March 4, 2014
Shrove Tuesday #WW w/linky
It’s Shrove Tuesday today and this morning we are celebrating by eating Pancakes for breakfast and the kiddies will also be having pancakes at school today as well!
Link up your Wordless Wednesday post below so that I can stop by.
February 28, 2014
Skinfix: Natural Skin Care for All Your Skin Needs
Do you suffer from dry skin? Eczema? Are you familiar with the Skinfix name?
Skinfix is a Canadian company who specializes in all natural balms for the entire family. The products are centuries old (they came over from England with family!) and are composed of wound healing botanicals and emollient protective oils. They provide instant relief while soothing and repairing skin affected by eczema, dermatitis, diaper rash, minor bedsores, adult incontinence rash, pressure ulcers and other common skin conditions. They can treat the acute flare ups but also chronic conditions.
Skinfix has four all natural balms: Body Repair Balm, Diaper Rash Balm, Gentle Eczema Balm, Rapid Repair Balm.
Their Body Repair Balm is used to treat dryness and irritation. Eczema and dermatitis flare ups tend to get worse in the cold weather. These conditions affect 1 in 5 adults!
The Diaper Rash Balm is used to treat irritated and raw skin from the constant exposure to wetness and irritants. The balm is formulated specifically to safely halt diaper rashes on the spot. Have to add in the diaper rash balm is nut free! Check out the graph below comparing the most popular brands of diaper rash creams. You can find the original graph here. The Diaper Rash Balm is also a PTPA Award winner!
The Gentle Eczema Balm is perfect for the red and itchy rashes that affect at least 20% of newborn babies. The balm is formulated for their delicate skin and helps reduce chronic flare ups. It is infused with oatmeal and is nut and soy free. Their Gentle Eczema Balm is also a PTPA Award winner!
The Rapid Repair balm helps to sooth and protect skin from wetness, friction and irritation. This balm is perfect for the everyday skin conditions. These skin conditions range from skin chafing, wetness in skin folds, minor burns, razor burns and post waxing.
My favourite features of Skinfix are the thick texture of the product which allows you to feel it working. Only a small amount is needed each time – a little truly goes a long way with these products. Since they do not contain water like moisturizers they last on the skin longer and less is required. It is all natural (such a bonus!) and no steroids.
Skinfix products are dermatologist tested, pediatrician tested, steroid free, fragrance free, gluten free, paraben free, phthalate free and BPA free packaging.You can purchase them online here.
Disclosure: I am a Skinfix Ambassador. I received no compensation for this post besides bringing a fantastic product to you! Clicking on the above links will take you to my affiliate page but I receive no compensation from this unless an order is placed.
February 28, 2014
Murder and Mystery: Distortion
Murder and mystery – what is there not to love?! Distortion by Terri Blackstock is full of both.
Distortion by Terri Blackstock is based on the murder of Juliet Cole’s husband. Her husband is murdered right before her eyes in what she believes is a completely random and awful shooting. She is devastated at the loss of her husband and the father to her children. It is not until after hours of initial questioning when she heads home to deliver the news to her sons that a threatening voicemail changes everything.
Now the man she has been married to for fifteen years has become a stranger. Evidence emerges that shows this was not a random shooting but a deliberate attack. Juliet and her children’s lives are in danger. As they work through the mystery that was her husband’s life, his dark secrets come centre stage.
Distortion was a fast paced and suspenseful read right to the end. Juliet’s story is so frightening! Makes you wonder how well we really know the people around us. How many stories have we seen in the news of someone leading a completely second life! It is scary and terrifying. I literally could not put this novel down. I was so worried about Juliet and her boys and what her husband’s actions had done to them. So many curve balls thrown in this book it is hard to count!
Rating: 5/5
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 28, 2014
Traitor’s Blade #Review #PenguinCanada
Adventure, magic and mystery at every turn. The Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell is a fantastic read that will have you unable to put it down!
The Traitor’s Blade is based on the story of Falcio, the First Cantor of the Greatcoats. They are trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia – the Greatcoats are travelling Magistrates upholding the King’s law. They were known everywhere as heroes until they stood aside while the Dukes took over the Kingdom and impaled their King’s head on a spike.
Now their once fair land is on the verge of collapse and barbarians are at the borders. The Dukes are bringing chaos to the land while the Greatcoats are scattered and fear for their lives.
The only thing that the Greatcoats have left are the promises they had made to King Paelis to carry out his one final mission. To do this they must reunite or all will fall.
I absolutely, 100% LOVED this story! I fell in love with the plot from the get go and kept the candles burning late so I could finish (won’t even mention the heart failure I had when my Kindle died and I had to read with my Kindle plugged into the wall – desperate times call for desperate measures!).
Traitor’s Blade is full of adventure and kept me constantly guessing about what will happen next. I was constantly shocked with the actions of the Dukes. They are unjust but because everyone lives in fear of them they still rule. Every turn of the page came a new surprise and shocking turn to the story.
This is a definite must read! You will be on the edge of your seats the whole time.
Rating: 5/5
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 27, 2014
Debunking Nutrition Myths with Mother Hen #NutritionMonth
As parents one of the most important things we can give our children are great nutritional habits that will last them a lifetime. I know personally we focused on ensuring we introduced a great variety of healthy and organic products to our children at an early age. There were the typical foods that terrified us with our first son – eggs, peanuts and kiwis (all because of family food allergies!) combined with not feeling confident on when to introduce these foods (old school methods versus new research).
Are you familiar with all the changes that have been recommended when introducing solids to your infant? It can be hard to keep up with all the changing information – not to mention keeping your sanity during that first year after birth! Mother Hen has developed this fantastic nutrition guide (see the below picture) to help parents out.
Some of the key ideas that I took home from their guide:
- It is still recommended that parents exclusively breast or formula feed up to six months of age. After six months of age, you can begin to introduce iron rich foods such as chicken, pork, beef, cereals (this was new to me when I had my second son!). Most people tend to follow this with vegetables and then fruits.
- The Dietitians of Canada have confirmed that by delaying the introduction of the most recognized allergens (peanuts, eggs, etc..) does not prevent the development of allergies. They DO recommend that you wait a couple of days after introducing new foods before adding in another new food to ensure no allergic reaction takes place.
- Another typical myth I loved that Mother Hen identified – the bland diet for infants! I have seen so many parents do this and you really don’t have to! Baby’s taste buds are different from our own so they may love what you do not. Our youngest loves ground beef curry and has been this way since we started giving it to him around ten months.
Looking for more nutritional information? Head over to the Mother Hen website, they even offer a fantastic array of recipes on their site.
Throughout the month of March – for every Mother Hen product purchased they will be donating $1.00 worth of baby food to local food banks through their March Moms Helping Moms Program. Make sure to follow Mother Hen on Facebook for more information through out the month of March.
