Month: November 2017

November 26, 2017

The Ultimate Travel Must Have for Parents #StreamTeam

“Are we there YET”

“I am SOOOOOOOOOO BORED!”

“This movie is awful”

Vacation and travelling should be fun and relaxing. For many parents, we also know how stressful it can be with children in tow. They can quickly go from being okay and happy to a complete melt down over the waiting for flights, the movie that they don’t want to watch and anything and everything in between.

Last holiday season, our family made the almost twenty hour total travel time from Toronto to South Africa. We had one lay over in London. Going there our children were so excited and even though we left at midnight, the kids refused to sleep. While Mom and Dad’s eyes were trying so hard to close, we were hounded with questions of how much longer would this plane ride take, why did the movie selection suck so bad and how badly they wanted to get up and move around. Needless to say by the end of the last twelve hours in the air, both of us couldn’t wait to land.

The plane ride back was even worse as we had an eight-hour layover in London and the flight back to Toronto was overbooked and delayed due to people trying to bring on more carry on luggage than they were allowed to. We were all exhausted, bored, cranky and uncomfortable. The only bonus to this experience, we learned many valuable lessons on how to prepare for a long flight.

Our number one mistake? Failure to plan fully for the kids to be entertained. I had packed colouring books, books, toys and treats but what they really wanted was a couple of good movies that would help make the hours pass by quicker. The movies on the plane, while not the worst, were definitely not what they wanted to watch.

So what should we have done? Netflix on the go!

Now we have the option to download many of our children’s favourite flicks and shows on our iPad so that they can watch them in the air and during layovers (not to mention it would have been amazing for the many car rides we had as we travelled from country to country during our stay). Not only is this the perfect solution for travelling by plane but it also alleviates the headaches that can come from long car rides because lets face it – no one is a good traveller when they are bored and confined in small places. This applies to kids, teens and parents alike – no one is at their best at these times.

Share with me! What was your worst travelling experience? What did you learn from it? Have you used Netflix on the go downloading?

Disclosure: I am a #StreamTeam Member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

November 21, 2017

Ghost Owl Book Review

Ghost Owl is a compelling and inspirational tale and the third installment of the Avian Series which invites the reader to ponder the extraordinary treasures hidden in the ordinary events of daily life.

About Ghost Owl

Ghost Owl is a magical story of discovery, as a young woman seeks to understand her potential and confront her own shadow. Mariah Easter wakes up in the middle of the night to discover the world is as bright as noon—but for her eyes only. Urged by her godfather, she embarks on a mission to peer into the dark spaces normally hidden from view, leading her to confront the sinister nature of power, the vulnerability of the ill, and the hidden life of a homeless man: a journey that will bring healing to herself and the man she loves.

My Thoughts

This is the third book that I have read in the Avian series by Nancy Schoellkopf. While a third book, you do not need to read the other two to fully appreciate and understand this one but I would completely recommend it. You can find my reviews of Yellow-Billed Magpie and Red-Tailed Hawk.

In this book, Mariah starts to see the Ghost Owl in her dreams and around her in mysterious ways. The Ghost Owl is an animal that is connected with deep wisdom and people who have this as their spirit animal tend to see beyond what others see and when this animal guides you, you can see true reality beyond illusion. This is what happens to Mariah, she goes on a magical journey to a whole new level of understanding and see life on different levels and dimensions of the same person.

I really enjoyed this book the most out of the series but you do have to pay attention! The concept of the same person having different realities and dimensions can be a bit to take in so you do have to pay attention. Mariah is a very different young woman in this book! It is almost hard to believe to see how much she has grown from the first book. This is one my favourite parts about series – the growth and development of a character.

Ghost Owl is a well written novel that takes you on a magical adventure. It is a story of growth and understanding and completely unique in its plot. It keeps you guessing as to what and where Mariah is going and the why. It is a definite must read in this series, either alone or as part of the other two books.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Nancy Schoellkopf is the author of the Avian Series of novels including Yellow-Billed Magpie and Red-Tailed Hawk, as well as the short story collection Rover and Other Magical Tales. She has been telling stories and writing poems for many lifetimes. It goes without saying that she’s needed a second income, so this time around she happily taught amazing children in special education classes in two urban school districts in Sacramento, California. A full time writer now, she enjoys lavishing attention on her cats, her garden and her intriguing circle of family and friends.

You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

November 20, 2017

The One Apart Book Spotlight

In The One Apart, only one obstacle stands in his way of enjoying a normal life. He remembers every life he has lived before.

About The One Apart

Tres is about to be born… with the biggest burden any has ever had to bear. He is beginning again—as an ageless adult trapped in an infant body.

He and his teenage mother face life filled with extraordinary challenges as they strive to protect, nurture, and hide how truly different he is. But Tres alone must solve the greatest mystery of all: who is he? The answer is linked to the one question he’s too afraid to ask: why am I?

In his quest, Tres discovers that all is considerably more interconnected and dynamic than he could ever imagine—and fraught with far more danger. He cannot hide from the unseen threat stalking him since his birth.

Life as he knows it—as all know it—is in peril. And Tres is the only one aware.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Justine Avery is an award-winning author of stories large and small for all. Born in the American Midwest and raised all over the world, she is inherently an explorer, duly fascinated by everything around her and excitedly noting the stories that abound all around. As an avid reader of all genres, she weaves her own stories among them all. She has a predilection for writing speculative fiction and story twists and surprises she can’t even predict herself.

Avery has either lived in or explored all 50 states of the union, over 36 countries, and all but one continent; she lost count after moving 30-some times before the age of 20. She’s intentionally jumped out of airplanes and off the highest bungee jump in New Zealand, scuba dived unintentionally with sharks, designed websites, intranets, and technical manuals, bartered with indigenous Panamanians, welded automobile frames, observed at the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo in Noba, Japan, and masterminded prosperous internet businesses—to name a few adventures. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree that life has never required, and at age 28, she sold everything she owned and quit corporate life—and her final “job”—to freelance and travel the world as she always dreamed of. And she’s never looked back.

Aside from her native English, Avery speaks a bit of Japanese and a bit more Spanish, her accent is an ever-evolving mixture of Midwestern American with notes of the Deep South and indiscriminate British vocabulary and rhythm, and she says “eh”—like the Kiwis, not the Canadians. She currently lives near Los Angeles with her husband, British film director Devon Avery, and their three adopted children: Becks, Sam, and Lia. She writes from wherever her curiosity takes her.

Avery loves to connect with fellow readers and creatives, explorers and imaginers, and cordially invites you to say “hello”—or konnichiwa.

Connect with her on her website and Twitter.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

November 17, 2017

Operation: Escape! An Exciting Game for the Whole Family

Escape Rooms have been all the rage in the last year. And if you haven’t heard about them – where have you been? They have been gaining in popularity and are popping up all over the country.

Operation: Escape! combines the problem solving skills, strategy and teamwork that is required in real life Escape Rooms into a fun, portable game.

How To Play Operation: Escape!

Your main goal in this game is to work together as a team to complete three tasks to let the captured player free of the locked belt – all before your time runs out. Sounds simple enough right? Here is where the tricky part comes in!

After you choose your person to lock up, you will begin to solve the clues to unlock keys. There are three problems that need to be solved and three keys that need to be uncovered in order to release your team-mate. The three challenges are based on skill, strategy and luck. The first skill challenge will find you having to wiggle a key out of a locked box. This box has different levels of difficulty and for our first round we choose the easiest (side one). The second challenge is the Strategy challenge which you will use the provided cards (that also come in three levels of difficulty). You answer the questions on the card and enter your answer into the provided device. If your answer is right a portion of the key is revealed. You need to get three answers in a row correct in order to release this key. The third challenge is pure luck! You have to insert the key into a spinning device, spin the wheel and you have three chances to reveal the key. Once this key is finally released, you need to release your locked team-mate. Hopefully you were paying attention to time and completed all the challenges within the time frame – otherwise you all lose.

We had a blast playing Operation: Escape! The first time we played it, we did a run through using the easiest options as I had a harder time following instructions (my kids are so much better at following instructions than me – go figure). But once you understand how to advance from step to step, the game becomes quite simple, although we all had a harder time with the strategy cards. My kids both did amazing at each challenge, only getting better and better each time we played the game. I was the only one who wasn’t able to complete the challenges in time – there is a lot of pressure with that clock ticking and I clearly do not do well under that type of pressure. It was really exciting to play with the time ticking down, this adds a whole new level of intensity to the game. We always choose the suggested time of 180 seconds but we are aiming to cut that down to 120 seconds to see how well the kids can do. I love that each time you play this game it is a little bit different, adding more to the excitement of the game.

Check out the trailer from the Yulu website:

Operation: Escape can be purchased just in time for the holidays from Toys R Us and Amazon.

Make sure to follow Yulu on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest products and more.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

November 16, 2017

Snacking Made Healthy with Spokes

Snacking, despite its bad reputation, is actually quite important for our body. It helps keep our metabolism up and can actually help with weight loss goals. Many people have even shown that it is actually better for weight loss to eat several small meals a day spaced out every 2 to 3 hours. I swear by this rule and it has helped improve my physical well-being and aided in weight loss.

Where people tend to go wrong is what they are snacking on. We want our snacks to be easy to prepare but sometimes this can lead us to choose options that are not so healthy and full of empty and not so good calories. But we all get that craving for chips now and then (trust me I know!) and I think it’s so important to balance out our diet so we don’t cheat and feel worse afterwards.

Spokes, puffed potato snacks, are that perfect alternative for snacking that lets you feel like you are being bad but you aren’t because it so much better for you than other snacks like chips.

Spokes are a light, crunchy potato snack that is air puffed (no frying in oil here), lightly misted with oil and seasoned for their delicious taste. They taste delicious and are quite addictive (I am munching away on a bag of Barbecue Spokes as I am typing). One cup of Barbecue Spokes equals only 40 calories with 8gm of carbs and only 1gm of sugar. The brand is available in nine different flavours, including: Sea Salt, Mango Habanero, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Barbecue, Dill Pickle, Salt and Pepper, Fiesta Salsa, Sea Salted Caramel and Simply Bare.

Top nutritional benefits:

free of 11 major allergens including: dairy, gluten, wheat, soy and egg
no artificial preservatives or colours
no trans fat or cholesterol
Non GMO project verified
40 calories per a cup

Besides tasting delicious, I loved the fact that they were created by a Canadian Mom who wanted better snack options for her family. Moms are pretty creative when it comes to keep our families healthy! She definitely developed quite a hit – I struggled with just having one cup. They were full of flavour and had that crunch that you are craving especially in the afternoon. The best part was that I felt guilt free munching on them because of how healthy they were.

You can learn more about Spokes on their website. Spokes are sold in many retailers across Canada including: Whole Foods, Goodness Me!, Planet Organic, Blush Lane, Safeway, Sobeys (Western Canada), Thrifty Foods, Metro (Quebec), London Drugs and Bed, Bath & Beyond. To locate the nearest retailer, head over to their handy retailer locator on their website.

Make sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date and learn more about this healthy snack.

Disclosure: I received the above named product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.