Halloween And Allan's Candy

A few weeks ago when the Halloween decorations started appearing in stores, I asked Liam what he wanted to be for Halloween.  I expected that at almost 3 years old, he would have an opinion this year.  The conversation when like this.

Me: "Liam, what do you want to be for Halloween this year?"

Liam: "Yes, Mommy." (This is his standard answer for when he doesn't understand the question.)

Me: "What do you want to dress up as for Halloween?"

Liam: "A shirt."

Me: "You want to be a shirt for Halloween?"

Liam: "I want to wear a shirt.  I just need to wear a shirt."

Clearly, at that point, he did not understand the concept of Halloween!

Now, however, he does.  He decided not long ago that he wanted to be a dinosaur.  He is thrilled with the dinosaur costume that we found him and has been practicing his dinosaur growl and asking daily when he gets to wear it.

Because this is the first year that Liam even remotely understands Halloween and because we live in the country and in 9 years have never had a single trick or treater come to the door, we don't really have any Halloween traditions yet.  Unless buying candy "just in case some one comes" and eating it all ourselves counts as a tradition?  I am however looking forward to creating some fun filled family Halloween traditions.  

Last year, we visited a local pumpkin patch, which I think was probably the beginning of an annual tradition.  We enjoyed a wagon ride and explored the pumpkin patch.  This year, given Liam's current obsession with corn fields I expect we will also be making our way through the corn maze.

I expect that this year will also see Liam and Daddy carving a pumpkin or two together, which will, after Halloween be cooked into their favourite dessert, pumpkin pie.

Regardless of your choice of Halloween traditions, it is impossible to celebrate the holiday without CANDY!!!!  This year, Allan's is helping us in the candy department.

With Allan's you are getting Canadian made candy from a company that is celebrating it's 77th year in business.  Everyone who enjoys candy has at one time or another tried Allan's iconic Big Foot candy that has been teasing our taste buds for more than 25 years!

Allan's has three types of individually wrapped, peanut free candy mixes that are available for Halloween.  Allan's Intense Jubes and Jellies, Allan's Chewy Rascalz, Allan's Fruit Buddies all of which you can find at Walmart, Loblaws and other key retailers.

We have all been sampling some of these Allan's Halloween candies and I can say that if you are a lover of candy, you won't be disappointed in these treats.  Keep them hidden if you want any to be left on Halloween night!

Disclosure - I am participating in the Allan Candy Company program by Mom Central Canada.  I received compensation for my participation in this campaign.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Seventh Generation Diaper Donation Program

As you will recall, I recently posted about being given the opportunity to try out some Seventh Generation products. 

 I signed up for this blog tour for a few reasons, I try to use environmentally friendly products when possible and as I have tried some in the past that have been anything but useful, particularly when it comes to diapers.  But one of the big reasons was to be a part of the Seventh Generation Buy One Give One Campaign.  For every package of diapers purchased in October, Seventh Generation will donate one package to a woman's shelter in Canada.  

I was given 4 packages of diapers from Seventh Generation to donate to a shelter of my choice as part of the campaign.  It is a wonderful feeling to be able to give these diapers to the local food bank as there are far too many families in our area who can't afford the basics for their children.

You can help too, all you have to do is purchase a package of Seventh Generation Free and Clear Diapers and know that another package will be going to a mom in need somewhere in Canada.

Thank you Seventh Generation and Mom Central Canada for giving me the opportunity to participate in this wonderful donation program.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Seventh Generation program by Mom Central Canada.  I received compensation as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Baby And You - Online Community on Facebook

As a mom, I am always excited about places where I can talk about my son and I know that most other moms are the same.  And as an avid Facebook user, I was happy to discover Baby and You, a family-friendly page created by Loblaws where moms and dads can come chat about their kids.

You can ask questions, answer questions, look at current fliers, find the closest Loblaws Company store to you, have access to exclusive saving and even participate in contests.  They are currently running a contest that will give away $500 worth of Joe Fresh gift cards!  And who doesn't love Joe Fresh fashions for the whole family?  I know I do!

Head on over to Baby and You and share with everyone what your Thanksgiving weekend will look like or what your kids are wearing to the festivities this weekend.  See you there!

“Disclosure – I am participating in the Baby and You program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Loblaw Companies. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

Club Foot Update

**Note** Liam was born with a club foot and has been dealing with treatments since he was 6 days old. First was a series of six casts over six weeks, then a tendon elongation followed by a final cast for 3 weeks. Then came the really fun stuff . . . Denis Brown boots and bar . . . Liam had to wear these shoes 23 hours a day for 3 months and now continues to wear them at night.

Last week, Liam had his annual appointment with his orthopedist, Dr. Jarvis, at CHEO to have his club foot checked.  And we can finally say that the end of treatment is in sight.

At the end of February after: 2 months of casts, a tendon elongation procedure, 3 months of wearing his Denis Brown boots and bar for 23 hours a day and 2 years and 9 months of wearing them every night, Liam will be finished with his "sleepy shoes".

He will still need follow up appointments at CHEO to make sure his foot stays straight as he continues to grow.  We will still have to watch him as he plays to ensure that he is sitting on his bottom, not on his knees.  But other than that, everything looks good.  Dr. Jarvis was very happy with the progress Liam has made and so are we.

When we watch our little boy run around and play it is hard to believe that there was ever a problem, a problem that caused us so much concern, a problem that we have dealt with every day of Liam's life.  

In five months, the "sleepy shoes" will be a memory in the closet to show him when he is older.  We will no longer have that daily reminder of how scared we were when they told us, at just minutes old that there was something wrong with his foot.

Tonight, as I took Liam upstairs and lay him in his crib, he looked at me and said, "I need my sleep shoes because it is bedtime."  I look forward to the night when I can finally tell him that he doesn't need to wear them anymore.

Seventh Generation Giveaway - Winner

Well, I am late as always, but here it is, the winner of the Seventh Generation Giveaway is:

ottawamommyproject!

Please e-mail me (nickimcilree@gmail.com) your name and mailing address for your prize!

Seventh Generation - Giveaway

Do you consider yourself to be "Green"?  Do you live an environmentally friendly life?

I do try to be environmentally conscious.  I recycle my cans, plastics and paper.  I compost, both in my own compost bin and the city run green bin program.  I use cloth shopping bags, reusable water bottles and lunch bags.  I don't use a clothes drier, I use a clothes line in my yard.  Sure, there are other things that I could be doing but I really do believe that if enough people do the little things, it will make a difference in the long run.

Seventh Generation is a company dedicated to providing consumers with an environmentally friendly choice.

Seventh Generation is the nation’s leading brand of household and personal care products that help protect human health and the environment.  Established in 1988, the Burlington, Vermont based company remains an independent, privately-held company distributing products to natural food stores, supermarkets, mass merchants, and online retailers across the United States and Canada.
 http://ca.seventhgeneration.com/about

I was given the opportunity to try a package of Seventh Generation diapers and wipes.  Having worked in daycare with infants and toddlers for years, I have seen just about every kind of disposable diaper that had been made in the past 13 years.  I have seen some "environmentally friendly" and "made from recycled materials" diapers in the past and let's just say that when I became a parent, I knew I wouldn't be spending my money on those diapers.  So, I was a little unsure of what to expect from the Seventh Generations Free & Clear Diapers.  Luckily, I have been pleasantly surprised with every aspect of these diapers.  They fit my busy two and a half year old nicely and stay securely fastened through all the running. climbing, playing and well, just being a boy, that he puts them through.  The Seventh Generation Free and Clear Wipes have also performed well in cleaning up many messes including but not limited to the ones in the diapers!

I have yet to try any of the Seventh Generation cleaning products, but look forward to doing that in the coming weeks.  Join the Seventh Generation Nation to get access to Seventh Gen information and coupons.

Right now, I have the opportunity for one lucky reader to win a 100% organic cotton Seventh Gen Eco lunch bag, as well as coupons for a FREE package of Seventh Generation Free and Clear Diaper, Free and Clear Wipes and dishwashing products.

To enter this giveaway, share your best tip on how to be more environmentally conscious.  Contest closes at midnight on September 16, 2011.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Seventh Generation program by Mom Central Canada.  I received compensation as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Potty Training Tuesday #15

The Potty Training Yo-Yo!

(Yes, I am aware that it is Wednesday, I am going to say that I am not a day late with this post but almost a week early . . . are you buying it?)

We are having a bit of a yo-yo effect happening with Liam's potty training.  And although I know it is perfectly normal, I don't like it!!!

The weekend before last, the yo-yo was flying high.  Liam asked numerous times to sit on the potty AND peed three times!  I was thrilled and hoping that it was the breakthrough that I had been waiting for - the success and interest that indicated that it was time to take potty training to the next level.

Through the week, Liam is in daycare full time and sits regularly on the toilet but hasn't had any success yet.  There isn't a lit of opportunity at home, during the week for any hardcore potty training, so, I planned to give it a go this past weekend.

I think (and hope) that an accident or two in underwear will be what Liam needs to get the idea.  He HATES it when his diaper leaks and his pants get wet.

Well, let's just say that hard core potty training did not happen this weekend.  The yo-yo fell hard, all the way to the floor.  There was absolutely NO interest in sitting on the potty all weekend, except when it was being used as a way to avoid bath time.  (Bath time is the most dreaded of all times in our house.)

So we are still in the wait and what happens phase.  We continue to encourage and praise every little step towards our goal, as we anxiously wait for the next opportunity to step it up.  Someday he will be ready.

People used to tell me that I was lucky that I had some much potty training experience, that it would make potty training my own child so much easier.  I always just laughed and joked that my experience and knowledge would probably backfire and my kid would go to kindergarden in diapers.  I am now beginning to fear that I jinxed myself!  

Hopefully, I am wrong and the yo-yo will be on it's way back up very soon, because I would really like to not have to buy diapers anymore!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!