Facing an awful snowstorm, who can the city turn to save the day? Supertruck of course!
About Supertruck
Every truck in the city has a special job. Some trucks rescue others, some tow while others transport. But the garbage trucks just collects garbage.
When the colossal snow storm hits the city everything comes to a standstill. The trucks can’t do their job. So who comes to the rescue to dig them out? Supertruck of course!
But who is this mysterious superhero? And why does he disappear after the storm?
My Thoughts
A simple and beautifully written story – our son fell in love with this book right from the start (he had us re-reading it five times the very first time we opened it up!). The story was easy to follow along with and our eldest son was able to read it to our youngest as well. It was easy to read aloud which makes it the perfect bed time story.
Supertruck has a lovely message about not judging a book by its cover. A person is not always what they seem and everyone has a special job to do. Supertruck is one of those people. His true identity is one you would not expect showing our children that everyone is special and has a special job to do. Or as our youngest says, we are all superheroes inside!
The illustrations are bright and bold. They draw you right into the book and enhance the story.
This is the perfect story for children ages 2-6 years old.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Stephen Savage is the illustrator behind the New York best-selling picture book, Polar Bear Night, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated children’s book and an ALA notable book. His editorial illustration has been featured in dozens of major newspapers including: The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
After wrapping up three days at Blue Mountain (staying at the gorgeous Westin Blue Mountain) we were amazed at how much the village has to offer. Blue Mountain Village has something to offer for every member of the family, from the youngest to the eldest.
We started off our stay at Westin Blue Mountain by dropping off our bags early and hitting the Hike and Tube. It was a short walk (less than five minutes) to the location and easy to locate as it was right on the main road.
I haven’t had that much fun in a long time! The staff were fantastic and hilarious as they spun us down the hill. I honestly don’t know how they don’t go home sore from twirling people all day but it looked like they were having a fantastic time! Our youngest was terrifying me as he was laughing and telling them to spin him more. The ‘hike’ up the hill was short and easy to do for most individuals. Our youngest kept getting free rides up the hill by staying in his tube and getting us to drag him up (oh the joys of being young and lightweight!).
On our second day we were ready to hit the slopes (or in our case the novice course!). Blue Mountain has an incredible novice area with excellent and patient instructors. I would highly recommend if this is your first time trying out the sport to meet with an instructor and have them go over the basics with you – honestly this is so important both for your own enjoyment and for personal safety.
My eldest son took to snowboarding like it was nothing! He was doing his second turn across the open area while I was still navigating how to push the snowboard with one leg and pull my leg across without falling. I could not believe how much work it was – these guys make it look super easy.
It was truly amazing to see the amount of young children on the course. They took to the skiing and snowboarding like it was second nature to them. They were fearless in getting up the mini hills and gliding back down the hill. My son had tried snowboarding before in the past but I was so grateful for all the time and energy our instructor spent on teaching my son the basics. It truly made a big difference.
The Kids at Blue Mountain located out of South Base Lodge is the perfect opportunity for your youngest members (ages 3-5) to learn in a quieter environment with the focus solely on children. A short walk (roughly ten minutes) or you can take the shuttle from the Westin hotel lands you at South Base Lodge and the Kids at Blue Mountain area. The children were adorable as they stepped out on the skiis and up the ‘carpet’. The instructors were fabulous as they came down the hill behind the children holding on to the jacket and guiding them through each stage.
The Plunge Aquatic Centre is located just adjacent to the Westin Blue Mountain. It took us under five minutes to walk there from the hotel. The Plunge Aquatic Centre contains both an indoor and outdoor pool (with access through the pools), indoor water playground, hot tub, rope swings, slides and basketball nets. Swimming outdoors in the cold temperatures (-26C) was an experience to remember. Your face could barely feel the cold but your eyelashes would have frost on them! The steam from the pool would become thick at times and you could sometimes only see a couple of feet in front of you which was pretty awesome! There were plenty of lifejackets and the pool space was quite spacious. Each pool is kept quite warm so you never felt cold.
The Ridge Runner Coaster is an exciting single person (or you can go with your children) that runs through the mountain. The coaster takes you on a 1,085 metres down the mountain. It was fun, scary and exhilarating all at the same time! At times you felt like you were going to fly over the side of the mountain. While I screamed the whole way down the mountain both of my children laughed the whole way!
We also spent an afternoon at Crock A Doodle painting our own ceramic creations. There was a wide variety of ceramic options to choose from and which you can settle in right away. Your creations are left over night and can be picked up the next day after four or for a small fee can be mailed to your home. We just received our creations in the mail today!
Here is a collection of some of my favourite photos around Blue Mountain village:
What are your favourite winter activities? What activity would you love to do at Blue Mountain?
Come back again tomorrow for more Blue Mountain fun!
Betting on Hope follows the story of a bet gone wrong, a small town community and their meddling and a cowboy intent on saving his ranch.
About Betting on Hope
Maggie Hope is an advice columnist whose background leaves her with little advice to give and it is beginning to show. When Maggie fills in at an interview with champion horse trainer, Tru Monahan, the on camera chemistry between the two of them is undeniable. Maggie’s bosses see this as the opportunity she has been looking for to launch her career and their bank accounts. In order to save her column, Maggie takes Tru up on the bet that he can teach her to ride a quick stepping cutting horse like any cowgirl despite the fact that she has never been on a horse. In the meantime, she can get the scoop on the man under the cowboy hat.
Tru has been on the competition circuit for longer than he would like but he knows it is the only way he can afford to keep the Four of Hearts Ranch that means so much to his ailing Grandfather. So when his sponsors see the opportunity for Tru’s fans to get to know the star on a more intimate level, he knows that he must oblige. To his dismay, Maggie not only invades his small town of Wishing Springs but she also invades his heart and that is something he cannot let any woman do – for her own good.
In Wishing Springs, Maggie finds what she has always been looking for: a community and a home. But when her past catches up to her, it threatens everything, even the tender hope that this town holds all of her heart’s desires.
My Thoughts
I love a good romance and Betting on Hope delivers this and so much more! It is a story of grace, trust and believing in yourself. Both characters have to look past their past experiences and misconceptions that surround us. Each character was believable and have internal conflicts that many of us can relate to on some level. They have each tried hard to move forward from their past experiences but somehow they each keep catching up with them.
There were quite a few twists in this novel which added to the suspense of this fairly light read. I loved how easy it was to get into Betting on Hope and it was a perfect read at bed (or in my favourite reading spot – my bubble bath!). This novel will be the perfect addition to your romance collection!
You can find more reviews of Betting on Hope on the Litfuse Blog tour page. You can purchase your own copy of the book here.
Rating: 4.5/5
About the Author
Debra Clopton is a multi award-winning novelist and has written more than twenty-two novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words. You can find Debra online on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Winter vacations are some of the most fun and thrilling experiences you can have as a family. They are a time for new adventures and venturing out of your comfort zone. Just North of Toronto you can find all this and more at Blue Mountain! And the perfect place to stay while you play? The Westin Blue Mountain.
Last week, my family and I ventured the two hours North of Toronto to Collingwood (talk about a beautiful drive up there) to test the hills and see the beauty of Blue Mountain during the winter months. We had always been hesitant of a winter family ski vacation because of our children being so young but I was pleasantly surprised to see so many young children on the hills and in the village (putting my skills to shame that is for sure!).
We checked in at Westin Blue Mountain and what a beautiful sight it was! Standing tall and prominent against the hills and village of Blue Mountain, Westin Blue Mountain made us feel like we had escaped to another country.
We stayed in a large two bedroom suite that came with a complete kitchen, two bathrooms, balcony and stunning views from each room overlooking the pond and village. It became habit for me to open the curtains wide right around the living room so that we could enjoy the panoramic view of the village, hills, pool and pond.
The interior of our room was stunning. The suite had a dining room table and the kitchen came with all the utensils and appliances you would need to cook during your stay. The large windows give a light and airy feel to the rooms while instantly connecting you with the outdoors and Blue Mountain village. It was awesome to stand at the window and watch the village wake up as well as watch the night life!
One of the best features of the room? The bathroom! I could have lived in the shower alone – the shower head was incredible and felt like you were standing outside in a light rain shower. It was calming and soothing – the perfect way to relax both in the morning and evening.
outdoor pool and hot tub (an incredible, must experience activity!)
fitness studio
Kids Club (with mini arcade and play room)
New Balance gear lending
Westin Well Being
In Room Spa services
Dining in the hotel at Oliver and Bonacini
pet friendly hotel
valet services
ski concierge
The hotel also has close access to Plunge Aquatic Centre and Le Scandinave Spa.
And the staff? Incredible! I have never been to a hotel where the staff were so helpful and happy. If we became lost or unsure there was always a staff member to help us out. Several staff members that greeted us on our first day were around for our last day and remembered us which was such a nice surprise. The amazing staff really helped make our stay perfect.
The Westin Blue Mountain hotel is the perfect place to spend your Blue Mountain family vacation. Watch out this week on the blog for more Blue Mountain fun including: Family Activities, Dining at Blue and Le Scandinave Spa.
Hands up if those lyrics are played almost non stop in your home?!
Although almost seven years separate our children both of our boys have always loved Toopy and Binoo. So much so that when we brought our puppy home eight years ago she was lovingly named Toopy!
Toopy and Binoo are the adorable stars in this series. You just can’t help fall in love with these two, who love each other with all their hearts and are always up for fun and adventure. Toopy is the witty and engaging mouse while Binoo, his best friend in the whole entire world, is the silent cat. When Toopy has lost something or when he can’t figure something out it is always Binoo who helps him find his way.
I Love Toopy has a total of fifteen heartwarming episodes for a total running time of seventy-five minutes.
The episodes include:
Duckling (The Best Of)
Baby Toopy
Worm Circus
The Big Race
Gone Fishin
Space House
Little Red Binoo
Jungle Toopy
Super Toopy
Magic Mirror
Toopy Goes bananas (our personal favourite!)
Camp Out
Storm in a Bottle
Space House
Bubbles
The second DVD, I Love Binoo also comes with fifteen episodes and a running time of seventy five minutes.
The episodes included are:
Pet Palace
Binoo’s Birthday
Sparkle Binoo
Toopy’s Surprise
Binoo’s Letter
Magic Whoosher
Superball
Funny Bunny
The Castle
The Big Blue
The Lost Bear
Where’s Binoo?
Invisible World
Egghead
Toopy’s Present
Although we thought we had seen all the Toopy and Binoo episodes that were out there we were pleasantly surprised to find new ones on these DVDs! Our youngest son brought his DVDs to daycare so that all of his friends could watch their favourite show together! It was so sweet!
kaboom! Entertainment is giving one of my readers the chance to win their copies of I Love Toopy and I Love Binoo! Canadian residents can enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
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