Life Brand Bonanza at Shoppers Drug Mart

A few years ago, back when Simba was a newborn and Bolt was an out-of-sorts toddler, Shoppers Drug Mart was my refuge. A place I could go, clad in sweats and dishevelled hair, at 10:30 at night when both my precious boys were finally asleep. I would wander the aisles leisurely, looking for deals and buying any essentials we needed. Now that the boys are older, these little outings continue to give me some much needed alone time, satisfy my need to shop and ensure our medicine cabinet is always fully stocked, but they don't feel quite as essential as they once were.

I'm a little embarrassed to say that although we have medicine cabinets, most of the medicine we use on a regular basis is in a basket in my kitchen.  Although it seems like a sound idea, in reality, it tends to be an extremely frustrating mess. So when I was offered the opportunity to 'clean out my medicine cabinet' and fill it with Life Brand Products, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to actually start using the medicine cabinet is it was intended.

Since I loathe all things cleaning, I made a trip to Shoppers Drug Mart before I actually cleaned out my medicine basket. There are a number of locations close to my home, but I decided to go over to the No. 5 Road and Cambie Shoppers Drug Mart location in Richmond, BC. This store is new, big and spacious and I never feel crowded when I'm shopping. 

Shoppers Drug Mart wholeheartedly embraces the local community; this simple sign in the front window displaying the most prevalent languages in the community really speaks to me and shows me that Shoppers Drug Mart pays attention to the people they serve.

On this particular trip, I was on a Life Brand Bonanza, comparing prices and looking for products my family can always use. My first stop, was of course, the baby aisle where I grabbed some Baby Life bottle liners (saving about $1.50 over the name brand) before heading over to the medicines. 

I also made sure to grab 'essentials' including antihistamines, pain killers (I saved $6 on Life Brand Children's IBuprofun), cold and flu medicine and band aids, which we go through at the speed of light around here.  I regularly purchase Life Brand products since they are consistently cheaper than brand name products and when I compared the ingredient lists there were very few variations, most of which are usually in the non-medicinal ingredients.

In an area where the closest grocery store is a 15 minute drive away, Shoppers Drug Mart has stepped up and has a quite comprehensive grocery section complete with milk, eggs, bread, coffee, hummus, cheese just to name a few of the products. I feel like this simple fact speaks volumes about the investment Shoppers Drug Mart makes in the community.

Armed with a slough of new Life Brand products, I undertook the task of cleaning out my medicine cabinet and filling it up. It looks fantastic, now I can only hope I can maintain the neat, orderly shelves.

Are you a Life Brand Shopper?
Do you have a system for keeping your medicine cabinet tidy? (because I need one)

You can see ALL the photos from my shop on Google+.

“I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® #cbias #SocialFabric”

My Fisher-Price Favourites | 20% off Coupon Code

Babies need stuff, way more stuff than I ever anticipated and when you're a new Mom wading through all the options, things can get overwhelming fast. In those moments, most of us reach for something familiar, a name that we recognize, perhaps a product we actually remember from childhood.

Fisher Price Favourites is a list of twelve tried and tested Fisher Price products that have stood the test of time and made the cut as 'Mom Must-Have's, here's the list.

1. Ocean Wonders Aquarium
2. My Little Snugabunny Cradle N Swing
3. Infant to Toddler Rocker
4. SpaceSaver High Chair
5. Discover’n Grow Jumperoo
6. Brilliant Basics Rock a Stack
7. Learn Love to Play Puppy
8. Learn Say Please Tea Set
9. Click ‘n Learn Remote
10. Brilliant Basics Stroll-Along Walker
11. Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway
12. Little People Animal Sounds Farm

How many do you have in your home?

I have recollections of playing with the Brilliant Basics Rock and Stack during my youth in the eighties; its such a simple toy but the bright colours and the sense of accomplishment that little ones derive from stacking the rings make it a toy that kids can enjoy generation after generation.

Although I never owned one, I'm also a huge fan of the Discover 'n Grow Jumperoo; back in October 2011 I had the opportunity to attend Blissdom Canada with 6 months old Simba. That boy was never happier than when he was jumping, bouncing, touching and playing in the Jumperoo. I literally wanted to take it to my hotel room to keep him entertained all evening.

Seriously, does this look a six month old who flew from Vancouver to Toronto to attend a Blogging conference with his Momma?

The other item on this list that is an absolute must-have from my perspective, is the Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway. Bolt received his ramp as a gift almost 4 years ago and between my two boys it still gets used on an almost daily basis.

Personally, I love the car sounds it makes, but I think for the boys the sound features are a distant third.

They love to race all sizes of cars, trains (though they often fall off before they make it to the bottom) and anything else with wheels, letting them fly across the living room floor and having subsequent cars crash into the previous ones.

The elevator however, is perhaps the most coveted feature of all. My boys will fight over who gets to lift the elevator and bring the cars to the top, though Simba generally just lifts it up and down over, and over and over again. Regardless, the Stand 'n Play Rampway continues to entertain day after day and I'm certain when my boys outgrow it, this toy will go on to provide joy to another child for years to come.

So I'm curious, what are your Fisher Price Favourites? Did they make the list?

Are you interested in purchasing some new Fisher Price Favourites for your family? Head over to to Toys R Us Canada and use special pin FISHERPRICE20 to save 20% off your Fisher Price Favourites purchase before April 30.

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Blogger Campaign 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.

Food.ee Snackbox | 50% off Coupon Code and Giveaway

Last week, I showed you a photo of my Food.ee Snackbox and promised you I'd report back on all that gluten-free deliciousness and share an awesome coupon code. Not only can I get you 50% off your first Snackbox, I'm also giving away one free personal sized Snackbox (that's the size I recieved) to one lucky reader.

Are you excited?

Like it or not, we all snack and sometimes even though we may remember to eat whole, healthy foods at mealtime, the lure of chocolate, chips and candy can be hard to resist in those snackable mid-day moments.

Food.ee Snackboxes solve that problem by shipping you a box full of gluten-free, natural treats (many of which are soy-free and vegan) each month so that you can safely nosh in good conscience.

Snackboxes are shipped out of Vancouver and you can expect your first box within about 4 days of ordering; subsequent deliveries will arrive around the 15th of the month. A personal sized box costs  $33 per month plus $6.95 shipping, is intended for one to two people and includes 15-20 servings.  The Family sized box is $67 per month (free shipping) for 30-40 servings and the Bounty sized box is $97 per month (free shipping) for 50-60 servings.

After plowing through most of my Snackbox in a mere week, I can say with certainty that your Snackbox will be filled with delicious, high quality, natural foods. And if you've ever bought packaged gluten-free snacks, you know they come at a premium cost; the price of a Food.ee Snackbox is not just reasonable, I think its a great deal.

The superstar of our sample Snackbox included the Hippie Foods Coconut Chips, after snacking on them Wednesday night, the first thing Bolt asked for Thursday morning was more Coconut chips. They were sweet and salty with the perfect amount of crunch, I will absolutely be buying them again. In fact I loved the brown rice and quinoa granola too; 'Hippie Foods' are yummy!

But I digress, if you're dying to try out a Snackbox for yourself, head over to getsnackbox.com and enter code MOMMASTUFF at checkout to receive 50% off your first Snackbox. Code is valid until April 31, 2013.

And don't forget to fill out the Rafflecopter form to be entered to win a personal sized Snackbox.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a Food.ee Personal Sized Snackbox in exchange for this post; all opinions are my own.

Chocolate Zucchini Flax Muffins

I recently realized I hadn't posted a recipe in ages, and for that I apologize. I promise you I'm always gluten-free baking and these days, I have no shortage of helpers.

I found this recipe for zucchini flax muffins and using it as a base I was amazed at the soft fluffly muffins I created. In my mind, zucchini and chocolate go hand in hand so I adapted the recipe just a little bit more until I had a recipe that that's so good I've had more than one person tell me they never would have known it was gluten-free.

These muffins come together quickly, they are soft, springy and delightful in your mouth and I promise you even if you have an energy-filled two year old helping you out every step of the way, they will still be delicious!

Chocolate Zucchini Flax Muffins
(gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free)

adapted from Zucchini, Banana and Flaxseed Muffins by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (I'm in LOVE with this one)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder divided 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 cup grated zucchini (~1 large)
• 1/3 cup ripe banana
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line or grease muffin tins.
2. In a small bowl mash the banana, mix with 1 tsp of baking powder and set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, flaxseed, baking soda, the other tsp of baking powder and salt.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the banana baking soda mixture, zucchini, coconut milk, egg and vanilla.
5. Gently stir the wet mixture into the dry being careful not to overmix.
6. Scoop muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes until top is firm and springs back from a light touch.
7. Cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy!

Yield: 15 muffins

Makes 30 mini-muffins, bake for 13-15 minutes.

Update: I accidently ommitted the flax from the recipe, but it has now been updated with the correct quantities. My apologies. a :) 08 April 2013

Loving 'Love Child Organics'

My kids love, squeezy, squirty fruit snacks and I love whole, natural, minimally processed foods; fortunately Love Child Organics satisfies everyone. I admit the very first time I saw soft pouches of applesauce I worried about sticky spills in diaper bags if the kids didn't finish eating them; that was in vain however since neither Bolt or Simba ever has leftovers.  When presented with Love Child Organics, my boys gobbled them up before I could even grab my camera.

I love that EVERY pouch contains one of my all time favourite super grains, Quinoa as well as acerola fruit which provides a natural source of vitamin c.  Add to that nutritional powerhouse a variety of organic fruits and veggies and local Whistler residents John and Leah Garrad-Cole have finally created a packaged food that I want to feed my children.

And perhaps more importantly, my kids can't get enough. The second I showed the boys' the squeezy pouches of goodness they were begging to eat them and surprisingly neither of them expressed a preference among the flavours. We tried out three of the six flavours; 'Mangoes and Apples', 'Blueberries, Apples and Bananas' and the 'Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Apples and Blueberries' and I promise you, not one single drop was spilled.

For all of us living an allergy-friendly life, I love that Love Child Organics are produced in a nut-free facility and are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and kosher. I remember travelling around Asia looking for gluten-free, dairy-free baby food for Bolt when he was eight months old, it was a total nightmare. You'd be amazed how many of the non-fruit baby foods include at least one of the two.

Just in case you're worried, the packaging is all BPA-free and although only the cap is recyclable, the packaging is still a sound environmental choice.

Our pouches use 80% less material than many alternative forms of packaging. An independent audit of the life cycle of our pouches has shown that the energy used, and the environmental impact made, when making, transporting and destroying them is significantly less than PET plastic bottles, Tetra packs and glass. When compared to the glass jars commonly used for baby food, our pouches can use as little as 8% of the energy requirements.

You can find Love Child Organics in Wal Mart Stores and you can also check them out on their Website, Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter and Pinterest.

Have you checked Love Child Organics out? What did your kids think?

I received three packages of Love Child Organics products for the purposes of this review; all opinions are my own.