Reviews Archives - Moms & Munchkins

CAA Membership Perks & a Fun Giveaway

June 11, 2013 By Cheryl 45 Comments

I’ve been a member of CAA for a number of years. In my pre-mommy days my career was in project management so I spent a lot of time driving on the highways to and from remote job sites. It was always a comfort to know that if something happened on the road (like a flat tire, running out of gas, etc.), CAA was just a phone call away. I remember once locking my keys in the car and wondering “What am I going to do?!” and then remembering that my handy CAA membership card was in my wallet so I could give them a quick call for some help. I am excited to announce that I’ve been chosen as a CAA Brand Ambassador which gives me the opportunity to tell you a bit more about their fabulous membership perks and services.

Back in my days working on oils sands projects in Northern Alberta, I spent a lot of time on the highway. The further north you travel, the further the gas stations were between each other. Not only were they far apart from each other but many weren’t 24 hour stations so I really had to make sure that I planned my trips correctly. Did you know that CAA offers an Emergency Gas Delivery service? If you run out of fuel, CAA will deliver enough to get you safely to the nearest service station.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I still don’t know how to change a tire. My dad has tried to teach me but it’s one of those skills that I find doesn’t stick if I don’t regularly put it to use. Thankfully CAA offers a Tire Service where a CAA trained service associate can install your spare time and have you back on the road in no time.

Have you ever had a drained battery on your vehicle? When I was selling my last vehicle, the battery was fully drained when someone came to do a test drive. Not exactly a great way to start a sale! CAA’s mobile battery service can test, boost and even replace your battery on the spot.

CAA’s Roadside Mechanical Service also attempts repairs on minor mechanical issues that don’t require special equipment or new parts. If they aren’t able to fix it on the spot, your CAA membership also comes with a towing package that you can use.

CAA Membership Rewards & Perks:

Wondering what I’ve used my CAA membership on the most? The fabulous rewards! CAA Rewards are available at over 160,000 retail locations and services around the world. My favourite perk is the discounted Cineplex movie pass. Going out to a movie can be expensive but you can save yourself a few dollars by purchasing movie certificates at your local CAA location. These also make great gifts!

Guess what? I have a fun giveaway where you could win 2 Cineplex Movie Passes to treat yourself to a night out! Simply enter through the Rafflecopter form below.

Giveaway Rules and Restrictions:

This giveaway is open to Canadian residents who are at least 18 years of age.
Winning entries will be verified prior to contacting the winner.
The giveaway ends on June 28th, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. EST. A winner will be drawn randomly on June 29th. The winner will be notified, by email, and will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If I do not receive a response from the winner within 48 hours, a prize forfeit will be assumed and a new winner will be chosen randomly.
Winner has 90 days to report non-fulfillment of prizes.
By entering this giveaway, you verify that you understand and meet the prize eligibility requirements.
Please note that Moms & Munchkins is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prize. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation that they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. While we are not responsible, we will make every effort to assist the winner in obtaining their prize.
Once the winner claims the prize, his/her name will be posted on the Giveaways page. The winner’s full name, mailing address and phone number will then be sent to the sponsor so they can ship your prize package.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next month I’ll share some more details with you on some of the fabulous rewards you can enjoy in the Southern Ontario area.

What is the most exciting perk you’ve enjoyed with your CAA membership?

Did you know that CAA is a PTPA Winner? With so many great services and rewards, it’s no surprise that they made the list!

Disclosure: As a Brand Ambassador with PTPA and CAA, I received compensation for my participation. However, all opinions expressed on this blog are my very own.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: caa, giveaways, reviews

Garage Reorganization Project

May 7, 2013 By Cheryl 2 Comments

This winter was extremely long and I spent many of the cold months inside doing a little early spring cleaning to prepare for a garage sale. As my little guy continues to grow, we have so many baby items to sell! I’ve been packing garage sale items away in the garage but I’ve been running out of space. I knew it was time to reorganize the garage but I’ve been procrastinating because I thought it would be a lot of work. When Walmart Canada invited me to participate in Walmart’s Frugal Heroes challenge, I knew the job we had to tackle – the garage reorganization project! Here are a few before photos to show you the mess we were dealing with. I’m sure you now understand why I was procrastinating!

Garage Reorganization Project – Shopping!

With our $100 budget, we headed straight to the hardware area of Walmart. With so many items on the floor and on the work counter, I knew we needed some more drawers and shelf space. With our handy measuring tape, we measured some plastic drawer units that would fit under our work bench. We knew we wanted something with wheels so we could easily move it once it was loaded with heavy tools.

We also needed additional shelving space. We decided on a white, light-weight shelf perfect for items like garbage bags, cleaning supplies, paper towels, etc. We also purchased a few brackets so we could make a shelf out of some old scrap wood we had in the garage.

With so many screws and nails, we also purchased a small organizational container with plenty of compartments perfect for all of these little pieces.

To finish off our purchase, we also added in a garage sale sign that will come in really handy in a few weeks!

So with two rolling drawer units, a storage container for small pieces, a shelving unit, wall brackets and a garage sale sign, we came in under budget!

Garage Reorganization Project – Cleaning Time!

Now came the tough part – the cleaning! My husband had the day off work so we decided to tackle the project while my little guy had a nap. I was surprised at how quickly we were able to organize! We were able to take our outdoor toys into the backyard (since the snow has all finally melted – hooray!) and we organized the garage sale items into a small area of the garage. We made use of the rolling drawers and shelf to clean off the top of the work counter. All of the tools are now much easier to find since they are organized into drawers.

Just think of how clean it will look after the garage sale! Here are some after photos:I was actually surprised that we not only made room for everything we had but we actually have more space for storage! Perhaps some more shopping is in the future…but I better wait until after our big garage sale.

On a side note, there are a few toys that my husband refuses to part with. Does anyone remember Harry & The Hendersons?

Disclosure: Walmart Canada invited me to participate in Walmart’s Frugal Heroes challenge. Thank you to Walmart Canada for providing me with a $100 gift card and the added incentive to finally get our garage organized! You can follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #WalmartFrugalHeroes.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: reviews

Free Dairy Queen Coupons in General Mills Cereals

April 14, 2013 By Cheryl 2 Comments

I love Dairy Queen. I really do! I’ve been enjoying DQ treats for as long as I can remember. When my grandparents used to come into the city from the farm, they always brought along a box of Dilly Bars. Every time we came home to find our grandparents car in the driveway, we said a quick hello and ran downstairs to the freezer to grab a treat. My grandpa has been gone for 17 years now but our special Dilly Bar treat time is always something I’ll remember sharing with him.

Dairy Queen Traditions:

I have a few favourite television shows and special nights dedicated to catching up on them. Once a week, my husband brings me home a mini Blizzard to enjoy while I curl up on the couch to enjoy my TV time. It’s a routine now – I can’t sit down to watch my shows until I have my mini Blizzard (Mint Brownie with extra stuff…in case you were wondering).

I love Dairy Queen so much that I actually ordered a special DQ log to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Moms & Munchkins. I’ve decided that every year on Moms & Munchkins anniversary, we’ll be enjoying a Dairy Queen cake. A party just isn’t the same without cake, right?

Best Dairy Queen Memory Ever:

I have an awesome Dairy Queen story to share with you. My brother will be humiliated that I’m sharing this story with you but it is too good not to share! When my brother was around 7 years old, we were at Dairy Queen with our mom, a friend of mine and her mom. At that time, there were railings between each of the booths. My brother thought it would be funny to stick his head through the railings but it really wasn’t that funny. What was funny was when he realized that his head was stuck. Yep, there we were in Dairy Queen eating our ice cream while my little brother was crying with his head stuck in the railings. My mom went into panic mode when she realized that he really was stuck. You want to know what she did next? She left us with my friend and her mom in Dairy Queen to race home and grab some margarine. No, I’m not kidding. My mom drove all the way back home to grab some margarine to try to free my brother! She came back with the margarine, smeared my brother’s head with it until he slid free. In case you’re wondering…yes, we did continue to go to that Dairy Queen for treats. Even an embarrassing moment like that couldn’t keep us away from that delicious ice cream!

Free Dairy Queen & Orange Julius Coupons:

To help you create your own special Dairy Queen memories, General Mills is offering free Orange Julius & Dairy Queen coupons inside specially-marked boxes of cereal. It’s such a great deal, it’s riDQulous!

For a limited time, you’ll find two Dairy Queen coupons inside specially-marked boxes of General Mills cereal. One will be for an Orange Julius Premium Fruit Smoothie and the other for a Dairy Queen Blizzard treat. Did you know that all Dairy Queen locations in Canada now offer Orange Julius drinks?

Between April 1^st and July 31^st, 2013, you can redeem your Orange Julius coupon at any Dairy Queen location.

Between May 1^st and May 31^st, 2013, you can redeem your Dairy Queen Blizzard coupon. Will you be trying something new or sticking with your favourite kind?

What is your favourite Dairy Queen memory?

Disclosure – I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador Program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: family fun, reviews

A Lonely $20 Bill

April 8, 2013 By Cheryl 18 Comments

Early this morning, my son and I headed out for a doctors appointment. While driving down our street I saw a $20 bill laying in the middle of the road. Let me start by saying that I don’t usually stop to pick up change in the street. Even if I drop a quarter myself I’ll just leave it for the next lucky kid that comes along. But this wasn’t a quarter it was a $20 bill and I’d be crazy to drive over it, right? So yes, I did pull over to grab it. Sure, it had been run over a few times by passing cars and it was looking a little beaten and yes it was stuck to the ground in ice but it wasn’t something that a little scraping couldn’t fix. I used my new Nokia Lumia 620 to snap a picture of our fortune and we headed to our doctor appointment.

Once we finished with the appointment I started to think of fun ways to spend our treasure. Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve found $20 on the ground. When I was a young child (under 10 years old), I found $20 in the parking lot of Canadian Tire. As I’m sure you can imagine, finding $20 when you’re a kid is a BIG deal and I was excited to spend it right away. I knew what I wanted to spend it on – a Slip ‘n Slide. Remember those? I was determined to head into Canadian Tire and buy myself a Slip ‘n Slide. My parents talked me out of it and I can’t remember what I ended up spending the money on. One thing I know for sure, I never did get a Slip ‘n Slide…or a Rainbow Brite doll…but that’s another story. This $20 was going to be different – I was determined to use it on something fun!

Just one problem – it was still wet with ice and mud. I knew I couldn’t spend this $20 until it was in better shape. In the meantime, it was 9am and our appointment was over so I started trying to think of a fun activity for my son and I. He always loves going to Chuck E Cheese but I wasn’t sure what time it opened. Thankfully I had the Nokia Lumia 620 with me and I could quickly look up the hours of Chuck E Cheese. Opens at 9am – great! Off to Chuck E Cheese we went!

On the way to Chuck E Cheese I heard an interesting story on the radio. They said that 10% of the wealthiest people in the world are Gemini. I thought this was hilarious because I am a Gemini and I just found $20! I guess their study was right!

My little guy loves Chuck E Cheese for the pizza and the games but he’s still a little too young to enjoy the big mouse. We played a few games while our lucky $20 dried off in the van. I was able to use the Nokia Lumia 620 to snap a few cute pictures of my little guy playing games. Excuse his messy hair – he was having a bad hair day.

He loves testing his luck with the big ticket wheel. Today was came so close to winning 100 tickets! Look at this photo for proof that we were only a half click away from winning BIG. Can you imagine if we were to find a lucky $20 and win 100 tickets in the same day? That would make me one wealthy Gemini!

By the time we finished at Chuck E Cheese, I knew what I wanted to do with our lucky $20. We were going to head to Nana’s house (my mom) to take her out for lunch. Before we could do that, our $20 needed a quick rinse because I would look odd using a muddy bill to pay for anything.

So we headed over to Nana’s house, rinsed off our $20 and then headed out for lunch. Do you ever have a tough time deciding on a place to eat? Not sure of the options around you? With the City Lens app on the Nokia Lumia 620, you can simply hold up your phone and the display will show you all of the options around you. We decided on Boston Pizza.

I used the phone to take a picture of my guy enjoying his lunch along with a picture of us saying goodbye to that lonely $20 bill that we found in the street.

Nokia Lumia 620 Features:

Have you tried the Nokia Lumia 620 phone yet? There are so many awesome features on it! The camera has 5.0 megapixels and has cool features like Smart Shoot (a series of snaps that lets you take the best pieces of each and make it into one photo) and Cinemagraph (allowing you to add motion to still pictures).

Apps like City Lens, Maps, Drive and Transit help direct you to where you need to go. It’s like your own handheld GPS system!

One feature that I love is Kids Corner. Do you ever lend your phone to your child to play with and then get it back to find that they made a few random phone calls and accidentally changed some of your settings? With Kids Corner you can set what applications your child will be allowed to use and lock them out of the rest. I’m sure this feature was designed by a parent!

To hear more about the Nokia Lumia 620, visit their product page. Right now Telus is offering the phone for $0 with a 2 year term or to buy the phone without a contract is $249 (an excellent deal for a phone with so many great features!).

Now I must ask you – what would you do if you found $20?

Disclosure – I am participating in the Nokia Easter Break blog tour by enCompass Media on behalf of Nokia. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: family fun, kids activities, reviews

Surviving Spring in a Ford Explorer

April 5, 2013 By Cheryl Leave a Comment

For those of you who also live in Saskatchewan, you know what a long winter this has been. Although the calendar may say it is spring, the photo below shows you a current picture outside my home. Doesn’t look like spring, does it? This week we had the opportunity to drive a Ford Explorer and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Right now we’re in the stage where the snow melts a bit, then freezes again, then snows, then rains and then freezes again. As you can imagine, the driving conditions right now are less than ideal. The ice and snow ruts in our street have been so bad that vehicles have been getting stuck in them. My husband drives a small car so he was happy to have the larger Ford vehicle to use this week.

The Ford Explorer is a SUV packed with a lot of power! For those of you not in Saskatchewan, I’m trying to think of how I can describe the driving conditions right now. With all of the ice and packed snow, it’s kind of like driving over potholes and slippery speed bumps. Needless to say, it is not a very fun time to be on the roads. Although the road conditions are bad, the Ford Explorer continued to be a smooth ride offering stability in slippery conditions. It had the power to drive through the rough terrain where other vehicles on our street were getting stuck.The interior of the vehicle was loaded with all the amenities you’d expect in a luxury vehicle. The heated seats and steering wheel were perfect for our current weather conditions although I was really wishing it was warm enough to try out one of the two sunroofs. That’s right – two sunroofs!My husband fell in love with the satellite radio. There were so many cool features on the touchscreen system and this vehicle was also set up with SYNC technology. SYNC technology is an intelligent voice recognition system that makes it easy to stay connected to the world around you. On the touchscreen pad you could see things such as the weather forecast, local fuel prices, movie listings and more!

When you place the vehicle in reverse, the screen turns into a camera showing you what is behind you and alerting you of anything that may be in your way. Perfect for parallel parking or even pulling out of your driveway when your view is blocked by huge piles of snow like ours currently is.

A small but cool feature are the cup holders that light up. Perfect for early morning commutes so you can find your coffee cup!

In the vehicle, there were both front and rear heating/cooling systems. The front controls were on an easy to use touch pad along with a large radio & sound dial.

This Ford Explorer used the new push-button start & stop system. It took me a minute to figure it out but easy to follow instructions come up on the dash when you are ready to start the vehicle.

This vehicle had leather seats which are great for car seats and kids because they are made of a stronger material and they are easy to wipe clean. Installation of car seats is made easy with clear instructions and easy to find hooks.

This Ford Explorer was fully automatic with the windows, door locks, seat adjustments and more. Another feature that I haven’t seen in a vehicle before was the Terrain Management System that allows you to dial in specific terrain settings to maximize vehicle performance in all conditions.

We loved this vehicle and all it has to offer. It is spacious, comfortable and has a very smooth ride. There are so many other great features in the Ford Explorer and you can read all about these on the Ford website.

How Ford is Helping with Spring Allergies:

After I had my son, I noticed that I started having allergic reactions to various lotions, foods and just something in the air. I haven’t quite figured out what it is yet (allergy specialist appointment coming soon!) but I know that it does get worse in the spring. Ford is looking to help eliminate some of the common airborne and touch-based allergens.

Ford engineers have been busy testing more than 100 materials and components on the new 2013 Ford Fusion and other Ford vehicles for allergy issues. Engineers avoid – or minimize – some of the most materials that can produce an allergic reaction in some people such as natural latex, hexavalent chromium and nickel. The components requiring allergen testing include common high-touch areas such as the seats, steering wheel, armrests, door handles and shifters.

Linda Schmalz (a supervisor of Core Material Engineering for Ford) says “Allergies affect large numbers of people, so anything we can do to reduce potential allergens inside Ford vehicles we do through rigorous, controlled testing”.

Ford is testing its vehicles and installing cabin air filters that help prevent airborne particles such as dust, spores, fungus and pollen from entering the vehicle. Cabin air filters improve driving comfort by reducing particle concentration, improve cleanliness and protect climate control components from particle deposits. These filters also capture soot, smog and tobacco smoke. Many customers may not realize they have a cabin air filter but Ford dealers change the filters as part of the recommended maintenance for all vehicles.

From dust to hexavalent chromium (a chemical sometimes found in dyes, paints and plastics), natural latex to pollen, almost any material or substance can be a potential allergen. Ford testers make sure dyes and formaldehyde are strictly limited to levels that are acceptable even for clothing. Just one more way that Ford is working to keep their customers safe!

*Disclosure: We were given this vehicle for a test drive for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: family fun, ford, parenting

ABC Arbonne Baby Care Review

March 23, 2013 By Cheryl 2 Comments

I’ve always had sensitive skin so I knew my little guy would likely have some of the same issues. For the most part, his skin is really good but this cold winter weather sure takes a toll on those cute little cheeks. This winter he has been getting dry, scaly patches on his cheeks but not the rest of his face and I wasn’t sure if it’s just the dry weather or something else irritating his skin. I was excited to try the ABC Arbonne Baby Care line because I’ve heard a lot of good things about Arbonne products.

ABC Arbonne Baby Care products use botanically based, pediatrician-tested formulas that support and protect baby’s sensitive skin. They are perfect for your older children as well; in fact, even adults enjoy the sensitive formula!

We had the opportunity to try the following products in the ABC Arbonne Baby Care line:

Baby Hair and Body Wash: A mild tear-free wash that helps replace the skin’s natural oils.
Baby Care Body Lotion: A gentle lotion for delicate skin.
Baby Care Body Oil: A blend of certified organic botanical oils.
Baby Care Herbal Diaper Rash Cream: Gently relieve sore, dry, chapped skin in the diaper area.
Baby Care Sunscreen SPF 30+: Providing maximum protection for sensitive skin.

Since we are heading to Disneyland soon, I’m saving my small travel sizes of the sunscreen & diaper rash cream to take on our trip. I have heard that both products go a long way since you only need to use a small amount during each use. Since we’ve tried the rest of the products in the ABC Arbonne Baby Care line with no issues, I feel confident to travel with these two items.

The Baby Hair and Body Wash has a very light scent and was very gentle on my son’s skin. His skin wasn’t irritated by the product at all and his hair has never been so soft!

The Baby Care Body Lotion didn’t cause him any irritation and it was very gentle on his skin. He’s a bit of a wild monkey so he sometimes gets some product in his eyes when he’s trying to wiggle away but it didn’t cause him any irritation at all.

I used the Baby Care Body Oil on his cheeks because his face has been so dry and scaly in this weather. I like how the oil is so moisturizing but still thick enough that it doesn’t run down his face. I noticed the redness in his face go down after just one use.

Have you used any of the products in the ABC Arbonne Baby Care line? If so, what do you think of them?

Want to try some for yourself? You can contact Chrysta (an Arbonne Independent Consultant) who can provide more information about the benefits of the products and how you can give some a try for yourself.

ABC Arbonne Baby Care Giveaway Announcement!

Want to win your own products from the ABC Arbonne Baby Care line? Stay tuned for an exciting giveaway starting April 1st! This giveaway will be open to both US & Canadian residents so stay tuned for more information.

*Disclosure: I have received samples of products in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed on this blog are my own.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: mom and baby, parenting, reviews