Alegria Shoe Review & Giveaway!

Being a busy mom of two and working in the health field I am on my feet most of the day. I am pretty sure by now everyone knows I work evening shifts with individuals with disabilities living in their own apartments. This involves a lot of walking, standing and climbing stairs all shift! When I am not at work I am on the go with two busy kids ages 4 & 5. I am always on the look out for shoes that will help keep my feet comfy and not ache halfway through my day.

Now let's talk about Alegria shoes by PG lite. If you haven't seen Alegria shoes they are fashionable fun with all the great colors and styles. You can choose from a clog, sandal, mary jane type, boots or a professional oxford style. Each has a few styles and their own names, Feliz, Abbi, Donna, and many more. 

These shoes are made to make your feet happy!

Each shoe features removable insoles, which are great if one needs special orthopedics, you can remove the insoles and get your special insoles put in your new shoes.

They are also made of leather and have leather insoles that naturally breathable and have a nice built-in arch for great support during the day.

They feature also a rocker sole. What is that you may ask? It is engineered to roll naturally to reduce heel and metatarsal pressure. It also encourages proper posture and a normal gait. That is something I love about these as I sometimes do not have the greatest posture.  

I also love that they have anatomically correct foot beds that form to the natural shape of your foot! They fit even wider feet with the extra depth that they offer. The extra depth makes more room for your toes to wiggle freely. 

Have I mentioned the colors?!? Wow they have a HUGE array of styles and colors. It is very hard to choose just one pair as they have tons of fun colors. I did end up choosing the Donna's - Friends Pink. This pair have ladies on them and lots of shapes. I love my new pink shoes and so do pretty much everyone I meet. I also love the Classic Clog in the leopard print. Wearing my Alegria shoes are like walking on clouds, they really do make your feet happy! I can wear them all day and at the end of my day my feet are not aching from being on the forever. I can see more Alegria shoes in the near future.

Where to buy: Find a store near you or shop online.

Connect with Alegria on Facebook or Twitter

Win:

~*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Baker Shoe Company. I received a complimentary product for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Cheese Whiz Coupon

Do you like Cheese Whiz? Have you noticed the cost of it lately? I haven't bought it in ages because of the price. If you would like to save a $1.00 off any Kraft Cheese Whiz product check out Save.ca to get your coupon.





~*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom, all opinions are honest and my own.*~

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FurReal Friends Review

We are a family of animal lovers, which can get us into trouble for sure. Right now we live in a tiny house (well duplex) with a teeny tiny yard (if you can even call it a yard). My kids would love to have a zoo in our house and well D and I agree we would also love that but it can't happen at the moment. What the kids can have are FurReal Friends!

Have you seen things cute, cuddly animals that are interactive? The RurReal Friends come in all kinds of animals, cats, dogs, birds, farm animals and wildlife. There is a new line of FurReal Friends that are Newborn animals. This line includes birds, monkeys, farm animals and our new little friend the penguin! My son had the opportunity to make friends with Penguin and he is loving his new little friend.

The Newborn penguin is cute as can be. He makes eating sounds, chattering and as P says he purrs when he is happy. This little guy will flap his wings and "ask" to be feed with his bottle that comes with him. When your child puts it in his mouth he will make gulping and chipping sounds. He moves his head and wings along with it. The kids really feel like they are caring for a real pet with the FurReal Friends! They even have a little bed they made out of a box for the new addition.

We love them so much that P and A having been scouting them out when we are in the stores. I believe Santa will be getting a request or two for a new baby! This is a great way to add new pets without all the responsibilities of a real pet. Canadian Coupon Mom approved for sure!

Where to buy: The Newborn Penguin can be bought on Toy's R Us Canada for $19.99 other FurReal Friends price are different.



~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of FurReal Friends by Hasbro. We received a complimentary product for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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National Guacamole Day with Wholly Guacamole Giveaway

Have you noticed that many days now are "special days"? One special day that is coming up that my family is excited to partake in is National Guacamole Day! Will you be enjoying Guacamole on September 16th,2011?

It is easy to celebrate National Guacamole Day with Wholly Guacamole. They are found in the refrigerator  section of your local grocery store and come in handy little pre-made packs.

Never heard of Guacamole before? Guacamole's main ingredient are avocados. Avocados are amazingly healthy and full of vitamins and minerals, 20 to be exact! Wholly makes fresh all natural, allergen free, kosher guacamole and salsa.

Some great Avocado nutrition factoids

• Contain 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients 
• Rich in vitamins B, E and K 
• Have 60% more potassium than bananas 
• About 75% of an avocado's calories come from monounsaturated fat- the good kind of fat! 
• High in fiber compared to other fruits - including 25% soluble fiber. 
• Naturally sodium and cholesterol free

We had the opportunity to try out Wholly Guacamole and Salsa and I am very excited to share Wholly with my readers. Guacamole is not just for dipping with chips there are tons of other ways to eat guacamole. It is a great replacement for butter or mayo on sandwiches, can be added to tacos or wraps, added

Visit Wholly to find great recipes, activities and awesome coupons for Wholly Guacamole and Salsa.

Connect: Want to connect with Wholly? Follow on Facebook or join in the Twitter chats (@EatWholly) use the hashtag #GuacCanada

Our Thoughts: Please excuse the shirtless men, it was a warm night. We enjoyed a taco night with Classic Wholly guacamole and medium Wholly salsa. Everyone loved both especially the guacamole. The children loved it by the spoonful. I, myself found the medium salsa to be a bit to spicy for me. D and I both agreed the salsa was a bit water for tacos but very tasty. We all agreed the guacamole had just the right spice and garlic to not be over powering and taste great! D tried the salsa with chips the next night and loved it! He said it was great to dip in.

We have frozen some for another night and also to see how they freeze. I love the snack packs as they are great for lunch or snacks for the kids and myself. Also D can take it to work for lunch if he chooses.We will be eating Wholly again for sure! It is a new fave in our house with two thumbs up from the kids.

Win It:

For more chances to win head over to these Canadian blogs celebrating National Guac Day!

Tales of a Ranting Ginger

A Motherhood Experience

Did You Know Canada?

Number Crunching Momma

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Wholly Guacamole. We received a complimentary product pack for review purpose only. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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What to Wear

So here I sit trying to figure out how to gain a new wardrobe that is stylish, inexpensive and get it before the two biggest Canadian blogging conferences, ShesConnected and Blissdom Canada. Yes, I know, I have waited likely too long to really find anything but I thought I was going to be fine buying a few tops, sweaters and a couple pairs of pants. I still haven't found anything.

I have bought a few things from this one online store thinking WOW the prices are AWESOME but when receiving the clothes they fell apart right away. Did I mention that when I emailed them they haven't returned my email? I think if I purchase from across the world again I will stick to eBay.ca. Trial and error I guess, just sucks it took over two weeks to get to me and I spent $50 I could have put else where on better quality clothes.

Now to look for higher quality clothes hopefully on sale... It has only been about 7 or so years since I turned my style from Business Casual to Casual. I never wore jeans, always dress pants and dressy shirts. Now it's the total opposite and all I wear are jeans and t-shirts. I blame that on work not on the kids. I work in a health care field and well its really hard to keep dressy going without ruining it all with cleaners or grease.

I believe I have the make up thing covers with an E.L.F haul that I will be putting in by tomorrow. I will likely head out to Ardene's to pick out something for accessories and see what they have for new flats. I still need clothes though! AHHHH!

I would like a dressy outfit for evening parties (pants and a couple dressy tops will work fine) and also some business casual for daytime stuff, again I figure nice jeans or black pants and a few nice tops. I need another sweater also as I have only one that is dressy.

I am reaching out to my readers for your help in choosing some great clothes, Where do you shop? Any online stores you can point me to?



~*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, it was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Great KidZoomer Deal

This weekend KidZoomer has a Great 2 Day Deal that is Canadian Wide!

Clek Ozzi Booster seat is made by a Canadian company that uses 100% of their material from North America. They specialize in Child booster seats that are comfortable and do not leave your child with a Numb-Bum! Find out more on the Clek website.

This weekend - for 2 days only KidZoomer has the Clek Ozzi Booster seat for $49.99 (Reg $74.99)! Shipping Canadian-Wide for $15.

Coupon Code: Want to get an extra 10% off? Enter this coupon code at check out KZ10

For more great deals why not sign up for KidZoomer emails. Sign up is free and no spam just great kid friendly deals. To find out more great deals follow @KidZoomer on Twitter.


~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of KidZoomer our sponsor for both ShesConnected and Blissdom Canada conferences this fall. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Baby Alive by Hasbro Review

My daughter is very creative and has always loved to play house with her little people or babies. This will come as no surprise how excited she was when she found out she was getting a new Baby Alive!

We got the opportunity to review Baby Alive - My Baby Alive. If you have never heard of Baby Alive you will want to keep reading as I also didn't realize how long the Baby Alive dolls have been around.

After digging up some information on these dolls I found out that they were originally made by a company called Kenner in 1973! This first baby was a none talking baby that a little girl could feed and push a lever on the dolls back for the food to move through the baby. In 2006 Hasbro redesigned Baby Alive with a more realistic doll that talks, eats and uses a diaper.

I remember having one in the early '90's when they first started the talking baby. These little baby dolls are very life like and little girls can really feel like they are the babies mom, feeding, and changing baby.

The My Baby Alive comes with two packets of food which you mix with a little bit of water, a bib, bottle spoon, bowl and 2 diapers. If you would like more diapers or food accessory packs are available to purchase separately. She can speak 30 different phases when in play mode. Don't forget to switch the button on the back from demo to play or you daughter wont hear all the phases.

Where to Buy: You can find a place to buy Baby Alive by visiting Hasbro.ca. Retails at Toys R Us Canada for $39.99 and accessory packs for $6.99.

Our thoughts: This little baby doll has been loved by A since she arrived on our door stop. I believe it is how interacted the baby is with A. A will hug and kiss her, play with her when baby asks and also if baby says she is hungry or thirsty A feeds her. The food is easy to mix with the help of an adult. Only thing I wish was different was the diapers. I wish they would have ones that can be washed and reused.

Never leave your kids alone in a room with real food and baby alive. As we found out after her babysitter watched her baby alive had crackers and cheese in her. That was a interesting situation and means of removal. I wont share how I got it all out unless you really want to know. Overall A loves her new Baby Alive and so do I.

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Hasbro PR firm. We received a Baby Alive for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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ShesConnected Conference Special Announcement

Alyssa from A Motherhood experience and I are very excited to announce some more great news!

We have both been invited to the 2nd Annual ShesConnected Conference that will be taking place the end of September in Toronto. We are very excited to have been invited to this great conference that will include the Top 200 Digitally Influential women in Canada.

KidZoomer who has been kind enough to sponsor Alyssa and myself to attend the wonderful Blissdom Canada Conference in Toronto this fall, has extended their generosity to sponsor our ShesConnected conference trip also!

If you are not familiar with KidZoomer they are a Kid friendly deal site mainly in Toronto area right now. They are working hard to bring great kid deals all over Canada. The difference between KidZoomer and other daily deal sites? The site was created and founded by two moms, Samara and Melissa who wanted to bring great deals to Canadian parents with an easy to use site. Let them know if you have a favorite place you would like a deal at, like them on Facebook.

A big Thank you to KidZoomer for helping us get to these two great conferences. We are very happy to extend our work with KidZoomer, to keep bringing you all the latest in Kid friendly deals along with some fun giveaways on Twitter, Facebook and our blogs.

So get ready Canada for some fun and great deals with A Motherhood Experience, Canadian Coupon Mom and KidZoomer.

If you are not yet following us on Twitter yet please find us at @AMotherhoodBlog, @CouponMomCanada and of course our wonderful sponsor @KidZoomer Watch for our daily tweets and upcoming blogs posts and giveaways.




~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom as an announcement for our upcoming conferences that Alyssa and I will be attending our trip being sponsored by KidZoomer. KidZoomer is not a conference sponsor. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Ending Tonight Little Jots Giveaway!

Hurry ending tonight Little Jots giveaway! These are great little notes to give to your kids to show them some extra love and encouragement. I know you don't need a special book to give out notes to your kids but it is a great little book with pre-made cards that are quick and easy to use in our hectic days! Check them out I am sure you will love them as well as I do.

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Back to School Snacks with Orville Redenbacher

Do you have everything for Back to School? New outfits, shoes, backpack, lunch bag, binders, pencils, crayons etc. Have you had the chance to think about what to pack for snacks?

Back to School can be very exciting but it can also be very worrisome as packing lunches can be very hard to do with picky eaters and also schools being Nut-Free. What do you pack? Trying to find a balance of healthy snacks that are quick, easy and inexpensive is challenging. I want to let you in on a fun way to get your kids more involved with packing their lunches and eating them too.

Popcorn! Yes I said popcorn. Asking children to help build their lunch can get them excited about the regular back to school snack packing routine - making life easier for parents in the process. Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop is a delicious, satisfying snack that is also a good source of fibre and whole grains. It is 94% fat free and only 100 calories for 6 cups.

On Sunday nights spend some time preparing snacks for the week, and then let the kids choose what to pack each morning. This sense of ownership can help to ensure kids eat the lunch they leave for school with! 

Looking for easy snack packing tips? Pop extra popcorn the night before and package in individual resealable snack bags to retain just-popped freshness. For a fast flavour hit, place freshly popped popcorn in a large bowl, sprinkle taco seasoning or parmesan cheese to taste and shake until gently coated.

Orville's Power Crunch Bars

Serves: 24 servings (1 bar each)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients

·         1 mini bag (31 g each) Orville Redenbacher's® Smart Pop!® 100 Calorie Buttery Flavour Microwave Popcorn

·         1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

·         1 1/2 Cup quick-cooking rolled oats

·         3/4 Cup dried cranberries

·         1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1/2 Cup margarine, softened

·         3/4 Cup all-purpose flour

·         3 *serving (1/3 sec spray) PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

·         1/4 Teaspoon salt

·         1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

·         1 Tablespoon water

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 15x10-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

2.       Prepare popcorn according to package directions. Remove any unpopped kernels; set aside.

3.       Combine brown sugar and margarine in large bowl, using electric mixer on high speed.  Add water and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.  Gradually add flour mixture and blend well. Turn mixer on low speed; add cranberries.

4.       Cover hands with plastic gloves or sandwich size plastic bags; spray with cooking spray. Mix popcorn into dough. Spread mixture into prepared pan.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

5.       Let cool before cutting into 24 bars.  Store in tightly sealed container.

These bars are very easy to make and usually we have all the ingredients in the house. I didn't have cranberries this time but we substituted with raisins as we always have them around. They are quick and easy to make, easy for the kids to help also. I do find I have to really watch my microwave when popping pop corn. I have to use the low end of the time or I will end up with burnt popcorn. The bars smell great in the oven and while they were baking I had enough time to clean up the mess and start working on other things. These will be a great afternoon snack to prepare when the kids get home from school. This is a great snack and was enjoyed by all!

Try other recipes on Orville Redenbacher's website.



~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop! We received a sample for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Udderly SMOOth Cream Review & Giveaway

With sun and swimming during summer and winter fast approaching I am very excited to be able to give Udderly Smooth Creams a try. If you haven't heard of Udderly Smooth let me tell you a bit about it.

The first time I heard about Udderly Smooth was when I was in high school and if I remember correctly a Canadian Country singer started using this cream that was actually meant for her animals. hmm, really? but if it can help a cow with chapped and dry skin, I am sure it can do wonders on humans and  best of all be safe.

Udderly Smooth is manufactured Redex Industries which is a family owned and operated manufacturing company. They have manufactured Udderly Smooth for over 30 years. It was originally invented in Ohio for dairy cows under harsh conditions under the guidance of Bill Kennedy, CEO & registered Pharmacist. It is used Worldwide these days and has lots of uses including:

* Dry and chapped skin
* As a shaving lotion
* Diabetes skin care
* Hand and Foot Syndrome- a side effect of chemotherapy drugs
* Chamois cream for bicyclists
* Needlework and quilting

I received an assortment of Udderly Smooth creams to try including Moisturizing Lotion, Shea Butter Foot Cream and Udder Cream. I have tried them all out and love each one. I love that all the creams have a nice light scent, something that can be used by both men and women. They feel like the give your skin a protective layer. I like creams like this as they help moisturize and protect your skin as well ass making them soft.

The Shea Butter foot cream is wonderful. During the summer I wear flip flops almost daily and when I am at work I am stuck in sweaty sneakers. Each year I try a different cream to keep my feet soft. This summer after using this cream a few times I noticed a big difference in the rough spots. They turned very soft and smooth with no cracked heels. I know carry Udderly Smooth in my purse.

Where to Buy: Find out what retailers sell Udderly Smooth in Canada or in the US. Look for the black and white spots. 

Where to Connect: On Twitter and on Facebook.

Win It:

~*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Udderly Smooth. I received an assortment of creams for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Angry Birds

There was a lot of talk one night about these things called "Angry Birds". I have seen the plush toys and posters in the store but had never really taken interest to them as I didn't think it would be for my kids age. So I hopped in on the conversation to find out more about Angry Birds. I found out that these birds are actually part of a game for the iPod, PC and even online.

These birds are very angry looking and the object of the game is to launch the birds at different structures with other round things (good pigs?)sitting on and in the structure. Once all the pigs are smashed then you pass the level and go on to the next.

This is VERY addictive for both parents and kids. After playing one night on my iPhone, I am hooked and trying to pass all the levels on my free version. It may just be one of those games I will purchase the full version app. Check out iTunes.com for your free version to check it out for yourself. I will admit some levels are hard but I figure was I pass them all, I will go back and try to earn 3 stars on each level. P is also loving this game and has requested a few times an Angry Bird toy from Shopper's Drugmart. I have told P that could be something for his list to Santa.



~*Disclaimer: This post is not a sponsored post. It has been written by Canadian Coupon Mom. Just sharing about Angry Birds game. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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