Month: February 2015

February 27, 2015

Pants! No Chance! by Susan Lanyi #girlswholovedresses

Pants! No Chance! by Susan Lanyi follows the tale of Lulupop, a dress loving young girl who refuses to wear pants.

About Pants! No Chance!

Lulupop rarely puts up a fuss for her Mother. Except for when it comes to pants.

Dresses, dresses, dresses is all she will ever wear! With time, a little drama and no lack of imagination, Lulupop realizes that wearing dresses is not always the best idea.

My Thoughts

Lulupop is an incredibly imaginative young lady that sure does love her dresses! She loves her dresses so much that she does not listen to her Mother’s sound advice and compares wearing pants to the most extreme situations.

Lulupop and her imagination had us giggling throughout the book with her comparisons and even reminded us of someone in our own little family with her ‘I would rather”. In Pants! No Chance! we are able to follow along with Lulupop as her Mother tries to make her understand that sometimes even when we don’t like something it may be the best solution for a problem.

Through humour and gorgeous drawings, Susan brings home this message in a way that children and adults can relate to. How many times have you had the conversation with your child – do you remember what happened the last time you made this choice? I know we have many times! This story had us giggling and saying, ‘oh Lulupop!’.

A fantastic story line that is easy to read out loud and gorgeous, bright illustrations make Pants!No Chance! a family favourite that you will enjoy reading with your child over and over again.
Rating: 5/5

About Susan Lanyi

Susan lives in Montreal with her husband, three children and their family puppy. Susan is a writer who has been previously published in Globe and Mail. When Susan is not busy writing or doing Mom stuff she is busy shopping for pants for her daughter who refuses to wear dresses! You can connect with Susan on Twitter and Facebook.

Giveaway Time!

Susan is giving away five copies of her book, Pants! No Chance! This giveaway is open internationally and ends March 6th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of Pants! No Chance! in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 25, 2015

The Food at Blue #WW w/linky

What better way to relax after a day on the hills skiing, snowboarding or tubing than with a fantastic meal?

For the last three days, my family and I have been exploring Blue Mountain Village and all that it offers. I was so impressed with the wide variety of restaurant and menu options (more to come on the blog later this week!).

For this week’s Wordless Wednesday I wanted to do a little teaser for you of all the delicious food we had these past couple of days. I am featuring food from Sunset Grill, Oliver and Bonacini and Firehall Pizza Co.

Mouth watering right?!!

Make sure to come back later this week to find out my thoughts on these fantastic restaurants, Westin Blue Mountain and our first family ski trip!

Link up below so that I can come visit you too! Have a fantastic day.

February 22, 2015

Aoleon The Martian Girl: Part Two by Brent LeVasseur

Part Two of Aoleon The Martian Girl is here!

Aoleon The Martian Girl Part Two by Brent LeVasseur is jam packed full of adventure and fun that does not disapoint.

About Aoleon The Martian Girl Part Two:

Aoleon and Gilbert receive a special mission from PAX, a wanted criminal and leader of the Martian resistance movement to investigate the Luminon of Mars who he believes is planning an invasion of Earth to steal it’s cows. Gilbert has an encounter with the Luminess and discovers something strange about her and the pair are chased by the Royal Guard.

At Aoleon’s home, Gilbert meets her family: her sister Una, her mother Phobos and her father Deimos as well as her pet Zoot. Gilbert also meets Bizwat, an undercover Procyon Commando who uses his job as a pizza delivery boy as a cover.

Gilbert is able to visit the Martian Space Academy where he encounters Aoleon’s nemesis Charm Lepton. He also receives a history lesson of the Martian people.

My Thoughts:

As a family, we loved book one in the Aoleon The Martian Girl series and could not wait to dive into part two. Brent did not disapoint with this book!

Both Aoleon and Gilbert find themselves in even more adventures than the first book but this time on Mars! Science fiction fans will love the technology and aliens while readers of all kind will fall for the adventure and friendship that forms between this unlikely pair.

In Aoleon The Martian Girl Part Two we are exposed to more of the maritans including Aoleon’s family and friends. We find that martians are just like us and some can be unfriendly and unkind to others. They feel, think and act just like humans do!

The illustrations in part two are incredible in this series. The illustrations are bright and large drawing you right into the story. They help to break up the novel making it easy to read for all reader levels. This book is perfect for the recommended age group of 8-18. Both my son and I loved reading it!

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author:

Brent LeVasseur enjoys crafting stories based on lovable characters designed to translate into multiple media platforms. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition and space travel. You can connect with him online through Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 21, 2015

Creating Your Own Destiny with Netflix #StreamTeam

Brrrrr it is cold out there!! With these bone chilling temperatures lately we have been spending more time inside catching up on our favourite Netflix shows.

This month, Netflix is bringing back all of our favourite childhood characters but taking it to a new level. Now we get to find out what happened to all our favourite characters – turns out they became parents and had their own children!

In Ever After High, premiering this month on Netflix, the famous fairy tale character’s children are at a boarding school for teens destined to follow in their parent’s footsteps. Ever After High celebrates the idea that our lives are not predetermined for us and only we have the power to change our destiny.

Also premiering this month is Richie Rich (a brand new version of the old favourite!) and Season 2 of Mako Mermaid.

Our favourite show this month? The Mind of a Chef! This show is all about what it is like to think, cook, live, create in a food obsessed world of the mind of a chef. Yum yum! I love to cook so this was perfect for me.

Getting our children to think of the future (so hard to think of my babies all grown up!) and challenging them to set a path for themselves to create their own destiny is important. They need to know and understand that only they have the power to control their future and what happens to them.

So with some inspiration from Meet the Dupiens, we helped our children Reach for the Stars with their own destiny banner.

We asked our boys: What and where do you see yourselves in the future? What do you want to be when you grow up?

Their answers:

Power Ranger or Batman
Soccer Player
FIFA World Cup Player
NHL hockey player
professional gamer
Live somewhere where it is always hot!

Oh to be young again!

Pull out the magazines and pencil crayons and get colouring and cutting! Have your child put together photos of their dream destiny to put on a banner. This banner can be hung up in their room or on their door to be a constant reminder to always aim high.

It is so important for our children (and us too!) to remember to follow our dreams and work hard to achieve our goals.

Catch up with all your favourites this month on Netflix and new shows that teach us to always reach for the stars and that anything is possible.

What are you looking forward to watching on Netflix this month?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Netflix StreamTeam and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 16, 2015

Baby Comes Home: A Parent’s Guide

Baby Comes Home by Dr. Paul Roumeliotis is the ultimate parenting resource guide to ensure your baby is happy, healthy and feels loved.

About Baby Comes Home

In Baby Comes Home, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, an expert pediatrician takes a unique approach to baby care by emphasizing what scientific approach already has proven – that what happens early on in a child’s life will affect their overall health later down the road.

Baby Comes Home communicates the latest science that explores how positive or negative early childhood experiences can have lifelong consequences. The book begins by describing the vital changes that occur in a child’s brain in the first eighteen months of life. The book then goes on to explain the Science of TLC – that shows that tender, loving and caring relationships will help to positively shape a child’s brain. The book then presents more practical information on safety, baby patterns, immunizations, injury prevention and more. Dr. Paul also describes common illnesses in the first few years of life.

My Thoughts:

Bringing a new child home is hard whether or not you are a new parent or a seasoned parent. Each child is unique and different and you face new challenges with changing opinions and differences in parenting styles.

What I like the most of Baby Comes Home is that Dr. Paul presents child care in an open way with no links to certain parenting styles or condemns certain styles. His basis is on loving and caring for your child. That is what counts the most – our children need to know they are loved and cared for. This will help them to become stronger and independent adults.

Dr. Paul breaks down each section and highlights the important parts. The information is useful for not only baby but also for older children as well making this a book you will cherish for years to come and not just for the first twelve months of life (ex. pool safety, petting zoo safety,etc.). Dr. Paul also adds practical points that are easily appreciated by many parents to give you real life examples (how to mix cereals and introduce solid foods).

One of the biggest concerns I have as a parent is questioning whether or not my child is meeting important developmental milestones. The sooner this is recognized (if they are not achieving these milestones) the sooner you can help your child. Dr. Paul breaks these milestones down and gives you clear developmental milestones by age. Remember if you have a concern to openly speak to your family doctor – they are so important for caring for your child!.

Baby Comes Home will be one of the best investments you make in a parenting resource. A perfect guide for parents and grandparents alike this book will last long into their childhood. You can find the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Rating: 5/5

About the Author:

Dr. Paul is an expert of early child health and wellness and a health communications pioneer. His education content has reached millions online as well as being featured on television and radio. Dr. Paul believes that the future of health care is in communication of health information in a variety of media formats. This vision inspired him to become a writer/publisher/publisher of multi format health and wellness resources.

You can connect with Dr. Paul online, on Twitter and on Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.