Peelin' Pops.... the sweet new taste of summer

Banana fana fo fana, fee fi fo fanana, BANANA! 

Despite that enthusiastic musical intro, I have to admit that I'm not the biggest banana fan-a. True, I could drink a banana daiquiri smoothie every day, but as a rule, banana is not my first flavour choice. 

My kids however, go bananas for you know, bananas. So when we got a box of Peelin' Pops to sample this sunny long weekend, I was curious to see what my kids thought. 

Trying to find a frozen treat for my son is tough. Did I mention he has an intolerance to chocolate? True story. I sometimes question whether he's my son, but then he makes a ridiculous pun like the one in his video below, and there's no doubt we're related. Anyway, most ice cream treats are chocolate, so these are a real find for us.

Peelin' Pops are a unique new frozen treat that look like a banana. They have an edible gummy peel which has the consistency of firm Jello — it's more tangy than banana-y. The centre is vanilla ice cream. 

My daughter doesn't generally care for ice cream. How are these MY children?? So I was surprised at her positive reaction...she ate two back to back! The size is perfect for kids (and their mothers who are working on "portion control!") They're also low in fat and contain no artificial colours. Sweet.

Eating a Peelin’ Pops is easy (and fun!) – just bite, peel and enjoy:

Step 1: Bite the tip of the bar

Step 2: Peel the “banana skin”

Step 3: Enjoy the vanilla filling

Peelin' Pops are available in packs of eight and retail for $5.99 per pack. They are sold at grocery retailers across Canada.

Disclosure: This post was generously sponsored by Nestle, but the opinions and images are my own. For more information, visit www.nestle.ca

Best Little Laugh

I adore the internet. My son would say, "If you love it so much why don't you marry it?" Silly boy, that would make me a polygamist.

Despite my screen being dotted with the odd spot of negativity, the bright spots eclipse the darkness. One of the brightest spots for me is my relationship with Fisher-Price. Toys, babies, supportive moms, playful kids. Hello, it doesn't get sunnier than that.

Speaking of sunny, check out these two goofballs. Aka, the lights of my life....

Nature has assured that parents find their children impossibly adorable and entertaining so that we don't lose our minds on them when they wake us up for no good reason at 3:47 AM.... like today.

One of the newest and brightest spots on the web is the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn webpage. It offers all kids of fun webisodes, games, activities and apps to keep our little ones happy and entertained. Possibly at 3:47 AM...

To celebrate the launch of this new site, Fisher-Price is hosting a contest called the Best Little Laugh.

Enter by visiting the Best Little Laugh page and uploading your favourite photo or video of your baby at his or her cutest/funniest.

Why yes, I did cry happy and sentimental tears while going through my photos and found it nearly impossible to choose.

Here are a few favourite shots of my kids from their babyhood...

There will be eight weekly Fisher-Price® Prize Packs including:

(1) Laugh & Learn™ Crawl Around™ Car (ARV: $64.99 CAD)

(1) Laugh & Learn™ Love to Play Puppy™ (ARV: $34.99 CAD)

(1) Gas Card (ARV: $100.00 CAD)

Visit www.fisherprice.ca/bestlittlelaugh to enter! 
 FYI... your submissions will take approximately 24 hours to be approved and show up on the contest page.

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own. 

My Break Up With Joe and Why We're Getting Back Together

I gave up coffee and now I mourn it every morn.

You might be thinking, "Why would you give it up in the first place (you stupid self masochistic woman)?"

It's because of the jitters. That may sound like a fun 1950s musical group, but I assure you, the jitters ain't fun. I've been on edge, worried about things — things I can't possibly control. I thought by eliminating caffeine I might at least be able to control those pesky jitters, at least a little.

So bye-bye coffee, hello pissed off, tired, she-bitch.

It's not like I drank a lot of coffee. One cup a day. Maybe two on the weekend. I've been off the sacred brown elixir (with the exception of a few half cafs) for a month now. And the jitters? They're still there, lurking. I suspect they'll remain until I learn to cope better with the stress that goes hand in hand with parenthood and WAHM-hood and general life-hood.

So this morning I'm sitting here, sipping my herbal tea scrolling through my Facebook feed and I see this Reader's Digest article, touting the benefits of coffee.

*Eyes Widen, Mouth Waters, Heartbeat Quickens*

It seems I broke up with coffee prematurely. In fact, we need to get back together...immediately! Here's why:

"When was the last time you heard a doctor use the word miracle? Well, wake up and smell the coffee: “It’s amazing,” says liver specialist Sanjiv Chopra, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Coffee is truly a lifesaving miracle drug.” 

Though he says it’s still a “scientific mystery” how a simple cup of coffee works its wonders in the body, large epidemiological studies repeatedly verify its astonishing benefits. Some recent research highlights:

• More than three cups a day lowers women’s risk of developing the most common skin cancer by 20 percent. 



• Drinking at least one cup of coffee a day lowers women’s risk of stroke by up to 25 percent.



• Consuming at least two cups daily reduces women’s chances of becoming depressed by up to 20 percent."

This is an excerpt from Dr. Sanjiv Chopra's article. Read the full story here.

If you're looking for me, I'll be at Starbucks.