I See Me: My very own pirate tale review and giveaway

When I handed this book I see me: My very own pirate tale book to my preschool son and told him this book is especially for him, he was excited.  As I started to read the dedication, he became really excited and surprised because the book had his name.  

Lovable labels back to school package review and giveaway

Lovable labels was launched in 2003 by a mom who found the need for durable, tough labels that will test time and everything children put labels through. The product line is influenced by customer suggestions and feedback. The labels are available online to make it convenient to order from anywhere in the world.

As a parent or guardian, we know daycares, schools and camps require us to label everything we send with our children.  Lovable labels offer a unique choice of colour and designs that children and adults will like.  I liked that the labels come in a convenient booklet so it would be easy to find when we need to use it.  The tabs on the booklet makes it easy to know the intended use. 

When we personalize belongings, I find children tend to take better care of it and not loose it; this in turns saves us money. 
These labels grow with the child so it is a good investment to get the back to school package with over 165 labels.  In a household of multiple children it helps to keep things organized and personal where children will feel unique.
These labels were personalized for my daughter.  She was really happy to see the cool package of printed labels with her name on it.  She helped me choose the design on the net :)  
The cool mini metal bag tags will be treasured :)  We already put the bag tags on her school and sunday school bag for September.  My daughter has placed many of the labels on all her belongings.

Loveable labels

• are waterproof and bleach safe; therefore the labels can go in the dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer. 
• will not fade as it is UV and temperature resistant.
• are safe from tiny fingers trying to pick it as the labels are made with good quality 3M scotch marking film. 
• The labels stick on all products with smooth surfaces, shoes, clothing etc. 
• Clothing labels come in 3 sizes and aren't meant for sticking on material.  Peel n' label on garment tags, care labels or nylon lining found in jackets and snow pants without the need to iron.
• The multipurpose sticker labels, slimline, square, fun stickers stay well on flat, clean and dry surfaces. 
• The shoe labels are perfect for inside the non-shiny insole of the footwear.  

The lunch box "lil'love" messages are cute.  Children will like to see these messages in their lunch box.  I pasted the stickers on little cards and transparent plastic paper so I could place different messages inside the lunch box and bag.  This way I could change it up and reuse the stickers to make a special moment during lunch.
There are many other unique products on the Loveable label site, do check it out for yourself.  Get the labels now so you can prepare and be ready for school in September.

Use this coupon code: BTS201213 during checkout to get $5 off on your $25 or more purchase until September 30, 2012.

Giveaway: If you would like to win this back to school package of unique labels in your style with your child's name then leave a comment on this post.  Giveaway is open to Canadian and US readers. It ends on August 10th.

Follow Loveable labels and createwithmom on twitter so it is easy to let you know if you win.

Like Loveable labels and createwithmom on Facebook so you know about special deals, contests and offers (not mandatory but would be nice)

Share the love of this giveaway by tweeting or posting on your site.
Update: The winner is sweet panda

Disclosure: This product was provided for me to conduct a honest review All opinion and rights reserved on written content and photographs Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Sharpie brush tip marker

With this new brush tip Sharpie markers we can create fine or bold lines and use it for shading.    
Children and Adults will enjoy using these permanent markers in a variety of surfaces such as posters, notebooks, helmets, skateboards, bicycles and signs etc. to express their artistic flare.

My children and I enjoyed designing these tea light candles.  It was easy to use, so we had lots of fun creating these unique designs within a few minutes.

We painted this ceramic pot easily without leaving a mess to clean :) so I am looking forward to do more projects with these markers.

To paint this pot, we need
Sharpie brush tip markers*
clay or ceramic pot
and your imagination :)


Use the markers to paint on the pot, the tip changes to the pressure we put in our hands.  Although it dries really fast, try not to touch the painted surface right away as you paint to avoid smudges.
*The markers are available at Staples, Walmart, Real Canadian superstore, DeSerres in packages of 4 and 8.

Giveaway:
If you would like to win these Sharpie products and express yourself please leave a comment on this post before August 5th.  Open to Canadian readers.
Follow me on twitter and Facebook so I can contact you if you are the winner.
Update: The winner is did you know canada. 

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Drifter ballistic lugz shoes

My husband tested these good looking pair of Drifter ballistic lugz shoes for men. He felt that the shoes were lightweight and stylish so it can be worn to a variety of places. The cushioned insole, padded tongue and collar of the shoes make it comfortable to wear for long periods of time. This tough and durable boots have a unique nylon upper part that keeps the boots strong and breathable.

Check out the selection of Lugz shoes for men, as these trendy and stylish urban footwear are built for the street. The foxing tape looks decorative in the shoes. The shoes have a lug sole, which will not slip.

You can comfortably insert orthotics, if you wear one.

Giveaway:

If you would like to win a pair of these Drifter ballistic lugz shoes, in your size please leave a comment on this post. The giveaway is open to readers in US and ends on August 5th.

Follow Lugz on twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with deals and new trends.

Follow me on twitter and Facebook so I can contact you if you are the winner.
Update: The winner is sophieandmomma

All rights reserved on photographs and opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Twinkle Toes review and giveaway

Twinkle Toes: The Movie is inspired by the best selling Skechers girls' shoe line.  The movie comes to DVD on July 31st.
My children enjoyed watching this fun filled movie.  The sweet adorable Twinkle Toes character overcomes her fears and learns to celebrate her individual energy.
The movie is filled with music, friendship and laughter that parents and children will enjoy.  The story is about courage, self-expression and finding the "sparkle" within.
This animated movie star Grace "Twinkle Toes" Hastings is a fashion icon for girls under 13 years.  
Here is synopsis from my daughter.
Twinkle Toes didn't like dancing in public because of her past embarrassment of making a mistake while she danced at the spring dance.  Although she didn't like dancing in public, she loved dancing in private.  Her teacher realized Twinkle's passion and signed her up for dance classes.  
Twinkle Toes decides to raise money for her school by doing a dancing show.  After this fundraise they were able to save the school from closing.  
Both my children enjoyed the animation and songs throughout the movie.

Click on the image to make it big and print

Giveaway:
If you like a copy of the DVD, please leave a comment by July 20th on this post.  The giveaway is open to everyone in US.
Please follow my twitter or Facebook or leave the email address for me to contact if you are the winner.
Update: Winner is Devi

Footwear for children
It is important that we put proper footwear for our children to avoid foot problems later on.  I am curious to find out about Pediped footwear.  
It seems like pediped's primary concern is the wellbeing of our children's growing feet as they say their shoes are "the next best thing to bare feet."  Usually when children complain of foot pain we think "growing pains", but we need to think about this a little more because wrong footwear can cause foot problems.  
All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

FilterFresh Rubbermaid water bottle giveaway

FilterFresh Rubbermaid water bottles on the go transform our tap water into a delicious refreshing drink.  The filter removes chlorine, but it doesn't filter microbes or fluorides so use only drinkable water to fill the bottles.


The bottles are dishwasher safe, place the bottle and lid on the top rack or wash by hand.  The freezer safe BPA free bottles have a twist cap that prevents leaks and allows to quickly place ice cubes.  It fits into cup holders, easy when we are on the go.  The finger loop is convenient to hold onto the 600ml bottle.   


It provides 300 bottles of water anytime, anywhere, which is useful when we don't trust the water in different areas.  Usually, because of the summer heat we end up finishing the water we take and refill from the taps for convenience so having this Rubbermaid filter bottles would allow us to have healthy clean water.  The dial on the replaceable filter helps us track when it is time to replace the filter, which is about every three months.  The filter works immediately without wait time.
Before using the bottle for the first time unscrew the filter, remove the wrap, reattach, fill the tap water, flush the filter first with hot water then refill and enjoy.


These bottles comes in blue, purple, black and green.  It is available at most Real Canadian superstores and Loblaws for a price of $9.99.  The 2 pack replacement filters are $9.99.
Become eco-friendly and stop using water bottles that end up in our landfills.  


To win a package of this Filter fresh rubbermaid water bottles and refill, leave a comment on this post before July 20th.  The value of the giveaway is $30.  It is open to everyone in Canada.
Please follow me on twitter and Facebook (not mandatory) so I can easily let you know if you are the winner.
Update: The winner is Wendy

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

The Smart Mother’s Guide to a Better Pregnancy Giveaway

Should pregnant women sleep on their left side?

Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway is a board-certified ob-gyn.  She is an advocate for quality healthcare, patient safety and author of The Smart Mother’s Guide to a Better Pregnancy.  In her book she says that sleeping on the left side or right side is fine, but that sleeping on your back should be avoided.  Here are some information from the book, which is sold in bookstores and Amazon.

“Our organs and tissues require oxygen to function. Without it, they essentially die. Blood from the lower part of our body flows back to the heart where it receives oxygen, compliments of a large blood vessel called the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC). The inferior vena cava is a large, thin-walled blood vessel located near the spine. As the pregnant uterus becomes enlarged, it can press against the IVC and reduce the amount of its blood flow. Why is that not good? Because it reduces the circulating blood flow in the body that is commonly known as our cardiac output (CO). When the pregnant uterus squeezes the IVC and reduces cardiac output, a woman might feel dizzy and even faint. Her blood supply of oxygen is reduced and the unborn baby’s is as well. When a pregnant woman in her early or late third trimester feels faint after lying flat on her back, the syndrome is called Supine Hypotensive Disorder. Her blood pressure has dropped because her cardiac output has dropped. The heart can only pump out what comes into it, so less blood into the heart means less blood going out of the heart and the patient feels faint. How is this avoided? By encouraging pregnant women in their third trimester to sleep on their left side.”

“What happens when a pregnant woman sleeps on her left side? The uterus is no longer compressing the thin-walled IVC but lies against the thick-walled aorta instead. The aorta brings oxygenated blood away from the heart and to essential organs and tissues. Because of its thickness it’s not affected by the weight of the pregnant uterus. What if you can’t sleep on your left side? Then sleep on your right side but avoid sleeping flat on your back.”

Although medical studies have allegedly not proven that sleeping on the left side reduces stillbirths, it is still sound advice to avoid maternal and fetal complications.”

We at home practice the Islamic etiquettes of sleeping.  Sleeping on the right side applies to everyone not only pregnant mothers.  First, we remove things that are not safe off the bed, make sure all things hazardous is removed or put away i.e. candles.  Then we ask God to protect us from the evil by saying a prayer and sleep on our right side facing the the direction of pray Mecca (Qiblah).  It is known to be unhealthy to sleep on the stomach so we don't sleep on our stomach.

You can receive a copy of this book, The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy by leaving a comment on this post.  The giveaway is open world wide (Hard copy of the books to winner in Canada and USA and e-book to every where else in the world).  Giveaway ends on the 15th of July.
Update: Congrats to Sarah

All rights reserved on opinion of written content Createwithmom unless quoted © 2012. Please Ask First

Kidorable review and giveaway

Kidorable has adorable rainwear for children; I haven't seen cute products like this anywhere.  The children and parents will enjoy their unique, creative, fabulous collection of products.  We like the quality and cuteness of these affordable Kidorable products.


The stitching and the detailed design on the products show good quality.  My son is a big dinosaur fan and knows a lot about dinosaurs, he even scares us by making different dinosaur sounds :)  My little dinosaur came alive with these super cute dinosaur coat and boots.  He loved the pockets, pictures, spikes, the colour and everything about it.  He couldn't stay still with this on :)


Children will want to have these rain gear on them even when there isn't any rain.  I had to convince my son that there will be plenty of opportunities for him to wear the coat when it is raining.


Kidorable has a lovely selection of themed rain coats and rain boots for all the different fans such as pirates, dragon knight, dinosaur, fireman, frog, space hero for boys and ballerina, butterfly, fairy, lady bug, lotus flower, lucky cat and mermaid for girls.  The coats are made out of PVC and have comfortable polymer lining.  The sizes are from 1T to 6x.  The size chart of the site is detailed, which will help us get the correct size.  The coats also come with free hangers that are unique, wooden, lightweight and cute.





The rain/ mud boots made with natural rubber are really soft and pliable, which is comfortable for growing feet.  The sole of the boots have a good grip and it is easy to clean.  My children and I like the details throughout the boots such as the dinosaur face, eyes, teeth, spikes, texture, design and the attractive realistic colours.  
Kidorable carries boot sizes from size 5 to youth size 2 that come up to mid calf. If your children are like mine; then you know that they can't avoid puddles/mud so rain boots are a good investment.  These cute comfortable boots will make children want to wear it without complaining :)


As a parent, you will love seeing your cuties in the Kidorable rain coats and boots.  Anyone seeing your children with these kidorable products will compliment how good it looks.

My daughter loves the selection they have for the girls, she wanted this ballerina umbrella and was really excited when she got it.  It isn't just an umbrella; the details and design will bring out the ballerina in the little ones.  We love every part of this 100% nylon umbrella; the pictures, colours, the shape, the cute ribbon on top and the unique comfortable handle.  The umbrella is a good size that is big enough to protect them from the rain.  It would also be good to have when it is sunny.  My ballet queen is trying to find every opportunity to use it; she is out with it in rain and shine.





Kidorable has impressively made their products functional and cute.  The products are shipped to anywhere in the world and can easily be purchased online.  
Any child receiving these products will enjoy it.  Parents will appreciate the affordable prices and will be happy to see how cute their children look in these.


Giveaway
Kidorable has lots of umbrella designs.  If you want to win one of their umbrellas, please leave a comment saying which design of umbrella your little one will like to win.  
The giveaway is open to people in USA and Canada till June 5th.  
Please follow Kidorable on twitter and Facebook to get special discounts/deals.
With a purchase of $20 worth of products they are giving away a free umbrella to delight children around the world.
Please follow my twitter and Facebook so I can announce the winner and contact you.
Update: The winner is Cheryl

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Fashion to figure giveaway

Fashion to figure is offering a giveaway to the readers of Createwithmom and Torviewtoronto.  The giveaway is open to everyone in USA until May 30th.  If you are the winner you can choose one item $30 or less from Fashion to figure.  


I don't have first hand experience with their products, but happy to bring this giveaway offer to you.  
Fashion to figure is an online company that has a variety of women's clothing from size 12 to 26.  They have a selection of dresses, tops, shirts, jeans, pants, shorts, skirts, outerwear, body shapers, accessories and jewelry on their site.  The site has lovely product pictures that show either the front/ back of the clothing and some products have a zoom feature.  The site also has detailed product description for each of their clothing.  Fashion to figure also gives suggestions on how to wear the clothing.


The site is easy to surf, so start looking through it and leave a comment on what type of clothing you are thinking of getting on the comment of this post with your contact email address or your Facebook or twitter name.
Please follow my twitter and Facebook so you know when the winner is announced.

Update: The winner is Stephanie

All rights reserved on the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Dawgs shoes working tracker pro review and giveaway

This time of the year with unpredictable weather here, it is important to be prepared with proper shoes.

I love this reliable working tracker pro Dawg shoes, and I know you will too :)

This shoe has a super resistant outer sole.

The lightweight, soft, ultra comfort shoes make it fashionable to wear it everywhere. The shoes have arch support and removable insoles, so any Orthotics can fit in as well. It is easy to clean the shoes, there are no markings and the shoes are anti-microbial. It also has low heel impact and can be worn with or without socks.

The shoes come in a lovely box with a carry handle, so it can be reused :)

Dawgs, foot's best friend is kindly offering USA and Canadian readers of Createwithmom and Torviewtoronto :) this shoe in your size either in black or white.

To win please leave a comment on this post, follow Dawgs on twitter and Facebook to see their lovely collection of shoes and sandals.

Please follow me on twitter and Facebook so you see the winner announcement and hear about more giveaways/reviews.

This giveaway ends on March 20th.

Updated: The winner is Maryea

All rights reserved on photographs and the opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

The joy of writing with Papermate

Writing is a gift, so I take every opportunity I can to write the old fashion way, using a pen.