You are here: Home / Archives for personal

Playhouse Disney Review & Giveaway

August 6, 2010 By 6 Comments

You can grow up with Playhouse Disney, and I really mean it.  I am thrilled to be part of Playhouse Disney Canada Blog tour, offered by Mom Central Canada.  For excitement like this, I just can’t tell the girls until I have the stuff in hand.

Some of you may know, my girls are 6 and 8, at the stage where they can be little princesses or young ladies, depends on the mood of day and the tasks I ask them to complete :)   However, that is never the case when they watch Playhouse Disney, they are just like two dolls sit quietly, eyes glued to the TV with mouth slightly open, so cute ! They love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Imagination Movers, the first one brings back all the memory they have with Disney and the later, inspires their creativity in so many different ways.

Watching TV is a special treat in our house, and I’ve always been very selective about what’s on.  As a parent, I am confident about the programming when my girls watch Playhouse Disney, I know they get the most of entertaining and learning at the same time.  I also like their website, we can play games together or the girls can do different activities by themselves, it’s another way to engage kids for learning while playing; and again, I feel pretty safe and secure letting my girls go on the site because the contents are age appropriate and Disney has done a good job addressing the privacy concerns.

So not only can you grow up but also grow old with Disney, wouldn’t it put a smile on your face when hear someone singing “M–I–C-K-Y M O U S E” ?

After watching the 5 full episodes from the Playhouse Disney DVD I received, the feedback from my girls? “They are awesome but too short !  They need to be LONGER !! “  Now I invite you to participate in this giveaway so you can enjoy it too ! :)

Giveaway

Win a Playhouse Disney prize pack which includes;

  • Playhouse Disney DVD with 5 full episodes (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Imagination Movers, Special Agent OSO, My Friends Tigger & Pooh).
  • Magnetic Pen
  • Sticker Sheet
  • Crayons and Colouring Magnet

More Information

  • Open to Canadian residents only. You may enter this giveaway on multiple blogs but are only eligible to win one prize package as part of the Playhouse Disney blog tour.
  • Giveaway will run until Wednesday, August 18th at 8pm EST
  • Winner will be chosen via Random.org.
  • Winner will have 24 hours to reply to my e-mail with their name and address or another winner will be chosen.

Mandatory Entry

  • Leave a comment telling me what your child’s favorite Playhouse Disney show is.  If you don’t have Playhouse Disney then leave a comment telling me your child’s favorite Disney movie.

Optional Entries

  • Go to Playhouse Disney on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter. Leave a comment saying you have done so.
  • Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway using the hashtag #PlayhouseDisneyCanada (can be done once a day, don’t forget to leave a comment with the direct link to your tweet)

Disclosure – I am participating in the Playhouse Disney program by Mom Central. I received a Playhouse Disney prize pack to facilitate this post. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Filed Under: personal, Review Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Patriotic (sort of) Trip to Ottawa

July 27, 2010 By 3 Comments

So back in June when we celebrated hubby’s birthday together with Father’s Day, I sort of put the message out there saying that we are going to Ottawa/Montreal in the summer, not quite sure how would it happen but usually that’s the way works in our house.  I pick up the signal, a hint or something hubby mentioned casually, and just keep pushing and pushing till it come true, man, we really are a perfect couple, push-and-pull, that is what I mean.

We were in Ottawa for 5 days, it was a lovely family trip.  The girls have never been in long car trip, the longest by far was from Mississauga to Niagara Falls, (which we may go in August  but will see) so this five hours drive is new to all of us.  We prepared everything from wrist bands to prevent car sick, to snack for munching, from audio story to in-car entertainment (music  and DVD, that is), combined with frequent stops, we finally survived and arrived in our hotel, Courtyard Ottawa.  As you can see two happy campers here :)

The next day was Parliament Hill day, literally.

Our hotel is just about 10 minutes walk to the Hill, and we were there by 9 o’clock in the morning to pick up tickets for Parliament tour so we can visit inside the building after the Change of Guard.  We went on the Rideau Canal boat tour in the evening which the weather was perfect, travelled along the Ottawa river, experienced the Nation’s Capital from both land and water, it was so relaxing with the breeze.  Highlight of the day was MosAika Sound & Light Show On Parliament Hill in Ottawa , you can have a peek of the video, it is simply magnificent !!

Canadian Museum of Nature was a day full of woo and ahh from the girls, so much to see and so much to do that we didn’t get out until 5pm.  We enjoyed the AQUA special exhibition, with “A Journey Into The World Of Water“, it shows us there is a lot need to be done to save this planet, and we are all responsible for taking action to ensure that everyone has access to safe water, in sufficient quantities, today and tomorrow.  The girls were also mesmerized by Blue Water Gallery, Mammal Gallery and Bird Gallery, and of course Frogs – A Chorus of Colours too.


Canadian Museum of Civilization is an educational place, not only for school-aged kids but for immigrants like us too.  We get to learn the history, people that made Canadian history and Canada’s First Peoples .  We also watched the 3D movie “Sharks”, that so many species of sharks are endangered or critically endangered, my 8-year-old hyper sensitive Laetitia came out claiming, “We should all stop eating meat because that’s killing animals, well if you can’t stop, you should at least eat very little meat !” Certainly, this is a great challenge for her 6-year-old carnivore sister, Emmanuelle.

On our last day before heading back to Mississauga, we stopped by the Royal Canadian Mint and got a taste of how the coins were made, also got to hold the 20+ pound gold bar which is the heaviest ever ! LOL.

So why do I say this family trip is sort of patriotic?  Because as close to the Capital, I really feel we are so fortunate to live in this  wonderful country, so proud to be Canadians again after the 2010 Olympic; I see abundant talents with amazing achievements, and I get teary everything I sing “O Canada”

Special thanks to Denise Breau, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing at Residence Inn & Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa, who reached out to me on Twitter and gave us special rate.  The room is spacious for two queen beds, and very clean, which is the the first the foremost when I walk into any hotel room.  It has pool and whirlpool on site, plus fitness centre, so we absolutely take advantage of the facility whenever we can throughout the day.  With the HST and everything, we used the discount on our daily breakfast, it saved us substaintially :)

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , , , ,

I Have Been Faking For So Long

July 14, 2010 By 16 Comments

I am nervous today.  I am usually nervous when I was put under spotlight, like speak in front of a group, or worse, for an impromptu speech; I am usually nervous when I realized I had made big mistake, for example I found out I screwed up my daughter’s RESP that the money we can take back at full term is much less than the money we put in, sucks!  I am usually nervous when I have  to make big decision too, like marrying my husband after we’ve been together for 10 years and I literally lived with my then future MIL for over 2 years.

But today is a bit different.  You see, this evening I am going to Kathy Buckworth ‘s Girls Night Out at Springridge Farm and meet a bunch of cool people I know from Twitter.  Some of them are successful business owners and some of them are amazing moms, they are all funny and loving life, they are THE celebs on Twitter and I like them a lot.  The problem is, I don’t know if they will like me as much, or, like me at all.  Yeah, I am such a baby.  So I hope it is not too late to confess what a real person I am, before the time runs out.

Boring

I am a very boring person, I have no particular interest, and essentially a conversation killer.

I don’t wear makeup, it takes no longer than 60 seconds to fix my upper part even now my girls don’t really need my attention in the morning, I admire those moms who always, always look glamor even when their kids are younger than mine.

I don’t watch popular TV shows people talk about on Twitter, like Glee, or Lost or 24, I only watch CSI, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds (you get the idea) to prove that I am a logical thinker, smart person in an unreal world.  You have to understand it was a huge relief when Kathy and Anne tweeted about they don’t watch/like Glee ether, I decided to come out of it.

Sneaky (or Nasty if you really want to call it)

The thing is, I know a lot of going on on Twitter by observing people’s talk, like Sharon‘s son got sick after a splash pad play date, JoAnne and Heather usually hit the gym at 5am (unimaginable for me), or Jacki is going to start her business very soon, and Tamara‘s daughter won the Oakville Cup soccer…

I listen, not participate much in the conversation. Why? Not because I type slow, or my internet connection is slow, or I slow talk or I slow move; because I like to know people in a quiet way and I try not to be a conversation killer before I kill myself.  By the way, all the slow stuff here are true.

Competitive

Some of you already know how competitive I am as a mom, I am especially competitive when it comes to the “status”.  Say, both Julie and Laurel are very popular and they are good friends, then I want to be their friends too, I want to be IN THE CIRCLE, I want to be ON THE LIST.  IT IS A BIG DEAL, for me.

In about six hours I will find out the truth — I will find out where, if not whether, I belong, and maybe I won’t be afraid to share my dark sides any more.

Will you let me know? Please talk slowly, thank you.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , ,

100% Cool Sticker Maker Review

July 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Living in suburb, I don’t make it downtown too often and I try not to, if it’s not necessary.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Toronto and everything but going into the city during the weekends is much more challenging than during workdays.  Yesterday afternoon, we spent almost 4 hours on the road including the usual heavy traffic on the Gardner Express, driving through the G20 march (again!) and my 8 year old threw up all the way, but hey I’m not complaining, cause the purpose of the trip was to get a bunch of cool toys to test, and you will hear more from me in the coming weeks.

The first one we tried is — 100% cool sticker maker by Fashion Angels Enterprise

Kids of all ages love stickers, I once thought they should get tired of it when they are 6 and older, NO WAY !! My 6 year old and 8 year old are still crazy and all over the stickers when they can get it, big or small, now imagine they can make their own !!

This is what the package looks like,

And after you open it;

It claims that you can draw your own stickers, use magazine and comic images, make stickers from your photos or design stickers on your computer, it can be used with anything not thicker than a piece of paper or photo, great !

We were ready to have fun ! My 6 year old quickly pulled out the stencils provided and  traced carefully, it’s wonderful to see the concentration when she works on things she enjoys rather than homework :) she also colored in “so the sticker will look pretty” she said.  When she finished her picture, we slide it into the back of it, it would have been nice if we knew it should be face up or face down (see picture on right), cause apparently the sticker came out the wrong side and half of her excitement was gone.  But as Mom, you never give up the fun with your child, so we tried again.  This time, to our surprise, the whole thing was STUCK !!  I mean, literally, the tape got stuck inside and ain’t coming out no matter how hard I turned/pulled/poked…the darn thing just wouldn’t work.  My 6 year old said “That’s it? All done??”  She walked away with disappointment.  THAT was the worst part.

WOW..I couldn’t even evaluate the play time and play value, uh, 2 minutes play time and zero play value ???

Honestly, this is the shortest lived toy in my house ever, even shorter than the Rubik’s Cube I bought from DOLLARAMA.  This “100% Cool Sticker Maker” turned out to be not so cool at all.

Note to self –thanks goodness I didn’t buy this toy myself, and lesson learned — always ask around for opinions and input before your toy purchase.  Would you??

Special thanks to The Noise on Toys, an independent toy reviews group based in Ottawa, run by Marcia MacQuarrie, with tester quotes and user comments when it comes to toy purchasing decisions.  If you are in Toronto or Ottawa area and interested in participating the Toy Testing Program, please get in touch with them here.

Filed Under: personal, Review Tagged With: , ,

Going To Court Can Be Scary

July 5, 2010 By 4 Comments

Last week I got a notice from Ontario Court of Justice saying I didn’t pay the fine for a parking ticket I never received, and of course to get it before Canada Day celebration was just great.  I called the court to explain;

(a) I didn’t get the ticket,

(b) I was not even at that location on that date and,

(c) it is NOT my car/license plate to begin with.

Of course none of these is acceptable on the phone, I still need an appointment to go to the court to “dispute the charge”, bring in the evidences, i.e. pictures of car, driver’s license, etc to support my argument.  I am NOT good at this.

When I drove into the Court parking lot this morning, the girls were already nervous to see so many police cars there where you normally only see at major accident scenes, they start asking questions like; How come you got a parking ticket if it’s not even your car? Are they going to arrest you if you don’t pay the fine? Why do you have to come to the court if you didn’t do anything wrong?  I have no answer at all.

Fortunately, the whole process was short and done in 10 minutes, but it was still bit nerve cracking for me as I am not good at argument at all.  The only acceptable (to the court not to me) reason is that, the clerk made a mistake while taking down the license number, even the officer couldn’t read the last two digits of writing on the document, and so the computer was trying to locate the record that “most matched”, I am the lucky one in this case.

My ticket was cancelled after that and so is the end of this someone-made-a-small-mistake drama, I think the girls and I learned a lesson that, no matter how small task you do, a mistake is a mistake and will affect someone somewhere somehow.

Is it just me?  What do you think?

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: ,

Who Wants The Medal More? My Child or Me??

June 25, 2010 By 8 Comments

It happened this past Wednesday afternoon but I took some time to cool myself down before I write it, because I was so ashamed of myself.  I was at school that day for graduation, my girls are only 6 and 8 but they were going on stage to perform and, of course there was awards ceremony after that, for all category.

Like many moms, I absolutely think my girls are the smartest on the planet, they are exceptional, they are next to none.  For the whole year, all teachers in school have been telling me about their wonderful works, their outstanding achievements and their lovely personalities to “satisfy” me; but then when the awards ceremony finished, my girls had no medal hanging around their necks.  No academic honour roll, no French excellence, not even music dedication for all the piano lessons they have been taking.  NONE.  ZIPPO.

I was so upset that, as soon as they got in the car and buckled up, even before I could start the engine; I asked “Do you ever envy your friends when they get the medals?  My girls are so innocent they don’t even know why they have to envy their friends, why can’t they just be happy for their friends?  I was so mean and just couldn’t let that go so I kept pressing, “Do you know what you need to do to get the medals?”  I saw two little heads nodding and whisper : “yes”.

Oh, it was heart wrenching to see that and felt I was such a loser.  At that very moment, I let the monster of vanity out and overpowered me, scared my little girls unnecessary, probably made them feel they’ve disappointed me…oh my gosh, how could I fail so miserably ? Why do I have to be so competitive for such silly things ?? I should be proud of their hard work, I should be encouraging any of their effort, I should be supportive for who they are, especially when their report cards did proved they really had a tremendous school year.  Why can’t I keep my mouth shut and do all of that ???

So what I want to say here is, “Sweethearts, mommy is so sorry for what I’ve said and I promise in the summer, I will make those medal for every single category and give them to you.  Wait, we don’t even need those stupid medals, do we?”

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: ,

Ladies In This House Are Spoiled By One Good Man

June 18, 2010 By 1 Comment

No kidding.  This is the man who works full time, comes home and cooks supper, does the work around the house, plays with two princesses-soon-turned-fashionistas (or so they claimed), day in and day out for the last 13 years since we came to Canada.  Back home in Taiwan, he is the prince, never goes near the kitchen, but because we started family here, he has totally changed.  Oh, never mind me here, I’m still working very hard on the change part.

So how does he spoil us?  Let’s start with me, the old lady in this house.  When there were just two of us, he would plan trips at least twice a year, we have travelled from East Coast to West Coast, from Canada, US to Europe and Asia.  When I first got pregnant, he insisted we had cleaning lady on regular basis not only to help out with chores but also to give me some breaks, then I got pregnant again (too much rest) until now, I’m still not 100% back on those chores.

When I was downsized and I told him, I want a more professional-looking picture to put on my social networking sites to build my personal brand, he took this photo;

and when I told him I want to participate in Dove Print Campaign casting by Jigsaw Casting, he took this one.

I am always beautiful in his eyes.

He is next to none when it comes to the girls, always makes them feel loved and cherished.  It used to hurt a little (o.k. I’ll admit, a lot) hearing the girls fought tirelessly whose turn is it to have Daddy’s attentions, or for the most recent examples, who gets to sit with Daddy on those exciting rides; but now I just lay back and enjoy watching the amazing bonds between them, thinking to myself — “I must have done something extra ordinary and burnt some expensive well made incenses in my previous life to deserve such a wonderful life partner.” 

Having spent more half of our lives together (we’d known each other since we were 20), he once joked that he only wanted to live until he is 65 years old because there is too much work,  and I almost had a heart attack!  Well, because after all, I still need to eat when I am older than 65, so don’t think I’ll let him off the hook that easily.

Gifts giving is not a big thing in our family, we celebrate birthdays and holidays by creating memories, either vacations, some family tradition routines or even new experience we try together.  Somehow, I think he is destined to be here in Canada since his birthday falls around Father’s day, otherwise it would have been in August in Taiwan, then we can’t really say Happy Birthday on Father’s Day, Daddy !

(p.s. : more pictures will follow when we have our cake tradition on Sunday and a trip to Ottawa / Montreal soon)

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , , ,

A Happy And Proud Mama

May 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This post should have been published shortly after I came back from Taiwan, but life always has something unexpected in it.  No, I am not procrastinating because this is not chores, it’s just that clients started calling and works started piling, then the computer broke down and I realized I haven’t backed up my trip photos…,

until my 6-year-old utter out the other day,

So, during my trip back home I witnessed what everything my mom and mother-in-law did for me and my family, suddenly realized that I am doing the same for my girls if not more even though I was often in disagreement with my mom and MIL.  Being a daughter and being a mom are really interrelated and is just amazing how I rediscover myself this way.

Well, a small reflection (maybe 1%) of my 8 years parenting gripes before the trip were more like this;

How can I not be tired when

  • my 5 year old who should be sleeping through the night keeps calling and I can’t get 3-hour straight sleep;
  • I just want to have a quiet moment when my 8 year old and 6 year old drama queens are singing and dancing High School Musical or Hanna Montana in the background, for the 12th time of last hour and there’s no earplug in the house;

How can I not be frustrated when

  • I only ask a simple yes/no question (i.e. Are you done your homework yet?) and got 15 minutes of show down of ” you know what happened at recess? Rena and Jess got into fight then carried into the classroom, so the whole class was discussing how to respect friends and so the teacher asked everyone to write a short paragraph about it and I have lots of  great ideas about it and I just need a need paper and sharp pencil and…”
  • My 5 year old still forgot to flush the toilet when she finishes, after I’ve deliberately told her 2,190 times (three times a day for 2 years) ?

How can I not be worried when

  • My super hyper sensitive 7 year old  comes home the first day of school and told me that, she has been called names and no one wants to play with her ?
  • My 6 year old had general anesthesia for her dental surgery and was in the operating room for over two hours as opposed to the original 45 minutes?

It’s when I snap this picture that a light bulb went on…

How can I not be happy when

They insist kisses, hugs and say “I love you” every night before sleep no matter what had just happened 2 minutes ago,

How can I not be proud of when

Knowing that they are healthy, growing happily and soon they’ll be greater than “The Great Wall of China”.

I decided to reward myself on this year’s Mother’s Day, and these are my best gifts. :)

What about you? What are you proud of being a mama? What will be your Mother’s Day gift this year?

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , ,

A Job I Didn’t Apply For

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You may have seen this, someone sent it to me as I told her I needed to pick up the girls from school when she wanted a good chat, this is just too funny.

Would you still want the job if you knew all about this?  For those of you who know me, I definitely would !!  Shocking ?? I know !!!

PARENT – Job Description

This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way,
I don’t know if any of us would have done it!!!!

POSITION :
Mum, Mummy, Mama, Ma, Mom
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team players needed, for challenging,
permanent work in an
often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule
and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from
the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for
the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this!   You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because
of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.


** AND A FOOTNOTE ‘THERE IS NO RETIREMENT  –  EVER!!!
Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , , , ,

Last Minute Preparation

March 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Here is my entry for Mabel’s Labels BlogHer’10 Contest. The lucky winner of this contest not only will blog for Mabel’s Labels for one year (and get paid !), s/he will also get to go to BlogHer 2010 (again all expense paid !), how awesome is this !! I have been Mabel’s Labels cusomer since 2004 and have been to New York numerous times, but THAT can’t top THIS at all !! I am an infant in blogosphere and have tons to learn, THIS is certainly one, in fact, it is once in a life time opportunity, really, I am not kidding.

“Electric storms are going to wipe out the Internet, perhaps forever – you have one day left to write about your passions – what do you want to say to the blogosphere in 300 words or less?”

I live on internet, internet is my life.  As an Information Professional,  I search for the best information for my clients to make best business decisions; as a mother, I reach out to the community for best parenting advice; as a person, I get to meet many great folks gladly call friends. 

Three things I have learned so far to live happily ever after in the online world and holds true offline.

Caring — Be proactively listen, engage in conversation with people around you, in your community.  Take initiative in participation, care first before you can be cared for, this is more important online and this is where you build the trust.

Sharing — Share the good, the bad, the lovely and the ugly, but not whinning.  I have learned its o.k. to share the frustration (the process), to rant with possible suggestion (the solution).  People love positive, can-do attitude, go-getters, but not whinners.  Share with recommendation for situations, creat dialog not problem.

Be Real — All in all, be authentic, and truthful to the person you really are.  I know I’ll be disappointed if someone I know online turns out to be the opposite when we meet face to face.  To me, pretending is the hardest job to do.

Internet has taught me how to be a better person.  Without internet, would I be able to survive?  Sure, everything goes back to where we started, offline, face to face in real life.  Your passion won’t die because of technology, only because of you.

I like to do things at the last minute, as you can see I’m entering this contest NOW.  Not that I like to put things off, but I actually plan ahead and have it scheduled in my head, run through several scenarios before finally execute it.  Only a day to get ready for the internet wipeout disaster?  Not to worry, I already have all my contacts backup, all I need to do is, just press the “save” button and life goes on :)

Filed Under: personal Tagged With:
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »