#Disney's Super Buddies DVD & Blu-ray Review




Disney’s beloved and adorable ‘Buddies’ are back in a hilarious all-new movie for the whole family -- ‘SUPER BUDDIES’ debuted on August 27, 2013, on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD. An action-packed canine adventure, ‘Super Buddies’ stars the world’s most adorable talking puppies - Rosebud, B-Dawg, Budderball, Buddha and Mudbud, as caped crusaders em’barking’ on their biggest adventure ever.

An ordinary day at Fernfield Farms turns extraordinary when Budderball, Mudbud, B-Dawg, Buddha and Rosebud discover mysterious rings that grant them each a uniquesuper power. Before you can say, “Buddies, assemble,” the pups unleash their amazing abilities and race to the rescue when a shape-shifting bully from outer space threatens the planet. But can they succeed in kicking major tail without revealing their new secret identities?

A must-own movie event packed with laughter, action and incredible new characters, ‘SUPER BUDDIES’ proves when you use your wits and work together, you don't needsuper powers to be a super hero!


MY REVIEW
We are definitely fans of the cute siblings puppies that are the Buddies. We've seen almost all of them, so when we got Super Buddies, my kids were very excited to watch the movie. In fact they were so excited that after watching Super Buddies we ended up watching a couple more Buddies movies. We made an entire night of it. And of course we had to make some Puppy Chow (recipe coming soon) to go along with our movie along with popcorn. 



This new addition to the Buddies series have them trying to save their town from the evil Commander Drex from out of space trying to come and steal these mysterious rings they end up finding and try to take over the world. This is a great movie for the entire family to enjoy.

Both my kids couldn't stop laughing as there were tons of humor along with a terrific story line. We are always pleased when watching any of the Buddies movies because not only is it entertaining for my little ones, but there is always a lesson learned from each movie. In this one it's you don't always have to have powers in order to be a super hero!

Download Super Activities

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Super Buddies at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received

Epic Blu-ray Review

Transported to a magical world, a teenager (Amanda Seyfried) is recruited by a nature spirit, Queen Tara (Beyoncé Knowles), to help the “Leafmen” save their existence – and ours – from evil warriors. The whole family will love this fast-paced thrill-ride, with its astonishing animation and all-star voice cast that includes Colin Farrell, Oscar Winner Christoph Waltz, and Steven Tyler!

Every Blu-ray and DVD comes with the Epic Coloring and Storybook Builder app. The app will allow kids to create their own Epic story and share it with family and friends. Epic is now available on both blu-ray and DVD for purchase!

MY REVIEW
Epic was such a good movie. My kiddos, hubby and I loved everything about it. From the hilarious characters of Mub and Grub who kept us laughing and entertained from beginning to end of the movie and then you have Mary Katherine (MK) and her relationship with Nod. It's that same first meet, have chemistry and fight off and on until you realize that you love each other kind of relationship. Although it was pretty obvious that Queen Tara was going to die, I couldn't help but feel so sad for Ronin. It's obvious that they both love one another and it's sad that things ended before they began for them. 

The ending turned out okay, but I would have ended it a bit different. Although I knew MK had to get back to her world to better her relationship with her father, I was sad to see her leave until I saw that her and Nod along with a few others kept in touch via video chat, lol. It's an adorable movie and I definitely would recommend it. 



Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Epic In at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received

Book Review: Vigilante Nights by Erin Richards



Title: Vigilante Nights
By: Erin Richards
Publisher: Merit Press 
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
ISBN: 9781440562358
Pages: 303

A "good boy" will do anything for vengeance when a gang rite kills his twin sister. Will Lucas win, or follow his sister Silver into the darkness?
After a hideous car wreck, Lucas wakes from a coma to find that his world is gutted. Not only is his beloved twin sister, Silver, gone forever, but Lucas is broken in body and spirit. He will never be a college athlete, and is robbed of what he now realizes was the most important bond of his life. Although they weren't identical twins, Lucas and Silver shared a bond so fierce it defied reason, and was nearly supernatural.
After her death, that bond seems to endure when Lucas sees Silver everywhere he turns. Either he's crazy, or Silver is trying to tell him something about the California gang initiation they stumbled into that cost Silver her life. Lucas is bent on revenge, turning on Raymond, Silver's former boyfriend; the one Lucas never wanted her to date. He forms a posse of vigilantes to take out the gangsters responsible for Silver's death, but he risks not only his own life, but the love of the new girl on his block, who knows more about Lucas and Silver than can be accounted for by mere chance.

MY REVIEW
I can say this was a book with an action-packed storyline. The characters are easy to connect with. I would not read it again or a follow-up to it…if there was one. You get a mixed review from me. I didn't hate it…I didn't love it. Essentially, I can only say I read a lot of young adult books but this just didn't connect with me at all. I am not the target audience so that's not a problem.

I have read this book and I can tell you that I do not normally look at other people's reviews of books until after I have already written mine…but this time I did read them before writing mine. I read other reviews because there is some disturbing racial aspects of this book which I was not sure If I was being unfair to the author for allowing to disturb me. There are racial inequalities in day-to-day life, I am aware of that, but it did seem blatant and largely unaddressed. It is addressed as okay because of what happened to Lucas's sister… but hating a whole race of people because of one group of people in young adult story was disturbing to me.

The second reason I read other's review was to specifically look for a teenagers outlook since one of my pet peeves is not successfully following through with a character's use of language and slang. For example: the normal teenage mutilation of the English language. And this bothered me as it appeared that Lucas (Main Character) thinks like a very romantic woman but talks with outdated and off kilter teenage slang. Ironically most of the teenage reviews I found actually addressed the racism and language/ slang issues which I was shocked to find both things that disturbed me with this story and reassured me I am not just too old to read young adult books.

This is a good story but it really just wasn't for me so I can't recommend it personally… but If you or your teen like action-packed, suspense with twists and turns this might be the very book for you.
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Vigilante Nights In at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received

Removing Those Stains w/ Resolve! #ResolveTip


As a mom of two and wife of a man who builds machines all day, doing laundry that consist of stained clothes is just something I've gotten use to. From grass stains to the hubby's work uniforms that get stained with dirt and oil (and the occasional wine stains), I try my best to find a routine that's right for me to get rid of those stains so that when my family wears their clean laundry again, it actually looks clean.

One of the main stains I get constantly seem to be grass stains. Now I absolutely love using home remedies on stains. They're affordable, cheap and easy to put together and most of them work, but there is that occasion where I like to make things a little bit easier on myself and just use Resolve Stain Remover. Why you ask? Because it works and does its job. I'm always satisfied when using Resolve and it makes my day just a tad bit easier. We all need those easy days, especially when it comes to laundry. 



I was sent both Resolve's Oxi-Action Original and Crystal White and let me tell you, I was very impressed with my results. I absolutely loved the results I got with the Crystal White. It's very hard to pull off anything white like it's brand new again after wearing it a few times and I was able to do that with one of my white t-shirts that had a wine stain on it.

What I did was dab the stain that I had on my shirt with a combination of equal parts of peroxide and dish soap. Mix those two together and blotch your stain with a sponge and let it sit for a few hours before putting it in the washing machine with the Resolve Crystal White. It comes out without any signs of having a stain on, which was awesome. 



Now as far as grass stains and my husbands uniforms go, I've always used what my mother and grandmother both used, vinegar! Vinegar was and still is my number one source where cleaning is concerned, it's my number one solution that I always have in the house and it's very affordable. This time instead of using the vinegar I made a paste with the resolve and a bit of water. I rubbed it on the grass stains and let it sit for about 20 minutes before throwing it in the wash and once the load is done, your grass stains are no more.

Have any tips on ways you can get rid of stains? Resolve would love to hear them. Be sure to head over to the Resolve Tip Exchange site to share your own tips or learn new tips. By sharing your tips you may be picked to win a grand prize of $5,000 or one of several weekly $250 prepaid credit card prizes.
Disclosure: I am part of the Resolve Tip Exchange Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I received special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Back to School w/ Motts Fruitsations & Veggie Fruit Snacks! #MOTTSBTS


School starts next week for my little ones. I'm a bit sad that the Summer has literally came and gone so quickly, but I'm happy to be getting back to normal around here. Back to early bed times and after school activities. This year our school starts an hour earlier, so not only are the kids going to have to get use to getting up early for school, but earlier than normal. So we've been waking up pretty early around here these last couple of weeks to prepare ourselves.

One thing that I didn't miss during this Summer was packing lunches. Although I'm glad to have learned a few new different snack and treat recipes to add in the kids lunch bag, I'm hoping I can get back to how I was at the beginning of last school year, making lunches the night before and not rushing the next morning to get them done. We will see!



One thing I'm excited about adding in their lunch bags this year are Mott's new Fruitsations and Veggie Fruit Snacks. These fruit snacks are not only delicious, but they actually have veggies in them. That's right, a fruit snack with vegetables in them, how sneaky yet awesome is that!?! If you have picky eaters, this is definitely something to give your kiddos without them knowing or tasting the vegetables that are included in the fruit snack.



They come in two different flavours, Assorted Fruit and Berry. My kids definitely couldn't tell that they had veggies in them and neither could any of the kids around my neighborhood that have had snacks over here playing with me kids. These are treats the entire family will enjoy!


Be sure to check out Life Made Delicious on their Facebook page to enter their contest for a chance to win one of three $500 gift cards. These are perfect prizes just in time for Back to School. The contest ends September 8th, 2013 so go enter before it's too late!


Disclosure – I am participating in the Mott’s Fruitsations & Veggie fruit snacks Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Book Review: Jumped In By Patrick Flores-Scott



Title: Jumped In 
By: Patrick Flores-Scott 
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
ISBN: 9781466837157
Pages: 224

Sam has the rules of slackerhood down: Don't be late to class. Don't ever look the teacher in the eye. Develop your blank stare. Since his mom left, he has become an expert in the art of slacking, especially since no one at his new school gets his intense passion for the music of the Pacific Northwest-Nirvana, Hole, Sleater-Kinney. Then his English teacher begins a slam poetry unit and Sam gets paired up with the daunting, scarred, clearly-a-gang-member Luis, who happens to sit next to him in every one of his classes. Slacking is no longer an option-Luis will destroy him. Told in Sam's raw voice and interspersed with vivid poems, this is a stunning debut novel about differences, friendship, loss, and the power of words.

MY REVIEW
I don't know what to really say about this story. I would recommend reading it. It makes you think and leaves you wondering if you loved it or hated it. 

Love it… because there is inspiration and belief that simple decisions can make a world of difference, individual actions and choices affect others and that is easy to forget when those choices are hard.

Hate it… because you wish those hardships and life difficulties would never touch the youth of the world, that children shouldn't have to have gloomy outlooks or have to make adult decisions before their minds are fully developed. 

All in all I ended up concluding this is a good book and a good read.  I was on the fence on whether or not to have my children read it.  I grew up in a city where gangs, broken homes, damaged abusive parents, poverty and hard choices were as routine as breathing these things were not occasionally witnessed but considered normal (and that was on the outskirts of the inner city.)  My children have had the luxury of those things being rare and usually isolated occurrences due to a small town move while still very young.  I think I will be having them read this book to broaden their horizons sometimes a protective bubble is just as deadly as giving into the belief that fear and violence is just a normal and acceptable part of life.

Note:
There is swearing in this book so if you censor violence, language and adult situations out of your children's reading…I would advise reading before allowing them to.  I limit censorship of my children's reading especially if the message of the book outweighs the language or violence in the story.
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Jumped In at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received

Grey's Anatomy: Season 9 DVD Review




It’s a year of bold new beginnings as Seattle’s favorite doctors return to the hospital for the biggest challenge of their lives.

The plane crash that took the life of Lexie Grey sent shockwaves throughout Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, but from the ashes, romance will rise with each surgeon handling the loss in their own personal way. Relive every touching moment with all 24 episodes of the latest unforgettable season, plus never-before-seen bonus features, when “Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Ninth Season” is now available on DVD!

MY REVIEW
I'm a huge fan of Grey's Anatomy. I've been watching this show since the pilot episode and just can't get enough. Season nine was definitely a huge season with lots of changes that happened. So when I got the opportunity to review it on DVD over the Summer I was thrilled!

Aside from the drama from this season, what I really adored was the extra segment on James Pickens Jr. and I loved him before…I really love him now.  He really is the Chief!  I have never bought a full season of Grey's Anatomy before, but I really would love to buy the previous ones now.  I just keep watching it over and over again. I can't wait until the new season starts in September. Counting the days! I would definitely recommend buying season 9 of Grey's anatomy… two thumbs up and a standing ovation.
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Grey's Anatomy Season nine on DVD at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Monsuno: Combat Chaos DVD Review & #Giveaway



It’s time for Chase Suno to decide the fate of the Monsuno! Now available on DVD, Monsuno is an epic boys action adventure series where kids discover, command and battle creatures with tremendous destructive potential. When a race to harness the power of Monsuno ensues between a group of everyday kids and the evil forces focused on destroying the Earth, the young heroes spring into action to defend the planet. Built around powerful, action-driven animation, dynamic characters and a deeply woven original story mythology, Monsuno provides a completely original entertainment experience.

Monsuno: COMBAT CHAOS Synopsis:
Chase Suno and his Core-Tech team have emerged victorious in their most recent battle with Eklipse and S.T.O.R.M. With Core-Tech’s victory, Chase has been given the opportunity to decide the fate of the Monsuno. Believing that mankind and Monsuno can one day coexist peacefully, Chase allows them to live. But new foes lurk in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike. Is now their time? Find out with the first five episodes of Monsuno’s outrageously exciting second season!

MY REVIEW
I had my eight year old son watch the latest addition to the Monsuno series, Combat Chaos and he seemed to be really into it. This was his first time watching the series, but what I loved about that is you can easily get into it without having watched previous episodes. The show is filled with tons of action which any young boy around my son's age would love and not only action, but it also has a great story line that keeps you interested in the show.

There are five kids that fight and battle off the evils that are among them as they get information from the main character's dad. Though this is an action show there were some funny parts that I had to chuckle to with both kid and some adult humor, so I got right into it with my son. My son is now looking forward to finding and watching Monsuno on television. Monsuno: Combat Chaos is now available for purchase!

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Monsuno Combat Chaos on DVD at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Back to School w/ @VTechCanada Innotab 3 {Review & Giveaway}


My four year old daughter is beginning to develop an interest in video games and technology however she is still at an age that she struggles with figuring out how to play them.  She often comes home from school and talks about her friends playing Mario and Luigi and other video games characters.  I don’t want to buy her an expensive game system until I really know she is ready to understand it and truly grasp the concept of how to play them.
That’s why the VTech InnoTab 3, Learning App Tablet, is perfect for her!  The Innotab is recommended for kids ages 3-9 years old and offers many games and apps that are easy for my daughter to understand. It's also a great way to introduce her to technology and the video games she desires to play.



Setting up the tablet was fast and easy!  I downloaded the Learning Lodge on to my computer and was given simple steps to install and activate apps onto the tablet.  The learning lodge offers a variety of games, music, e-books, and videos that can be added to the tablet from your computer.  I really liked the idea of being able to purchase the apps online rather than having to go to the store each time we wanted a new game.  The games are all age appropriate which allows for easy selection and they also include characters that my daughter loves like Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Monsters University


We have previously owned another learning tablet however my daughter loved the Innotab 3 much more than the other one.  The Innotab Tablet offers other apps like a calendar, a calculator, and a notes app which my daughter was thrilled about since she loves writing notes to her father and myself! She was also extremely excited about the video recorder since she is always asking me to make a video on my cell phone of her doing some kind of performance whether it be a song or a dance.  


The other amazing part to the Innotab 3 was the ability to put music from our computer onto the tablet. This way my daughter can have all the music she loves on her own device. I was very impressed with the Innotab 3 and I will definitely recommend it to family and friends! The Vtech Innotab 3 retails for around $79.99 and you can keep up with Vtech Canada on both their Facebook and Twitter pages too!
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received a Vtech Innotab at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. 

Getting Crafty w/ @PlaSmart Threadz {Review}


There's nothing like craft time with your little ones, especially on rainy days or nights. A few days ago we had a fun crafts night and had a great opportunity to make our own scarf with a great crafty and kid friendly product called ‘Threadz - Make a Scarf Kit’! My daughter and I (she’s 8) opened up the pretty packaging and laid out all our material. All of the yarn comes pre-measured and cut, which gave us a nice clean start. We separated all the yarn and feathered string by following the directions in the box.



The instructions are easy to follow, though we did have a few hiccups here and there with learning to tie the knots, which was not explained very well anywhere in the instructions or on the package, so we headed to their website and found their video that has a better tutorial on how to create our scarf. 



The project was fun and certainly drew plenty of giggles, even while we had to restart a couple of times as we learned how to use the looms provided in the kit. We needed a pretty decent sized working space to get started since the yarn we were working with is 6.5 feet long, but once we got the hang of threading the loops, it was exciting to watch our scarf take form! 



This was an exceptionally fun project for the two of us. The package says 6+ years, though I really couldn’t imagine a 6-year-old doing this without the help of an adult. These are perfect projects to give as gifts or offer for craft time for the kids. The packaging of our kit also advertised a ‘Make a Purse’ kit and a ‘Make a Beanie’ kit, all three retailing for around $24.99. I’m excited to enjoy time together making an entire matching set! 

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Threadz Make A Scarf Kit at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. 

Playtex Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-the-Go Review


Being a new and first time mother to a newborn has been amazing and a feeling like no other. Having a newborn in the Summer also means that I've been traveling a lot always on the go. We've been going to barbecues, birthday parties and trips out of town with my husband and step son.



I recently just took a road trip about two hours away from where we live and I thought this was the perfect time to try out the new Playtex Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-the-Go that I received a couple weeks ago.

I was very happy and satisfied with the Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-The-Go. It's designed to keep bottles cool for up to 14 hours. The tote itself holes up to three bottles. It also has a small compartment for your child's pacifier or nipples for your bottle and it also comes with two full size removable freezer gel packs. 


I was pretty happy that the bottles I made before leaving didn't spoil as the weather was very warm the day we went away. I was also happy that I didn't waste money on the milk from being spoiled. Thank goodness for those gel packs in the tote.

I loved that the cooler kept the milk cool. I only used one gel pack instead of two, I didn't want the milk to be too cold, it was just right by the time we got to our destination. The only little disappointment about the tote, which isn't too big of a deal, was that the tote was a bit too small and I would like it to be a bit bigger to pack a bit more for my little boy if we were traveling further, but since it was only a two hour trip each way, it was perfect. 

You can find more info on Playtex Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-The-Go at www.mommyville.ca and it retails at around $19.99.

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Playtex Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-The-Go at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Book Review: A Trick Of The Light by Lois Metzger



Title: A Trick Of The Light
By: Lois Metzger
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publication Date: June 18, 2013 
ISBN: 9780062133083
Pages: 208

Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before. Now things are rough at home, and they’re getting confusing at school. He’s losing his sense of direction, and he feels like he’s a mess.
Then there’s a voice in his head. A friend, who’s trying to help him get control again. More than that—the voice can guide him to become faster and stronger than he was before, to rid his life of everything that’s holding him back. To figure out who he is again. If only Mike will listen.

MY REVIEW
This was definitely a different and unique story, unlike most. The narrator isn't the main character like you would normally think, instead, it's told by the disorder and the voice in his head, anorexia. This is definitely a some what weird story, that kept me interested and kept me reading and flipping the pages making sure I followed and knew and understood exactly what was going on. 

Metzger did a fantastic job with this story and the uniqueness of it having it one, being told by the disorder and two having the main character being a male battling this disorder. There aren't many books out there that have a male dealing with this disorder, but guys deal with disorders too.

It definitely touches a subject that some teens go through and could relate to. Although this was a short story, it definitely was a powerful read and would be able to help a lot of people that struggle and go through the same thing as Mike.  I also liked that even though the story focused on Mike that we were able to have a few more characters in this story that we got to know and love. 

This is such a great read and one that I think should be available for all teens/young adults that struggle to read.
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received A Trick Of The Light at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received

Keeping Your Furry Kids Cool During The Summer!


Even though for some of us our Summer Break is over and our kids are headed back to school or have already began the new school year, it's still pretty warm and hot outside. We still have a couple more weeks before our household gets back to our regular school routine. In the mean time we're enjoying the last few weeks of Summer and thankfully we've had some awesome weather.

With the warm weather sticking around these days, I thought I'd share with you all some tips from the lovely folks at IAMS about keeping our fur kids hydrating and cool during these last few Summer days.
Can’t stand the heat? Neither can your pet. That’s why Iams is unleashing five helpful tips to ensure all members of your fur family are kept happy, healthy and safe this summer. These tips and more can be found at CFHS, OSPCA and iams.ca.


TIPS ON KEEPING OUR FUR KIDS COOL

1. Keep an eye on the H20 – Did you know that water may be the most important step in keeping your dog healthy? Just like us, a dog’s body is 80 per cent water but dogs don’t appear to be losing hydration because they do not sweat like we do. Make sure there is a source of water your dog can access at all times (no, the toilet bowl is not a water dish!) to avoid dehydration, overheating and to maintain proper bodily functions.

2. Act as a lifeguard – Swimming in the pool or a lake can be a great way for pets and people to play together and cool off. While Fido practices doggy-paddling, do not leave your pet unattended; just as safety precautions must be taken when children are near water, similar rules exist for pets. If your dog has difficulties swimming, consider lessons or a cute doggy life jacket.

3. Keep coats long – Believe it or not, a pet’s coat is designed by nature to keep them cool during the summer. Shaving pets can actually do them more harm than good by interfering with this built-in temperature regulation and predisposing them to things like heat stroke/exhaustion and sun burn. Rather than shaving, consider a trim or brushing regularly to help air circulate near the skin.

4. Protect little paws – When it’s scorching hot outside, dangerously steamy pavement and metal surfaces are hard to avoid, especially for our four-legged friends. Just as we remember to wear sandals, it’s important to remember our pet’s feet and foot pads. To be mindful of scorching surfaces, walk your dog on the cloud-covered side of the street or in a grass-filled park. If these are not an option, laying down a wet towel for your dog to stand on.

5. Be careful with cars – Due to sky-rocketing temperatures in the summertime, the sun can make the inside of a car unbearable. Even with the windows cracked, cars can reach 130 degrees inside in less than 30 minutes. If your pet is used to running errands with you in the car, leave Fluffy and Rufus at home if you can or bring them along on a cooler day.


For more pet care tips, for the summer season and otherwise, remember to visit www.iams.ca or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iams.
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received sample products in exchange for sharing the above tips. No other compensation was received.

Ladies, Check Out 30 Days of Beauty w/ @ShopprsDrugMart #30daysofbeautylook



As a work at home mother of two, I am always on the move and as the kids get older with more activities they want to do, I’m sure I’ll be busy for quite some time. One of the things I find myself doing is looking at myself twice in the mirror lately, which is not good.

As much as I love being a girly girl, when you’re a mom with tons of items on your to-do list, you have to pick and choose what things will be priority and what things can get pushed to the back of the list until you have time. For me it’s been my make up and eyebrows, trust me, I could stand to get my eyebrows waxed pronto!

I’m not one to put on tons of makeup, but I do love getting dressed up, getting my hair and nails done and looking pretty and one of the places that I can always go and shop to make that happen is Shoppers Drug Mart, a one stop place I can go to for all my beauty products. Not only do they always have everything I need, but even new items I didn’t even know were coming out. I always end up getting something extra that wasn’t on my shopping list.


 From now through September 15th you can take part of Shoppers 30 Days of Beauty. This is Shoppers’ biggest beauty event of the year and they will be celebrating in-store and online with 30 different unique makeover looks. With each look, they will be teaching and sharing with all of their customers makeover videos, visuals and instructional “How-To’s.” They also will have special one day and month long offers from all of your favorite brands including, CoverGirl, Revlon, Lancome and that’s just naming a few.

And there’s more! They are also offering FREE five-minute makeovers, which you can book in store. How awesome is that? Who wouldn’t want to sit down for five minutes and the outcome is looking like a Princess, count me in! Also, from August 24 to 30, you can receive a stunning silver cosmetic pouch filled with over 25 beauty and fragrance samples for FREE when you spend $75 or more on cosmetics, skin care, or fragrance.
             
Visit the 30 Days of Beauty website daily to check out the amazing tips, tricks and videos, and obtain one day only, print to redeem coupons and month long offers. Plus while you’re there, check out the site for details on the “Submit Your Look” Contest where you can enter for a chance to win a grand prize of 1 Million Shoppers Optimum Points by re-creating your favourite 30 Days of Beauty Look!


Disclosure: All opinions are my own. The products mentioned above have been given as part of a sponsored post through our ad network, SheBlogsMedia, for Shoppers Drug Mart.

I'm A @DietCoke Ambassador! #MyDietCoke




I'm excited to share with everyone some great news, I've been chosen to be one of a handful of selected bloggers to be an ambassador and represent diet coke! I can't tell you how thrilled I am. I've been enjoying Diet Coke for many years now and I've always been pleased with the taste and nice crisp and re-freshness of the soda pop.

Although I don't drink pop a lot in my house, this is one brand that I do enjoy treating myself to often when I do purchase pop. Not only is it a brand I trust, but it's a brand that's well known, affordable and absolutely delicious.

As part of being an ambassador for Diet Coke, I was sent a nice package in the mail that included four mini Diet Cokes and also a Diet Coke Beach Tote, which is super cute and very durable. I've already used it on a couple of trips to the beach and I love not only how it holds up, but that it's also very cute as well.



One of the ways I enjoy a Diet Coke is while reading outside on a hot day. I had the chance to last week and if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram then you would have seen the picture I took. It was pretty early in the morning, but it was well needed and was such a nice treat in between breakfast and lunch.



Be on the look out for more posts about Diet Coke from me and also be sure to follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more info about the brand and about who else is loving this Delicious pop!

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the above mentioned products at no cost to share the news that I'm an ambassador for Diet Coke. No other compensation was received.

Our Family Trip To African Lion Safari (Review & #Giveaway)


A couple weekends ago my family and I had the opportunity to visit Canada's Original Safari Adventure, African Lion Safari! I've been waiting to tell you all how much fun we had and I'm super excited that Just Us Girls gets to offer one of our readers a family pack of four to visit this amazing place as well!



Since African Lion Safari is about three hours away from us, the hubby and I decided it would be nice to go up the night before and stay at a hotel so we can wake up fresh and relaxed and get there right when the park opened. Luckily there are a number of nice hotels around and near African Lion Safari and we ended up staying on Holiday Inn.  The ride up there was pretty great and the kids weren't too bored because they had not only crayons and coloring books, but they also had their Nintendo DS and tablets in case they got bored.

The morning of our trip we got up, dressed and packed our stuff and headed out. We got there just in time. The park had just opened and it wasn't too busy. As we pulled up the lovely lady at the booth gave us our packet which included four day passes to African Lion Safari that included lunch and the Safari Tour Bus and the official guidebook.

After we parked and got the kids ready, we decided that we would first head to the Safari Bus Tour to schedule our trip on the Safari Tour Bus. We decided that we'd schedule it for around one o'clock. This would give us time to walk around the park for a bit and take a look around.



I can't tell you how perfect the timing was. Since we decided to do the tour a bit later, we were able to walk around the park and check out all the birds they had around, including flamingos. It was so much fun to watch and at each stop my husband read to the kids about the birds so they'd learn a bit more.



After checking out the birds we ended up going on the Nature Boy Scenic Railway, which was one of my son's favorite parts of the day. He is absolutely in love with trains and he loved riding on this one where we got to explore, learn and see lots of the exotic animals that included reindeer, ducks, turtles, llamas and Canadian Geese.
On the way back we spotted a play area with slides and a small play ground and across from it was a play area with climbing rock that landed the kids in a ball pit and to get out they had to climb up and get on a slide, they loved this and went on it a few times during our visit. 



Up next was one of my favorites, the African Queen Boat Tour. This was such a beautiful tour. We got to cruise the Water Safari Lake and learn about some of their Spider Monkey's, White Ruffed Lemurs, Marabou Storks and so much more. I absolutely loved how beautiful the scene was and loved that not only were we getting a tour, but my kids were also learning about many different animals that they got to see. 


After we were done on our boat tour we decided to head to get something to eat for lunch. We were given pizza meal vouchers which included a large pizza, chips and a drink, which was perfect and the kids loved because along with their pizza meal they received a little African Lion Safari plastic tote that they love and have been using around the house ever since. If you are not a pizza lover then have no fear, there were still tons of different types of places with different food from burgers, sandwiches, you name it. And if you don't want to spend money on food, you are more than welcome to bring in your own lunch, which would probably be a cheaper route for those of you on a budget. 



Next after lunch we headed to our Safari Tour where you do have the option to either get on one of the buses, which isn't expensive to do and worth it in my opinion or you can bring your own vehicle through the Conservation. I think we picked a perfect time. As soon as we were getting on the bus, the park was starting to get busy with those that were on earlier tours and with those that got to watch the elephant show.

The tour was absolutely amazing. We got to see so many types of animals from lions, giraffes, zebras,  baboons, cheetahs, rhinos, deer and so much more. We not only had a great view because we were pretty up high on the bus, but it didn't take us hours to get through the conservation which it might have if we would have took our vehicle in because let me tell you, it was packed. The tour took about an hour to get through, but man was it worth it and so beautiful. My family and I loved seeing all the animals and learning a bit about them. 

Once we were done with the tour on the bus we came back to African Lion Safari being super busy, we were pretty glad we got to experience some of the different stations earlier. Once we were back in the park they had a few shows going on, their Birds of Prey, which we had just missed, but then we did get to see their Elephant Round Up Show where we got to see two elephants put on a show for us, which was very entertaining. One even painted a picture on a t-shirt that turned out pretty awesome. The kids were very impressed. 



To save one of the best for last, African Lion Safari had an amazing Misumu Bay Wet Play, which the kids had so much fun. It was better than an average splash pad and had tons of things for the kids to play on, slides, different water stations, tunnels, buckets of water that splash them, it definitely was a great treat that was best for last before our day ended and definitely cooled them down on a hot day. 




The kids played for about an hour and then once we were done and after about eight hours at African Lion Safari, we decided it was time for us to say goodbye to one of the best places we've visited this summer. It was an amazing day filled with so much fun and amazing memories that will last for our family forever. We wish we were able to see the Elephant Swim Show, but since the next show was starting at 7pm and we still had a three hour drive home we had to miss it. Next year that will definitely be one of the first things we do! 
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received a family four pack to African Lion Safari at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.