Lets go to The EX! #CNE #TheEx

We went to The Ex for the first as a family.  And it was fun!   My husband and I always disagree on things like this and going to events as such.  He always thinks our soon to be 4yr old son is too young where as I say...No he is not!  So I finally convinced him and we went and had a blast.

There is nothing sweeter than seeing your child smile with excitement as you enter the CNE.  First thing we did.  We played a game.  My husband had the guy "Guess your age" and we won!  He was off 3 yrs when guessing my husbands age so my son picked this, he likes Yo Gabba Gabba:

Next up.... What's going to The EX and not picking up a bag of Tiny Toms.  I loved those miniature donuts when I was a child and better yet, I spun the wheel and got them for FREE!

So we made our way to Kids World.  We sadly missed the shows but went on rides instead.  Seeing my son have so much fun melted my heart!  Here are on the Dizzy Dragon and yes we got Dizzy!

Next up, you gotta go on the Carousel:

And this one worried us a little.  We were worried that our boy wouldn't be able to climb up the netted 'wall' and follow along but he did it!  My son insisted he do this and he made us proud ;)

And of course we had to do a race care ride. 

and finished off with the Helicopter ride:

After all the fun excitement we took a break and walked through the Arts & Craft Building, went to the Farm and someone was getting cranky and tired so I am glad I brought our Tula Toddler!

Food at the CNE, well there is a lot of junk food so being our first time in 20 yrs I wasn't sure if we'd eat there so I brought along some of Charlies favorite snacks and thankfully we just got this great Bento Box from Pottery Barn Kids.  The top lid had fruit and cheese which I couldn't picture because Charlie wouldn't let me.  We got the Bento box for back to school and I love stainless steel.
Note: The Apple Cider in the Corona cup is mine! ;)

So after a cool down and 4 hrs later we decided to make our way home.  They have great Muskoka chairs all over the CNE where you can sit and rest, water cool down mists and so much more.  The Ex is a great place to go for the young and old and I am so glad we went.  3 3/4yrs old is not too young and we saw lots of families there with infants.  So if your husband says that your child is too young, show him this post. There is so much to see and do!  Each ride was 4 tickets so you know how many to buy and if you're new to this, there are some height requirements for the rides.

So, if you're looking for something to do this long weekend head to The Ex!  It ends in 3 days!
and on the way home.....look he passed out:

French Yogurt Cake: Simple & Lovely

So delicious and simple! Great treat for the kid's. I added vanilla and lemon zest. 

Next time I'll try Orange Flower Water or Almond.

Get the recipe:  French Yogurt Cake

New Diamond Collection now availalble from Disney!

Walt Disney's Diamond Collection features a 3-Disc combo pack that includes 2 Blu-ray discs with new and extensive bonus features, and one other disc that is a DVD copy of the film with minimal bonus features.  We have the Aristocats and what's not to love about any Disney movie?
Everybody wants to be a cat and this is an classic that you and your family will enjoy time and time again.  Set in the heart of Paris a millionairess decides to leave everything for her cats.  When the butler hears this, he plots and hopes to have her millions.  Lots of excitement comes from when the cats are 'catnapped' and Dutchess falls for alleycat Thomas O'Malley. Will there adventure get them back home to their mansion in Paris?

Disc One features the movie of course and bonus song features, a movie short and even more songs.
Disc Two features a Virtual Kitten.  Adopt your own kitty and you can care for it virtually as well. Also games are on this disc and even more songs and one bonus song that was actually deleted from the movie.


Shop Disney now!

Steam clean your floors with Bissell's Steam Mop and enter to win!

I've just discovered a new and effective way to clean my floors.  It's a 100% chemical free, it sanitizes with the steam and is my new favorite way to clean.  No synthetic smells, no chemicals and no slippery wet floors.   Something moms to be and those conceiving should think about and use in their own homes.

The floors get a great deep clean.  I was amazed when I gave it the ultimate test in my apartment bathroom floors.  We have those 60's style, mini hard to clean tiles in our floor in the bathroom.  Here is a before and after photo so you can see for yourself.  You do not add floor cleaner to this, just WATER.  We love it!

 Pretty good for steam cleaning. With regular mopping I've never been able to get in between the tiles like that.
So which Steam Mop does EMB use?
The Steam Mop Select, $79.99.   It comes with 2 cloth covers, one that is a soft terry cloth the other with a more textured material for an even deeper clean.  This gets our Seal of Green for being a wonderful toxic free product for cleaning your floors. 

So tell us.  For a chance to win does your current floor cleaner give you a deep, toxic free way to clean your floors?  Is steam cleaning something you are curious about?  Comment below for a chance to win!

Open to Canada Only!

New products from Avent: Feeding made easier

The new Philips Avent Natural Bottles allows infants to feed as close to the breast as possible making it easier for moms to bottle feed and breast feed.

Some the of Features that it includes are:

• Natural 'Latch-On' - a wide breast like shape makes it easy to latch on
• Advanced Anti Colic System - Innovative twin valve design allows air into the bottle , not baby's tummy.
• Available in glass and polypropylene plastic that is BPA free

  And when your little one is ready to go from bottles to sippy cups, may we suggest the Avent No Spill Toddler Cup.

The open rim allows for toddlers/preschoolers to drink from the rim like a grown up and it truly does not leak!  It's the first if it's kind with no hard to clean straws or spouts.
I had given this to a friend of Everything Mom and Baby to review and she's been struggling with her 19month old to drink from sippy cups.

" Elliott doesn't usually drink much water or cows milk, but this new sippy cup is a miracle worker! He drank 5oz with dinner and then another 1oz while playing " ~ Emma O. 

Canadian Family Fall Fair ~ Sept.15, 2012

Get ready for Fall and organize with Rona

Back to school is around the corner and it'll be time to pull out Fall Fashions and put away the Summer attire. Clothing and Summer fun.....stashed nicely away...Where did the Summer go?

Well if you're looking for a reason to go shopping may I suggest the following to help things organized?  All items are extremely affordable as well.

Here are some of our favorite products that we came across at Rona:

1) Under Bed Storage Box
For me this is brilliant! Right now I have my Fall clothes all packed up in luggage and with my ever expanding Summer wardrobe I need more space.  I think this is brilliant to tuck under the bed.
$19.43

2) Colourful leather storage boxes add a pop of colour for your storage needs. Store pictures, kids art work, craft supplies/art supplies or whatever you need tucked away. $19.99

3) Eco Storage Box: Great for all your Summer gardening tools and what not.
Create new space in the garage or your shed. $15.99

4) Storage Cabinet.  Living in the heart of the city and in an apartment closet space is what I need in my bedroom.   This is next on my list to get at Rona as I desperately need this for some of my things. $189.99

5)The Cube Organiser.  We got this and love it.  I actually got it for my sons room because it desperately needed organization! $74.99

Assembling the Cube Organiser was easy and took me about 30 minutes.
Wanna see? 

Before

After
Fabric drawers are sold separately at $8.97
They were surprisingly deep and all his toys are now nicely organized.

So I hope this has inspired you a little and to see more storage ideas and products you may need visit this link.

Runners Crafted Bikes: A different riding experience

We have had so much using this bike....well my son is having so much fun.  My fun comes from watching him and hearing all the compliments we get on this fabulous bike.

photo property of Everything Mom and Baby

 What makes this so fabulous?  The price point most importantly for a wooden balance bike.  It's priced quite reasonably at $119-$138.  Runners is also a Canadian company based out of Edmonton, Alberta.
Runners Bike is made of solid Birchwood and is made in Asia. 

photo property of Everything Mom and Baby

Why Everything Mom and Baby loves this bike? 

Well see the video below and tell me if you can see why.  This is my 3 1/2 yr old son.

Balance bikes are big in Europe and seeing my son using this bike and balancing as if he was on pedals. Now I get it.  At first I didn't know what the difference would be and what the hoopla was about these bikes but I'll be honest. When I started watching my son I began to see how he moved on the bike, how was learning to balance and to 'take off' and ride as if he was on pedals.  This would make transitioning into a regular much easier.  I have now seen the light with balance bikes!

Will training wheels be eventually the phased out? The bikes we as parents used when we preschoolers? Maybe.....I am seeing more of these styles and less of the training wheel styles.

Now when you visit the site you are going to see more styles from Runners.  They even have a baby walker(ON SALE) and if you have a family member part of the police service...You'll be very tempted to get their Runners Police Bike (ON SALE). 

Like I mentioned earlier in the post, we get stopped a lot with our Runners Bike and I do recommend that if your child is ready for a training bike you get a Runners Bike.  The seat is also adjustable so you'll have room for growth!
I would also like to add that when he feels like changing things up and wants to rest from riding and wants to walk, this bike is so light to carry!
I do give this a double thumbs up as does my son so naturally it gets awarded our Seal of Approval.

How does it come if I order online?  Is assembly required?
If comes in a fabulous box with a handle and takes about 15minutes to assemble and is quite easy and straight forward.  It comes with everything you need.

But wait there's more! 

Besides a giveaway, the owner of Runners Bike, Stephan is also known as the Alkaline Diet Guy.  He imports the amazing food and beauty products of Dr.Jentschura from Germany that helps to alkalize the body.  This is something I want to look into and learn more about.
We received some samples of the products and I am in love.  He also has an organic, gluten free kit for kids. This is something I am interested for my son.  I have what I am sure is a gluten belly so I will be researching this line and hopefully come back with a blog post for you all and see if it makes a difference!  The AlkaBath sounds very interesting as it's supposed to mimic and have the same pH of amniotic fluid!  It also has ground gemstones in their formula.

The Wurzelkraft Fruity was a hit with my son.  We use it in his yogurt.

The fabulous folks at Runners Bike is going to offer one lucky subscriber of Everything Mom and Baby a Runners Bike of their very own!
Please follow the rules and no 'cheating'. I know it happens and I verify every entry.
Giveaway is open to USA and CANADA
Ends Sept.7/12
* If the winner is in the USA please note that Everything Mom and Baby and Runners Bike is not responsible for any taxes & duty fees and any other fees that could arise from US Customs and Border Control.

Back to School #Giveaway: Get the right pack for your childs back!

The new dudley^® backpack is lightweight and durable and the back padding is brilliant!  Where was this backpack when I was a kid?!  With heavy binders..my back took a beating.

This bag is loaded with features, including: padded laptop pocket(which to be honest, I've been using this for me and our iPad, earbud hole access, several interior pockets, hidden compartments for your valuables, adjustable shoulder straps and padded back for comfort. Available in 5 colours!

Blue, Pink, Yellow, Grey and Black

 

Dudley also has some tips on how to choose the right back pack:

Choose the right design:

• Look for a back pack with wide, padded shoulder straps that are adjustable for comfort and even weight distribution.
• Durable bags with a hard bottom that will stand up to the wear and tear
• Separate compartments for organization that help even and distribute weight
• Features like the earbud compartment to avoid loss and theft

Watch the weight:

• Avoid overloading the bag-A heavy backpack can strain muscles and ligaments, leading to back and neck pain.
• A child's backpack should not weigh more than 10-20% of their body weight
• The straps should be worn on both shoulders for proper weight distribution
• Load heaviest items first, placing them closets to the lower back and evenly distributed from left to right.

Where to buy:

Dudley backpacks can be exclusively found at Staples Canada and retail at $49.99 and you can enter to win one on Everything Mom and Baby!  Now I know this is back to school but if you're a mom, this is also a backpack perfect for you!  I can carry my Toddler Carrier, wallet, food, water and everything I need to make going out and chasing my preschooler a lot easier!

Open to Canadians Only
Ends August.27/12
Good Luck!