Holiday Hosting with P&G #PGmom #giveaway

As we move in to our new condo and use a variety of great P&G products to clean, I'm slightly thankful I won't have to host anything this holiday. (I'm also super thankful to the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser which saved me from painting our main bathroom).

Like my cat in the past Christmas photo above, I prefer to hide from hosting duties. But I won't be moving in to a new house every holiday, and eventually it will be my turn.

If you are hosting folks over the holidays, check out these great tips from P&G to help make hosting a breeze.

Snuggle through Sickness with Netflix Canada #StreamTeam

I can always tell when Hannah is feeling ill - she becomes extra cuddly and has a severe case of Mommyitis.

Enter Netflix - when Hannah needs her snuggles, we like to stream.

Last week we were home when Hannah had a bad cough. We decided to stream Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. She hasn't seen the first ones, but she loved watching Alex and his pals buy and run a circus. Her favourite scene was the great circus performance. I enjoyed the witty dialogue throughout the movie.

Tips for Baby's First Christmas with HEINZ BABY

As I get ready to watch Toronto’s Santa Claus parade today, it’s hard to believe Hannah will be celebrating her third Christmas this year. As a January baby, the first time Hannah experienced the festive season she was almost 11 months old. Here’s a list of the top 5 things I wish Santa had told me to prepare for Baby’s First Christmas.

Common Cents with Gail Vaz-Oxlade and P&G #PGmom #FLM2014 #Giveaway

Did you know that November is Financial Literacy Month? Last month I had the opportunity along with my fellow P&G moms to listen to Gail Vaz-Oxlade, host of Til Debt Due U$ Part, Prince$$ and Money Moron as well as author of  17 books on personal finance.

For anyone who has seen Gail on TV, you know she's very engaging and supports a simplistic approach - but when it comes to money, a lot of people don't see things simply.

Among the tips she shared, there were a few that really stuck with me that I could immediately put in to practice. First was to use apps like Checkout 51 and Flipp to save on the go. Another was to switch my savings account to companies like Tangerine or Manulife which give more interest than the mortar banks. Also, to change your budget once a year - unless you change jobs, get a raise, move, have a child - anything life changing.

The long term tip I found slightly scary is this - for retirement, you should save ELEVEN times your income!

Have a KINDER Canada Holiday! #Giveaway #KinderSmiles #KinderMom

Christmas is easily one of my favourite holidays. Family, food and fun really can't be beat.

When I was younger, the best part of Christmas morning was opening my stocking. Every year Santa found lots of amazing little things to put in my my big holiday sock, and he always remembered to include KINDER SURPRISE eggs. My brother was always more into building the toys, so sometimes I'd trade him mine if he would share some of his chocolate.

Last year, Hannah didn't really understand the concept of a stocking...to be honest, she didn't really understand the concept of Christmas. And plus we were staying at my Mom's due to having no power or heat at home because of the big ice storm. Hopefully this year we can celebrate Christmas morning at home - with KINDER SURPRISE under the tree.

PAW Patrol Winter Rescues now on DVD #Review #Giveaway

Let me set the scene for you. It's the weekend and therefore later than we usually wake up on a weekday morning and Hannah has just come out of her room. While enjoying some fruit and milk for breakfast, she points to the TV and has only one request: "PAW Patrol." (It's the number one show on Nick Jr. in the US - so we know she's definitely not alone in being a fan.)

We have digital bunny ears which provide us about 6 Toronto-based TV channels...and Netflix. So before quite recently, we had to tell Hannah gently that PAW Patrol on demand was not an option.

Thank goodness we now own six great episodes on DVD! For the first time ever, Canadians can pop in PAW Patrol - Winter Rescues and watch Ryder and his team whenever they'd like. When I showed her the DVD case her eyes lit right up.

Tide Pods Free & Gentle (First ever Pods for sensitive skin!) #Giveaway #PGmom

The first time I washed Hannah's clothes with a Tide Pod instead of Ivory Snow liquid detergent I think I annoyed my Mom slightly. She loves the scent of Ivory Snow and was worried how Hannah's 18-month old skin would react to "normal" Tide. Full disclosure: I just wanted to do less laundry by throwing some of our items in together - and did not want to smell like a baby in the process (even if that scent is amazing).

If only Tide Pods Free & Gentle existed back then - a detergent free of dyes and perfumes perfect for sensitive skin. No sacrificing cleaning performance for gentleness! (And we all know how important cleaning performance is when it comes to kids.)