Mom Knows Everything

In my area there is still about 5 weeks left of summer vacation before school starts, but that time is going by quickly and that means it's almost time or back to school shopping. Over the next weeks I will be letting you know about school supply savings and sales to help you with the cost of back to school. One thing you can do to help cut back on the cost of buying school supplies is see what your child already has. Your child can reuse their calculator and dictionary. Also check to see how their binders are and what shape they are in.

Keep checking back to find some great back to school savings and sales!

I'm always looking for coupons and I found a great one for mothers with infants. Save.ca has a great $5 off coupon for powdered Enfamil formula.


Sign up for a free account at Save.ca, click the coupons you want and they will be mailed to you. It's as easy as that!

I thought it would be a great idea to remind everyone about lifejacket safety for your child.

Pick the right lifejacket for your child

Courtesy: Canadian Red Cross

• Make sure the lifejacket is the right size for your child's weight. Lifejackets for children have weight limits. Adult sizes are based on chest measurement and body weight.
• Make sure the lifejacket is comfortable and light, so your child will wear it. The fit should be snug. It should not ride up over your child's ears.
• Check the label to make sure it has been approved by at least one of the following:
  • Transport Canada
  • Canadian Coast Guard
  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• For young children, the lifejacket should also have these special features:
  • A large collar (for head support)
  • A strap that buckles between the legs - so the lifejacket will not slip over your child's head
  • A whistle
  • A waist strap that you can adjust - so you can make the lifejacket fit snugly
  • Ties and/or a sturdy plastic zipper
  • Bright colour and reflective tape to help you see your child in the water
    
• At least once a year, check to see if the lifejacket still fits your child and has no rips or damage

You can read more about the rules, regulations, and general information about lifejackets and PFD's for your child by clicking here.

It's been a long week and thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. You've worked all week, took care of your kids, kept your house clean, and did a million other things like look for SSDI, got groceries, and took your children to soccer practice. Now that the week is almost over it's time to think about relaxing a little. But just because you are relaxing doesn't mean you can't spend some quality time with your family. Here are some great fun, yet relaxing ideas to do with your family over the weekend.

1. Picnic - everyone loves picnics and it's a fun way to spend time with your family.
2. Beach - there is nothing more relaxing than sitting on the beach and kids love going to the beach.
3. Home movie night - it's always fun to have a home movie night. Pop some popcorn, sit on the couch, and watch a movie with your family. You don't even have to get dressed up for it, you can wear your p.j.'s if you want to!
4. Star watching - grab a star book from the library and spread a blanket on your lawn and lay back and teach your kids about the constellations.

Have a great relaxing weekend with your family and if you have any fun relaxing ideas of what you can do with your family leave them in the comment section.

With so many heat waves across the country and the dangers of it here is some heat alert safety tips from the Canadian Red Cross.

Prevention

• Avoid being outdoors in the hottest part of the day. If you must go out, try going out in the early morning or later evening hours when the sun is not as strong.
• Slow down activities that make you hot. Work and exercise in brief periods.
• Take frequent breaks.
• Dress in light, loose clothing. Wear a hat.
• Drink plenty of cool fluids, but avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Who is at Risk?

• Elderly people and young children
• Those who work, exercise, or live outdoors (Homeless)
• Those with health problems, especially those who are taking certain medications. Please ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• Those who have had heat-related illness in the past
• Those who have heart disease or other conditions that cause poor circulation.
• Those who take medications to eliminate water from the body (diuretics)

Signs & Symptoms

• Severe muscle contractions, usually in the legs or abdomen
• Normal or elevated body temperature
• Dizziness and weakness
• Rapid, weak pulse becoming irregular
• Irritable, bizarre or combative behaviour
• Headache

How to Help

• Call for help (911)
• Cool the body, by bathing or sponging - water should be luke warm to cool
• Give fluids in small sips - cool water
• Remove excess clothing and loosen existing clothing
• Move person to cooler location

If you're looking for something cold and nutritious to cool off with then why not try a fruit smoothie? Fruit smoothie are very easy to make.

Easy Fruit Smoothie Recipe
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt
1 cup of your favorite fruit (frozen or fresh)

Blend all together in a blender. If you are using fresh fruit you may wish to add a few ice cubes to the recipe.

Here in Canada a heat wave is defined as three or more consecutive days with temperatures above 32°C. A heat wave pose two major health risks to people. The first one is heat exhaustion and the second one is heat stroke. The elderly and the young are most effected by this.



Here are some tips for what to do in a heat wave.

1. Stay in the shade or better yet stay indoors where there is air conditioning.
2. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids.
3. Avoid strenuous activities.
4. Keep cool. If you don't have AC or get to a place that has one use a fan.

For more tips on how to deal with a heat wave check your local government or Red Cross Center.

Looking for some fun crafts to do with your kids this summer? Home Made Simple has some great summer crafts to keep your kids busy and entertained this summer. They have everything from making your own crayons to hand crafted paper fans.

One of my favorite ones they have is the Nature Journal where your kids make a journal, decorate it, and write about/draw picture of things they find in nature such as trees, birds, even stars. This is a great way for not only to keep your child entertained, but also learn things during their summer vacation.

My husband started his vacation time and I plan on taking a few days off, putting on my persol sunglasses and enjoying the nice weather with my family. Posting will resume in a few days. If you are looking for any specific article the use the search button on the side of this website. Also check out my articles below incase there is something you may have missed. Be back soon!

During the summertime one of the favorite things for kids to do is swimming. Here are some swimming pool safety tips from Health Canada.

• Check with your town or city to find out the rules for putting up a fence around your pool.
• Build a fence and a gate that will keep children away from your pool.
• Keep the gate locked at all times.
• ALWAYS have an adult watching children in and around the pool.
• Children under the age of 3 and children who cannot swim must wear a life jacket or PFD (personal floatation device).
• Send children to swimming and water safety lessons.
• Make sure lifesaving equipment and a first aid kit are handy.
• Take a course on pool safety, first aid and lifesaving skills (such as CPR).
• Have emergency phone numbers listed at the telephone closest to the pool.
• Make sure toys, garden furniture and tools are not near the pool fence. Children can climb up on these things to get into the pool.
• To learn more about water safety and learn-to-swim programs, please call your local Canadian Red Cross Society, or the local Branch Office of the Lifesaving Society.

In the hot humid month of July Christmas shopping is one thing we don't want to think about, but we should. The summer time is a great time to start Christmas shopping. You can get some great deals on winter items like cheap snowboard goggles and clearance items. Not only can you save money on gifts, but it's a great way to budget your money. By starting to buy now when December comes you don't have to worry about where all the money for Christmas is going to come from.

If you're looking something cool and refreshing to help you stay cool this summer and regular popsicles just isn't doing it then why don't you try these watermelon pops by Kraft Canada.






What You Need
1 cup sugar, divided
1 pkg. (85 g) Jell-O Lime Jelly Powder
2 cups boiling water, divided
Ice cubes
1 cup cold water, divided
1 pkg. (85 g) Jell-O Strawberry Jelly Powder
3 Tbsp. Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
125 g (1/2 of 250-g pkg.) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Make It
Mix 1/3 cup sugar and lime jelly powder in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to 1/2 cup cold water to measure 3/4 cup. Add to lime jelly; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 25 min.

Meanwhile, repeat with remaining strawberry jelly powder but do not refrigerate. Pour into 16 (3-oz.) paper cups. Freeze 20 min. Stir 1/2 tsp. chocolate chips into gelatin in each cup.

Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in Cool Whip; spread over jelly in cups. Cover with lime jelly. Insert wooden pop stick in centre of each cup.

Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove pops from cups just before serving.

Not only do they look cool, but they are delicious. You're kids will love them!

Camera Critters is a weekend meme, about what else but critters, created my very own BBFF, Misty.


This is Socks, and although he may appear stuck in the tree he isn't. I did have a hard time convincing my son about that though. Aidan was so upset that his kitten was stuck up in the tree the wanted me to get the ladder and get her down. I told him that if she got up in the tree herself she could get down by herself. He was worried that she would get hurt and in the end my teen aged daughter put her camera down and got the ladder. Of course by the time she got the ladder Socks jumped out of the tree. She wasn't hurt, but my son cuddled the kitten and I put on my "Mommy" nurse uniform and checked her out. Socks is fine, but Aidan's still worried about her climbing trees.

One thing about summer that we all love is the sun and the heat. Unfortunately that means it's sometimes too hot to bake. My kids love to bake with me and some of their favorite things to bake is chocolate chip cookies, brownies, chocolate cake, and chocolate muffins. Unfortunately all that chocolate leads me to search for diet pills, but hey anything for my kids.

It's been very hot this week and we are finally getting a break from the heat with some rain tomorrow. That means tomorrow is baking day with the kids. Baking with your children is a great way to spend quality time with them and it's also fun. Spend some quality time with your kids this weekend, they only stay little for a short time.

Atlantic Canada Sobeys are having a great Dollar Day$ sales for the week of July 8 - 14 so if you have to get groceries this is the place to get them at because you'll be able to save a lot of money with this sale.

Here are some of the great deals going on.

$1 each/lb
English Cucumbers product of Canada no 1 $1 each
McCain Red Bag French Fries 680 g $1 each
Red Vine On Cluster Tomatoes product of Canada no 1, 2.20 / kg $1 lb
Yoplait Source Yogourt 4 x 100 g or Yop 200 ml $1 each
SIGNAL Sliced Meat (excludes cooked ham) 175 g $1 each
Vidalia Onions product of USA 2.20 / kg $1 lb
Compliments Flaked Light Tuna or chunk in water 170 g $1 each
Compliments Frozen Fruit 600 g $3 each
Compliments Prepared Mustard squeeze 500 ml $1 each
Graves Beans with pork in molasses 540 ml $1 each
Kraft Handi-Snacks 87 g $1 each
Avon Canned Vegetables 284 ml 2/$1 each
Compliments Pita Breads white or whole wheat 250 g $1 each
Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding 4 x 99 g $1 each

$2 each/lb
Compliments Large White Eggs dozen $2 each
Larsen Wieners 450 g $2 each
Pork Loin Chops rib and sirloin combination 4.41 / kg $2 / lb
Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Entrées red box, spa, panini, melts, sliders or pizzeria, 170 - 357 g $2 each
Compliments Balance Crab Flavoured Alaskan Pollock leg or flake style or lobster flavoured chunks 227 g $2 each
Compliments Cooked Sliced Ham Loaf 250 g $2 each
Compliments Fully Cooked Bacon 65 g $2 each
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks Fruit Roll-ups or Dunkaroos 141 - 226 g $2 each
Palmolive Ultra Dish Detergent 591 ml $2 each
Pringles Super Stack Potato Chips 181 g or Stix 193 g $2 each
Rougemont Apple Juice 2 litre plus deposit $2 each
Ben’s Villaggio Bread 675 g, rolls 6 - 8's or garlic bread 340 g $2 each
Compliments Balance Pourable Salad Dressing Compliments or Sensations by Compliments 475 ml $2 each
Compliments Fresh Fettuccine, linguini or angel hair pasta (excludes nests) 350 g $2 each
Kraft Bull’s-Eye Barbecue Sauce 425 ml $2 each

$3 each/lb
General Mills Lucky Charms Cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese Puffs, French Toast Crunch or Nesquik, 330 - 380 g $3 each
Large Red Cherries Product of USA no 1 6.61 / kg $3 lb
Mussel King Island Blue Live Rope-Cultured Mussels 907 g $3 each
Nestlé Sundae875 ml or Dibs 60's, 266 ml $3 each
Butterball Bacon Style Turkey 375 g $3 each
Kraft Refrigerated Salad Dressing assorted flavours 355 ml $3 each
Romaine Lettuce product of Canada $1 each
King Cole Tea 60's, Decaffeinated 30's, Green 48's or Morse's 72's $3 each
Kraft Pizza Kit 450 g $3 each
V8 Vegetable Cocktail1.36 - 1.89 litre, 6 x 156 ml or V-fusion 1.36 litre plus deposit $3 each
Ben’s English Muffins 6's 2/$3
Compliments Cross Rib Simmering Steak value pack or pot roast, cut from Canada AA or higher 6.61 / kg $3 lb
Kraft Miracle Whip regular, light or fat free 650 - 890 ml $3 each
Ruffles Potato Chips 255 g or Doritos 280 g $3 each

Check your local Sobeys flyer for exact details on size, description, and availability of products.

Looking for a way for you and your kids to cool off this summer but those sugar frozen treats aren't appealing to you? Home Made Simple has some great easy frozen treat ideas to help you stay cool and still he healthy. You can find their recipe here.

I love this website. I even signed up for thier email newsletter that includes tips, hints, recipes, craft ideas, and even coupons. Check them out!

There are so many different things to do to keep your kids busy during summer vacation, but a lot of them depends on good weather. What happens when it rains and your kids are stuck inside and bored. Here are a few things you can do with your kids on rainy days to help keep them busy and have fun.

1. Crafts - All kids love making crafts. Beads and some string make a perfect necklace. Painting pictures are also a great way to spend a rainy day.

2. Puppet shows - Making sock puppets and putting on a puppet show is a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon.

3. Movie day - Whether it's at a movie theater or popping popcorn and watching a cartoon in your livingroom is a fun way to pass the day.

4. Library - Going to the library is fun and educational.

5. Playdate - Making a playdate with a friend or family member is always fun no matter what the weather is outside.

Renovating is something a lot of us will be doing this summer. Tearing down walls, repainting, putting in new appliances and fixtures. Sounds like a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end. When in comes to renovating the best part I like is the end where I get to redecorate. It's the simple things like picking out new paint colors, room accessories and decor items is not only fun, but also shows who you are. When it comes to decorating not only should the items reflect the room and it's use, but it should also reflect you and your personal style. For example if you are redoing your bathroom and you like classic things then a bronze bathroom mirror would be perfect for you.

Have fun with redecorating and remember that not only does the items in that room reflect upon the room, but they should also reflect upon who you are.


This post is brought to you by your friends at www.BathroomMirrorsDirect.com.