IceFest 2012 Canada's Winter Wilderness

This February the annual IceFest is happening at Bloor-Yorkville area from February 24th to the 26th. This year the theme is "Winter Wilderness."

This year there will be ice sculptures such as Ice Log Cabin, Lumberjack, Moose, totem trees and more. You will get to watch the artists put the finishing touches on 30,000 lbs of ice on the 24th.

On February 25th and 26th between 12 p.m to 5 p.m the festivities will continue with the ice display, on-street performers including skating performances by "Glisse on Ice", ice carving demonstrations and tasty treats from Baker Street desserts. Children will get "Ice Kiddie Cubes" with a collectible Gogo's crazy bones toy inside.

Come celebrate this family friendly Free event.

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

Mini-Wheats #TryitHot Prize Pack Giveaway

Despite our daydreams of warmer weather to come, for some of us, the chilly outdoors tells us that winter is not quite over yet! While the snow might fly for a few more weeks, Kellogg's has a great way to warm us up in the meantime. We can try Kellogg’s cereal hot by serving it with warm milk, and enjoy this whole-grain, high fibre cereal; it is a wholesome way to beat the winter chill.

Dinosaur coin bank and Pullover pajama set

This dinosaur coin bank from pajama shoppe is really cute.  My son being a dinosaur fan loved this right away.  It is light in weight compared to the coin banks we have at home.  I like that the children can easily move the coin bank without getting hurt because of its weight.  This coin bank is 7" wide, 3.75" tall and 3.25" deep, which is a good size for children.  The coin slot is big enough to easily fit any type of currency.

The coin bank is made with silver pewter.  I like that they used this type of material, which doesn't leave finger print stains and saves me the trouble of cleaning and polishing it.

Teaching children the concept of money by having a money bank such as this cute dinosaur is a good idea.  They will start learning the value of money at an early age, as they recognize the different types of coins.  As the children get older they will learn to save their gift money for a good purpose.

The slot on the back is comfortable to take out the money easily when needed.

We really like the detailed design on this dinosaur coin bank.  They also have a Noah's ark coin bank, which is a little smaller than this one.  If you have a dino fan they will like this as a money bank or as a collectible.

Pajama shoppe also has a wide selection of night wear for men and women.  I tried their cozy comfortable cotton winter print knit pullover pajama set.  This pajama is so comfy that I could wear it to lounge all day :)  I like the soft material they have used.  The bright red and navy blue is very cheerful.  The prints of snowmen and snowflakes remind me of the joyful season of winter and makes me just want to wear these PJs on cool nights and curl up.

The elastic around the pants are comfortable and doesn't leave marks.  The top is loose fitting, which adds to the coziness.

They have from S to XL.  All the ladies will enjoy this soft cotton pajama set.  It would be a perfect gift to buy for moms or young girls going off to campus.

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

Exceptional pediped® Boots for Children

I love pediped® shoes and boots for my children. pediped® is an award-winning children’s footwear company that sells its footwear in over 2,500 stores in the United States and 40 countries worldwide with an offering of more than 150 designs for boys and girls between its three lines. Their Originals® are soft-soled flexible infant shoes for newborn to 24 months, Grip ‘n’ Go™ available in sizes 19-23 are perfect shoes for active toddlers transitioning from early walking to a confident stride, and Flex® footwear are for established walkers in sizes 22-38. I like the exceptional quality and the comfort of the distinct pediped® styles.

Take a trip to Fallsview Indoor Waterpark this holiday season

Fallsview Indoor Waterpark located on the Falls Avenue Entertainment Complex features three acres of indoor water fun! It is a fun place for everyone in the family to visit anytime of the year. We loved every moment, as we enjoyed the different aqua activities. The waterpark features 16 waterslides, a 1000 gallon tipping bucket, jungle beach play area, year-round outdoor pool and sundeck, two oversized adults only Jacuzzis, a tiny tots splash area, and a full size wave pool.

Hyundai SantaFe Sport 2.0T Is A Fabulous SUV For The Family

Hyundai is true to their motto of "New Thinking. New Possibilities". My family and I feel the Hyundai SantaFe Sport 2.0T is an outstanding, well-engineered, stylish SUV that shows modern luxury. We really like the stunning look from the outside. Everyone getting into the vehicle will like the comfortable, luxurious and spacious drive. This SUV is perfect to drive in all types of weather and road conditions in Canada. 

Our Road Trip to New Brunswick in the 2015 Toyota Sienna

We really enjoyed driving the spacious 2015 Toyota Sienna XLE, which was perfect for our 14 hour road trip from Toronto to New Brunswick. Everyone in the family felt that they had comfortable amount of space to stretch, and to be seated during our travels. The ride was smooth throughout our trip despite the variety of road conditions we went on. In my upcoming posts, you will see that we not only drove the Sienna in the city, but also in small towns, winding highways, rugged roads, and lots of drivable trails.

General Mills Partnership with Dairy Queen Just in Time for the Warm Weather

General Mills has partnered with Dairy Queen® to offer Canadians fabulous coupons as a bonus on top of their cereal. We are so excited about this with the weather warming up, as we love our ice creams and cold desserts :)

As a child, I used to go to DQ with my parents and brothers to get treats during summer evenings, and sometimes even in the middle of winter to get ice cream cake :) I am so glad DQ has the same wonderful treats so I can start to make new memories with my children.

Game Nights with Hasbro and Giveaway

We love Game Nights. It is the best way to pass time and connect with family and friends especially during cold evenings of winter or long days in the summer. We were very excited to unbox some new Hasbro games like the Peeping Pup, Monopoly, Jenga, Scrabble, and Tiny Pong (Tiny Pong will be available in the market in June).

DIY Embroidery Top Wooden Stool

We wanted to a customize and make our own DIY wooden stool with a soft cushion top that can be used as an extra seating, a table, or a footstool. The colours we used are inspired by our love for Moroccan and Bohemian designs and colours. We feel this gives the punch of colour we want to make the interior of our home feel brighter even during the long winter seasons!

Sicilian Food, Raw Food, Soups and Recipe for Classic Tomato Soup

During the past few weeks, I have taken time to look through cookbooks and get inspired to make a variety of food. We checked out three DK books - Raw Food, The Sicily Cookbook, and The Soup Book.

Lipikar Baume helps heal sensitive dry skin

I have been using Lipikar Baume AP for my son, ever since his doctor recommended us to use it on him. I started using it since the beginning of winter this year because he was getting eczema rashes because of the dryness in the air.  Using this cream made the rash go away as well as helped to prevent from the rash coming back. I am glad that Lipikar made the rash go away as I was reluctant to use any harsh medications on his skin.  

Win Tickets to Watch Disney On Ice Let's Party As They Come to Toronto

It will be one colossal party on ice, with all our favourite Disney friends coming to Rogers Centre from March 12 to 16th, 2014. Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as they celebrate a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Royal Valentine’s Day Ball with Disney Princesses, including Cinderella, Ariel and Tiana; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo & Stitch; a winter wonderland with Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains and more in a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivities from around the globe. 

Entertaining Sticker Books

DK books are hosting a special Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sticker Book boutique for the next few weeks inspired by the cabin fever that is taking place in family households across Canada this freezing cold winter. 

Creative Designs on Wood using the Dewalt DW788 20" Variable Speed Scroll Saw

We enjoy scrolling as a hobby and have done lots of small projects on a smaller entry level scroll saw. Scroll sawing is the art of making intricate cuts in wood or metal to create different patterns and objects. We enjoy doing woodworking projects on a regular basis, and using the scroll saw has taken woodworking to another level for us.  

Getting the house ready for the #holidays and a Giveaway

handheld 2-in-1 scrubber

I have been cleaning our home a bit more than usual because we are getting ready for winter and had a few celebrations.  Now with the December holidays approaching, we are anticipating more family and friends to come over and spend time.  My grandpa used to say that a clean kitchen and washroom judges a home :) So keeping a sparkling washroom and kitchen is a priority in our home. Soap scums, dirt caused by humidity are all reasons that make it hard to maintain the washroom, especially if we don't have the correct tools.  I am very happy that this year we got to try these fabulous scrubs and brushes from Rubbermaid.  

I found the extendable scrubber helps us with hard to reach corners more easily.  We have the option of detaching the head or scrubbing part easily to use without the handle.  The pole extends from 24" to 40" and works with switchable pads.      

I like the idea of putting the cleaning liquid into the spraying scrubber.  It allows us to easily spray and clean one spot before moving to another, which is very useful with little ones in the home, as I usually don't get to start and finish cleaning in one time.  The spray scrubber holds about 1/2 cup of liquid at one time.  We have the option of switching the pads for this scrubber depending on the surface we want to clean, which is very convenient.

We found the flexible scrub brush useful as we cleaned the washroom floors and areas where some surfaces are flat and some have curved contour surfaces i.e. bathtub and sink.  The rubberized inset helps to grip it firmly.  When the red button on the top part of the scrubber is pushed, it releases the 3" red part of the bristle to move into any position we like and then locks it into place.  This bendable firm part of the bristle helps us scrub curved areas in the bathroom.

The handheld 2-in-1 scrubber is extra large and is useful for full surface scrubbing for large areas.  I like the detail brush that is on top, which is similar to a giant toothbrush.  This detail brush is handy to scrub around the faucets, grout and small spaces.

We can switch the pads to either disposable, scouring, bristle or sponge.  The pads are available to buy separately.  Scouring pads are good for all surfaces.  Sponge pad is good to clean and wipe.  The bristle brush is handy for heavy duty scrubbing.  The disposable pad come in packs of six to "clean and toss" for messy jobs.  

A lot of thought has gone into designing and making this selection of Rubbermaid products for the bathroom, which makes our job easy.  All these products can be found at Home Depot, and some of these can be found at Walmart and Home Hardware stores. 

Giveaway:

To help one Canadian reader this holiday season, I am happy to bring this giveaway that ends on November 20th.  Please enter through the rafflecopter below. 

Update: The winner is Sam 

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

Celebrate With This Easy to Make Tiramisu

February is a month of celebration for many of us, and there are lots of things happening this month in our home from a special birthday celebration, family day and more. So, I will be making Tiramisu at least a couple of times this month because everyone in my family enjoys this easy to make dessert. We can make this alcohol free, children friendly Tiramisu ahead of time. During these cold winter months we all need a "pick me up" dessert, so here is my recipe to make Tiramisu at home.

Polysporin® Eczema Essentials™

Eczema is a skin condition that many people in Canada either have themselves or know someone else that does. The common signs and symptoms of this skin rash, is sometimes itchy dry skin, redness, swelling, cracking, crusting or scaling that is difficult to deal with. The unpredictability of when and how it comes, and the effects it causes to our lives is worrisome, so finding a solution to it is important.

Holiday Gift Guide

As the end of the year approaches and the holiday season is around the corner, we put together a list of items that would make wonderful gifts for family and friends! Take a look at the list for unique gift ideas from memories, games, books to toys. Enter the giveaways below to have the gifts delivered before the holidays!

Cooking Up Our Fall Pumpkin Harvest

For the first time this year, I planted a couple of pumpkin seeds during spring in our garden. We were super excited to see lots of flowers, huge prickly leaves and a couple of fabulous tasting pumpkins grow in our small pumpkin patch. I saved the seeds from an acorn squash we bought last fall. You too can try growing pumpkins next year with the seeds you save up from this season.