Nerdy Finds From Uncommon Goods

Being that Gary and I are both nerdy science teachers, I was excited to find some sweet items at Uncommon Goods online! Not only do they have such a variety of products but I appreciate their commitment to featuring products with a recycled component and ones that have been made in a socially and environmentally friendly way.

Here are some of the products that we ordered:

Barbie in Rock 'N Royals

Growing up I had one Barbie who had one outfit--a red and white checkered jump suit.  I loved playing with her, but wow, I would have LOVED the options that kids have nowadays! We were sent a Barbie package to plan a Barbie in Rock 'N Royals movie viewing party and it was quite the package.

The biggest hit for Miss Nya was getting Princess Courtney.  When you move her arm, her dress rotates from rocker to royal.  She also sings which Nya loves and we hear Princess Courtney singing ALL.DAY.LONG.

Nya got her very own matching outfit.  Seriously--so awesome.  She came into our room at 6 am with her Barbie dress, climbed into bed next to me, and said she couldn't wait to "rock out"?!  How does she even know that term?  This little girl LOVES to dress up!

My sister has four girls so we invited them to come over to watch the movie.  Nya and I had never seen a Barbie movie but they have.  In the package were some pink hair extensions--perfect for the bigger kids!

The movie is a musical where Princess Courtney and rock superstar Erica switch places and end up in rival camps.  Here they learn about making friends with people who are different from them and having fun while doing so.  There is quite a bit of dialogue so that is why my older nieces liked it.  The younger girls enjoyed the singing and dancing...oh, and checking out the outfits of course!

Not sure where Nya got her dance moves from but it's a musical so there was definitely some dancing going on!

It was fun making it into a party because we could paint the kids' nails while we were watching too.

After watching all the rock star Barbies, I'm feeling a bit tempted to get some fun highlights in my hair!

Even Koen watched most of the movie...in his Barbie sunglasses.

I would say that the Barbies (Princess Courtney and Rock Star Erica) are so awesome and geared for ages two to five and then the movie Barbie in Rock 'N Royals is good for ages six to nine.  Did you have a Barbie growing up? I bet if you did, yours had more than one outfit ;) 

Have a great week, friends!

Love, 

Louise

{Disclaimer: we were provided with the Barbies and Barbie in Rock 'N Royals DVD to facilitate this review.  Opinions are mine (and Nya's).}

Pamper Yourself

If you're anything like me, there are often days where you think, `Oh, I could totally use a massage right now!'.   What holds me back?  Someone to watch my kids.  Not planning ahead.

Well, guess what?!  Pampr provides mobile massage in Vancouver, Seattle and LA!  You can book a massage online and a certified massage therapist will come to your home. They go all the way out to Abbotsford (possibly Chilliwack) and can usually be there in just one hour!

Dads, are you thinking what I'm thinking?  Mother's Day idea!

Gwen came to my home and set up her table, sheets, music and lotion and all I had to do was slip under the sheets and relax for the whole hour.  It was awesome.

I am all about convenience and wise use of my time so the fact that they can come to me is a huge plus.  They offer couple massages which would be an awesome date night - you don't need to pay for a babysitter!   You can request a registered massage therapist for reimbursement if you have coverage.  In that case, you do need to call in rather than just book online.

My upper back and neck get so sore from editing photos at the computer so I will definitely book another massage towards the end of wedding season.  I think next time I'll just have the whole massage spent on my upper back and neck-I love it!  And yes, I'm very freckly.

They are available 7 days a week from 10 am to 10 pm and payment is online (which includes the tip).  If you would like to book a massage, use the promo code TALKNERDYTOME for $25 off of your first massage.

If anyone is still trying to figure out what to get their mother or wife for Mother's Day, I'm thinking this would be a pretty stellar idea!

Love,
Relaxed Louise

Disclaimer: I was given a massage in order to review Pampr.  All the opinions are 100% my own!

Baby Bjorn Bouncer Mini {Review & Giveaway}

Baby Bjorn is known to produce beautiful, ergonomic, and functional products so I was very excited to try out their latest product which will be released exclusively in Canada; The Bouncer Mini.

Our experience with Baby Bjorn has been with their original carrier.  We used it for all three kids and LOVED it.  Forward facing, then outward, it grew with them.  

   

Although we no longer have a newborn or baby, I love finding new products to recommend to other parents.  This mini size bouncer is for babies 0-6 months and up to 20 lbs.  It's not available yet but will be released this summer exclusively in Canada!

I'm always a bit apprehensive about having to assemble equipment but it it took Nya and I about one minute to figure out the three simple steps.  There are no screws and the three pieces pop into place. 

If you place the - sign on the legs upward, it is for the 7.7-13 lb range. The + sign facing upwards will work for 7.7-20 lbs by being a bit more upright.

The fabric slides easily over the frame and you secure it where indicated.  If it needs to be washed, it is so SIMPLE to remove the fabric and machine wash in warm water.

Once the Bouncer Mini was set up we tried it out on Minnie Mouse first.  I really like the colour options; grey or pale pink.

It was all good with Minnie Mouse so we were ready to test it with my niece Lucy who came over for a play date!

Lucy is over the 6 month mark but she's just 19 lbs so we put her in.  I think she liked it!

Nya was easily able to move her up and down.  It is made so that the baby can self soothe by bouncing alone while working on their motor skills (no batteries required!).  It provides excellent head support and lays quite far back in the smallest setting.

This Bouncer Mini can be deconstructed in about 5 seconds and therefore lay flat.  It's very light so that would make it easy to travel with.  

We loved having a bouncer for our kids when they were little and I wish we had this one!  My kids used ours when I needed to get housework done so that I could ensure that they were safe.  Also, Koen had reflux and had to be kept upright.  Kai loved any motion at all so he would have really enjoyed this.  You can also buy a toy bar separately which is able to attach to it.

Guess what?!  YOU can win this Baby Bjorn Bouncer Mini in either pink or grey valued at $159.95. Please enter in the Rafflecopter below and note that it is just open to Canadian residents.  Thank you!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

FlyOver Canada {Review}

Thursday morning we went to Canada Place to experience FlyOver Canada.  It is a flight simulation ride complete with wind, mist and scents!  Children need to be at least 40" to ride so we went in two shifts so that Gary and I could take turns watching Nya.

The nice thing is that the show is year round, 10 am to 9 pm, 7 days a week.  There was even a covered heated waiting area for comfort.

I was worried that the boys might be a bit scared during the ride but they both handled it really well and enjoyed themselves.  It's a thirty minute experience with about 10 minutes of it in `flight'.  We did AboveUSA first and it was so cool to see the Las Vegas strip as we were there just last week!  AboveUSA  will be playing alongside FlyOver Canada until April 12th.  We then  stayed in our seats for the feature presentation; FlyOver Canada.

  

 As a person who has been all the way to the East Coast twice, it was cool to recognize different parks and cities as we flew over them.  I did not see much (or anything?!) from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI, but Newfoundland and Gros Morne National Park were gorgeous.

Kai and Koen enjoyed waving to the kayakers and fishermen as we flew over the rivers.  You could even smell the forest and feel the spray of Niagara Falls!

{I wasn't allowed to take a photo from inside so here is one from FlyOverCanada.com}

It's cheaper to book online and right now there is a Spring Break special of 25% off for students and youth until April 3rd.  Kai gave it an 8/10 and Koen gave it an V/Z.  Yes, V out of Z.  If you didn't get a chance to travel this Spring Break, you might want to check it out to get the travel experience!  Kai was pretty pumped to say that he has now seen an iceberg.  Gary and I enjoyed it but it was definitely more exciting for the kids.

If you've been, I'd love to hear your feedback!  

Love, 

Louise

*Disclaimer: We were provided with tickets to review FlyOver Canada and opinions are our own. *

This Weekend's Hiking Snack: CocoRoons {Review}

As a family, we have recently adapted what we eat.  Gary and I have tried to eliminate refined sugar, which in turn means the kids are taking in way less too.  Nya is on a gluten free and dairy free diet to help with her asthma and eczema.  When we were approached by Lloyd James (Natural Foods Sales & Marketing) to review some healthy vegan products, I was in!  

The first product we are reviewing is called  `Coco-Roons'.  The 5 flavours that we had to try out were; Brownie, Lemon Pie, Cacao Nib, Almond Strawberry and Vanilla Maple.  The ingredients? For Koen's favourite, the Almond Strawberry, they are: dried unsweetened coconut, almond flour, almond butter, strawberries, unfiltered maple syrup, cold-pressed coconut oil, vanilla extract and Himalayan crystal salt.

We decided to take three of the packages hiking with us.  It gave the boys some incentive to make it to the top of McKee Peak (Upper Sumas Mountain)!   My kids are generally good once we start hiking but new snacks are always helpful. 

We stopped halfway and enjoyed a couple each as they are the perfect size for a snack.  I appreciate that they are not crumbly or too sweet.  You have to really like the taste of coconut to like these as that is the primary ingredient.

My favourite?  The Brownie one. Runner up? Lemon Pie.

If you are looking for organic, paleo, gluten free and vegan snacks and aren't too concerned with cost (it's $7.99/bag), this is a good one!   

Gary really enjoyed the Vanilla Maple and Nya agreed with me that the Brownie was best!

As the package says, `Bet you can't eat just one'!

Wonderfully Raw, the producer of Coco-Roons, have several other products that we are going to be testing out this next week.  Included will be Snip Chips...chips made of Parsnips.  Cool huh?

I hope you had a great weekend!

Love,
Louise

*Disclaimer: We were provided with these samples to review them.  Opinions are 100% our own!*