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VTech has been a go-to brand for me for years. I remember in high school I was given this extremely cool looking VTech cordless phone for my bedroom (this was before cell phones were much of a "thing" because you know, I'm like old and stuff...) I loved it! It was small and cute, was this gorgeous translucent dark teal colour, had great features and even appeared in a few of my favourite teen movies at the time.
When my kids were born, I began to look at VTech toys knowing they'd be of the same great quality and likely tons of fun, too! I have not been disappointed yet. We LOVE everything they have to offer. The latest gadget to make its way into our home is the new VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch.
I knew the watch would be neat, but it honestly exceeded my expectations! My son LOVES it, and I won't lie, I have fun playing around with it too.
About the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch
The VTech® Kidizoom® Smartwatch is the smartest watch for kids! Perfect
for young photographers, this durable smartwatch makes it easy to take
photos and record videos on the go. They can also use the touch screen
to explore their creativity with fun photo effects, frames and filters.
The watch helps kids learn how to tell time by letting them choose
between digital and analog displays. They can also choose between more
than 50 clock face designs. It also includes a timer and alarm with a
variety of fun animations to choose from. A voice recorder lets kids
record their voice and play with five voice-changing effects. The
Smartwatch also includes four learning games with the ability to
download more from Learning Lodge™ using the included micro USB cable,
which can also be used to upload photos and videos as well as recharge
the battery. The Kidizoom® Smartwatch is also splash proof, making it
perfect for everyday play. (Splash and sweat proof. Do not submerge and
not suitable for showering or bathing). More than just a watch, it’s the
Kidizoom® Smartwatch.
When my son first got the watch, he couldn't wait to wear it. I set it up for him and let him go to town. He loves the bright green colour, and how "grown up" he looks wearing a fancy watch! This weekend he decided he wanted to wear the watch on our trip to the grocery store. A few minutes into my stuffing veggies into the shopping cart, I realized he was video recording my every move! He thought it was pretty hilarious. While the watch is age rated from 4-7 years, kids are pretty clever these days and the Little Man just turned 3 but he's got most features figured out. My daughter just turned 6 and she enjoys the watch as well, but I find she tires of it a little faster and will move on to something else.
I'm amazed at how sensitive the touch screen is. Often times when toys are touch screen, you really have to press at the screen to get it working. With the watch, the sensitivity is great and it only takes a gentle tap of the finger. As well, the quality of the camera is surprisingly good. The watch takes better photos than the two toy cameras my kids have to play with.
Our verdict? AMAZING toy! It'd make a great gift for birthdays or Christmas. Find out more about the VTech Kidizoom Watch and other VTech products here!
Happy Shopping ;)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day will be coming to theatres on October 10th, 2014! I am so excited to see this movie, as it's based on one of my very favourite children's books.
About the film:
Disney's "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould)
as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life -
a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity
after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the
misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins
to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns he is not
alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette), and sister (Kerris Dorsey)
all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no
good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day
just hasn't had one.
Lucky for all of you, I've got a family pass to the WINNIPEG advanced screening on Saturday, October 4th at 10am at Cineplex Odeon McGillivray to Giveaway!
Contest open to Residents of Canada. Winner must be able to attend Winnipeg screening on October 4th. Ends Sept.28th, 2014.
Want to win? Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good Luck!
Hexbugs have become a favourite tiny toy around here. My kids love setting up their battle habitat to watch them "fight" just as much as they enjoy watching the tiny "bugs" skitter along the kitchen floor while they hop away from them! (And torment the dog. And me while I'm trying to cook dinner.)
The new Hexbug Aquabot is a new way to have tons of fun with Hexbugs, only in water!
About Hexbug Aquabot 2.0
The new water-born Angelfish and Hammerhead Shark are packed with smart fish technology, added sensors and an inner glow that makes them appear more alive than ever before! The hi-tech sensor allows you to wake the sleeping fish by tapping
on the tank. Each fish comes with its own bowl and removable background stickers.
When we first opened our fishy and plunked him into his bowl of water, he swam around slowly and then stopped. I panicked for a second, but then remembered we had a brand new set of power cells (batteries) to add to the fish. Once we changed out the batteries, the fish was really able to move! My kids get a kick out of it. The fish now sits on the kitchen table and they've been taking turns playing with it, recording video of it and...well... talking to it. lol. I don't believe they've given him a name yet. It's neat to see how tapping on the glass bowl will "wake it up" -- A fun little toy! I think it'd be super neat in the tub and can't wait to toss it in one day while the kids are bathing, and wait for the screams and laughter!
You can find out more about the Hexbug Aquabot 2.0 here!
Happy Fishing ;)
It's a fairly universal fact that having kids costs money. It's also the general consensus that parents want what's best for their kids. So when Moms and Dads in Canada decide to have a baby, it's fairly common to think about the impact that a child (or an additional child) might have on family finances. Obviously, one of the biggest factors at play in this is a child's Education.
With the cost of College and University tuition on the rise, not to mention many people turning to Private or Home schooling for their children, the value of an RESP is maybe even greater than it's ever been. Saving for our children's future is something that will benefit everyone in the long run. Because let's be real here for a second - we are going to need some well educated leaders to look after us when we get old, no?
It's important to know that the earlier you start saving, the better off you will be when it comes to helping your kids financially with future endeavors. Just $25/ week over the course of 18 years can add up to $50,911.00 -- That's nothing to sneeze at! But there are other ways to save, too. Instead of having your child showered with an abundance of unneeded gifts and toys on the holidays, family members can contribute to an RESP as well. And what's more? You can receive free money from the government! The Canada Education
Savings Grant will match up to 20% on the first $2,500 contributed annually.
That could mean up to an additional $500 a year in your RESP, up to a lifetime maximum
of $7,200!
I'll be honest. I am not a "numbers" person, so when it comes to financial planning I often find myself sitting in a banker's office, or my financial planner's office with eyes glazed over, having to force myself to pay attention and to ask questions. It's OK to ask a lot of questions when it comes to doing what's best for your kids. And sorting this out now means that at crunch time (your child's graduation) you will have MUCH less to worry about. All the help financial help you need to cover the cost of tuition fees, books and more will already be at your disposal thanks to your planning ahead. Wouldn't that take a load off?
With advice from RBC, it's easy to start. No need to be
overwhelmed. You have the flexibility to use the RESP for university,
college, apprenticeship, non-credit courses etc., and if your child doesn't use
the funds, you can use your contributions and earnings to
fund your RRSP!
With all of that being said, I'll be setting up an RESP as soon as possible for my little "Chemist" and...erm... "Batman" in progress!
You can find more great tips on saving for your child’s education here: http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/resp/ and rbc.com/education
Enter here to WIN $500 towards your child's RESP with RBC.
Do you have an RESP for your kids? What are some of your best tips for saving for your children's education? Tell me in the comments!
Disclosure: I am
part of the RBC RESP blogger 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.
With school back session, I'm always on the lookout for the perfect snack to send along with the Little Miss for recess. She's a picky pumpkin alright, but the one thing she does love is cereal. So I was excited when our newest box from Kelloggs showed up on the doorstep containing a bunch of goodies perfect to send in her backpack!
In addition to the Miss, I have a home daycare full of kids (including my son) who LOVE snacking. There was no shortage of treats for these kids as well.
Here are some of our faves.
The new Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes are seriously awesome! Little Miss likes to fill up her Snack Taxi and throw it in her school bag to pull out during recess. These are bite sized, not at all messy and they're great for little hands too. The Handsome Mister will often take a small bowl full of these along for his wagon ride, to take his big sister to school in the mornings. It makes a great breakfast on the go! And I find because they almost melt in your mouth, they're great for older babies, too.
The other cereal my kids absolutely love, and it's totally cool by me, is the simple but delicious Original Special K Cereal. Its crispy, yet light and airy texture and mild taste is great for kids who can be picky. You can add it to baking, snack on it dry, or if you want to jazz it up a bit on a Saturday morning you can add Chocolate milk to it too. (Not a bad little "sometimes" treat! Just sayin'!) The new cereal flakes are now "bigger and better" -- which my kids can attest to!
Oh, and one more thing. I need to throw out a big ol' YUM-O for the Chocolate Krave cereal!!! My husband and I didn't share this one with the kids at all. We happily chowed down ourselves after the shorties were in bed. In case anyone happens to be wondering, it makes a really good dessert! Call me crazy but next time I think I'll toss a handful on top of some vanilla ice cream and just live for the moment. Mmmmmm.
Do your kids have a favourite Kellogg's cereal to snack on? Tell me about it in the comments!
The school year is off to a great start and my kids couldn't be more thrilled! I feel incredibly lucky to have two kids who happen to really love learning new things, and just love school in general.
This year, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Staples Canada to get both of my kids set up for the year ahead in absolute style. We were able to choose new backpacks and lunch bags for the kids, to make sure they both have everything they need.
Staples has such an amazing selection of school supplies! They've become my go-to place at the beginning of the year, because I know that I'll find everything I need in one stop - no running all over the city for extra items, and on top of that they always have incredible sales too.
My kids and I chose their items online and had a lot of fun doing it.
The handsome mister is off to preschool and looking good with his new Lug brand backpack and lunch tote!
And the little miss is off to Grade 1 (I'm not sure how that happened so fast?!) with this WAY cute pink Foxy Jeans brand backpack, and a Ketto brand lunch bag. The lunch bag was packed full of pizza , fruit and yogurt and sent off to school this morning, so is not making a photo appearance at this time!
Both kids love their great new bags! Grade 1 is an important milestone around here as it's the first time my sweet girl has to stay at school for a full day, and stay for lunch. She was nervous about it at first, but now it's become something she looks forward to. Yesterday she told me she signed up for a "drumming course" at lunch time - how cool is that? The fun, easy access lunch and school bags mean she can get her items in and out, eat quickly and move on to fun activities with her friends. Plus, she told me she's been given lots of compliments on them from her friends - which is kind of a big deal when you're 6. ;)
I appreciate the great quality items and the excellent prices Staples has to offer when it comes to school supplies, now and throughout the school year. As mentioned, it has and always will be our go-to stop for Back to School shopping!
Check out Staples.ca for these items, and any other back to school necessities.
And enjoy the year!
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