Girl Guides of Canada Finally Has a Blog!

It's about time!

I've been waiting for Girl Guides of Canada to join in the blogging craze. First they started a facebook and twitter account and I knew it was coming. Check it out at http://girlguidescanblog.ca/

Stay up to date on all things Girl Guides!

GIVEAWAY: Chuggington: Let's Ride the Rails DVD

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I'll have a review of this DVD up in a few weeks but for now, I have a giveaway for you! 

My kids LOVE Playhouse Disney and all their shows and so do I. At first I thought Chuggington was just a newer version of Thomas and Friends and felt they were copying off of them but as I watched more of it, I decided I liked this one better. My kids do too. They do like Thomas but they much prefer Chuggington. 

Chuggington's first DVD is Let's Ride The Rails! came out on Feb. 8. 

Not Familiar With Chuggington?

The colorful and contemporary CGI-animated TV series follows the amusing adventures of three young trainees, Wilson, Brewster and Koko, as they learn to “ride the rails” of life and become productive chuggers.  Featuring a dynamic fleet of relatable and diverse characters, each engaging episode of “Chuggington” is filled with positive life lessons that encourage and promote early social skills.

The first DVD has six episodes: Clunky Wilson, Braking Brewster, Can't Catch Koko, Old Puffer Pete's Tour, Koko on Call and Hodge And the Magnet along with some bonus colouring page and activity sheets. 

GIVEAWAY

Want to enter to win Chuggington: Let’s Ride The Rails (SRP: $16.98)? The giveaway is open to US and Canada, courtesy of ShoutFactory Kids.

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ARTICLE: Cupid's Valentine's Day Message to Parents: L.O.V.E.

Cupid's Valentine's Day Message to Parents: L.O.V.E. By Gary M. Unruh MSW LCSW

Parents are constantly under the microscope. Whether they're being compared to Chinese mothers, or childless Aunt Susie is giving her two cents' worth of parenting advice, parents are all too often left shaking their heads in aggravation. "Isn't there a simpler, less frustrating way to raise my child?" Yes, and it's called fully developed parental love -- the age-old Valentine's message shined up for twenty-first-century frustrated parents. After counseling over 2,500 children and parenting four of my own, it has become clear to me that tapping in to love's transforming power is the only way to go. Love covers all the essential parenting requirements: L for Limit-setting, O for Openly communicating,  V for Valuing, and E for Empathizing. One thing is certain: the more humans feel loved, the more they fully live life.

Here is a quick look at what fully developed parental love looks like. L is for Limit-setting. Whoever invented the word love knew that the first letter needed to stand for limit-setting. Children are not born demonstrating good conduct; they need to learn acceptable behavior. Parents train their children best using two limit-setting activities: teaching good behavior and teaching a child how to stick with something until it is done (hard work pays off). Children need to learn the benefits of hard work, like giving up a fun weekend with friends to get a project done well. The right mix of fun and games with hard work will result in a responsible, resilient child.

O is for Open Communication. One of the most important needs of a child, or anybody for that matter, is to feel understood. That requires open communication. When a three-year-old hits his sister, the natural parental response is to yell and send him to his room. With open communication, understanding is the first step. Parents achieve this by calmly asking the child what made him so upset, then listening -- with no "buts." When children feel understood, they become more comfortable with themselves, more self-assured. Then, after understanding, the L comes back around -- limit-setting consistently.

V is for Valuing. At the heart of love is the letter V for valuing and validating. The need to feel valued is as important for children as their need for food. Telling children what they did right every day builds self-confidence. Children feel most valued when parents validate their feelings, especially during conflict. When Jared whines about chores, validate his frustration with "You are really frustrated and it's no fun to pick up," and then firmly set limits. He can stop whining and pick up his mess, or go to his room. A valued child is a child who wants to learn good behavior.

E is for Empathy. The learned ability to stand in another person's shoes ensures less risk for physical health problems and develops kindness, compassion, and quality intimacy. That's what happens when parents are successful in teaching their children all aspects of love, especially the valuing component. When children feel valued from the get-go, they know firsthand all about empathy. Over and over again I've seen these children become very empathetic individuals. The most gratifying success in life is enduring, close relationships -- one of the best results of developing empathy in our children.

Conclusion: When parents fully unleash their love, they can expect to raise responsible, loving, resilient children. Thank you, Cupid, for Valentine's Day -- a day devoted to experiencing the transforming power of love.

Gary M. Unruh, MSW LCSW, is a child and family mental health counselor with nearly forty years of experience. He is the author of the 2010 award-winning book Unleashing the Power of Parental Love: 4 Steps to Raising Joyful and Self-Confident Kids (www.unleashingparentallove.com).

GIVEAWAY: Wubbzy Be Mine DVD + Candy

I was going to wait until I'd seen the video to hold the giveaway but my copy hasn't arrived yet and I want to get this giveaway up! You won't get it in time for Valentine's Day of course but who says you can't watch a V-Day video after V-Day? Plus you'll have it for next year!

But I don't just have a copy of Wubbzy Be Mine for you, oh no. I have some Wubbzy V-Day candy for you too. (see right)

First a bit about the video:

“Wubbzy Be Mine” (SRP $12.98) is an irresistible compilation of three episodes featuring the series’ well-loved characters, Wubbzy, Widget, Walden and Daizy.  In “Mr. Valentine,” Wuzzleburg’s trusty mailman falls ill on Valentine’s Day and Wubbzy steps in to deliver all the valentines, but he soon discovers there are none for him….  To Wubbzy’s surprise, his pals personally deliver his valentines, saving the best for last!  In “Cupid’s Helper,” Cupid pays a visit to Wuzzleburg, but loses his prized bubble-blower.  When Wubbzy finds it, he starts blowing bubbles bringing together some of Wuzzleburg’s oddest couples.  And, in “My Speedy Valentine,” the third love-filled episode on the new release, Wubbzy and his pals try to find the fastest way ever to make their own valentines, but something keeps bugging Walden….

I have ONE Wubbzy Be Mine DVD and FIVE Candy Heart Packages for one lucky winner. You must live in US or Canada to be eligible. Giveaway open for entries until February 16 11:59 PM EST.

Extra Entries:

 - Follow me on Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
 - Follow me on Twitter @callista83
 - Like Callista's Ramblings on Facebook
 - Tweet the following ONCE:

"#Win Wubbzy Be Mine DVD + 5 packs of candy US/CAN 02/16 #Giveaway from @callista83 http://bit.ly/ecTYGa"

To enter you MUST fill in the form! Comments are closed.

REVIEW/GIVEAWAY: Doozy Cards (e-cards)

Have you sent out your Valentine's Day Cards yet?

I NEVER send out real cards, too much writing, addressing, stamping and getting to the mailbox. Yes I'm lazy when it comes to certain things and to me, I can just say Happy Valentine's Day (or Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday), why do I need to send a card that will just end up in the garbage after the celebration is over?

I much prefer e-cards as there is no paper waste and they are often more fun as they have music or are interactive. I used to send e-cards all the time but haven't in a while because the free selection has dwindled. It's really hard to find good free e-cards and most membership sites are expensive.

If you feel it is very important to send cards but don't like sending real cards like me, a membership at an e-card site is a great compromise.

Doozy Cards has a large selection for many different occasions and has the ability to remind you about upcoming dates you may want to send e-cards for (like birthdays.) The president of Doozy Cards is a mother and when you sign up for a Premier Membership a portion of the proceeds go to St. Vincent Meals on Wheels to feed homebound elders.

I have two year-long memberships ($19.95 Value) to giveaway but it took me longer than expected to get this giveaway up so it's only open for 2 DAYS! Open World Wide (as it's online) for entries until Feb. 11, 2011 11:59 PM EST

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Cheerios First Foods Tour ( & Giveaway)

My eldest when she was 5 months old

When you are a parent, especially for the first time, you have lots of questions. One of the subjects parents are sure about is feeding their children once they are past the milk only stage. Recommendations for when to begin solids keeps changing. It's currently 6 months but was 4-6 months when my eldest was young.

I started pablum/cereal at 4 months and then slowly added a new food just was I was taught to do.

Where do you turn when you have questions? Where did you turn when you were pregnant? Many of us received weekly emails while pregnant about what stage of pregnancy we were in and large portion of us receive emails from Baby Center which now has a website in many different countries. I received Baby Center emails with both of my girls and am receiving them again with this pregnancy.

My Eldest at 7 months old

Baby Center.ca has launched a Cheerios First Foods section to help you find answers to your questions about introducing food to your baby's diet.

So for instance when my eldest daughter was seven months old and refused to be fed by an adult, we started letting her feed herself with the spoon. As you can see that was very messy so then we introduced finger foods. Baby Center & Cheerios has some information on finger foods.

The section has articles, a log of a real baby's first foods, expert information, tools, polls and videos.

In celebration of the launch of the First Foods partnership I have a giveaway for you courtesy of Cheerios, Baby Center and Mom Central.

The Cheerios Prize Pack ($50 value!) will include a Cheerios On-the-go Tot Container, Cheerios playbook, Box of Cheerios, Bowl and utensil set and a $30 Cash Card.

The contest ONLY goes to Feb. 14 so you have to enter now! Open to US/Canada.

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Disclosure - I am participating in the Cheerios First Foods program by Mom Central on behalf of General Mills. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.