Here is a wonderful video that was a combined effort between mompreneur Alison Kramer and recently published author of UnMarketing Scott Stratten. The result is a beautiful collection of still photos and words of wisdom. If you would like to learn more about the idea behind this project and those involved, you can read Alison's blog on "Reflections of Motherhood".

First, let me apologize for not picking the winners sooner. I was out of town and met up with some friends for dinner. One of them is expecting and so I made this personalized diaper cake for her. (I also delivered this birthday card I made for my sister-in-law, too.) I didn't bring my laptop and I had no way of picking the winners. So... without further ado, the winner of the Back to School with Hilroy giveaway, randomly selected from a whopping 258 entries, is:


Congratulations to:


81. D.Calvert said... Daily Tweet
http://twitter.com/dewinner/status/21050586574

And the winner of the Get Ready for Kindergarten with Dinosaur Train giveaway is:


Congratulations to:

15. Everyday Mom Ideas said... I think the hungry herbivore game looks fun!

I will be sending you both an email soon. A big huge thank you to Hilroy for providing such an amazing prize pack to my Canadian readers and thanks to Dinosaur Train for letting me host a great giveaway for my US readers.

On a final note, there are still two giveaways up for grabs:

1. 09/01 - Back to School with EcoMom $15 GC (US/CAN)
2. 09/10 - Back to School with DreamBox Learning (CAN)

And there are a few more coming up in the next week or so. I'll be heading back to work soon and I hope I can keep up the pace with this blog. It's been so much fun reviewing products and hosting giveaways. I'm also looking forward to sharing my experiences at a number of previews I was very fortunate to attend including Disney Interactive Studios Family Fun Night 2010, XBox Canada Presents X'10 Canada, Dream in Colour with Crayola and Hasbro. How lucky am I?

Do you ever struggle trying to find a way to get your little ones excited about math? Are you looking to supplement their learning in a way that is fun and engaging? Getting your child interested in playing interactive games on the computer is easy and now, so is getting them exited about learning math thanks to DreamBox Learning.

DreamBox Learning offers an online gaming experience for your kids that provides an effective means of learning math while having fun. It is interactive and individualized based on your child's level of ability. It's "serious learning that is seriously fun!" Here is a summary of why it's learning and fun all rolled in to one adapted from DreamBox.com:

It’s serious learning because:

• DreamBox individualizes learning through continuous assessment and adaptations during lesson game play.
• It’s a robust math curriculum, with over 500 lessons built on the math learning Focal Points from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• It builds understanding and confidence in math fundamentals being taught in the classroom, through in-depth focus on Number Sense and Computation, and Algebra.
• To improve conceptual understanding, students use virtual manipulatives to “show their work” rather than just clicking on an answer.
• DreamBox has online Teacher and Parent dashboards that report on each student’s progress in real time.

It’s seriously fun because:

• Kids choose from 4 adventure themes (pirates, pixies, dinosaurs, and pets), each with 8 stories, and hundreds of choices for activities in the online adventures.
• DreamBox makes math lessons fun and interactive, so kids build confidence and a sense of accomplishment!
• Kids can choose from 36 characters to represent themselves on screen.
• Positive audio and visual feedback encourages progress.
• Kids get rewards such as collectible Adventure Friends, tokens to play Carnival games, and Achievement Certificate awards that can be printed out and proudly displayed.

My 5-year-old daughter has been playing it over the past week or so and you can tell she loves it because it's the first thing she wants to do when she wakes up. I even have to cutback on the length of time during her sessions because she would play it for hours if I let her. (A mere 15 minutes each day is long enough to reinforce math skills while maintaining interest.) It took her a while to understand some concepts and how to complete the activities but I helped her through it and now she is proud whenever she achieves a reward. What I really love about it is the way it covers the math curriculum and keeps track of your child's progress. The visual representation of numbers is a very useful way to explore the abstract concepts of numbers and math. The addition of story lines within the game peak my daughter's interest in exploring and appeals to the Dora in her. As a teacher, I am super excited about continuing to work with my daughter as she plays, learns and explores math concepts on DreamBox Learning. I have created a little vlog to illustrate some of the features including the easily navigable map, a game in play, the built-in reward system and the useful Parent Dashboard with handy resources.



DreamBox Learning has won several awards including the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, the Parents' Choice Gold Award, and the Children's Technology Review Editor's Choice for Excellence in Design award.
You can purchase a gift plan on DreamBox.com for 6 months for $59.95 (that's 23% off the full price!) or you can always sign up for a free trial for home. Or, if you are teacher, you can specify it is for a school-based trial. And when you refer a friend, both you and your friend will get an extra month added when they subscribe.
One Toronto Teacher Mom reader will win a free one-year subscription to DreamBox.com.

For your main entry, which is mandatory, read what makes DreamBox.com more effective and fun and tell me what you feel is an important feature. Leave a comment on this post along with a way to contact you if you win.

For additional entries, you may choose to do any or all of the following:

• Add my blog button to your site. Copy code is located on the right sidebar. (Worth 2 entries. Please leave two separate comments.)
• Become a follower of DreamBox on Twitter.
• Become a fan of DreamBox on Facebook.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom using Google Friend Connect.
• Become a fan of the new Toronto Teacher Mom Facebook fan page.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Tweet daily for additional entries. Feel free to use the following tweet:  

Contest ends September 10 at 11pm EST. Open to Canadian residents only. Winner will be selected using Random.org and must reply to the notification email within 3 days or a new winner will be drawn.

Everyone who knows me could testify to the fact that food has been a wee bit of a stress factor in my life over the past few years. It's heightened even moreso when you factor in kids. Couple that with me being home for the summer months and having to prepare three healthy meals daily for the family, and you've got a recipe for a stomach ulcer. I am not very good in the kitchen. Never have been and probably never will be. I'd rather keep things simple and safe. And that's okay with me. What I often find myself worrying over is whether or not my kids are getting enough vitamins and nutrients in their diet that are necessary for them to grow healthy and strong. This is why I am excited to share with you a very handy tool for parents and kids to help keep track of their daily fruits and vegetable intake. It's called Today I Ate a Rainbow.


Looking for a fun and interactive way to keep track of the produce that her daughter Hanna was eating, Kia Robertson decided to create the Today I Ate A Rainbow!™ chart. It helped to ensure that her daughter (who is absolutely adorable, by the way) was getting a variety of healthy vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients everyday. It also provided her daughter with the opportunity to take responsibility for her food choices.

Through the wonderful world that is Twitter, I was fortunate to have connected with Kia, a fellow Canadian, who provided me with a Rainbow Kit for review. This kit includes:

• Complete "Today I Ate A Rainbow!™" Chart
         • 1 chart
         • 2 sets of square magnets
         • 2 sets of circle magnets
         • 4 achievement magnets
         • 4 fridge magnets
         • 1 grocery list
• The Rainbow Bunch Book

With its bright colours and durable design, it was an instant hit with both me and my daughter. She loves manipulating the magnets and especially loves reminding me to eat a rainbow, too. What? You want me to eat my beans? Gulp!

The shopping list is a wonderful tool to help you plan your hunt for produce. It is has coloured sections on the front of each sheet for your produce and a regular list on the back to record your other grocery needs. There are 25 sheets in each pack and they have the same adorable fruit and veggie characters that match the chart. The idea of recording produce on a shopping list according to colour made me think of doing the same when sorting my produce in the fridge. Yes. I colour-coordinated my produce!

As a teacher, I give Today I Ate a Rainbow two thumbs up. Not only does it provide a medium for some crucial teachable moments in nutrition, it also promotes literacy. Since the chart lists examples of fruits and vegetables, my daughter loves to look for words that she can read. It has also peaked her interest in learning new words. The chart, along with the Rainbow Bunch book (geared towards children ages 2 to 5), has become a part of her daily reading and helps to engage my daughter's interest in nutrition. And that's an added bonus in my books. So thank you, Kia!

If you would like more information on Today I Ate a Rainbow, you can visit their website at todayiatearainbow.com. There you can purchase the Rainbow Kit for $25, the Rainbow Bunch book for $6 or a pack of 3 shopping list pads for $8. And now you can enjoy free shipping in North America! You can also sign up for their newsletter to gain access to all of their videos, special member-only content, recipes, giveaways and more. Their first issue was just released and included 5 handy tips for picky eaters. You can also receive daily updates by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: I was sent a Rainbow Kit for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. The thoughts expressed in this review are my own honest opinions.

Do you remember ever having feelings of anxiety prior to heading back to school after summer vacation? I remember feeling excited about going back but also nervous about being ready or not knowing who my teacher would be or who would be in my class. Now that I've been teaching for over 8 years, you would think those feelings of anxiety would have subsided. Not so. After having two kids and losing bits of my mind, I still end up having nightmares in the weeks leading up to Back to School in which I would dream of showing up to class in my pyjamas or at the completely wrong times. And every year, I remind myself to be prepared and organized and everything will be just fine. That's why I was so happy to try out some Command Brand Products by 3M that are perfect for Back to School organization.

I came across a Tuesday blog hop and I haven't participated in one in a while. So here I am!





Hosted by Fabulous Finds by Nimblergrove and co-hosted by New to Mom
and Chubby Cheeks Thinks.

Here are the rules:

This past weekend, my family and I had attended a wedding and it was wonderful. What wasn't so wonderful was the fact that I didn't book a hair appointment. I had to resort to styling it myself. Luckily, I had my new flat iron to help achieve a nice sleek look but knowing it was going to be a humid and rainy day, I was a little worried that I would end up with a messy mop by the time we arrived at the reception. Au contraire, mes amis. Thanks to göt2b smooth operator, I got plenty of compliments on my hair!


The göt2b hair brand was first launched in California in 2000 and has built a reputation for setting trends and breaking them. Their products have also been a success in several European countries and I now see them popping up in stores everywhere here in Canada.

For review, I was able to test out two bottles of the göt2b smooth operator Smoothing Lustre Lotion. I instantly loved the funky design of the bottle. It was even accessorized with a funky set of charms. The sleek shape of the bottle made it comfortable to grip and the nozzle easily turns to a lock position which makes it great for travel and keeps my kids out of trouble. It has a slight scent to it but it is pleasant and is almost unnoticeable once applied. What lingers, rather, can be likened to the remnants of a coconutty fruit cocktail drink. And I like that. What I like more is how this hair lotion does not feel greasy on my hands and leaves your hair feeling smooth and silky. No one could tell I had used product on my hair. What is also great about göt2b smooth operator is that it helps to protect against damage from heat styling, which is good to know since the flat iron I use exposes my hair to high heat. Another bonus is that it contains a UV protectant. But you're probably wondering if it managed to smooth and control fly-aways. Take a look at how my hair turned out and judge for yourself.

If you're looking for a store to purchase them online, I was able to find göt2b smoothing operator at Well.ca.  I also noticed that at got2b.ca, they have a "World of Style" contest where you can win a $2000 shopping spree. It is open to Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority and ends on October 31, 2010.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried any of the other göt2b products? If so, which ones have you tried and how did you like them?

Disclosure: I was sent two bottles of the göt2b smooth operator Smoothing Lustre Lotion for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own honest opinions.

Happy Sunday to one and all! I thought it would be a good idea to remind my readers of two fabulous Back to School giveaways ending this week. The first is the "Back to School with Hilroy" giveaway chock full of awesome school supplies. There are lots of additional entries up for grabs and I will picking the lucky winner on Saturday, August 28 after 11pm EST. It is open to Canadian residents only but my U.S. readers have a Back to School giveaway of their own. It's the "Get Ready for Kindergarten with Dinosaur Train" giveaway consisting of a backpack full of Dinosaur Train games, books and toys. It also ends on Saturday so there is still plenty of time to enter.

Also, if you have any giveaways that are ending this week, why not share them using the linky below? You can even enter some while you're here, too! Let's try to keep the format as follows: MM/DD - Giveaway and country restrictions (ie. US, CAN). Thanks and have a great week!

And if you would like to include this linky on your blog, you can grab the code below. The linky will be open until August 28.

We have a winner in the dropper stopper giveaway! This lucky lady will get to accessorize her stroller with an innovative and stylish must-have for keeping your kids' cups and toys clean and close. Out of 50 entries, Random.org randomly selected the following winning number (and let me reiterate that it was completely random!):



This means that the dropper stopper goes to:

1. Robyn said... I would choose the Camo print

Congratulations, Robyn! I will be sending an email to you shortly. Thanks to all who entered, tweeted, blogged and shared through Facebook. And a big thank you to the ladies at dropper stopper for sponsoring the giveaway!

I need to get me to bed and quick so this will be a short post. Out of 91 entries in the Playhouse Disney Canada giveaway, Random.org returned the following number:

And here is what the winner wrote:

91. Suzanne said... Daily tweet:
http://twitter.com/sveldpaus/statuses/21534927792

Congratulations, Suzanne! I will be sending you an email shortly.

Also, don't forget that the Dropper Stopper giveaway ends Friday night and is open to both Canadian and US readers.

And I have two fabulous giveaways ending on August 28:

A Back to School with Hilroy prize pack containing awesome school supplies, for Canadian residents only.

And a Get Ready for Kindergarten with Dinosaur Train giveaway for my US readers.

Hope you have a happy Thursday!

Have you ever felt a bit overwhelmed when deciding how to decorate your nursery? How about the kids' rooms? In my case, I stress over decor. Period. And when it comes to figuring out how to fancy up the walls without a fresh new coat of paint or nailing holes in the wall, it seems impossible to find the right solution. Enter Evosis Design. With their creative modern wall decals, you can spiffy up any room in a jiffy. The best part is that their self-adhesive wall decals are eco-friendly. Oh, and they are Canadian, too! Here is a little explanation I received about Evosis Design and their initiative to be green:

Evosis Design wall decals are eco-friendly because they are made out of eco-friendly indoor PVC that is non-toxic. This material has been approved by the ISO 14001 EMS Environment Management System. We care about our environment and are actively
encouraging and promoting the "green effort."

In an attempt to minimize waste, Evosis Design is constantly exploring the
availability of alternative materials and production methods that promote
the use of both biodegradable and recyclable substrate materials, in
addition to eco-friendly inks.

How fabulous is that? As if their fun and stylish designs weren't enough to win me over. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love them. Let it be known that it took me an unusually long time to select a design for this review. There are just so many unique decals to choose from, including some uber cute designs for the kids' room and nursery. From their Dino Growth chart to their Hello Kitty wall stickers, it makes decorating and sleeping that much more enjoyable. They even have Snoopy, too! Their newest designs, available August 18, also include Animal ABC's which will help your preschoolers recognize letters of the alphabet and learn animal names as well.

Evosis Design offers a wide variety of wall stickers to suit your needs. They have stickers for the laundry room, kitchen, or office as well as versatile stickers that can be used anywhere in the home, such as this nature inspired Green Garden. I ended up selecting Simple Flowers and I just love how they look. We chose to apply this set to one of the vacant walls in our spare bedroom. I was very fond of the expression, "With love and patience, nothing is impossible." And I love the added floral pieces that you can place wherever you like. Below, you will see some pictures along with a little description of the steps I took.

When Evosis ships their wall decals, they place them in a protective tube to ensure that they arrive in excellent condition.

The Simple Flowers set came all on one sheet so I simply took a pair of scissors and cut out each individual design.

Using some tape, I arranged all the pieces on the wall as is illustrated on the Evosis website.

Then I removed the backing, adhered them to the wall and smoothed out any air bubbles before rubbing and slowly peeling off the top layer.

After a little bit of patience and a lot of love, I achieved the impossible and made the spare bedroom master-bedroom worthy.

I really love how this larger than life wall sticker adds that much needed pizazz to an otherwise dreary room.

If you are looking for an easy alternative to traditional wall decor, you will love Evosis Design. Their wall decals are water and fade resistant, easy to apply and removable. For more information, you can read their FAQ page on their website thinkevosis.com or visit them on their Evosis Facebook fan page. Prefer to tweet? Good news. They are on Twitter, too! Here is their handle: @evosis By following them on Facebook or Twitter, you'll also be kept informed about any specials they may have as well as any new product due to be released.

Disclaimer: I was sent a sheet of Evosis Design wall decals for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. The thoughts expressed in this review are my own honest opinions.

In this day in age, moms and dads seem to be more concerned than ever before about providing their children with the healthiest food, the safest toys and the most organic and natural alternatives when it comes to clothing, health, bath and body and more. This is probably why an increasing number of parents are turning to Eco-friendly Baby Products - EcoMom.


Back in May, I wrote a review on organic baby food and lunchbox snacks from EcoMom. They were a real hit with my kids and would make for a healthy and tasty addition to my daughter's lunch as she heads back to school in September. My son will be heading back to daycare and I am hoping to have him potty trained before then. Luckily, EcoMom sent me a pair of Under the Nile training pants made of 100% organic Egyptian cotton in natural.

It's all the talk these days about getting the kids ready for Back to School. But for teachers like me, it's also about heading back to work. It makes for a good excuse reason to update your wardrobe and throw in some new accessories for good measure. This year, I opted to donate what I would normally spend on clothing for myself for "Back to Work" and donate it to a very worthy cause call Tutus for Tanner. I will, however, get to sport a chic new purse care of Ellington, maker of women's casual-chic handbags.

For review, I was sent one of their most popular designs in a new colour for Fall 2010 - the Annie Crossbody Purse in a beautiful earthy green. The design is simple yet chic and provides a lightweight solution to carrying the basics while you enjoy an active lifestyle. And with two kids aged 2 and 5, an active lifestyle I lead indeed. Some of the features include an adjustable strap in a contrasting colour, a slip pocket where I quickly stuff receipts while shopping, two zippered pockets perfect for my cell phone and for storing loose change for the gumball machine, and a key ring clip so I don't lose my keys along with my sanity. You can wear it across the body, shorten the strap to wear it as a shoulder bag or remove the strap altogether and use it in a larger bag to help keep you organized.
Ellington also offers a wide variety of gorgeous handbags. I especially love their ECO Leather Signature collection which is made in an award-winning environmentally responsible tannery. That means it requires less water and energy to manufacture and also reduces C02 emissions. My favourite would have to be their Joni Shoulder Bag in Walnut Brown. It's just oh, so... chocolatey!


I also love their new Nicole Hobo handbag featured above in gray. It's made of Ellington Matte Italian Leather and it is just plain adorable. It's one of those purses that would make me feel funky and even young(er) again. The best part is that it also comes in red! Along with their Travel & Active Lifestyle collection, Ellington also offers an assortment of wallets, checkbooks and a little something for men, too. Their Otis Courier also doubles as a back pack and looks great in black nylon with smooth ECO leather accents.
You can also visit Ellington's outlet online for savings on some of their products such as their Hayden Messenger bag which is currently on sale for 50% off. It's available in the blue as seen above as well as in a nice brown/green combo. Enjoy the savings and the rest of the summer!

Disclaimer: I was sent an Ellington Annie Crossbody Purse for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. The thoughts expressed are my own honest opinions.

It is mid-August and summer is still in full swing along with incredible humidity. This also means that mosquito thermal sensing is more acute which often results in more mosquito bites. But one lucky reader of Toronto Teacher Mom will be able to say, "Buzz off!" to mosquitoes and other insects naturally thanks to Buzz Away and their giveaway. Out of 125 entries, Random.org has chosen the following winning number:


53. fdigsby said... gfc follower

Congratulations, Felicia! I'll be sending you an email shortly to which you will have 3 days to respond. Thanks to all of you who participated and to Buzz Away, too!

While searching the net, I came across some codes for free Pampers Gifts to Grow points. I'm saving up my points to redeem them for a Radio Flyer Grow 'N' Go Bike or maybe even the Radio Flyer Inchworm. I have about 300-500 points more to go and I'm hoping to finally redeem what has taken me 5 years to accumulate in points before the Radio Flyer rewards are all gone. If you collect points like me, you might want to try some of the other Pampers Gifts to Grow codes I used a while back to see if they are still valid. Some of them may have expired but the newest codes listed below worked for me as of today. Oh, and if you have any point codes you don't plan on using, let me know. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. *wink*


Update: (September 27, 2010)

Here are a few more codes for a total of 40 points. I'm only 160 away from my goal! Woot, woot!

WELCOME2GTG2010    10
CAREFORNEWBORNS  10
GTGCOUPONPOINTS    10
SEPFACEBOOK2010       10

Update: October 6, 2010

I found the first code at Money Saving Mom which made me start fishing around for more on the web. Now I just need 30 more points to reach my goal! Here are the codes that worked for me today:

GIFTSTOGROW4MOM

50

  JOINNOW4REWARDS   50

FACEBOOKOCT2010

10

  10PTSFREECODE4U   10 

PUNTOSPARAMI123

10

Yes, you read that correctly. It's time to pull out those backpacks and get ready for Kindergarten. My daughter will be entering Senior Kindergarten this year and I couldn't be more excited for her. She is growing up into a little lady right before my very eyes and I'm always taken aback by her incredible use of words and her continued growth in and love of reading and writing. Sometimes I can't believe she is only five years old. I even recall tweeting recently about how she used the word "unfortunately" correctly and oh so matter-of-factly. It really is a joy to watch her morph into a mature young lady and develop the crucial skills required for school. It's times like these that I wish I were my daughter's school teacher just so I can witness her early learning years in a classroom setting. I swear, I would even love to just be a fly on the wall.

One fateful day in June, as I strolled through the McEwan supermarket in the Don Mills centre, my stomach noticed a couple of tables set up with samples of some of the newest and finest specialty products in the store. I casually walked over to one of the tables displaying some yummy looking sauces and was happily surprised to read the label - Hall's Kitchen. Instantly, I recalled the review I had written on Hall's Kitchen soups back in March and shared that with the lovely lady who was (wo)manning the station. I failed to realize that the woman donned in her chef's hat was none other than Kitt Richie, one of the co-founder's of Hall's Kitchen (who works alongside Executive Chef Catherine Hall).

Kitt: "I remember! Diana, right?"

Me: "Um, yes... that's right! You must be Kitt." still bewildered that she had remembered my name.

Can I tell you what a small world it really is? (Cue Disney song.) When I asked her how her business had come along since we last spoke, she mentioned that there are nearly 50 different stores across Ontario that currently carry Hall's Kitchen products. What are the chances that we happen to bump into each other in one of those stores on the precise day and at the precise time that Kitt herself would be handing out product samples? Pretty slim.

Today, I am excited to share with you my thoughts on the newest addition to the Hall's Kitchen product line - Hall's Kitchen sauces. In keeping with her desire to offer vegetarian and vegan soups and stews made with fresh and natural ingredients, Chef Hall has concocted a "devilishly delicious" ensemble of epicurean proportions. There are four different varieties of the Hall's Kitchen sauces so you're sure to find one that will tantalize your taste buds. I received two bottles for review; Lemon White Wine Cream Sauce and Rockin' Moroccan Sauce.


As Kitt suggested, I immediately tried the Lemon White Wine Cream Sauce with some cod fish and later, in a shrimp pasta dish. Coming from someone who lacks the necessary skills in the kitchen, believe me when I say that I felt like a chef preparing these dishes. It was so easy! All I did was follow the directions for the Seafood Pasta dish listed in the Recipes section under Our Products.  After cooking the pasta, I sautéd the shrimp (sorry, no scallops!), heated the Lemon Cream sauce in a sauce pan, combined all the ingredients together and then threw in a dash of sea salt for good measure. That's it. A seafood pasta dish fit for a king. The pure lemon juice used in the cream sauce lent itself to being the perfect complement to this seafood dish. The Lemon Cream sauce is definitely my favourite of the two.


Next up was the Rockin' Moroccan sauce. Just like the Lemon Cream sauce, it is made using all natural, fresh ingredients, and contains no additives or preservatives, no GMO's or trans fats, and is gluten-free and yeast-free. But this sauce is also dairy free making it perfect for vegan diets. I used it as a steak marinade and enjoyed the subtle flavours of the curry and chili powder. I shared the rest of the bottle with my vegan sister-in-law who added it to her chili and a vegan casserole dish. She loved it and even tweeted about it, too! I think my husband would probably like the Red Thai Curry Coconut Mango Sauce. It has all the exotic foods he enjoys and is perfect for stir fry.

If you would like to learn more about Chef Catherine Hall, you can read her interview with Toronto-based food expert Mary Luz Mejia.

To find a store near you that carries Hall's Kitchen products, visit hallskitchen.ca.

On a final note, a big thank you to the powers that be for the unexpected and welcomed encounter that granted me the chance to meet Kitt Richie, the wonderful woman behind sales and marketing. I would also like to thank her for the wonderful opportunity to review Hall's Kitchen sauces here on Toronto Teacher Mom. My stomach thanks you, too!

On the tails of Blogher10, Yummy Mummy Lisa, a.k.a. Party Mummy, has invited bloggers to share a little bit more about each other through this delightful quiz. It's a great way to 'meet' new people and also connect with some "rockin' mamas" before Blissdom Canada hits Toronto this October. So, here I am, riding the party train Yummy Mummy style!

1. Did you attend Blogher10? No. I did follow on Twitter and was there virtually in spirit.

2. Are you attending BlissdomCanada this fall? Yeppers! I got myself an early bird ticket but I'm holding off on booking a room. Unless, of course, I get sponsored. [Insert shameless pitch here.]

3. When are you at your blogging best – a.m. or p.m.? *Hooting and hollering at Party Mummy* I'm a night owl, too. It's the only time of day that I can find more than 5 minutes of uninterrupted thought processes.

4. How many blogs do you have? (Include the links)

1. Toronto Teacher Mom
2. Diana's Designs Blog


5. What technical skill would you like to learn to improve your blog? Photoshop and video editing. I suck more at both.

6. Do you prefer the sound of silence or does action abound while you blog? I need quiet. The noise in my head is already deafening.

7. Do you include the names of your family in your blog? I do but I'm leaning towards more anonymity. I often resort to general terms such as DS, DD, DH or "that guy who got me knocked up."

8. Do you post pictures or videos of your children? Yes, I do. What can I say? They're just too cute not to!

9. What’s the grossest thing you’ve spilled on your keyboard? Nothing terribly gross about milk...

10. Ever posted something you wrote while intoxicated? Well, I never! People actually do that?

11. Do you go back and edit old posts just because you can? Um, yeah. I'm a teacher. Nuff said.

12. Have you ever suspected somebody took something you wrote and pawned it off as their own? No. But I'm always weary of it. That's why I just signed up for a Blog Copy account.

13. Does your spouse read your blog? What do they say about it? Um, well, no. I don't believe he has. When he told his friend about a couple of months ago about my blog, he couldn't even recall the name. Hello? It's who I am: A Toronto-based Teacher and Mom! Sheesh!

14. What’s something cool/positive/unexpected for you, that has resulted directly from blogging? Cool = Meeting some pretty cool moms and bloggers, previewing products before they hit the shelves, being invited to exclusive events, receiving requests for interviews from newspaper reporters; Positive = My blog has gained a large amount of followers and it makes me feel like all the hard work is actually worth it; Unexpected = I often cover or share events happening in the GTA and I was recently invited to apply for a media badge! That's pretty cool, positive AND unexpected!

15. Link to a post (or two) which demonstrate your writing style: This is a bit of a tough one but I thought I would pick two of my earliest posts that I had written while on maternity leave with my DD. I mean, she is the reason I started blogging. So I thought it was fitting. (Sorry DS!)

This is my Daughter
Frustrations of a first-time mom?

16. Name a blog(s) that makes you exclaim, "Damn! I wish I'd written that!"

This is a blog I came across when I first started blogging and it is written by one of the funniest mom bloggers I've never met - Bon. She has four, yes count 'em, four adorable children and she recounts her timeless tales with an air of je-ne-sais-quoi. She has had a bit of a rough year but I think she's getting back into the swing of things.

the mama

That's it. That's all. I'm looking forward to meeting, greeting and tweeting with you. Hope to see you IRL at Blissdom Canada!

Our Family of the Day loot

View from the top of the SkyWheel