTB and Backstreet Boys concerts in Toronto – and let’s not forget Sesame Street Live this coming holiday season, which I’m more excited to see than all the aforementioned live events. I was able to purchase tickets to all these events before they went on sale to the public, and breathe easy that I’d be attending when everyone else was hitting “refresh” on their Internet browser.

I love racking up AIR MILES reward miles – and my Amex Card is easily the fastest way. I earn reward miles twice by using my Amex AIR MILES Card and my AIR MILES Collector Card at participating Sponsors. Some rewards I’ve redeemed for include magazine subscriptions and tickets to the Metro Toronto Zoo. My Mom has collected so many AIR MILES reward miles that she has redeemed for a digital camera and flights across Canada.

Here are five ways to maximize your reward miles this Halloween:

A Mother's Dream #DreamShare

My dream for my daughter is simple - I want her to lead a happy and healthy life. I want her to know she is loved. And I want her to be able to live her dreams - whatever they may be.

What's your dream for your child(ren)? Share your dream and check out others at World Visions' website - http://www.sharemydream.org/ and follow the hashtag #DreamShare.

© 2013 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.

Halloween Pet Safety Tips from Iams #PGmom

Hannah adores a Halloween picture book simply titled "Spooky". I know she adores it because she kisses it. OK, full disclosure, she only kisses the "cat" photo - one that could pass as our cat Booyah when he was a kitten. 

Booyah is a black cat. You might think Halloween is his night - after all, millions of Halloween decorations showcase his likeness. With a reputation for bad luck, he and fellow black cats have become one of the many symbols for Halloween. (I would like to say here and now that I don't agree with said reputation.)

Regardless of black cat Halloween popularity, after holidays that involve fireworks, I can safely say October 31st is one of Booyah's least favourite nights. All the noise and all the people = no fun for Booyah.

Here are some helpful pet tips from Iams to keep your pets of every fur colour safe this Halloween:

Pampers and Walmart Prenatal Packs (#PGmom #Giveaway)

Back in August, Walmart Canada and P&G began sponsoring a series of prenatal programs in hospitals and community centres countrywide by providing soon-to-be parents with special gift bags with Pampers product. The reusable Walmart gift bags include a package of Pampers Swaddlers, the number one choice of Canadian parents for newborns, a sample of Pampers wipes and an educational pamphlet. This program will reach 55,000 new moms from coast to coast, providing helpful tips on everything from how to secure a car seat to birth plans.

When I was expecting, Chris and I went to a prenatal class at the hospital where Hannah was born. It was really great for us to be around other first-time parents since we are the first in our group of friends to have a child. It was also nice getting a sneak peak at where Hannah would spend her first days after she was born.

About two weeks before her due date, I packed my hospital bag...choosing her first pjs and outfits was difficult. We were told we were having a girl, but just in case I packed a few "gender neutral" outfits too. And of course, I had Pampers Swaddlers in my bag!

Back to Basics with Chef Michael Smith (#PGmom #Review and #Giveaway)

In our house, Chris is in charge of cooking and I am in charge of cleaning. With his Italian background, we eat a lot of pasta. So, it's no surprise that when I asked him which of Chef Michael Smith's classic recipes with a twist he wanted to try that we ended up with a pasta dish - the Speedy Tomato Pasta to be exact.

Loblaw stores host The Mommy of All Baby Events Oct. 10-24 #PGmom

Since I was very little, I disliked grocery shopping (OK there was that one year I was 3 and my Mom found at store with kids carts I got to push around, that I didn't mind). But in my 20s two things happened - I moved out and was FORCED to buy my own food and Loblaw introduced Joe Fresh in to most of their stores, so going for groceries also meant expanding my wardrobe. Now that I'm a parent, one-stop shopping has become even more important. I love that I can purchase clothes, baby items, toys, books, housewares, and oh yeah, FOOD, (notably the President's Choice brand) all in once place! (The Real Canadian Superstore we frequent also has a medical clinic, photography studio and the Beer Store too!)

Loblaw stores are making shopping even more convenient for parents. From October 10 –24, 2013, Loblaw stores will offer fabulous promotions and events from cooking classes, dietitian demos, special sales and fun contests. Check out your local Loblaw store to find out more, or go to themommyofallbabyevents.ca (launching Oct. 10th)! (Also available at Dominion stores in Newfoundland & Labrador only.)

A Daughter's Hug, A Monster's Hug #BigHugsElmo Giveaway

I was never a hugger until Hannah was born and I became a mother. My favourite times of the day now revolve around her hugs – that awesome first, sleepy hug in the morning, extra cuddly because she’s still waking up. The second is the daycare pick-up hug – the excited, gripping, so happy to see you hug (which is often accompanied with a slobbery kiss and comes after the “MOMMY!” yell from across the daycare’s playground).

But, my favourite hug of all is Hannah’s surprise hug. These come at random times, in random forms and often catch me off guard. Sometimes she grips my leg while I’m washing dishes. Other times she climbs on top of me while we are watching TV on the couch. And then there’s her reciprocal patting on the back hug – which she has been doing for almost a year now!

Sometimes I think she senses I need a hug, other times she needs comfort.

She loves giving hugs ALMOST as much as she loves Elmo.

The ROYALE Inspire Us Collection (#Giveaway)

Confession: I am sometimes very lame and choose boxes of facial tissue by what room they would look best in and how they match said room's colour scheme. This year's ROYALE Inspire Us Collection include boxes that would look pretty in any room.

The ROYALE Inspire Us Collection includes facial tissue boxes with stunning photography submitted by Canadians, including one post-secondary student, as part of the ROYALE Inspire Us Photo Challenge. More than 9,100 Canadians entered the contest and the top photos were chosen by members of the Moment with ROYALE community through an online vote. Not only are the winning photos now featured on millions of facial tissue boxes across Canada, but each winner also received a $1,500 cash prize.

Daycare Essentials at Walmart Canada

Now that it’s October 1^st, “Back-to-School” is officially over. Or is it? Walmart Canada is the first choice destination for parents of school-aged children, but it’s also a great place for parents of kids in daycare.

Every week of the year, in sun and snow, teary parents drop off their infants, toddlers and preschoolers at daycare for the first time.

Hannah started daycare last December, a few weeks before my mat leave was over. Leaving her there the first time was the hardest thing I had to do. I barely got to the car before I burst into tears. And although Walmart couldn’t prepare me emotionally, with their awesome one-stop shopping I was able to purchase all the essentials she required - for under $100.