GIVEAWAY: Pillsbury DoughBoy Doll - Don't forget to vote!

I posted about the Pillsbury Baking Challenge in October. It's voting time, have you voted yet? You have until Dec. 31 to cast your vote.

To check out the recipes and vote, go to the Pillsbury Baking Challenge Website.

In honour of the challenge, I have the Pillsbury Doughboy doll pictured at left to giveaway to one lucky reader. (Just the doll, not the bag)

You do not need to have submitted a recipe to enter but I do ask that you please go and vote for at least one recipe. It's totally up to you which one you vote for and of course I'll be going on your word that you did vote but please, be honest.

RULES
This contest is open to residents of Canada or the U.S.A. (sorry international readers) and is open to entries until Dec. 19/09.

To enter, go to www.bakingchallenge.ca and find one recipe that looks good and vote for it. Then come back here and leave a comment with your email address (e.g. myname AT myprovider DOT com)

Want extra entries? (NOTE: you MUST vote for someone first or these other entries don't count)

1. Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect and leave another comment stating such. (if you already follow, just leave a comment)
2. Follow me on twitter (@callista83) and leave another comment with your twitter id. (Again, current followers, leave a comment too)
3. Whether you follow me on twitter or not, post the following message to your account and leave a comment with a LINK to that tweet. (only the first time will count):

"Enter to win Pillsbury Doughboy doll @callista83. Open US/Canada till Dec. 19/09 http://bit.ly/7KxOyc"

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Flu Season is Upon Us... Are You Ready?

My Family and the Flu Season

I'd like to start off by saying that I usually don't get the flu shot every year because I hate needles and always felt the needle was worse than the flu. I got it when I was pregnant both times but other than that, I risked it. My kids and I usually get the "stomach flu" which isn't really the flu at all anyways. However, this year is different.

With H1N1 spreading around along with regular Flu, people are getting worried and becoming extra cautious. I don't think we need to panic but I do think we need to take this seriously. H1N1 is new and we aren't fully sure how it can affect us.

In our family and community we are using hand sanitizer whenever washing hands isn't plausible or in areas where there are lots of people. For example when we enter playgroup or our Girl Guide meeting (I'm a leader) we use hand sanitizer. It's also good for after coughing or sneezing if getting to a sink is hard.

My kids and I have received the H1N1 flu shot and my husband will be getting it this month. My youngest actually has to go back for her second shot too. We'll probably get the regular flu shot too. None of us are high risk but I plan on getting pregnant again very soon and I wouldn't want to risk a baby or my kids.

Are You in the know?

Ontarians, you can find updated flu clinic information, general flu information and an influenza assessment tool at the Ministry of Health website.

What to Do When Your Child is Sick with Influenza

1. Treat your child’s fever

• Take off heavy clothing and blankets.
• Dress the child in lightweight clothing and keep the room temperature at 20°C (68°F).
• Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and muscle pain in the dose recommended on the package (unless your doctor says otherwise).

Note : Do NOT give acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin®), or any cold medicine that has ASA, to children or teenagers under the age of 18.

2. Treat your child’s other flu symptoms

• Encourage your child to get plenty of rest.
• Use salt-water nose drops to treat a stuffy nose.
• Ask your pharmacist about any over-the-counter medicines for cough.

3. Protect others from flu

• Keep your child at home until his/her fever has been absent for at least 24 hours and he or she is feeling well enough to resume normal activities. It’s important for your child to stay home if there’s fever so that the virus doesn’t spread to other children.
• Your child can return to school 24 hours after the fever has resolved and he/she is feeling well enough to get back to normal activities.

Call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or your health care provider if your child is under age 5 and develops flu symptoms. The risk of complications from flu is higher for children under age 2.

Holiday Fun with my Kids

Twitter Moms asked What are Your 5 Favorite Holiday Activities to do with Your Kids? as part of their Dora Christmas Carol Contest.

I love the Winter Holidays the best (even though I'm not a big fan of Winter itself.) We celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Yule (Winter Solstice) so there is lots to do in December. So without further ado, here are our Top 5 Holiday Activities:

1. Putting Up the Christmas Tree
Putting up the tree was always one of my favourite things to do for Christmas and I seem to have passed it on to my children. They love to help and this year, at 2 1/2 and almost 4 they will be even more of a help.

2. Spending Time with the Family
This picture shows just a few of my girls' cousins whom we do see regularly, (every birthday plus Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving,) although that doesn't mean we don't look forward to seeing them at the holidays. It's great to see all the kids so happy and see if they like their presents.

3. Eating Christmas Dinner Together (and Hanukkah too!)
Food is always a great way to bring families together and we love holiday dinners. We like to pretty up the table as best we can and have a slow dinner.

4. Decorating Christmas Cookies
It was always tradition for my brother and I to decorate cookies with my mom and now my girls do it too. Since they are so young, we've been painting them with food colouring before they are baked but when they are older we will bake them first and then decorate with icing and sprinkles and such.

5. Opening Presents
Sure I love getting presents but I prefer sending them (and I'm not just saying that to sound good, honest!) I love Christmas morning when I can see if my choice of gifts for my children were good choices. I also can't wait to get handmade gifts from them so I can see their creativity.

Early Advent Calendar Online

Optimal Print from UK has an advent calendar on their website but it's for the month of November, not December. I just heard about it or I would have told you sooner, but don't worry, you can access most of the past dates still.

Some of the days are coupon codes for buying cards from them but the rest are a mixture of games and activities such as Trivia Games, Coloring Pages, Word Searches and Cut Out Ornaments.

All games are printable and easy to be laminated and reused!

The advent calendar is running now! http://www.optimalprint.co.uk/christmas-advent-calendar