The Girl Effect, n. The powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate in their society.
Learn More about The Girl Effect HERE.
I am an organizer – I like to have a spot for everything. Well, I did anyway – before the babies. My children have a different plan. It’s a constant battle, but I’m not giving up. I’m adapting, but I refuse to give up on the goal to be neat, and tidy, and organized. With babies, you learn that the absolute must is labeling. You need to label EVERYTHING, especially once the little people are among other little people. I have my trusty labeler for most things I need labelled, but I love something a little more special for my children’s things.
The answer, of course, is Mabel’s Labels. This is a fabulous Canadian company. I love their products, I love that its a mom-run company, and I LOVE that its Canadian!! (Did I say that already?) Some info about Mabel’s Labels:
Mabel’s Labels have a myriad of great products, and I was lucky enough to receive some of their latest, the new Full-Colour Label Out Loud sticky labels. These labels are beautiful, and perfect for labeling all your children’s items. My son and daughter were thrilled to receive these colourful labels imprinted with their names. They are dishwasher and microsafe-safe and UV resistant. LOVE IT. They are sold as a package of 45 for $21.00 and available in 20 designs. Further proving what a wonderful company Mabel’s Label’s is, for each set of LOL Sticky Labels sold between November 23rd through December 10th, Mabel’s Labels will donate a portion of the proceeds to Anissa Mayhew’s family.
We have attached these labels to everything you can imagine, including toy boxes, drinking cups, lunchboxes, toys and their drawing notebooks. They love them, and so do I. I love that they adhere perfectly, they are of impeccable quality and are lovely to look at. In fact, take a moment and peruse the Mabel Label website and you will see that all of their products are modern and lovely, without looking juvenile.
Mabel’s Labels have also graciously offered a package of 24 GIFT TAGS for a giveaway, and I’m thrilled to be able to offer these very popular Holiday items to both U.S. and Canadian Entrants! These will be perfect to adhere to your holiday gifts this season and will be personalized anyway you like. If you don’t happen to be the winner of this product, please consider purchasing some, because for every order of holiday products, the Mabel team will make a donation to a local family in need of support this holiday season. Wonderful.
To enter this giveaway:
MANDATORY ENTRY:
1) Please go to the Mabel’s Labels website and let me know what your favorite item is.
BONUS ENTRIES:
2) Follow Mabel’s Labels on Twitter (@mabelhood) or let me know if you do.
3) Follow me on Twitter (@BOREDmommy) or let me know if you do.
THIS CONTEST ENDS THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th at 9:00 p.m. EST !! SO ENTER QUICKLY!! The winner will be chosen randomly using random.org.
Thanks in advance to everyone for entering !!
(P.S. Although I was offered free labels for my children, to review, my opinions are my own, because that’s how I roll.)
My 5 year old son goes to school everyday with his Star Wars Lunch Box (we call it his “snack pack”) filled with a little snack and his drink (he comes home for lunch). I have started putting a little love note in his pack as a little surprise every day, so that he remembers that Mommy is thinking about him the entire time he’s at school. On Monday, I put this note in his pack (and yes, I know I am no artist, but kids don’t care about that stuff – its the message that matters):
When he got home, and I emptied his backpack and opened his snack pack, I found this:
Can you say, cue the tears? In fact every time I look at this, it makes me weepy. A little piece of paper I’ll cherish forever. My heart is full.
A while back, I tweeted out a few things that I had never eaten in my life. The responses I got back were hilarious. People were shocked that I had never eaten Cotton Candy or Corndogs. It’s true – I am not the most adventurous eater. I would probably never eat about 99% of the food you see on cooking shows like Top Chef. Who made it, and what it looks like on the plate are two big factors that will determine whether I eat it or not. Seriously, I should weigh much less than I do, with all my food pecularities – too bad pasta is not on the no fly list. In fact, there are so many things that I won’t eat or even try that its become a running joke with my husband. Of course, he will eat anything at least once, although he won’t go anywhere near onions, mushrooms or eggs (unless scrambled). Here is a sampling of how weird I am about food.
FOODS I HAVE NEVER TRIED (and never will):
- TOFU
- THAI or VIETNAMESE FOOD
- CURRY
- LICORICE
- CORNDOGS
- GORGONZOLA
- COTTON CANDY
- EGGNOG
- ANY FOOD/DESSERT WITH FRUIT IN IT OR ON IT
- GRAPE TOMATOES
- HEN, DUCK
- OYSTERS, MUSSELS, CLAMS
- AVOCADO, GUACAMOLE
- RHUBARB
- CAVIAR, OR ANYTHING CONSIDERED HOITY TOITY
- BEETS
- FRUITS THAT LOOK FOREIGN
- WEIRD VEGETABLES
- ODD SPICES
FOODS I HAVE TRIED (and never will again):
- BLUEBERRIES, RASPBERRIES AND ALL BERRIES EXCEPT STRAWBERRIES
- WATERMELON
- LAMB
- OCTOPUS
- RAISINS
- ANCHOVIES
- MUSHROOMS
- CELERY – THIS IS MY ALL-TIME MOST HATED FOOD
- OLIVES
- LENTILS
- BUTTERSCOTCH, TOFFEE
- ROOT BEER/DRPEPPER/ICED TEA/ANYTHING OTHER THAN DIET COKE BASICALLY
- MINT
- VEAL
- MARSHMALLOWS
- NUTELLA, MARMALADE, JAM, JELLY – ANYTHING CONSIDERED A SPREAD
- MOST SAUCES
I should totally weigh like 90lbs. Could someone let my butt know?
I hate this time of year for one main reason: the flu. I hate the flu. I’ve always hated the flu, although once I had kids, I learned to hate it even more. Once my son started school, it seemed he was sick every other week with the flu. So yeah, I really hate the flu.
But this year, its different. Its not so much about hating the flu, but actually fearing it. H1N1 totally changed the game for me and my kids, especially when it comes to preventing illness. All of a sudden, there is hand disinfectant EVERYWHERE, we avoid taking the kids to indoor playgrounds and playgroups, and we spend alot more time at home. Yet despite the fear, I still hesitated when it came to getting immunized, and more importantly, getting my children immunized. I was adamant that I wouldn’t do it, and that was absolutely the plan. However, once I started hearing about healthy children dying from H1N1, I became terrified. I’ll admit it, I did a 180 and the very next day, got the children the H1N1 shot. Did I make the right decision? I don’t know really. I just know that at that moment, with everything I had read on both sides, I was more afraid of H1N1 than I was of the shot. Right now, a few weeks in, I’m feeling alot better about it.
No matter what you decide about the seasonal and the H1N1 flu, and their respective shots, the best thing you can do for yourself is to be informed and prepared. Listed below are some great links that will provide you with all the information you need.
If you need updated information about Influenza Vaccination Clinics in Ontario, you can go here:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/h1n1/public/clinics.aspx
If you’re concerned about whether you or your children might have the flu, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care have created two self-assessment tools (one for children under the age of 5, and one for children over 5 and adults) that can be used as a guide to inform. They can be found here:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/h1n1/public/tools/assessment/default.aspx
For additional information, including flu prevention and care, you can go here:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/
In the interest of full disclosure, please know that I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central and received a Mom Central gift pack to thank me for taking the time to participate.
