Madly Madagascar: Love Potions & DVD Giveaway

Madly Madagascar DVD will be available on January 29th.  

Our favourite Madagascar pals are back in an all-new 22 minute adventure during Alex’s favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day.  
They bring lots of hilarious surprises and excitement. Melman plans a big surprise for Gloria, Marty tries to impress a new friend and everyone wants to get their hands on King Julien’s love potion. Children and adults in my home really enjoyed the funny DVD and its bonus features that were all about love.
The DVD also had two bonus features; First Flight was a feature about man and a bird, where the man thought teaching the bird to fly was more important that things that happen in the daily life. The second feature Hammy's Boomerang Adventure was by the characters from Over the Hedge.

We can get our hands on King Julien's love potion by making these recipes with our children. Be warned the potions may make you irresistible, and sometime you need alone time :) just like Marty did in the movie.

Bubbly pink love potion

1 can pink lemonade concentrate

4 cups raspberry sherbet

1 can lemon or lime soda

water

Mix the lemonade concentrate with water according to instructions in a large pitcher. Blend the sherbet with 4 cups of lemonade mixture then pour about a cup into individual glasses. Fill the glass with the soda and serve. The mixture will bubble to look like a love potion. I have not tested this :)

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Love Spell Perfume

Distilled water

Fragrance oils i.e. rose, lavender

Polysorbate 80

Mix the distilled water with the Polysorbate 80 into a spray bottle. Mix the fragrance oil in a separate container then add it to the water mixture. Shake well and spray.

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Magic Sand

A glass bottle with a lid

Different coloured sand i.e. red, pink, white

Ask children to layer different coloured sand and put the lid on. This would make a lovely decor.

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Love Potion Tea

Rosemary

Black tea

Thyme

Nutmeg

Fresh mint leaves

Fresh rose petals

Lemon leaves

Water

Put all the ingredients in a kettle or pan and boil. Serve with honey, sugar and lemon to taste. I have not tested this :)

Giveaway:

If you would like to win this DVD please enter through the rafflecopter below.  This giveaway is open to everyone in US and Canada until February 16th.

To win please make sure you are following my social media networks and commenting on the posts.  Winner will have 24 hours to confirm from the time of contact if they want the DVD and provide postal information.
Update: The winner is Wendy

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Using colourful patterned Duck Tape to pack gifts

Using colourful duct tape in creative ways is the newest craft trend.  Since "ductivities" are becoming popular there are a lot of coloured and patterned duct tapes available in craft stores, home hardware stores and online.  

I have been using grey duct tape to make crafts such as this rattle and to fix things around the home.  When I saw the beautiful varieties of duct tape Duck Brand has I felt very excited as it helps us become more creative.  

Duct tape crafts are durable, no mess and wonderful to do on our own or as a group.  Although, there are so many things we can do with these creative Duck Tapes the project doesn't have to be complicated.  For starters we can use it to do small creative things such as using it to decorate holiday gift bags.  For this "eco-friendly activity" :) you will need...

Paper shopping bags

colourful Duck Tape

scissors

permanent marker

I reused paper shopping bags that I had.  

Use colourful Duck Tape and paste it over the area you want to cover.  Then personalize each bag by writing a message with a permanent marker over the tape. 

Using a roll of decorative duct tape is only limited by our imagination and these types of colourful duct tape help us get started and become creative.

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Egg carton characters

To make this girl and boy with the baseball gear we needed...

1 egg carton
scissors
glue
markers
and things found around the home to decorate
* cloth
* plastic craft lace or gimp
* ribbon
* tissue paper

Children will need help from an adult to cut the cups from the egg carton.  Once it is cut just play with it and let your imagination take over in creating a variety of different things.

After creating this girl and boy with the baseball gear, we were able to make up our own little story behind it.

"Is she still looking at me?"

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Gingerbread cookies and Celebrating the Joy of December

In the month of December more than any other month through the year, I feel that my family and I tend to be in a celebrating mood :)  The lights, snow, family gatherings, the relaxing feel, cozying up, baking, giving, getting gifts, making new plans, our son's birthday are some of the things in December that we look forward to.  

To keep our children occupied and to make the holiday season memorable we make holiday crafts, bake cookies and go for a drive just to see winter lights covered in blankets of snow.  We made these holiday Gingerbread cookies adapted from Joy of Baking site.  My children helped me bake and decorate, if you would like to make a batch with your little ones you will need...

3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg at room temperature
2/3 cups molasses

We can use a paddle attachment in the stand mixer or hand mixer to make the dough.
Beat butter till it is creamy, add sugar and beat till the mixture is light and fluffy.  
Add the egg and beat.  
Spray the container with oil spray before measuring molasses so it doesn't stick to the measuring cup.  Then add the molasses to the mixture and combine.

Add the sifted dry ingredient 1/3rd at a time to the wet mixture.  After adding and mixing all the flour, gather the dough into a ball and cut it into two parts before covering it with a plastic wrap.  Leave the dough in the fridge to chill overnight or until it is firm so it can be easily rolled.

Flour the surface, rolling pin, cookie cutters and hands well with flour and roll the dough about 1/2" thick.  Keep turning and lifting the dough so it doesn't stick.
Prepare a tray with parchment paper and butter before placing the cut shapes.  Space about 1"between the cookies and leave the tray in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  The cookies should barely brown around edges if baked too much it will become too crispy.  Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
The cookies will stay well covered for up to two weeks if it lasts that long :)

For more holiday cookie and baking ideas check LMD Facebook page as Pillsbury will be sharing their ideas from December 3rd to the 15th and Betty Crocker will be sharing their ideas from December 17th to the 31st.

Disclosure:  I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador program and receive special perks as part of my affiliation.  All rights reserved on photographs and opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012.  Please Ask First

Mozart’s Magical Castle at Casa Loma

Casa Loma has a beautiful holiday feel with lovely sights of Mozart's beloved opera The Magic Flute from December 1st to 30th.  

Casa Loma and Opera Atelier* has partnered to bring this family friendly event The Mozart’s Magical Castle.  There are a variety of performances, educational workshops and creative activities for people of all ages.   
*Artists from Opera Atelier’s production, which will be running from April 6-13, 2013 at the Elgin Theatre will be on-site at Casa Loma to perform excerpts from The Magic Flute. 

My children enjoyed meeting and seeing the dragon and other performers in the play.  They also enjoyed making a scale to decorate the dragon.  

This event combines traditional holiday activities with cultural exploration in a fun, engaging environment, so take your family and enjoy at the Toronto's castle.

Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 1X8
416-923-1171

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StickyGrams will stick well with many people

StickyGrams are personalized magnets that are made with pictures from Instagram that cherish our memories throughout the year.  It is easy to place and replace these to any magnetic surface without damaging the surface it is placed on.  We can also hang them in other creative ways on non-magnetic surfaces. 

I found it easy to use their site and create these magnets by following 3 simple steps that are prompted to us.  

3 simple steps to order

The cost for a sheet with 9 pictures is $14.99.  I think these StickyGrams make a wonderful memorable gift to anyone any age.  

If you want to get your pictures to give as gifts for the holidays order it soon.  For USA and everywhere else in the world order before December 9th so you will have it by 25th of December and for UK and EU before the 13th of December.

The back of the StickyGram

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Wear holiday cheer using Command

One of the things we like to do during winter holidays are making crafts and hanging them up on the windows. We usually have a hard time hanging these crafts because the tape and suction cups that we have used in the past fall off easily due to humidity on the windows. After we used command hooks to hang crafts, we found that it was easy for us to hang our crafts the way we like without damaging them.

Some craft ideas to place on the windows are stained glass sun catcher or this Paper towel roll flowers and stars.

To make these shiny hanging ornaments you will need...

Paper towel or toilet paper roll

scissors

modpodge

clothespins

different colour glitter

Cut the paper towel roll into 1/2 or 1/4" thickness. Then arrange it to make a flower or star shape. Glue the pieces to attach and secure it with clothespins for a few minutes until it holds together. 

Then remove the clothespins and cover the entire flower or star with modpodge and sprinkle coloured glitter all over it. It is better to protect the working surface with newspaper as this could be messy :)  

Let it dry completely before hanging.  

To hang these crafts on the wall and window we used the Command mini hooks that hold about 1/2 lb.  These handy hooks came in a pack of 18 hooks with 24 small strips, which helped us hang crafts and holiday lights on our window. We also used cord clips to keep the holiday lights organized. These cord clips come in a pack with 4 clips and 5 small strips.

I found it easy to remove and replace the position of the hooks, as I didn't want them on the initial spot I placed them.  Once we remove the hooks we have to put another small strip when placing it in a different location, this is why Command has extra strips in each packet :)  

There are a variety of hooks such as medium hook, medium and large brushed nickel hooks that are useful to hang a variety of things around our home such as bags, towels, brooms etc.  

Command also has general purpose large outdoor hooks that hold about 5 lbs., which comes with 2 water resistant strips so we can hang things indoor or outdoor.

Contest:

Enter the contest at Command's Facebook page to get coupons for Command products, which will be useful around your home.

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Holiday gifts and ideas from Henry's

Henry's has been Canada's largest independent camera and accessories retailer since 1909.  This family owned and operated business has lots of up-to-date new products in their stores across Canada.  We have relied on Henry's in the past for our camera needs and we continue to do so today.

There are so many holiday gifts at Henry's for the whole family.  Here are some ideas...

• They have many compact to advanced high performing cameras such as the nostalgic Fuji Instax Mini 7S that has easy to carry films so we can snap pictures anywhere and develop it instantly.
• The Samsung Wi-Fi camera allows us to transfer photos and videos to all social media networks because of its built-in technology.
• There are lots of tripods in a variety of sizes.
• DIY arts and crafts i.e. Pinhole Camera and other creative things such as the Film Roll Sticky Notes.
• Photo gloves like the Lowepro gloves is useful as it absorbs moisture and keep our fingers soft and warm during the cold weather so we can take pictures outdoors.
• Henry's private and group Imagining workshops cater to our photography needs.
• If you don't know what to pick get a gift card from Henry's, I am sure anyone receiving the gift card will have ton of things that they want :)

Henry's also has a fabulous selection of bags such as this Jo-Totes Betsy bag.  I really like the fashionable, functional design of this bag.  
The designer of the bag has realized that not everyone has the same equipment because we can adjust the velcro of the three interior pads and make compartments that suits our needs, or simply leave them out.  The numerous pockets in the bag allow us to store anything we want i.e. cameras, lenses, wallets, tablet/iPad, notepad and more.  The almost hidden zippered front flap is a perfect place to put paper, book, pen and other stationaries.  The bag also has a zippered back, which will fit the iPad or other thin laptops.  The front pockets have hidden magnetic closures that make it easy for us to put other belongings.  The main compartment has a zipper closure.  This bag is 11" high, 15.5" wide and 4" deep.  The shoulder pad and straps are adjustable and removable.
  
I find this bag very useful, as I like taking my camera, all the lenses, other equipment and belongings with me when I go out.  I think this bag is wonderful to use during any season especially winter because of the zips and quality of the soft faux leather.  This bag looks trendy and goes well with any outfit.  The bag is available in dark brown or mustard.  We can carry the bag anyway we want cross-body or in a shoulder strap.  The bag itself is lightweight so when the camera is put inside it, it is not heavy or awkward to carry.  The cotton interior fabric and the protective foam sewn into the lining of all four sides and the bottom keeps our lenses and camera safe.  
I think anyone who likes to be trendy and enjoy taking their camera everywhere they go will really benefit and find this bag, which is available at Henry's to a be a wonderful gift.

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Warehouse sale in #Toronto open for holiday shopping

It is a good time to take advantage of this Bargains group Warehouse sale at 890 Caledonia Road, Toronto and do the holiday shopping from one location for everyone.  They have lots of bargains on gifts for kids, men, women, pets and more.
They are only open once a year only for six weekends just in time for holiday shopping from November 16th till December 24th. 

• New items arriving daily. 
• Highlights include brand name winter accessories (2 for $10 and 2 for $20), 
• socks & underwear (5 for $10), 
• Hot Paws ski gloves, 
• mitts (2 for $10), 
• Kids PJ pants(2 for $10), 
• Shop for your charitable programs such as Adopt-a-Family drives, 
• Holiday gift Hampers and many more
• FREE parking Yay!

Fri from 12 noon till 7pm

Sat from 10am to 4pm

Sun from 11am to 5pm

416-785-5655

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Feasting with PC

President's Choice makes it easy for us to host holiday parties without spending long hours in the kitchen.  PC has created an array of products especially for the holidays from hors d'oeuvres to desserts and everything in-between.  Although I like making different types of food sometimes having these pre made food allows me to relax and spend time with family and friends.  

PC's black label collection has a variety of products that have unique flavours such as this non-alcoholic Sangria cocktail mixer, Vidal ice syrup made with Vidal grapes from the Niagara peninsula, Almond flatbread etc...

This Almond flatbread made in Spain looks festive so I served it with hummus, however we didn't enjoy it.  The flaky crackers has a combination of flavours from almonds, sugar, anise seeds and sesame seeds that tasted odd to our palate.

We like the Blue Menu products from PC such as the breaded butterfly shrimp, crispy lollipop shrimp and cupcakes, which are wonderful to serve for any occasion.  

PC has a variety of dips such as smoked salmon, spinach etc that taste good served in many combinations from pita to crackers.  They also have a variety of cheese including the party favourite Brie made with 100% Canadian milk.

Asian style snack mix

Treats to munch include nuts, popcorn, chips and snack mixes.  This Asian style snack mix has strong flavours with hints of wasabi coated peas, which would be suitable for adults.   

PC also has our beverages covered with cranberry ginger ale, spice apple, candy cane hot chocolate, candy cane eggnog and many more.  We enjoy the smell and delicious taste of this spice apple cocktail. 

They have unique treats such as the Candy Cane chocolate squares, the big box chocolate toffee collection, biscotti, chocolate fingers, banana crème Dulce de leche cookies etc... that would make lovely finger food and gifts to take to friends and family.

If you are looking to bake something yourself :) then check out their kits i.e. shortbread cookie mix, gingerbread kits, red velvet cakes and brownies.  

The PC insider's report that is online and in stores will give us ideas on what we can serve when we feast during the holidays.  PC products are available at Loblaws, Superstores, Independent, Fortinos, Zehrs markets, Valu-mart, Freshmart and Nofrills.  

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Maplelea Girls Canadian doll Giveaway

Maplelea Girls is an award-winning collection of Canadian dolls that inspire Canadian pride.  In addition to dolls, clothes, shoes, accessories and pets designed for each of the six regionally based Maplelea Girls from Nova Scotia to Nunavut, they also have 12 Maplelea Friends.   

Canada’s diversity is amply represented in this new Maplelea Friends, which offers dolls with a wide variety of hair, eye and skin tones to choose from.  Maplelea Friends come dressed in a cute graphic tee and a corduroy skirt, striped footless tights and silver shoes with a cutout maple leaf detail.  Like all Maplelea dolls, this doll measures 18" tall with a soft body, posable arms and legs and eyes that open and close.  Each of the 12 styles arrive in a decorative storage box that can used to keep all the doll's accessories.  The doll comes with a 64 page journal that has prompts and questions to help children create the doll's story.

The company keeps its costs down by selling the dolls directly to the consumer, via online or by calling 1-800-668-4339 (24 hours/ 7 days a week) with a flat $9 shipping fee to anywhere in Canada.  These dolls make a wonderful gift for girls that like playing with dolls :)

Here is a link to the review of the doll and how my friend's daughter enjoyed it :)

Giveaway
One person in Canada can win this doll by entering through the rafflecopter below, the giveaway ends on November 16th.  

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Disney On Ice: Worlds of Fantasy giveaway

Worlds of Fantasy Disney on Ice is coming to Toronto from December 21st to 30th at the Rogers Centre.  In this performance we will get to see four of our favourite Disney stories.  Lightning McQueen, Mater and the crew of Disney/Pixar's Cars.  Little Mermaid, Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies will be doing their wonders.  The characters of Toy Story will be there as well.  We are excited and are looking forward to watch the dazzling skating, special effects and our favourite characters.

Follow Disney on Ice Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date about the show.

Offer
Use the promo code DLKIDDO (on the box for "promotions" not on the family pack box) to get 4 tickets for $104.  This code is valid now thru Jan 13.  Maximum of 4 tickets each ticket thereafter is $26 each.  
This offer is not valid for front row or VIP seating.  No double discounts.  Additional fees may apply.
Children under 2 years do not need tickets.

Giveaway
If you would like win tickets to watch the shows on Dec 21st, 26th, 27th or 28th matinee show, please enter through the rafflecopter below.  Please let me know how many tickets you will need in the comment below and if you are in Toronto or will be coming to Toronto.  The giveaway ends on November 20th.
Update: The winner is Nelia Toronto chic

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