SMART Love of Learning: Who Do You Think is the Best Teacher in the World

Have you ever heard of a Smart Board? Some schools are already using them. They are from SMART Technologies which has recently introduced SMART Love of Learning. More on SMART boards later.

SMART Love of Learning acknowledges and celebrates all of the teachers who have impacted individuals around the world, by asking "Who do you think is the best teacher in the world?"

So who do I think is the best teacher in the world? My last blog post was about the woman who influenced me the most who happened to be my Guidance Counsellor. However when I think about the teacher who has helped my kids out the most, I turn immediately to Mrs. Marnie Stranks. She is the teacher in charge of the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre in our local school. She is the greatest teacher. She interacts with the kids and comes up with new and fun activities for them to do. She treats everyone equally and helps us adults treat everyone equally too, even when it's hard. If you are having a hard time in your personal or family life, she is there to listen and provide advice if you want it. When kids from her class move up to Kindergarten, she is there in case they have a hard time adjusting.

So what's a SMART Board?
If you aren't familiar with the SMART board, you can check out the Magical Classroom YouTube video to get a better idea of how it works and what it can do.

My children and I have had a chance to use the SMART board and it's cool. It's a computer projected onto a whiteboard with touch screen capabilities. So instead of using a mouse in front of the computer, the kids can reach up and touch the next button or drag and drop items from one area to another. I've only played with preschool and kindergarten games but the video above shows what older kids can do. 


Would you like a chance to win a SMART Board for the school of your choice? You can enter through the Facebook page (don't forget to like it while you are there!) or through the SMART Love of Learning website. At the SMART Love of Learning site you can also read what others say about their favourite teachers and access the Parent's Toolkit which has information on helping to raise money for your school to purchase their own SMART board.

Have you ever used a SMART Board? What did you think?
If not, do you think it sounds like a good idea?

*This post is part of a MomCentral campaign.

The Woman Who Influenced Me the Most - Mrs. Rau

I'm writing this post as part of a giveaway at She Who Blogs but the feelings are real and have always been there. 

Mrs. Rau was a Guidance Counsellor at my high school when I went there. I don't know her first name nor do I have a photo but I can picture her clearly in my mind.

I had a really rough 5 years at high school. I had mental health issues which weren't diagnosed until I was 16 (and halfway through high school) and I had trouble making and keeping friends. I didn't have trouble with schoolwork, I was an A student, but dealing with the social aspect of school was my downfall.

Right from Grade 9, Mrs. Rau was there. She was there for me right until I pulled out of school in Grade 13. She was there for me when I got teased for not having the newest designer clothes, when I was depressed and didn't understand why, when I was lonely, when I wanted to hurt myself, after I did hurt myself, after I came back from the hospital, when I need career advice, when I needed friend advice, when I was cutting school, when I need someone to talk to, when I needed someone to try to and when I just needed a hug.

I spent a LOT of time in Mrs. Rau's office. Especially during Grade 11-13, when I was there most lunches and left a class to go see her anytime I felt anxious, out of control, or suicidal. When she was busy with someone else, I was allowed to sit at the table in the main guidance counsellor office until she was free. (She was one of two counsellors plus there was a receptionist to book appointments with the counsellor) No one else was allowed to just sit there and do school work but I was. The whole counselor office knew I needed time to be in a quiet place and they provided it.

As soon as I read that we were to write about the woman who influenced us the most, Mrs. Rau came to mind. I just needed time to think about how to word what I wanted to say. I even had a dream recently with Mrs. Rau in it, even though I haven't seen her in 9 years. I had a few other women in the dream and they were all people who have been very helpful and supportive over the years in similar ways.

Attention Women: Does your bra fit?

Hurry this offer is only open till Friday, May 21, 2010!

First of all, NO that is not me in the photo. 

If you're like me, your bras don't fit very well. Perhaps you just can't afford the good bras, perhaps you're not sure how to find the proper size or perhaps you just don't want to bother figuring it all out so you wear sports bras everyday.

I don't think I've EVER had a properly fitting bra. Even when I got a full bra with underwire and was fitted at the store, it still didn't fit completely properly.

Another problem I have is that it's hard to find my cup size with my number size. I guess bra makers seem to think that if I'm as big around as I am, my boobs should be at least a cup size bigger than they are. Well they're not!

According to Playtex, 7 in 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra, which is why they launched Playtex Bra Makeover.  Women can go to the site to apply for a bra makeover or nominate a friend. Winners will be flown to New York to receive a Bra Makeover with style expert Alison Deyette (fashion and trend lifestyle expert who has been on TLC's Ten Years Younger, as well as in print publications.)

"The 10 winners selected for a Bra Makeover will also star in their very own webisode wherein a makeover candidate will receive a fitting with Deyette and walk away with the perfect Playtex products. A new webisode will premier on www.PlaytexBraMakeover.com every two weeks."

I was ready to sign up till I saw I had to be in a webisode but I know there are women out there who would have NO problem with that. So do you need a new bra?

*Photo used under Flickr Creative Commons License from user Mark & Andrea Busse.

Disclosure: By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to win a free bra from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Do You Utlilize Product/Company Websites?

Nowadays most companies have their own websites and there are even sites for specific products. Do you visit them? They aren't just company history and prices.

Often these websites have coupons/deals, resources, helpful information, tips and tricks and much more. This is especially true of food sites.

For example:

Do you eat Kraft foods such as Kraft Dinner or Kraft Cheese Slices? The Kraft Canada (or Kraft Foods [US]) website has recipes (which you can save in a recipe box if you become a free member) or check out the message boards. There is an ifood app for your iphone and newsletters with food information.

What about Heinz Ketchup? You can find recipes, check out sweepstakes and other promotions, buy t-shirts and other products with the Heinz Ketchup logo on it and more.

Do you read Good Housekeeping magazine? Their website offers more than just subscription offers or the articles in the magazine. You can watch the video of the day, recipes, promotions, virtual model (try on clothes virtually), games and quizzes, and more.

So now I pass it off to you, what product or company websites do you visit and what do you find there? Help me find some new sites with great resources!

* Photo above used under Flickr Creative Commons License from user guidosportaal

Give a Gift to Your Heart - Canola Info

CanolaInfo and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have a new cookbook titled "The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen: Fresh, Fast, and Flavorful Recipes Made with Canola Oil."

A new blog based on the book can be found at http://canolainfocooks.org.

It's got a beautiful design, clean and easy to navigate and is already full of recipes and food posts. The photographs of the food are appetizing.

More info from HealthyBlogging:

Seven bloggers from the CanolaInfo team will be preparing healthy recipes from the cookbook and sharing their experiences with you. Each blogger comes from a different culinary background and has a unique perspective to offer – some are kitchen-savvy, some married with children and others young, career-focused urbanites still learning their way around the kitchen. Whatever their skill level and lifestyle, they all want to share one message: Healthy cooking is for everyone!

Getting my Wisdom Teeth Out! - UPDATE

Wisdom Teeth Photo from H4n0 on Flickr

I"m getting my Wisdom teeth out today so I won't be blogging till I'm with it enough to form coherent sentences. Wish me luck!

UPDATE: There's been a complication and I can't have my wisdom teeth out right now. I'm going to have to have it done in the hospital. This is causing a lot of stress. 

REVIEW: The Madeline Movie Lost in Paris

Shout Factory Kids 2010
75 minutes

Hasn't everyone heard of Madeline? It started out as a book by Ludwig Bemelman and has been a tv series and we even have a computer game with Madeline.

Summary: When her long-lost Uncle Horst unexpectedly visits Miss Clavel's Parisian boarding school from Vienna, Madeline is whisked away on promises of the wonderful new life - and family - of which she's always dreamed! But soon Madeline realizes that her new life isn't as wonderful as she'd hoped, and she must use her own wits and courage to maintain the only real family she's ever known.  (from back of DVD)

If you know your actor voices, you may recognize the voice of Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music), Lauren Bacall (The Big Sleep) and Jason Alexander (Seinfeld).

My kids have never been really into Madeline but mostly because they've only seen it once or twice. We don't have cable TV, the computer game I mentioned earlier is for older kids and we've never read the books because they are long and my kids like shorter books. My kids enjoyed the video except that one was scared of some mean characters in the last half of the movie. They haven't however, watched a whole lot of it. There's nothing wrong with the movie, I just think they are so into other characters right now that they don't have room for another one. There are some movies we've watched before that they didn't take to right away but after a few months, it was their new favourite video, so who knows.

The songs that are sung periodically throughout the movie are really cute and I was practically singing along with some of them. I would recommend this movie to: Madeline lovers, lovers of Paris and French, girls ages 3-6. I don't imagine it would capture boy's interests very much although I could be wrong.



You can find a coloring page here (ZIP FILE) and a film clip here. (WMV)

* I received a copy of this DVD in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected by how I aquired the product.

Lost Sock Memorial Day and Mother's Day

Today is Lost Sock Memorial Day.

I quote Holiday Insights:

"Lost Sock Memorial Day recognizes your drawer full of unmatched socks. Each unmatched sock represents a missing sock. We never throw away our unmatched socks. After all, it may show up someday. On Lost Sock Memorial Day, we suggest you spend a little time (as little as possible) searching for those missing socks.  After a (very) brief search, and in good "Memorial" spirit, spend a minute reflecting upon how warm and comforting the missing socks were on your stinky toes. Then, by all means, get on with your life. Today is also a good opportunity to toss out all of your unmatched socks"

Do you have a big box or drawer of unmatched socks?

Today is also Mother's Day so Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Here's a collage of what I got from my kids:

Stripey mess of socks photo from Jek in the Box on Flickr
Mother's Day Gifts photo from Me!

GIVEAWAY: Smelly Washer

A few days ago I posted my review of Smelly Washer, a product for cleaning your washing machine or your smelly towels.

I have one bottle to give away to one US/Canada Winner.

Mandatory Entry:

What do you think of the product name? "Smelly Washer"?

Extra Entries: (optional)

1. Leave a meaningful comment on my Smelly Washer review.(you don't need to fill out form for this one, I'll add in your extra entries for you.)
2. Follow me on Google Friend Connect and tell me (or already follow me.)
3. Follow me on twitter (@callista83) and tell me.
4. Add my giveaway to your post or sidebar and leave link.
5. Tweet about my giveaway (once.) and leave me a link to your tweet
   "Win one bottle of Smelly Washer from @callista83 - US/Canada open till May 17."

To enter you must fill out the form below. You must fill out the form for EACH entry for it to count. 

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Blogger Appreciation Day - April

This is my first time participating in this. This was created by 3 Boys & a Dog. Basically you check your tracking (like Google Analytics) for the month of April and see who your referring sites were and rank them in order from most sends to least sends. (not including twitter, blogger, facebook etc.) Then you can put your link in the MckLinky on her website.

My Top 10 Referrers In April

1. Blog Giveaways
2. Money Saving Mom Canada
3. Prizey
4. Canadian Mom Blog Network - (Which has since moved to Mom Nation)
5. Slightly Off Center
6. She Who Blogs
7. Canadian Giveaways
8. Best Kids Apps
9. Mom Central Community
10. Life's A Charm

However I'd like to point out that while these websites all sent hits my way, some of them were empty hits, meaning that as soon as they got here, they left. They didn't even stick around long enough to look around. The top referrer for length of visits when they come is She Who Blogs!

REVIEW: Smelly Washer - Washing Machine Cleaner

Smelly Washer is a product you can use in your washing machine to clean a stinky washing machine or smelly towels.

I never thought washing machine's needed to be cleaned but apparently they collect detergent and fabric softener, especially if you use too much. Also, while washing in cold water is good for the environment, only using cold water doesn't allow the hot water to help disinfect the washer. By far what makes it smell the most is forgetting about your laundry and having it sit in the washer for more than a few hours or even overnight or longer.

There's been some times when I'm just too busy and it sits too long. I often run the washer and dryer at night which means it sitting for hours. I never thought of that really. Sometimes a load of clothes smells bad, now I know why. So I used Smelly Washer to clean my washing machine and then ran a load of towels and blankets that came out of the laundry smelling really bad with the product too (as directed) and they came out of the laundry smelling really good!

You only use one cap full, and it's a small cap. Once you've washed your machine, you only need to use it for a load that's really smelly or every few months for upkeep so it should last fairly long. You can see full instructions for Smelly Washer if you'd like but basically it involves running the machine for 2 minutes using the product and then stopping it and letting it sit for a few hours before resuming.

So if you are in need of a washing machine cleaner, you might want to try Smelly Washer. It retails for $16.99 bottle but like I said, it lasts a while.

I'm not going to put any videos here but if you want to see some, check out the Smelly Washer YouTube channel. The Smelly Washer blog is a good resource for washing machine odor and lots more.

I received one bottle of Smelly Washer in exchange for an honest review through The Canadian Mom Blog Network (now Mom Nation.). All opinions are mine and are not influenced by how I acquired the product.