How many of you love shopping and enjoying a treat with your Mom at the mall? I know I certainly do! My most fondest memories are shopping and eating New York Fries with my Mom after the gym (I know what a mix right, but we earned that poutine working out!).
The New York Fries Fry Society
Are you familiar with the Fry Society? It is New York Fries loyalty program with a list of benefits that includes:
a free program.
sign up easily online.
scan your Fry Society card on your phone when you make a purchase to earn points. Every purchase earns you one point.
after ten purchases, you are able to choose one free item!
ability to send friends e-cards.
Your phone can become your mobile payment device when you pre-load your card with money!
To sign up for the Fry Society just head over to their website and fill out their simple registration.
A Special Promotion for Mother’s Day!
New York Fries wants you to take Mom on a #FryDate and when you send Mom an e-gift card of $25 or more, New York Fries Fry Society members will receive a FREE regular sized poutine! This promotion is only on from May 1st to the 10th.
We want to give you a head start on this promotion and on your Mother’s Day #FryDate.
My Canadian readers can enter to win a $25 e-gift card of their own just in time to treat Mom to a #FryDate! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!
A gifted rider in a world where women do not race, To Win Her Favor follows the story of a girl and her horse and their road to racing.
About To Win Her Favor
Maggie Linden is determined her horse will be a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thorough bred racing.
An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He has come to Nashville for a new start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while staying away from racing. But starting over proves harder than he thought when Maggie’s Father makes him an offer he shouldn’t accept but can’t refuse.
Maggie is certain her mare can win the race, she only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance, her Father makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny detail – Maggie must marry a man she has never met and a man she would never have chosen for herself.
My Thoughts
I have to start off by saying how much I love Tamera Alexander’s writing style. She draws you deep into the story, creating an emotional attachment to the characters while providing you with moral lessons. This novel was no different.
Tamera covers a time period in the South that was full of racism and states trying to recover from the war that shook them just prior to this event. To witness some of the racism that was directed towards the characters in this book was heartbreaking. You become so emotionally invested in this novel and I found myself crying along with this novel. I literally could not put this novel down I was so attached to the story.
The ending was perfect and uplifting – the perfect combination for this book.
You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page here. You can purchase a copy of the book here.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters and thought-provoking plots resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, her and her husband now live in Nashville along with their two children. You can connect with her on her website, Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I love my Italian food but with having a sensitivity to gluten I have had to give up all the foods I love. Going Against the Grain Italian Style teaches us we don’t have to give up our favourite foods!
About Going Against the Grain Italian Style
This two-part book is an essential guide to read for any individuals who are newly diagnosed with celiac disease. The first part of the book covers early diagnosis, learn how to identify symptoms and the consequences of leaving it untreated. This guide will help you to read labels and how to manage the shared kitchen environment.
The second part of the book guides us through Sicilian born Nuccia Ardagna favourite gluten free recipes. When she was first diagnosed, Nuccia thought she would have to give up everything she loved but that could not be further from the truth. Nuccia breaks down recipes from simple appetizers, chicken, sides and desserts. You can learn to eat healthy, gluten free without sacrificing taste!
My Thoughts
Growing up Italian, gluten was a natural part of our lives. Everything seemed to centre around food and gluten was always in there. When I was diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity, I had a hard time adjusting my eating habits as well as not wanting to let go of the food that I had grown to love. The first section of the book was incredibly helpful for me in order to re-focus my gluten free goals, bad habits and how to adjust to the shared kitchen space. Living gluten free isn’t always easy but Nuccia shares her tricks to help make it simpler.
I tried several of her recipes, including bringing them to our family Easter dinner where my family fell in love with them and they never even realized it was gluten free – awesome right?! They were such a hit that they have even requested them for every family holiday (talk about making me feel special!). Here a few pictures from our meal:
And for dessert, Amaretti:
The recipes were simple and easy to follow which is a bonus. The majority of the recipes call for ingredients that you would normally have around the kitchen which is perfect for everyday cooking. It was so nice to find my favourite childhood recipes already modified for me to adjust for my gluten free diet. The recipes are easy to prepare, I was able to freeze them in order to use them for lunches all week. My favourite recipe was the brocoli soup which she offers up cauliflower as a replacement as well.
This is a fantastic resource for any individual on the gluten free diet who love good, wholesome recipes with helpful tips. Gorgeous photos, simple to follow recipes this will make for the perfect recipe book for all to keep in their kitchen!
Nuccia loves to travel especially to the places of her roots – Sicily! She grew up learning the tricks of the trade of cooking Italian. When diagnosed with celiac disease she had to learn new habits and after some trial and error she is ready to share what she has learned with you!
Christina George is back with her steamy novels, Shelf Live and Climax and they are as incredible as the first in The Publicist Book series!
About Shelf Life
Out of control egos, unrealistic expectations and unfulfilled promises. This is the publishing world and Kate’s world but maybe not for too long.
When one of Kate’s number one stars is carted off in handcuffs, it is only the beginning of her troubles. As her world crumbles around her, Kate looks to anything to hold on to but finds happy endings are just works of fiction. With her career and love affair over Kate sets off on a new adventure.
Starting over in California is easy but leaving her past life behind isn’t. Nick is eager to help her forget but two things still hold her heart: finding the next great American novel and MacDermott Ellis.
As Kate tries to re-build her life, she finds a surprising gift that helps reboot her career in a new and unexpected direction. Suddenly her name is attached to one of the biggest novels publishing has seen in a long time. But success comes with a price as the ghosts of her past come back.
My Thoughts
Love this series and this part had me on the edge of my seat guessing – a bit anxious at times, angry at others and happy at others. Kate becomes this best friend that you just want the best for (she has such a sweet heart!) but she is constantly torn and pulled in opposite directions.
She gets this brilliantly chance to re-start her life and is doing a wonderful job at it when the ghosts of her life come back. These ghosts continue to alter her decisions and change the course of her future. While I was a tad bit angry with her decisions (only because I love her character so much and want the best for her!) it was an incredible read that made me keep guessing her next decision.
Kate has never forgiven herself for breaking Nick’s heart. Now he is back and over her, which is affecting her more than she would have thought.
Kate now has it all: her own publishing company, an engagement to the sexy MacDermott and she is about to sign one of the best new authors of the year. Then everything begins to slowly fall apart.
Somehow in a city of eight million people, she runs into Nick. Nick who is as gorgeous and charming as ever. He is also the brother of the author she so desperately wants to sign. MacDermott is thrown a life changing blow that forces Kate to question every decision she has ever made.
My Thoughts
Aww the final book in a series. Always the hardest as you never want to let go of these characters that you have grown to love! Especially Kate who is just your girl next door that you just love. I finished off book two sad for Kate and the decisions she made but this book makes those decisions come right again. Kate struggles the worst in this book and is torn apart. But through this she is reborn again a stronger woman ready to love and trust again. I love the ending in this book and it made it feel correct and that I could finish this series with happiness (although I would love another book in this series – hint, hint!).
Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years. Here is what the book isn’t: a slam against publishing nor at authors. This is not an autobiography although some of these stories are true! Christina continues to work in publishing helping authors because at the end of the day she loves books, publishing and authors. You can connect with her on her website,Twitter and Facebook.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of these books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Saving for your child’s post secondary education can be daunting – not only for yourself but for your child as well. They are at an age where they may not yet understand personal finances and the financial obligation that goes along with attending post-secondary institutions. Personally, I did not understand the OSAP loans I signed off on at that time, and I wish I had paid more attention – or at the very least had a second check – to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake.
Saving is an essential part of life, and the earlier our children learn how to do it, the better it will be for them in the long run. Helping your child understand the importance of saving for their own education will not only give them pride in their accomplishment, but foster sound financial skills later in life. It will also encourage them to take control of their education, as they have more at stake when contributing their own finances.
An RESP is a helpful tool used by parents (or grandparents) to help finance higher education for their child. Opening an account is pretty straightforward, and involves contacting an RESP company (such as Heritage Education Funds) to set up an account. Once the account is open, growing the account is all up to you and your child!
Encouraging your child to contribute their own earned money towards their education is important, but may seem like a daunting task at the time, as your child has other priorities. Here are some helpful tips I have learned along the way to encourage your child to save towards their education in an RESP:
1. Take the first step in encouraging financial independence by setting up a bank account for your child. Both of my children have their own bank accounts, bank books and debit cards (the cards are mainly used for deposits and not purchases at this time) and this was a major stepping stone for them. I want them to understand finances, how money works and how quickly it can depart! Children need to appreciate the value of a dollar, as this will better help them appreciate the cost of their education.
2.Encourage your child to be part of the monthly family budget. An important part of attending a higher education institute is dealing with the extras: utilities, rent and groceries. This is one of the areas I lacked knowledge of when I went off to university. Since a portion of my RESP’s went to financing my room and utilities, I needed to understand how they worked and how to budget for these costs, but I had no clue. So of course I overspent in these areas and my budget never balanced.
3. Start up an allowance system for your child. Having a bi-weekly allowance for your child is important, regardless of their age. This allows your child to allocate their money for wants, needs and savings. Our boys put their savings into their RESPs at the end of the month. It’s important to let them view their statements, so they can see their education fund increase month to month. If there’s an online option, allow your child to view it monthly, so they learn to appreciate growth over time.
4. Once your child reaches the working stage, encourage them to contribute money to their RESP. This will probably be the hardest thing to do, but it is so important for them to save rather than splurge all that hard-earned money on clothes, movies or food. This is where all previous education on budgets, utilities and being involved in the family budget will pay off. Your child will have a greater appreciation for their pay cheque and will spend it wisely.
5. Have your child create their own post-secondary education budget. Sit down with them and help them figure out tuition, supplementary fees, textbook fees, rent and utilities (if they are moving away for school). Use this as a tool to figure out how much money should be contributed monthly into their RESP. This is an area I wish I had concentrated on more before I made my educational choices. I was never involved in the family budget prior to living on my own, so I had unrealistic expectations of the costs, which forced me to rely on loans.
Teaching our children how to save for their post-secondary education is an essential lesson that will help them later on in life as they leave our homes to start their own home.
To help you on this journey, you can now enter to WIN a $50 gift card from Tim Hortons sponsored by Heritage Education Funds. Contest is open to Canadian residents only and ends on May 17th, 2015.
How do you help encourage your child or teen to save towards their RESP and post-secondary education? Are they currently contributing to their own plan?
Make sure to follow Heritage Education Funds on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with news and advice for planning for your child’s educational future.
Disclosure: I am a Heritage Mom and receive perks associated with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.
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