2020 Holiday Sweet or Salty Guide

This year's sweet or salty holiday snacks are perfect for anyone on your holiday gift list or just to snack on with the family!

 Fairytale Brownies-

A traditional holiday treat gets a chilly winter twist with Fairytale Brownies’ new Candy Cane Crunch Sprites. This decadent snack-size brownie baked with Belgian dark chocolate is infused with pure peppermint oil, drizzled with silky white chocolate icing, and topped with a festive layer of crunchy red and white sugar crystals. The brownies are then wrapped in bright red foil for the holidays. A pure taste of winter enchantment!

The Candy Cane Crunch brownies can be purchased in bulk or in gifts with other flavor brownies. Check out Fairytale offerings at www.brownies.com.

** I have personally tried the candy cane crunch and love them!!

 

Sprucewood Handmade Cookie Co.-

Sprucewood Handmade Cookie Co. has wonderful handmade artisan shortbread has a 13 months shelf life on the sweet flavours and 9 months on the savoury flavours. Their cookies are made with 5 local and natural ingredients, every flavour is peanut and tree nut free! These are diabetic friendly and hand crafted! Flavours ranging from Canadian Cheddar to Chocolate Mint you can't go wrong! Chocolate mint being their newest flavour to the collection, with less then 1 gram of sugar per cookie and made with clean and natural ingredients. 

Sweet Flour Bake Shop-

At Sweet Flour, they believe every day needs a little something special. They also believe that ‘special’ shouldn’t be complicated. So that’s why they spend their days focusing on the simple things: a warm chocolate chunk cookie fresh from the oven, heavenly filled cupcakes, sweet vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chewy oatmeal cookies. All made from scratch by their skilled bakers, all crafted with the best ingredients, all ready to transform an ordinary day into an occasion.  With gift delivery coast to coast, their goal is to spread joy across Canada, one fresh baked gift at a time!

From just because to just married, they believe every moment is worth celebrating.

Their Holiday Sweet Sampler box  is great because it contains a variety of festive holiday products and also can be a part of a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription.

It includes their favorite Classic Cookies in Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk and Red Velvet, Milk Chocolate Shortbread, and the flavor of the month, their Eggnog Cookie! Tied with a red ribbon and red snowflake sugar cookie, it's the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list.

McSweeney’s -

McSweeney’s Premium Jerky and Meat Snacks make perfect stocking stuffers! Lots of delicious flavors, made with 100% Canadian Beef, Pork and Turkey and no refrigeration required. Give the gift that’s Proudly Canadian. Shop online at mcsweeneys.ca/shop

*** Watch for more sweet or salty treats for the holidays, coming soon.

2020 Holiday Gift Guide for the Family

Finding the perfect family Christmas gift can be a stressful part of the holiday season, but it doesn’t have to be; coming up with great Christmas ideas is simple when you have great suggestions like these-

Games anyone?

Spot It! Classic Eco-Pack-

Everyone’s favorite family party game Spot It! is back in new eco-conceived packaging, without plastic. The aim of the game remains the same: players who identify matching images on card pairs the quickest win the round.  

• MSRP: $14.99 CAD

• Ages 6+

Pickles to Penguins: 

Pickles to Penguins is not a polite game! It is a quick-thinking picture-linking party game made for competitive people.  This frantic party game has no taking of turns - just an all-out, go at it, get rid of your cards as fast as you can game!!

Get rid of your cards the quickest by figuring out what your cards and the cards in play have in common. Do they share a color? Are they both things you find in a salad or bring to a party? Exercise your lateral thinking abilities, but don’t be too hasty or you may have to pick up penalty cards for stretching a connection too far. Take a deep breath and let the chaos begin! Hundreds of pictures, but how many can you link together! Pickles to Penguins is fun for the whole family! (Available at many locations, including Toys R Us, Chapters, Walmart, Amazon)

 

Tension Kids vs Adults: 

Kids battle the adults in this family themed version of the classic naming game. Beware, the kids may know more than you think they do!

It's a riotous race to call out words that match a given subject...but only answers matching the 10 words on the card will score.  You have 60 seconds, so don't lose time thinking!  Tension is fast and frustrating, but a fantastic fun game for everyone! Who knew naming TEN things could cause so much TENsion!! Tension Kids vs Adults will help you create some friendly competition this holiday season! (Available at many locations, including Calendar Club Canada, Best Buy, Walmart

 

Saskatoon-Opoly: 

The arrival of fall means winter and board game season is just around the corner! Saskatoon-Opoly is the perfect game for families to spend quality time together!

Canadian owned and operated Outset Media has partnered with Walmart Canada to launch a limited-edition board game that draws attention to some of the great things Saskatoon has to offer. The game is available now at Walmart and online at Walmart.ca. Saskatoon-Opoly takes an original spin on the classic version of Monopoly, by making the locations for sale crucial aspects of the Saskatoon community. The Locations included in Saskatoon-Opoly are the Pike Lake Provincial Park, Meewasin Valley Trail, Saskatchewan Railway Museum, and many others! (Available exclusively at Walmart)

Other gift ideas include Minelab's VANQUISH 340-

                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRsnc8kxy0Q

Vanquish 340 is the perfect gift for the whole family and very affordable, starting at $265 CDN. Who doesn't want to have fun looking for treasure or helping someone find a lost piece of jewelry? This model is perfect for the beginner. The unit itself has 3 search modes- All metal, coins and jewelry. With multi ID technology, waterproof V-10 coil and audio control, and ease of use, this will one of the most fun gifts the family will all enjoy!

Cozy Frames-

A canvas from Cozy Frames is a unique and sentimental gift for the family that's perfect for any occasion. Bring your family closer to home with over 80 different scenic backgrounds that you can choose from and sign posts that you can personalize with your family's name, dates, quotes, and more.

Their canvases are wrapped around a 1.25" thick, 100% authentic wood frame that's FSC certified and ready-to-hang. Each canvas is equipped with a saw-tooth hanger on the back of the frame and rubber bumpers to protect your walls. All their canvases are water, fade and yellowing resistant.

This is a perfect gift your entire family will love and treasure forever. Cozy Frames has facilities in the USA, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and Europe for fast delivery to anywhere in the world. Order your Cozy Frames today!

**Use ONEINCOME10 and get a 10% discount on your entire order from Cozy Frames.

**Watch this spot for more gift ideas for the family..

Jake's Found Another Favorite- Totally Raw Pet Food

Thank you to the Totally Raw Pet Food company of Nova Scotia, who we partnered with for a review of their packaged dehydrated treats. Jake loves them! We don't feed him cheaper dog treats, and you know the ones- they are cheap and for good reason. Not even sure what the ingredients are when you turn over the bag, and do you turn over the bag? Because if you don't know what those ingredients are in your pet's food, should you really be feeding them it? The owners can also tell you their own story about their Daisy, who's dog health problems turned around when they began feeding her more natural foods.

We always search out the natural brands, and the ones most close to "real" as possible, and Totally Raw Pet Food are just that! Natural and free of preservatives. Jake tried the Beef Liver, the Beef Lung and the Wild Atlantic Capelin and loved them all! There was no nose turn ups or second guessing either..I gave them to him to try and he just  loved them. I even thought the capelin were kinda cute ! 

Their site carries cat food, supplements, and pet shampoo and a few stores carry their products as well. It's also nice that I see my local Canadian Tire store carries the treats so we can pick up at any time. The quality is definitely there and we'll be sure to come back and try other products of theirs as well.

Looking for more information?

Check out their E-Book below for some great information, tips and frequently asked questions about raw feeding!

Totally Raw E-Book: A Guide to Starting a Raw Diet

The Best Ways to Save Money in 2020

(Image via https://twitter.com/FullersLaw)

Whether it’s for investing in ways to decorate your home or you’re aiming to go on the holiday of a lifetime, we’re all always looking our finances and assessing ways in which we can save money in 2020. It’s totally normal to want to improve your financial situation, especially with an expensive Christmas period coming up.

There are numerous ways in which we can make savings too, although it can be easy to lose track of your mission as costs spiral out of control or bills get on top of you. Ultimately, it’s about being organised and planning in advance. Much like you plan a big event months before it or you aim to finally have that much-needed night in playing games using EntroPay payment method in Canada, it’s also worthwhile planning your methods of saving too. Saving money isn’t easy. It can go wrong for the best of us, but more often than not, if you have a plan, then you should reap the rewards.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the best ways to save money this year and beyond.

Track your expenses

In order to save money, you need to keep track of your expenses. Go through your recent bank statements and write down everything you spend money on. Creating an awareness of your spending habits will enable you to keep on top of them. It’s that simple, and it will keep you out of the red and into the black.

 

Plan your food shopping

In order to avoid food waste and spending money on ingredients, you simply won’t eat, make sure you plan your food for the week ahead and buy what you need accordingly. Everyone wastes money on food at times, but it can all add up quite significantly, especially if you constantly have to replace wasted food. Come up with a rough meal plan and stick to it. From there, not only will you avoid creating waste, but you’ll save money too.

 

Reduce non-essential spending 

(Image via https://twitter.com/AskTaunee)

 

How much are you spending on outgoing contracts? Are they all completely necessary? Perhaps there’s a streaming service you hardly use or a gym you hardly visit? Cancelling what you don’t need is a sure way of saving money, it’s just a case of assessing what to keep and what to ditch.

 

Freeze food

Cooking up a bigger than necessary feast doesn’t mean that it has to go off in the refrigerator or go straight in the trash if you can’t eat it all, which is why making twice as much food as you need isn’t always the worst thing in the world. Why? Because you can freeze it! Freezing food will stop you from reaching for the takeaway menu when you can’t be bothered to cook, alongside helping you get the most from your food shop.

 

Try cheaper brands

Whether it’s with beauty products or your favorite spread, trying a cheaper brand can lead to huge savings. A lot of the products have the same results too, so it’s ultimately about finding the right cheaper option for you and counting your savings in the process. Of course, some cheaper brands might not appeal in the slightest, but even if you make a few small changes here and there, the savings could be big.

 

Search for discount codes and apps

Before purchasing anything online, it is worthwhile having a search for any discount codes or mobile phone apps that will give you savings on certain websites or with specific brands. Cashback sites are worth exploring too, with their popularity growing in recent times.

My NEW Arctic King Freezer

Am very happy with my new Arctic King upright freezer, and I haven't even filled it yet!

I previously had an apartment sized chest freezer and we sold it for $80...just wasn't using too much anymore as I really hated having to dive into my freezer anytime I wanted something. Found this 3.0 cu ft one at Walmart online and had it ordered in. Was $175 on rollback.

I just know I will like this one much better!

Who else has a stand up freezer?

White Brightens!

With painting the inside of our home grey, from beige, I'm  making some little changes with some other things in the rooms as well.

In our porch, I went from this multi colored wire rack to a white one that I got 2 packs of at Walmart,  (before our "red zone" covid shut down of non essential shopping).

We really like the white one alot better.. looking kind of bare right now as we usually keep shoes or sandals in it. Normally this time of year we are gone south.

2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Children

 

It's that time of year again and we have the perfect gift ideas for children this year!

Marvel Universe, Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter™ Game-

Marvel fans will rejoice when they are gifted this card game, based on the beloved game Love Letter and set in the Marvel Universe. One player plays against the others as the villain Thanos, while other players take on the roles of various superheroes to defeat Thanos in this fun game of risk and deduction.  

MSRP: $19.99 CAD 

Ages 10+

Patchwork: Christmas Edition-

Patchwork: Christmas Edition is a special edition of this now classic game; and this Christmas Edition brings the same great two-player fun in a beautiful Holiday style. In the game, each player works to create a beautiful, Christmas-inspired patchwork quilt out of the available patches, looking to avoid leaving any empty spaces. The most beautiful quilt wins!

• MSRP: $39.99 CAD

• Ages 8+

Azul Sintra-

Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra challenges players to carefully select glass panes to complete their windows while being careful not to damage or waste supplies in the process.

Players can expect to discover new unique art and components in Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, including translucent window pane pieces, a tower to hold discarded glass panes, and double-sided player boards and window pane panels, in addition to many other beautiful components!

• MSRP: $49.99 CAD

• Ages 8+

Dixit -

Dixit is a classic, simple, lighthearted game of storytelling and guesswork where your imagination unlocks the tale. Dixit invites you to use the gorgeous, imaginative artwork on the cards to tell brief stories. 

Each round, one player selects a card from his or her hand, thinks up a sentence, and tells the other players. The other players all choose cards that they think match that sentence and play them face down. The cards are shuffled and then revealed. Players secretly vote for the card that best matches the narrator’s story.

• MSRP: $39.99 CAD

• Ages 8+

Catan-

Embark on a quest to settle the isle of Catan. Guide your settlers to victory by clever trading and cunning development. Use resource combinations to buy handy development cards and build roads, settlements, and cities. Acquire your resources through trades, cards, or lucky dice. But beware! Someone might cut off your road and you never know when the robber might steal some of your precious gains!

• MSRP: $69.99 CAD
• Ages 10+

Carcassonne-

Carcassonne is the perfect introduction to the modern world of board games. With its simple rules (place a tile, place a meeple, score points), beautifully illustrated tiles, and iconic components, this modern classic should be part of everyone’s collection.

L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Remix Doll-

• Introducing new O.M.G. Remix Dolls – each doll is paired to a different genre of music (Pop, Hip Hop, R&B and Country). 2 outfits are included – a performance look and a rehearsal look! Packaging is interactive and can play music. 

               L.O.L. Surprise!

             For the other dolls, visit    https://www.lolsurprise.com/collections/remix   

•  Features: 
• 4 O.M.G. Remix Dolls to collect 
• 2 outfits; remix with their BFFs to complete the look
• Includes full-size record (not real vinyl, only plays on package) 
• Does not include tot 
• 25 Surprises 
• MSRP: $59.99

ZURU Smashers Dino Ice Age Mini Surprise-

This is the newest never-before-seen item in the ever-popular Smashers line. Smash open to find and build one of six Icy Dinos like the Frozen Rex or the Slime-o-Saur! Mix & Match the Dino parts to make a new Smash-o-Saur! Each includes three compounds - stretchy snow, crystal slime, frozen slime - a rare skeleton Smash-o-Saur, three separate dino parts and a Dino Claw Scratch ‘n’ Surprise sticker.  Ages 4+, SRP $9.99. Available at Amazon, Walmart, and Target!

ZURU Pets Alive Frankie the Funky Flamingo-

Who's got that funky feeling? Frankie The Funky Flamingo, does!  ZURU’s newest addition to the Pets Alive brand, Frankie entertains the whole family with her hilarious neck twirling and wing flapping movements, all while getting down to 3 funky jams. With her realistic flamingo design, she is cute and groovy all at the same time. Frankie also includes a surprise Flamingo Egg with a baby Flamingo to keep the party going! Ages 3+, SRP $19.99. Available at Walmart. 

ZURU Rainbocorns-

Bursting with rainbows, sparkles and magical surprises, ZURU sweetens the award-winning line of Rainbocorns this Fall with two all-new adorable collectible plushies that feature the hottest trends of the year. Every Rainbocorn hatches from its bright mystery egg and has a unique heart that reveals a magical surprise when swiped.

● For the first time ever, Rainbocorns sings, talks, speaks and repeats!  Sporting iconic jelly hearts filled with goodness and delight, six new characters join ZURU Rainbocorns Sweet-Shake Surprise, each offering 15 layers of fun surprises including a sweet-scent! With one squeeze of the paw, hear Rainbocorns sing a sweet melody, squeeze twice to hear Rainbocorns speak and repeat! Through the layers of reveals, kids will uncover ingredients to create their own slime sweet shake in the mini Sweet-Shake Cup, then decorate with food accessories and a Boo-Boosprinklecorn!   Ages 3+, SRP $34.99. Available at Target, Walmart, and Amazon.

ZURU Pets Alive -

Fifi The Flossing Sloth Get ready to floss like a boss with Fifi The Flossing Sloth, the latest addition to ZURU’s best-selling Pets Alive brand including 2019’s Boppi The Booty Shakin’ Llama! Mimicking one of the most iconic dances of the decade, Fifi's hilarious floss movements, cute blinking eyes and butt wiggle are sure to get everyone up dancing. Ages 3+, SRP $24.99. Available at Target, Amazon and Walmart!

ZURU 5 Surprise Mini Brands Mini Mart-

ZURU's 5 Surprise Mini Brands Mini Mart expands the experience of its hot 5 Surprise Mini Brands line, offering fans and collectors a one-stop-shop to store, collect and display their growing collection. Each Mini Mart comes complete with shelves to a freezer section, shopping cart and cashier stand, plus four mystery minis. This engaging store and display play set also makes real shopping sounds, offering a true to life experience for collectors of all ages! Check it out here. Ages 4 +, SRP $24.99. Available at Amazon, Target and Walmart.

ZURU’s 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2-

5 Surprise Mini Brands are a global phenomenon after going viral onTikTok, amassing over 600 million organic views. Now comes a whole new series of your favorite shopping brands that fit in your hand. There are over 100 new brands to collect, including Heinz Ketchup, Kool-Aid, Miracle Whip and Jell-O and new shopping accessories as well. What brand will you unbox? Can you find the rare Metallic and Glow in the Dark minis, and the Super Raaaaaaaaaaaare Golden Minis too? Collect them all to create your mini shopping world! Ages 4+, SRP of $6.99. Available at Target, Walmart and Amazon. 

ZURU 5 Surprise Mini Toys-

5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands comes hot off the heels of last year’s hottest toy, with the brand now launching a range of realistic miniature replicas of your favorite toy brands. Unwrap, peel and reveal mini toy collectibles that fit in your hand! Each capsule is a surprise unboxing of toy miniatures and toy shop accessories. What will you find? There are over 60 miniatures of your favorite toy brands to collect, including rare metallic and glow in the dark minis, and super rare golden Minis too! Collect them all. Ages 4+, $5.99.

ZURU Robo Alive Rampaging Raptor -

They bite, chomp and run like a real Raptor! ZURU’s Robo Alive Rampaging Raptor, the latest in the award-winning Robo Alive line, uses high-quality robo-technology to create a chomping raptor that can run at rapid speed making this thrilling predator a "must-have'' addition to every dinosaur advocate's collection. Available in raging red and gutsy lime green, each includes a surprise dino slime egg inside for added play value. Batteries not included.  Ages 6+, SRP $9.99. Available at Walmart and Amazon.

Sparkle Girlz Set of 7 Princess Collection by ZURU -

Featuring seven unique and individual dolls, the ZURU Sparkle Girlz Set of 7 Princess Collection is the perfect gift! Touting a message of kindness and courage, and encouraging others to believe in themselves and the magic of dreams, Sparkle Girlz inspires magic, imagination and sparkle! Featuring long soft hair complete with a magical sparkle highlight, each articulated Sparkle Girlz Princess doll is dressed in beautiful, sparkle and colorful outfits that can be swapped with one another down to the shoes! Ages 3+, SRP $29.99. Available at Walmart.

**Watch this spot for more gift ideas...

2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Babies and Toddlers

Have an adorable baby or toddler you need a holiday gift for this holiday season? Then look below to find some cute ideas we have come up with for you.

GoSili-

A perfect gift choice for any toddler on your holiday list, the GoSili Silicone Bowl with Lid is a versatile and fun option for food storage and snacking on-the-go. It can go from baby’s first foods to the office break room! This silicone bowl and lid set is 100% plastic-free and seals airtight, keeping food fresh for longer. Simply press the middle of the lid to push out any excess air that can spoil food faster. When you or your little one are ready to eat, pop the lid off and use it as a plate. As silicone is so resistant to extreme temperatures, you can safely use your SiliBowl in the dishwasher, microwave, freezer, with hot items, with cold items – you name it! No need to worry about melting, breaking, or warping.

ergoPouch -

ergoPouch has the perfect holiday gift for any baby/toddler on your holiday list.  The ergoPouch range of Mix and match our TOG-rated Pajamas are available in two TOGs, the long sleeve layer an ideal pajama for most of the year. 

This thicker TOG Pajama (1.0 TOG) is ideal for cooler day and nights. It's lined with soft fleece to be extra cuddly and gentle on sensitive skin. The outer is super soft to touch and stretchy for comfort.  Features of the ergoPouch onesie pajamas include-

3-way zip for easy diaper changes and toilet training, zip enclosure to protect your baby's delicate skin.  Made from organic cotton for a healthy, safe sleep and gentle on sensitive new skin.  Foot and hand cuffs to pop over little toes and fingers on cool nights

TOG-rated to work with ergoPouch TOG-rated pouches.

 MAM Learn to Brush Set-

The MAM Learn to Brush Set is a perfect stocking stuffer for any baby or toddler on your holiday list.  The Set comes with 2 brushes: one with a long handle for baby and parent to brush together and one with a short and compact handle for children that have learned independent brushing.  Round heads which adapts perfectly to baby’s mouth. Red bristles indicate the proper amount of toothpaste to use.  Soft, rounded bristles which clean first teeth and remove plaque and bacteria. Available in Blue, Green or Pink.

For ordering in Canada- order here.

For shopping in the USA- see here.

pediped-

As soft as baby’s favorite Teddy and perfect for keeping toes warm, the pediped Boo Pink Polka shoe is an ideal holiday gift choice for protecting first steps.  pediped Originals® are non-toxic, breathable, lightweight and flexible, and feature non-slip leather soles.

Available in 0-6, 6-12, 12-18 and 18-24 months sizing.

**Watch this spot for more gift ideas...