BORED Mommy — Always Bored, Never Boring

May

Getting Organized with Ziploc Products – Giveaway

by MARIA on May 14, 2013

It’s that time of year when Spring cleaning, purging and getting organized are just a fun thing to do.

It’s weird how happy getting rid of things we don’t need anymore can make a person.

I’m in the process of doing just that right now actually. I’ve been going room to room and getting rid of things and trying to be ruthless about it. It’s hard for me to get rid of things actually – for some that’s called hoarding. For me, let’s call it not hoarding, but a deep appreciation for things I’ve spent money on and am unable to toss.

Also, known as hoarding in denial.

I was recently sent some of the Ziploc Space bag product line to help me as I organize and and try to gain some room in my closets and storage areas. I’ve used some of these before and I’m a big fan. I especially LOVE using them for winter items not currently in use. I’ve used them for storing out of season blankets, duvets and comforters that take up so much space in the linen closet. The bags come in tons of sizes so you can use them for bigger items like I’ve mentioned, right down to smaller ones for travel.

They come in Jumbo, X-Large, Large, Large Cube, Medium, Carry-on Travel Size and Suit Size hanging. It’s kind of insane how much will actually fit into just one bag. The Jumbo size will hold 2 comforters and 4 pillows. The large will hold 10-12 sweaters – that’s just crazy talk.

I didn’t even know the suit size option existed – I think the Suit size hanging bag is perfect for storing all the winter coats/items that we lovely Canadians get to enjoy for months on end (BOO – DOWN WITH WINTER!)

When you finally do re-open the bag, the items inside will be wrinkled so you need to get over that. Personally, it’s a small price to pay when you consider the advantages of the amount of storage you’re gaining in the end.

GIVEAWAY!

I’m giving away a Ziploc prize pack (including some great valued at $70!! To enter, please leave a comment below with your best organizational tip! That’s it!

RULES:

Open to Canadian Residents
Giveaway will run until Monday, May 21, 2013
Winner will be chosen using Random.org
Make sure to leave a valid email and/or Twitter handle so that I can contact you if you win. Winners will have 48hrs to respond and then a new winner will be chosen.

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May

Butterball Canada Twitter Party #TurkeyTakeover

by MARIA on May 9, 2013

I’ve been blogging for Butterball Canada monthly since January and have had the chance to try several of their products so far. My last two posts will be coming up soon and will be all about their turkey burgers and summer bbq options.

Next up is the Butterball Canada #TurkeyTakeover BBQ Challenge Twitter Party, this Tuesday, May 14 at 9 p.m. EST!! Lots of great prizes and BBQ talk so you need to be there!! Here’s everything you need to know!

DATE: Tuesday May 14, 9 p.m. EST

Host: Butterball Canada

Hashtag: #TURKEYTAKEOVER

Moderators: @ParentClub @Nugglemama @MommyMoments @OurFamilyWorld and me!

RSVP below to be eligible for prizes

In the linky, make sure to enter your Twitter Handle “@yourTwitterhandle” in the Link/Blog Title field, and Twitter URL “www.twitter.com/yourtwitterhandle” in the Link Field*

[click to continue…]

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May

Getting Older SUCKS

by MARIA on May 2, 2013

Getting older can bite me.

I’m about to turn 40 this year and I’m not looking forward to it.

I’m kind of pissed about it actually.

What do I hate most about getting old?

I get ma’am’d a whole lot more. Really, is there anything worse than being called MA’AM in your 30s? I can only assume ma’aming me as a 40 year old will suck more. Instead, how about Miss (use this one forever) or Hey Beautiful (also with forever potential).
Tube tops are not necessarily the best fashion option as the girls aren’t really tube top perky anymore. RIP TubeTops and perky boobs.
The term COUGAR - Seriously, the only thing worse than being ma’am’d is even being considered in the COUGAR spectrum. I would like to keep my Kitty Cat status.
The term MILF can also die a slow, fiery death thank you very much.
I feel approximately 100 years old after a late night of being out and about (also referred to as non-cougaring). Am I the only one counting down the minutes to when I get to put my pjs on.
I find myself constantly asking the husband what he thinks a certain pain/ache/spasm means – he’s like the less scary version of WebMD because he has no clue but spits out random answers anyway.
Facial hair. SCREW YOU HORMONES.
Everything involving hormones can repeatedly bite me.
I find myself asking, “who is this band/singer/young people with bad hair trying to sing” more often, and I hate myself every time I do because that is textbook old people.
You hear your hairdresser telling you to definitely go blonde because than the grey will just be less noticeable. I HAZ GREY HAIR???
Wrinkles? Those are wrinkles? Did I maybe just sleep weird on my pillow??
What the fresh hell is an age spot and how dare you insinuate I have one. I’m pretty sure that’s just chocolate, thank you!
Filling in any survey that asks you to pick your age bracket and realizing your age bracket goes all the way up to age 54. Why do you hate me, survey people?

A sense of humour, good company (all of whom need to be older than me) and many glasses of bubbly may be my only chance of surviving the arrival of the big 4-0.

Getting old. It’s what’s for breakfast.

And lunch.

And dinner.

Oy.

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Apr

A MomAgenda Giveaway For Mother’s Day #MomAgendaCOMM

by MARIA on April 29, 2013

It’s that time of year again! Mother’s day is coming up quick and I think MomAgenda is a perfect gift for the Mom in your life!

As a member of the #MomAgendaComm team, I’ve had the chance to review so many of their great products. This time, I got to check out the Refillable Folio Cover and the MomAgenda Spiral Refill.

The Refillable Folio Cover is a really nice, faux leather cover that comes in two colours, Shimmering Smoky Gray and Shimmering Spring Green, and has a snap enclosure. Like all the MomAgenda products, it is beautifully made and a quality product. It retails for $24.95 and can be personalized as well. The Folio Cover works with the MomAgenda Spiral Refills, the MyAgenda Spiral Refills and the notebook. The MomAgenda Spiral Refill is a 17 month calendar (Aug 2013 – December 2014) that has the signature MomAgenda layout. There is tons of room to document your life and all the activities of everyone in the family as well. It even has a section to plan your dinner every night. The Refill retails for $24.00. Of course, once the calendar runs out, you can reuse the Folio Cover with a new one!

As a #MomAgendaCOMM member, I’m thrilled to be able to give away a MomAgenda Folio Cover and a MomAgenda Spiral Refill!!

GIVEAWAY

To enter, please leave a comment below telling me who will be the lucky recipient if you win! For an additional bonus entry, please tweet the following and leave a comment telling me you did:

I want a @momAgenda for Mother’s Day! I just entered the #giveaway @BOREDMommyt http://bit.ly/9Z1DUa #momAgendaCOMM

RULES:

Open to U.S. and Canadian Residents
Contest will run until Friday, May 3, 2013
Winner selected using Random.org
The winner must have a valid email address and claim the prize within 48 hours. Otherwise, another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: As a #MomAgendaCOMM, I receive products for the purposes of review and compensation, however, my opinions are my own.

UPDATE: Congrats to my winner #30 – Jen Banks!!! Thanks to everyone who entered!

{ 43 comments }

Apr

Get Healthy With Yoplait Source Greek Yogurt And A LuluLemon Giveaway

by MARIA on April 24, 2013

Have you heard about the new Yoplait Source Greek Yogurt yet??

Truth be told, if I could pick anything to eat for breakfast, I’d have to admit I would eat Eggs Benny because there is just nothing better. However, health-wise, it’s just not something you can eat every day, unfortunately. So, my second choice is always yogurt and fruit – plain yogurt with fresh fruit. Love it. Same goes with Greek yogurt – I like it and the fact that it’s actually good for you is just a bonus.

There is actually a new Greek yogurt on the market now by Yoplait called Yoplait Source Greek Yogurt. It has twice the protein of their regular Source yogurt, has no added sugar and is only 50 calories per serving. It comes in several flavors including Vanilla, Strawberry, Cherry, Peach, Strawberry/Peach, Strawberry/Blueberry, Blueberry/Raspberry, and Vanilla Lemon. So, yum to that.

When it comes to getting healthy, obviously you need to do more than eat yogurt. Funny enough, through my constant reading/researching of how to get my old self back, I’ve learned many a thing about how to make it happen. Putting it into practice is a whole other animal, but I can tell you that these steps make a great start:

Drink WATER as your main beverage – ditch the juice and pop and crap that are just empty calories. Water with fresh lemon is the best thing to de-bloat that body of yours too.
Veggies are your friend – eat them every day, every meal.
Cut out all sugar, processed, junk and fast food.
Eat protein at every meal.
Eat fresh fruit but not unlimited because of the sugar.
Exercise every single day, in some capacity. Punching in the air while watching reality tv doesn’t count.

Are you looking to get healthy this year? Let me get you started with some yummy yogurt and something cute from Lululemon!!

GIVEAWAY!

I’m giving away some coupons to try out the new Yoplait Source Greek Yogurt for yourself, AND a $100 LuluLemon gift card to one lucky winner!!!

To enter, please leave a comment below with your best tip for how to get/stay healthy and what works for you!! That’s it – one comment!

RULES:

Open to Canadian Residents
Giveaway will run until Monday, April 29 2013
Please make sure to leave an email and/or Twitter handle so I can contact you if you win!
Winner will be chosen using Random.org
ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD

Disclosure – I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador Program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

UPDATE: Congrats to my winner – #43 SUE! Thanks to everyone who entered!!!

{ 86 comments }

Apr

IMAX To The Arctic – Review & Giveaway

by MARIA on April 19, 2013

I sat down and watched IMAX To The Arctic with the kids recently.

They’ve come to really enjoy watching “nature animal movies” thankfully – a person can only watch so many animated movies before they want to hide in the closet (yes, this is the true benefit to the walk-in closet).

To The Arctic, directed by the award-winning director of EVEREST, is narrated by Meryl Streep (LOVE HER) and features songs by Paul McCartney. We loved it – it was visually stunning and engrossing form the first minute, to the last. It was also very educational for me and the kids. Not only is it a story about “love, family, and survival in the harshest place on Earth” but also a chilling reminder of what is happening to our environment and how it’s affecting some of it’s most precious inhabitants.

It’s short (4o minutes) but so worth watching and sharing with the little people in your life – my kids have watched it several times since and it always leads to great conversation. The movie also provides insight on how to help if you’re so inclined – check out OneWorldOneOcean.org for more info!

GIVEAWAY:

I’m giving away a copy of IMAX To The Arctic on DVD/Blu-Ray!! To enter, please leave a comment below!

RULES:

Giveaway will run until Friday, April 26, 2013
Open to Canadian Residents
Please make sure I have a way to contact you – Twitter or email
Winner will be chosen using random.org

UPDATE: Congrats to my winner – #25 Holly Messana. Thanks to everyone who entered!

{ 25 comments }

Apr

Martha Stewart Home Office Products With Avery

by MARIA on April 12, 2013

It’s no secret that I love Martha.

When I found out about the Martha Stewart Home Office product line with Staples I was beyond excited. I was there on the first day, buying it all up - fantastic, practical items in classic Martha colors.

Well, Martha is now back with new some new additions and they are fabulous!

TOTES & CASES

Martha now has an entire line of cute totes and wristlets which are great for work or travel. The line carries cases and sleeves for your laptops and tablets too, all in gorgeous colors and great price points.

WALL MANAGER SYSTEM

Love, love, love the new Martha Stewart Wall Manager System – great for the kitchen or the office. You can incorporate different pieces and create the setup that works for you. Available are various boards like bulletin boards and white boards, as well as drawers & shelves and accessories to make it your own.

DISCBOUND NOTEBOOKS

The Discbound Notebooks are my favorite new product and I had the chance to review one for myself. They are really nice quality with a textured feel to the notebook. I love the classic Martha Stewart blue colors – it’s really pretty. On the inside, you’ll find room for business cards, a pen holder and an elastic band closure to keep everything together.

The notebooks comes with 60 sheets of narrow-ruled paper and a clear storage pocket but you can buy additional pieces to make the notebook work best for you. Additional options include filler paper, plastic dividers, task pads, planner pockets and calendar pages.

If you find the discs are too small, you can even purchase expansion discs to increase the size and hold more. The notebook is available in two sizes (6.5 x 9 in and 9.5 x 11 in), smooth or textured and four colors.

They’re really nice quality and very affordable – so make sure you check out the line at Staples. They’re available in Canada and the U.S. in store and online!

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Apr

Eat Well With The Nutrition Facts Education Campaign #LMDConnector

by MARIA on April 2, 2013

The Nutrition Facts Education Campaign (NFEC) and ‘Eat Well’ is an initiative by the Government of Canada that promotes healthy eating and living for all Canadians. As a blogger for the Life Made Delicious program, and supported by General Mills, I’m happy to share the details of this great program with you.

The site provides tons of great information and tips to help families live healthy and achieve their goals. Their section Eat Well Central has several areas to explore, including:

Cooking and Meal Planning Tips
Grocery Shopping Tips
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide
Use The Nutrition Facts Table
Healthy Grocery Shopping With Kids
Healthy Eating For Kids On The Go

With two young kids, the kids’ sections really interest me the most right now. They provide tons of great ideas and tips to help foster a healthy lifestyle for your children. I really like that they offer sample menus for kids of various ages as well. I think their suggestions for how to get young kids to eat healthy are really helpful and they can definitely apply to any age:

Offer small amounts of food throughout the day. One food guide serving of a food group can be divided up into smaller amounts and served throughout the day. For example, half a Food Guide Serving of meat and alternatives can be served at two different meals (like one egg at lunch, and about 30 g (1 oz.) of chicken for dinner).
Don’t restrict nutritious foods because of their fat content. Offer a variety of nutritious foods, including some choices that contain fat (like milk, peanut butter, and avocado).
Satisfy thirst with water. Encourage your children to drink water to quench their thirst and replenish body fluids.
Offer vegetables and fruit more often than juice. Whole fruits and veggies have more vitamins, minerals, and fibre.
Offer 500 mL (2 cups) of milk every day. This will help kids meet their vitamin D needs to help their bones grow strong.
Limit foods and drinks high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt (sodium), like cookies, chips, and soft drinks.
Be a good role model. Your children will be more likely to enjoy a variety of foods and try new foods if you do.
Let kids choose amounts for themselves. Although you are responsible to pick which foods are served throughout the day, let your children decide how much they eat.
Offer new foods often. Kids will be kids!If they reject an unfamiliar food the first time, offer it again later. The more often children are exposed to new foods, the more likely they are to accept them.

There is so much info on the site that it’s really worth checking out for yourself. You’ll even find some great videos too. Make sure to check out their more about the campaign on Facebook too.

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

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Mar

Butterball Recipes – Pesto Dip #ButterballCanada

by MARIA on March 31, 2013

I’m going to be working with Butterball Canada in a series of four blog posts over the next four months – this is my third post.

This month, I decided to check out the recipe section of the Butterball Canada website and have some fun with the kids. We checked out all the recipes and decided to choose something relatively simple and went with the Layered Pesto Dip.

Here are the ingredients we needed to make the dip:

1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tbsp grated parmesan
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1/8 tsp salt
fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Now despite my best intentions, I’m usually that person that always misses half the recipe or forgets three of the steps. So our process was a little bit different from what the recipe called for – hence why we’re calling it Pesto Dip and not Layered Pesto Dip. By the time I realized I had missed an entire step, the husband and nine year old had literally eaten the entire thing anyway.

So, here’s what we did – see the original steps here:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until tender.

2. In a food processor (or blender), add the cooked onion & garlic mixture, chopped basil, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Spoon into bowl and refrigerate for 1 hours. (In the original recipe, the ricotta and parmesan were not added in full – some was divided to created the layered part of the dip.)

3. Remove from fridge, serve with fresh veggies and get out of the way or your people will run you down while they attack the plate.

And the finished product looked great and tasted really fresh and delicious. The nine year old thought it was “very appetizing” and the husband was too busy eating to give me his thoughts. The fact that he cleared an entire bowl speaks for itself I suppose.

Please make sure to check out all the great Butterball recipes on the site!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Butterball Canada. In exchange this review, I have received special perks in the form of products and monetary compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own.

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Mar

Parental Guidance Movie – DVD Giveaway

by MARIA on March 28, 2013

Parental Guidance the movie is now out on DVD!

Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei prove that laughter is relative in this hilarious comedy that’s fun for the whole family! Old-school grandparents Artie (Crystal) and Diane (Midler) get more than they bargained for when they get stuck babysitting their type-A daughter’s (Tomei) overprotected kids. But things go from hectic to hysterical when Artie realizes the kids are running the house with their newfangled technology. By playing by his own rules, which include sugary snacks, old fashioned games and tough love, Artie manages to outsmart the kids and achieve the impossible- bring the family closer together!

If only the grandparents had had a bit of a social media guide to help them along. Here you go, grandparents – some basics to get you started!

The iPhone: The iPhone is an Apple branded smartphone that made its market debut in 2007 and runs on the “iOS” or Apple operating system. The iPhone features include: web browsing, video playback and recording, voice calling, instant messaging and more.
“LOL”: An acronym for laughing out loud or laugh out loud, “LOL”.
FTW!: A guy like Arnie should be about as familiar with this commonly used internet acronym as he is with who ‘s in the running for the World Series. “FTW” stands for ‘for the win’ and is typically used in conversations revolving around sports or debate.
StumbleUpon: For a Grandfather, to stumble upon something is not usually a good thing but StumbleUpon is a site that virtually archives the best of everything anyone has ever stumbled upon on the internet. So, if grandpa happens upon a really interesting article, he can share it on StumbleUpon and allow others to check it out!
Facebook: Facebook is the largest online social network with over 1 billion users; the site is one of the best ways to connect with friends and family. Additionally, most businesses and entertainment personalities maintain accounts on the site and often host promotions for fans and consumers on Facebook. Grandpa might want to subscribe to his favorite baseball team’s page in order to stay updated on their latest events and news!
Twitter: Twitter is one of the ten most visited sites on the internet, all that’s need to join the site is an email address and password. Site users interact with one another through “tweets,” or 140 character messages, and are permitted to “follow” other users who they find interesting; it is important to note that Twitter’s subscribers include the Fresno Grizzlies!
Meetup: The Deckers may find that their new social media savvy motivates them to expand their social groups. Meetup.com is just the site to help with that endeavor and will allow Grandma and Grandpa to meet up with grandparents from all walks of life who share their interests. For Arnie that might mean reaching out to the Fresno baseball Meetup group! All that’s needed to join this site is an active email address for registration.

GIVEAWAY!

I’m giving away a Blu-ray/DVD copy of the Parental Guidance movie! To enter, please leave me a comment below.

For an additional entry, please tweet the following once and leave a comment below saying that you did:

“Enter to win Parental Guidance on DVD/Blu-ray on @BOREDMommy’s blog! http://bit.ly/XeLSEO #giveaway #canwin

RULES:

Open to Canadian Residents only
Winner will be chosen using Random.org
PLEASE make sure to leave your Twitter name and/or email so that I can reach you if you win!
Giveaway ends Friday, April 5, 2013.

UPDATED: Congrats #18 – Anne Taylor! Thanks to everyone who entered!!