Votes for Thursday - 06/30

Well the hop was here but I'm having technical difficulties so I just took it out. I'll try again next week!

Sorry.

CLOSED GIVEAWAY/EVENT: Great Canadian Blog Bash

Welcome to The Great Canadian Blog Bash at Callista's Ramblings!

I also blog at http://smsbookreviews.blogspot.com which is also participating in this event so check over there for more giveaways.

My name is Callista and I'm a SAHM of three children, a dog, a cat and a fish. I love blogging and talking with others about my ideas and advice. I also like bringing local news to people I know, especially parents. This blog started out (2003) as a more personal blog but in 2007 I realized people made blogs for others to read and started posting my opinions and thoughts. I've moved over to a review/giveaway type blog and I also feature information of use to women and parents, especially Canadians. Just recently I've started featuring more local content.

Windsor Fireworks from Flickr User Tukanuk

I live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and am a very proud Canadian. I love reading Canadian blogs. I don't currently have an actual blogroll but will be making a Canadian Family Friendly Bloggers blogroll soon and every Canadian blogger I meet this week will be included in it. Have you ever been here to the southernmost part of Canada before? It's strange, all Canadians know Canada is above the US but here in Windsor, we are actually below part of Michigan!

You can find me on twitter, facebook, stumbleupon, goodreads and linkedin. If you follow me on any of these and/or Google Friend Connect, let me know and I'll return the favour as long as your blog is in English.

GIVEAWAYS

So for the giveaways, please fill out the form at the bottom of the post. There are a few extra entries possible, some for each prize, some for any prize. Read carefully before you enter.

RULES:
Canadians Only
Open till July 1, 2011
Winners picked by July 3, 2011

Prize #1

From FemMED - a Canadian company created by a woman who couldn't find what she needed in the health aisles. FemMED has 13 different formulas for different problems such as menopause, insomnia, breast health, heart health, Libido, Pregnancy, weight management and more.

1 Bottle of your choice of supplement to TWO winners

You will need to tell me which formula you think you'd want if you win so click on over to FemMED for a minute and check them out. You can change your mind if you win, it's not final.

Extra Entries for This Giveaway Only:

Follow FemMED on Twitter
Fan FemMED on Facebook

Prize #2
from Lovable Labels - get personalized name labels for clothing, allergy alert labels, wire tags to label the wires from your electronics, kid bands and more. Canadian too!

$50 Online Coupon to purchase whatever you want from their store. Can only be used once before July 3, 2012. Your order must be a minimum of $50.00 before taxes for it to work.

To enter for this one, you will need to click over to Lovable Labels for a minute and tell me one of the awards they have won (check the main page for answers)

Extra Entries for This Giveaway Only:

Follow Lovable Labels on Twitter
Fan Lovable Labels on Facebook


Extra Entries for Any Giveaway
(+1 for EACH one you enter. So if you do one of these extra entries and enter for both giveaways, you get one extra entry for EACH giveaway.)

Follow me on Google Friend Connect(GFC) (see sidebar or click here if widget is down)
Follow me on twitter (or sidebar)
Fan my page on facebook (or sidebar)

Votes for Thursday Blog Hop

*Graphic coming, the computer that has my graphics program isn't working right now.

I decided we need a blog hop for voting so here it is. This is for top sites listings and such like picket fence, top mommy blogs etc. I want this to be for those who have so little votes, they aren't high up enough on the list to be seen much or visited. This isn't for those of you who already have 1000 votes.

Rules
1. For Picket Fence, your blog must not be on pages 1-4 of the listings for your category.
2. For Top Mommy Blogs or Top Baby Blogs you must not be on page 1.
3. There are no rules for other voting sites yet until I see which ones are being added and if we need rules.
4. When linking up, put MAIN URL in url spot and in name spot, put blog name and where to vote for you in brackets.
5. For now, please vote for everyone, in every way you can. This will change if we get lots of participation.
6. Feel free to follow those you visit but it's not mandatory. If you do, be sure to leave them a comment so they know where to find you to follow back.
7. Of course make sure there are buttons or links on your blog to vote for you!
8. Most importantly, link up your MAIN URL not a post, not a giveaway, not a direct vote url.

Please consider tweeting, facebook sharing, posting or otherwise sharing with other bloggers about this hop to build it up. The more people who join, the more votes you get too.

House Cleaning Tips from Reader's Digest Canada

Flickr User go_greener_oz

Have you heard these tips before? Do you do any of them? Tell me in the comments!

Do you clean your jackets and coats? Unless it looks dirty, I usually never think of it. Well if you wash your nylon coat (or it just gets wet) make sure to hang it to dry in a DARK place. Why? Light can damage nylon so keep it out of direct light whenever you can (i.e. when you are not wearing it.)

Have you painted your house lately? I have. Have you ever thought about how to make it easy to use the leftover paint again? Label the can with paint colour number, date of purchase and a dot of colour. When pouring paint, pour so that paint doesn't cover the instructions on use and care so you will be able to read it again next time.

Are you guilty of not cleaning up spills on the stove right away? I am. I'm busy serving up 3 kids and 2 adults, usually while my baby is fussing or even crying so it's the last thing on my mind. If you've waiting too long and the spill is cooked on the stove, just use more elbow grease, maybe a soaking, or some vinegar or even an all-purpose cleaner. But do NOT use abrasive cleaners or scrubbers. They will just scratch the surface and new spills will just cling to these scratches, making them even harder to remove.

Do you lose socks in the laundry? I think we all do. Give each family member their own colour mesh bag to put their dirty socks in. Wash them in the bag and put the whole bag in their clean laundry to put it away. Voila, no missing socks.

Keep your kitchen counter clear of non cooking clutter such as purses, phones, books etc. Not only do these make it cluttered but they can leave germs behind on food preparation surfaces.

Are your kitchen cabinets disorganized? Take food staples (flour, sugar, cereal) out of their original packaging and put them in stackable containers so you can fit more in.

Find these tips and more on house cleaning at Reader's Digest Canada.

Do you have any house cleaning tips? Please share!


*This is a sponsored post. I received payment in exchange for creating this post but I highlighted tips I truly found helpful and love Reader's Digest Canada and I only do sponsored posts for companies I believe in.

REVIEW: Peanut Butter Playground Cake from Cold Stone Creamery

Last week I said I'd be reviewing the new cake from Cold Stone Creamery.

We had it for Father's Day (except my mom who doesn't like chocolate and my one daughter who gets sick from it.) Here are our thoughts.

My Dad:

• Rich but delicious
• Couldn't really taste peanut butter
• Don't need a big piece since it's so rich

My Husband:

• Too rich
• Otherwise Yummy
• I'm not a big cake eater but I ate it all

Me:

• Rich but still was able to eat a big piece
• Loved the reese cup on top dipped in graham cracker crumbs
• Why is the serving size 8 but there are 6 reese cups? Everyone should get one on their piece.
• Oops. Forgot to let it sit out before eating, no wonder we can't cut through it!
• Very yummy but too expensive! I know it's a speciality cake but ouch! Not for the empty of pocket. Maybe if it were bigger.
• I tasted peanut butter on my first bite

My Daughter:

This picture says it all.

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Blog Hopping Weekend

Comment here telling me how you follow me so I can reciprocate. Thanks!

I'm the featured blog this week!

Give Your Father Something Great for Father's Day from Cold Stone Creamery

What did you get your dad for Father's Day?


It's SO hard to buy something for my father because he doesn't like many typical dad gifts. He doesn't golf, or wear ties, or read books, or go fishing. He doesn't drink alcohol, or play video games or travel.

He is a licensed Amateur Radio Operator but it would cost me hundreds to buy him a new radio for that. He watches TV but that doesn't really translate to a gift. He's very hard to shop for.

One thing that is a sure bet is food. He's received many Tim Hortons Gift Cards for holidays or birthdays because I know he will use them when he's out and about for work.

If you don't like giving gift cards, then consider purchasing something from Cold Stone Creamery. Here are some suggestions from CSC.

The Foodie Dad

For the dad who can whip together a five-course meal with equal ease, you’ll rank high in his books with The Peanut Butter Playground™ ice cream cake, available in 6” and 8” sizes. Made up of layers of Devil’s Food cake, smooth chocolate ice cream, chopped Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups, chocolate ganache, peanut butter and chocolate shavings – a treat no Dad could resist!

The Outdoors Dad

This dad rises at the crack of dawn to hike through the woods to admire the Canadian landscape. He enjoys a Double-Double as he’s driving to his next outdoors destination, so why not stock up on At Home Pre-Packed Containers of Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream that the whole family can enjoy after hitting the trail? The Founder’s Favourite made with Sweet Cream Ice Cream, Pecans, Brownie, Fudge and Caramel will be sure to please.

The Sports Dad

This dad has the greatest baseball plays etched into his brain. Tempt this dad with a variety pack of Cold Stone Creamery’s Ice Cream Cupcakes – you’ll score points with this sweet distraction. For the next batter up, offer him a Cake Batter Delux cupcake instead – a rich chocolate shell filled with Cake Batter Ice Cream, Devil’s Food Cake, Fudge, Pink Frosting and Rainbow Sprinkles – a definite home run.

Next week I'll be posting a review of the Peanut Butter Playground cake.

GIVEAWAY: Cars 2 Prize Pack (Can only) - CLOSED

Cars 2 is in theatres June 24th. The sequel looks to be just as good as the first, I can't wait to see it!

Synopsis: When star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix, Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

If you or your children are a Cars fan and you live in Canada, you will be interested in this giveaway.

One lucky winner will receive the following:

• CARS 2 tshirt (in youth sizes only)
• CARS 2 official movie poster
• CARS 2 temporary tattoos (2)
• CARS 2 bumper stickers (set of three)
• CARS 2 puzzle (it's of the poster)

One of the Bumper Stickers

 To enter, fill out the form after you've completed as many entries as you want. You MUST do the mandatory entry first for the others to count.

Mandatory Entry:

• Who is your favourite car from the Cars movie? (+1)

Extra Entries: (optional)

• Follow on Google Friend Connect (GFC - see sidebar) (+1)
• Follow me on twitter @callista83 (+1)
• Like Callista's Ramblings on facebook (+3)
• Vote for me on Picket Fence Blogs (can be done daily but only counts once for this giveaway) (+1)
• Like Walt Disney Studios Canada on facebook (+1)
• Like CARS on facebook (+1)
• Tweet the following by clicking here.  (+2)

 "#win #Cars2 Prize Pack - tshirt, puzzle, bumper stickers and more. #Canada Only till 6/24 @callista83 #giveaway http://bit.ly/mD6g0B"

FILL OUT THE FORM TO ENTER


WINNER: SHAYLYN

REVIEW: Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System - Stainless Steel Look

Last year I reviewed the Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System and I'm happy to announce the product now comes in a new Stainless steel look to match your kitchen.

If you aren`t familiar with the product, it`s a way to get soap without touching the pump and getting the germs all over it. Sure you are washing your hands anyways but I often brush the soap pump while reaching for something or move the soap pump out of my way for a moment and I don`t wash my hands again before moving on to something else. Think of all those germs.

There is a new refill soap fragrance as well: Aloe Vera with Vitamin E. It`s soft and creamy and very soothing on your hands. So you can clean and moisturize your hands at the same time and it smells great.

I do wish it was refillable instead of needing to buy a new cartridge but what I do is use it for really unsanitary things such as when I`ve been handling raw meat. My husband uses it for other things too.  I find the batteries last a long time, considering it`s used at least once a day. I think I changed the batteries twice total in the year I had the first one.



Find out more about the Lysol No Touch.

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

(Windsor/World) - June 14th is World Blood Donor Day

This post is relevant to anyone in the world but also includes some local information. 

Today is World Blood Donor Day so if you've been meaning to donate blood but have been putting it off, now is the time to do it.

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If you live in Windsor, visit the Windsor Blood Donor Clinic at 3909 Grand Marais Road East (see hours below.) You can also get your name on the Bone Marrow Registry? Go to the lobby of the clinic between 10am - 2pm and get registered! You may be eligible to join if you are between 17 and 50 years old and meet certain health criteria. Go to onematch.ca for more information.

There will also be donors who have reached the 250 milestone on hand to speak to donors about their experiences as well as those who have received blood will be thanking the donors for their time and life-saving gift. We want to appreciate YOU, our donors, for helping us keep up with hospital demand with your dedication to the blood system.

Windsor Blood Donor Clinic
3909 Grand Marais Rd. East
Windsor

Mon. & Thurs.      Noon to 7 p.m.
Tues. & Fri.          8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday          3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday               9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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See if you meet eligibility requirements and then call 1-888-2-DONATE anywhere in Canada to book your appointment 

Blog Hopping!!!

(Ontario) Guest Post: 5 Things to Do in Toronto Before You Die

photo by Oceanik via PhotoRee

If you're visiting Toronto and you fear that your life is likely to end soon, you need to make sure you go out with a bang. Visiting Toronto's Textile Museum of Canada - as well-regarded as it is - is not the way you want to go out. Instead, you need to have fun. Push the limit. Party, make some bad decisions, etc.
Here's how you go about it.

1. Laugh your tail off at the Second City Theatre. Comedy shows at Toronto's Second City Theatre are a blast. The comics are professionals that rival the best you'll find anywhere in North America. The proof? Mike Myers, Steve Carell, John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Stephen Colbert all came out of this comedy club. Go, laugh, rinse, wash, and repeat.

2. Publicly besmirch the great Wayne Gretzky at the Hockey Hall of Fame. If you're looking for a fight on your last days on Earth, you'll find one mocking one of hockey's best ever. Of course, if you're not looking for a fight - or if you're a Gretzky fan and could never imagine mocking him - the Hockey Hall of Fame is still worth the trip. It's a slice of Canada.

3. Lose track of time in the Distillery District. Toronto's history is on display in the Distillery District, but that might not matter to you much if you grab a stool at the Mill Street Brewpub. Open for more than 100 years, it's a great place to start a Distillery District bender.

4. Ride a roller coast at Toronto Island Park. You may be thinking to yourself "roller coaster? that's kid stuff." However, what's more fun than acting like a kid again? People love that park - some even say it's the best thing to do in all of Toronto (kids or no kids).

5. Take a Steam Whistle Brewery six-pack tour. Close to the iconic CN Tower, you'll find the Steam Whistle Brewery. For $15, you can tour the place and get a six pack for your trouble. Oh yeah - and free samples too.

Please note that all the standard Toronto tourist attractions - like the CN Tower (one of the tallest in the world), the Royal Ontario Museum, and Kensington market - aren't listed here because they're not the sort of things you probably want to do on your last days on Earth. However, if you're visiting Toronto for fun and your life expectancy is long, these are a good time too.

Author Jason Lancaster works with GTA real estate agent Denny Finelli, a Toronto real estate broker who writes all about the city on his Toronto real estate blog.

(Windsor) INFO/GIVEAWAY: The Wiggles! Big Birthday! is at the WFCU Centre!

I've decided to host more local content on this blog. Local for me is Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Anything I post local to Ontario will start with (Ontario) in the title. If it's Windsor/Essex County Specific, it will start with (Windsor.) That way my readers who aren't local can skip it. Don't worry, there will still be lots of generic content too! To celebrate the local focus, I have some info to share and a giveaway for Windsor/Essex County readers.

NOTE: If you live in Toronto or the surrounding area, visit Toronto Teacher Mom, a great canadian blog, for your chance to win by June 28. 

Also Windsorites can enter at Whispered Inspirations too for another chance to win!

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The Wiggles! Big Birthday! Tour is coming to the WFCU Centre on Thursday, July 28 at 6:30 PM.

Tickets are on sale now, and go from $15 to $75 for VIP seats (additional facility fees and service charges may apply) $75 tickets are limited and will include the best seats in the house, an exclusive gift, an activity sheet and a chance to dance along with the Wiggles themselves.

Audience participation for the tour includes:

• Create a giant wiggly birthday card or sign at home
• Have fun with the Wiggles as they sing and dance through the audience.
• Dress up as your favourite character.
• Yelling "Wake Up Jeff" whenever he falls asleep on stage!

While you are waiting for the show date to get here, check out http://www.wiggletime.com, a virtual world for preschoolers and their parents. Parents can monitor their child's progress and will have access to premium promotional offers, contests, merchandise discounts and presale Wiggles tickets.

Click the graphic above to buy tickets!

To purchase tickets, click on the image to the right.

GIVEAWAY

I have FOUR tickets to giveaway to the July 28th show. Tickets are for anyone over age 1 so they can be used for 2 adults, 2 children, or 1 adult, 3 children or any combination thereof. The total value of the tickets is $137!!

Anyone in Canada over 18 may enter, as long as you are willing and able to get to Windsor, Ontario for the show.  If you are not in the right area but know someone who is, please let them know!

To enter, you must fill out the form. You MUST do the mandatory entry for any extra entries to count. Complete the entries you want to below first and then fill out the form.

Giveaway ends July 5, 2011 11:59 PM EST.

Mandatory Entry:

• Which Wiggle is your child's favourite? (+1)

Extra Entries:

• Like The Wiggles on Facebook (+1)
• Follow The Wiggles on twitter (+1)
• Answer the questions: Do you like reading content local to you on blogs? Will you stop reading a blog if the content is not local to you? (+2)
• Subscribe to my blog updates via email (MUST be verified) (+2)
• Follow on GFC (see sidebar or click here if widget is down) (+1)
• Follow @callista83 on Twitter (+1)
• Like Callista's Ramblings on Facebook (+1)
• Tweet the following by clicking right here and leave link (+3)

"#win 4 tickets to #TheWiggles at WFCU Centre July 28 in #Windsor - TRV: $137 from @callista83 http://bit.ly/mHxpLw"

FILL OUT THE FORM TO ENTER

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME BUT DO NOT COUNT AS ENTRIES

REVIEW: Scentsy Wickless Candle Warmer

Do you like the smell of candles but don't like having an open flame in your house? Or perhaps you are afraid of falling asleep with a lit candle and burning down your house?

Scentsy's Wickless Candle Warmers are a great solution. It's an electric warmer that heats up and melts the scented wax in it's little bowl. The smell permeates the room and when you turn it off, the wax hardens up and is ready for the next use.

I gave it to my mother to try out and this is what she had to say:

Pros:

• Switch on the cord which makes it easy to turn on and off
• It starts to melt quickly and you can smell the scent almost right away.
• Even when the wax is cooled and hardened it has a lingering scent that you can smell when you walk in the house. 

Cons:

• If you are sitting at a certain angle and you can see into the holes, the light is blinding. You have to experiment with what way to put it so this does not happen.

The Warmer I Received

I'd also like to add that one of the reasons I gave it to her was because I had nowhere to put it. You have to put it somewhere out of reach of children but since it plugs into the wall, you don't want it anywhere where kids could pull it down on themselves or could get caught up in the cord (like underneath a table.) I have very few free surfaces and they all require the cord to stretch across to the outlet.

There are lots of scents available and if you want to change scents before you've used up all of the first scent, you just turn it on and wait till the wax is fully melted. Then you pour it back into it's tray and let it harden in there and you add the new scent into the warmer.

Another con for me is not being able to purchase it in stores but you can either purchase online or find a local consultant to get them from. 

There are also lots of warmers to choose from, plus they sell other products. I have the full size warmer but there is a mid-size warmer, plug in, Scentsy Buddies (stuffed animals), room spray and more. There are warmer styles for everyone.

*I received a full size warmer and scent bar for review from the company. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and are not affected by how I acquired the product.

Blogger Appreciation Day May 2011

I've forgotten to do this for a while but I wanted to show some appreciation to those who have been referring visitors my way. This monthly event is hosted by 3 Boy and a Dog.

These are the top 10 referring blogs/small sites. I'm not including ning sites, twitter, facebook etc. However I just wanted to make a shout to my friends at Pitch It To Me. Thank you SO much for all your visits!

1. Tight Wad in Utah - from giveaway listings
2. Canadian Giveaways - from giveaway listings
3. Free Blog Giveaways - from giveaway listings
4. Canadian Mommy Giveaways - from giveaway listings
5. 1EpicMom
6. MakobiScribe
7. Acting Balanced
8. She Who Blogs
9. The Thrifty Things - from giveaway listings
10. Kelly's Lucky You

Thank You to the above and the ones who didn't make the top ten list. I especially want to thank those who referred visitors because you displayed my button. I appreciate you much more than just giveaway listing referrals because you purposely linked to me!

Also a shout out to the blogs/sites that sent visitors who spent the most time on my site (because number of visitors doesn't matter if they stayed for only 2 seconds.)

1. Shining2Save
2. Our Family World
3. Blogging Your Way
4. Casino Freebies 3
5. Tales of a Ranting Ginger
6. Mommy Moment
7. Laura in the Sky
8. Blacktating
9. Acting Balanced - made BOTH lists
10. Hobo Mama

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!