I think one of the coolest things that has happened since I started this blog was the instant response I got after posting a complaint about telemarketers from TD Canada Trust.

I still can't believe that when I happened to post a rant on here about TD and how they were incessantly calling my house someone from TD noticed and fixed it. Right away! Within hours of me posting on my blog I had a response.  One I certainly never expected!

They immediately and magically stopped calling my house. It's been over six weeks and in that time they haven't called once.  To be honest Darryl from TD emailed me with some very specific directions for my husband to follow in order to change his "solicitation options". Directions which I've yet to get my husband to follow through with. (It involves making a phone call, something he hates to do.)  Yet even without following through on our end, we still stopped receiving phone calls.  I realize it's a little thing,  but I'm pretty darn excited about it and it's made my every day more peaceful.

So all you bloggers out there... what's the coolest thing that's come about because of your blogging?

Oh and Darryl from TD, THANK YOU!

Yes, Baby-G got Avocados in her stocking.

G-Girl opening her gift from Santa.

Fuzzy Red Bathrobe was a big hit. G-Girl insisted on wearing it for the rest of the morning.

G-Girl and her Dad playing with her new Guidecraft Animal Train. One of several items I won in giveaways that ended up under the tree as gifts.

Opening more gifts Christmas evening at Bubby and Poppy's house.

Baby-G making out with her new Birdie Rattle. She seriously loves this thing!

I lost my daughter's Christmas gift.  The Big One.  You know, the one item she asked for Santa to bring her.  Yeah, that's the one I lost.

When she wrote her letter to Santa back in November all she asked for was a new train.  A few days later there was a sale on at Chapters and we dutifully went out and bought the particular Thomas Engine she had pointed out to her dad in the catalog. It sat in the car trunk for a few weeks. Then when my husband had to bring the car in to get serviced he quickly emptied everything from the car to just inside the side door, on the kitchen floor.

My mom stopped by to bring the girls and I to visit my grandmother for her birthday.  She is standing in my kitchen, looks down and sees a bag with a toy train in it and loudly whispers, Is that supposed to be in here?  Um, no it is not.  So I quickly grabbed it and put it... Some Where Safe.  Some Where G-Girl Would Not See It.  Somewhere that I promptly forgot about.

In the mean time G-Girl has been obsessively focused on this train. When I told her one day that I was going into Chapters to pick out some books for Christmas, she got upset and almost in tears said, "Nonono, I want  a TRAIN."  When she found out that other people would be giving her presents, she wanted to call each of them on the phone and tell them that what she would like is a train. Just so they'd know.  I explained to her that she had asked Santa for a train, and since she was a pretty good girl, he'd probably come through for her.

Thankfully my husband decided we needed to wrap the gifts a night early.  He was coming off of midnights and good to go for staying up late and wrapping all the kids gifts on the 23rd.  I pulled gifts out from all the various places I had them stashed around the house. We made piles, decided what was going in the stockings, what was coming from us, what was from Santa... and realized something was missing.  The Train that G had asked for was nowhere to be found.  I started searching high and low, but could not find it.  I started to panic and I began looking in all the same places two and three times. I finally decided it must be hidden in her closet, and since I couldn't check there while she was sleeping called off the search until the next day.

The next morning I checked that closet, I checked her sisters closet, I searched everywhere I could bloody think of and I could not find that darn train.  So I sent my husband out on Christmas eve to buy our daughter her present, for the second time.  To say that he wasn't impressed with me would be an understatement.  At least we discovered it was missing the night before, and had running out to buy a second one as an option. Sigh.  Of course it turned up on boxing day -- in a completely stupid place that I don't remember ever even considering (inside a box in the kitchen). Ah well, all's well that ends well. And yes, she loved the train when she opened it Christmas morn.

Since I don't have any new giveaways of my own lined up until in the new year, I thought I'd share some of the great "Open to Canada" giveaways that I've entered recently:


Bamboo Sheet Set @ My Wee View (Dec.30)

Scotch Brand $50 Gift Pack @ This Birds Day (Dec.30)

BISSELL Steam & Sweep Hard Floor Cleaner (Dec. 30) 

Britax B Ready Stroller @ Feisty Frugal and Fabulous (Dec. 31)

Keurig Special Edition Brewing System @ Natural Mommie (Dec. 31)

Britax Marathon 70 Car Seat @ Natural Mommie (Dec 31) 

$50 Starbucks Gift Card @ Salad for Breakfast (Dec. 31)

Leapfrog Scribble & Write @ Feisty Frugal and Fabulous (Jan. 1)

Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug, @ Feisty Frugal and Fabulous (Jan. 3)

$100 Tea Collection Gift Card @ Familyicious (Jan. 9)

$100 Amazon Gift Card @ Thanks Mail Carrier (Jan.14)

$600 Delta Faucet @ My Wee View (Jan. 21)

Plasma Car @ Rave and Review (Jan. 24)


Good luck!  Be sure to let me know if you win something!

Like most folks, I'll be taking a few days off to spend with family.  I have a couple of posts scheduled to go up, but I probably won't be around my inbox much for the next week.  See you in the New Year!

2007

2009

For those in the Windsor area, a couple of quick last minute shopping ideas that will bring you nowhere near the mall.. 

Handmade & Artsy
Shop for locally made art and handicrafts and pick up a unique last minute gift.

Artcite - 29th Annual Doin' the Lourve
Artcite's annual members' holiday fundraising show and sale.

Original art --paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, mixed media, sculpture--and artist-made gift items (xmas ornaments, books, toys, cards, 'art wear', jewellery, etc.) created by established and emerging Windsor and Detroit area artists with all work priced for Christmas giving!  Prices start at 99¢ and nothing is priced over $99.99!

You can get an idea of what they have by watching their video feature at the Downtown Windsor blog.

Location:
109 University Ave. W
(519)977-6564

Hours:
Last Day Thursday December 23rd: Noon - 6pm.


Made in Windsor
One of a kind handmade gifts, all created by local artists. Jewelry, pottery, origami, hand-knit items and more!

Location:
The House, 131 Elliott W. at Pelissier

Hours:
Thursday December 23rd: 10am - 5pm
Last Day Friday December 24th: 10am - 5pm



Gamer Geek
Find something for gamers of all ages at Hügin & Münin, one of my all time favourite local shops. They have tons of board games, roleplaying games and collectible card games to choose from. As well as t-shirts, comic books and graphic novels.  For the more mainstream; they carry chess, cribbage and poker sets.  They also have a great selection of fun and educational games for tots and kids. (I'd say about ages 3 and up).

Bonus:
Right now they have some great deals, with select items marked 50-80% off.

Location:
1664 Tecumseh Rd. E.
(519)974-7898

Hours:
Thursday December 23rd: 10am - 9pm
Friday December 24th: 10am - 4pm


Eco Chic
Shop Eco is a great place to find green gifts.  If you've never been there before, you can browse through their website to get an idea of the sort of things they carry.  They have a small but interesting selection of organic and eco-friendly toys, baby items, clothing,  jewelry, reusable bags and lunchboxes, bamboo utensils, and more.

Bonus: In it's "newer" location Shop Eco is now located only a few doors down from another excellent gift finding shop and fair trade haven -  Ten Thousand Villages.

Location:
624 Chilver Road

Hours:
Thursday December 23rd: 10am - 6pm
Friday December 24th: 10am - 2pm


If you are heading out then good luck with your last minute shopping! Have any suggestions for other unique places to shop in Essex County?


As usual, this post is non-affiliated and not sponsored. The above mentioned stores don't even know I'm writing about them.

The other night while I was in the middle of feeding the girls dinner the phone rang.  It was a pre-recorded message from my Member of Parliament inviting me to stay on the line and take part in a live town hall event.  Okay, that's kind of cool but I just left the baby mid-dinner so heck no.  I hung up on the canned voice and turned to see G-Girl barreling down the hallway yelling out "Let me talk to her! Let me talk to her!"

She assumed it was one of her grandmothers, and was frantic to get on the phone.

"I already hung up.  It wasn't anyone you know."

"It was! I wanted to talk to them."

"Honey, it wasn't anyone you know.  It was a politician."

"I wanted to talk to her!  I know her!  Everybody around the world knows Polly Nition!  She is a great friend to all the people of the world!"

Trying hard not to laugh I said, "I don't think you know what a politician is."

"I do too know Polly Nition. I know she does good things for people.  She does good work. She is a great person and everybody loves her."

I was pretty much choking trying not to laugh by this point.

"A politician... It's like a ruler. Like a king. Like in this house, your Dad is the ruler of this house. And as ruler he tells us what to do, and we have to listen to him."

Did I just say that? I can't believe I just said that.

G-Girl burst out laughing at this point and said "But Dad isn't a King! And I'm the ruler in this house! I tell everyone what to do."

Oh great, I've got a three year old with a Napoleon complex on my hands.

"No G, it isn't polite when little girls tell people what to do.  It's something only grown ups can do."

"You mean this Polly girl gets to tell people what to do, but I don't? I don't think I like her after all."

That's pretty much verbatim., allowing for the fact that I didn't get to write it down until a couple of hours later. I can't believe the things that comes out of this child's mouth.  I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.


Need another chuckle or two? Head over to the Silly Monkey Stories link up at 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires for more childhood silliness.

This is Miss Mousey.  Her name is...Dancer. Ballerina dancer. Because she has a skirt, see? At night she takes off her ballerina skirt and climbs into her cozy bed. When she sleeps she dreams of cheese and of being Queen of the Fairies. Her friends call her Ballerina Dancer, but her mother calls her Bumpo

This requires a bit of an explanation. You see, my daughter has dozens of imaginary friends. Most of them just stop in to visit now and again. However the " 'tend mousies"  live here. They are ever present, constantly mentioned, constant companions to my girl..  So when I saw this adorable wee Maileg mouse on the Little Cool Toys website  I knew G-Girl just had to have it.  Little Cool Toys was nice enough to send me a surprise care package for the girls, and included inside was this wee girl mouse. How awesome!

When I gave it to her G-Girl just flipped right out.  She just kept saying "But she's real!" over and over again. She pointed out to me that , "Right next to this mouse, on her pillow, there's a little bit of room for my pretend friends!" Once I left her alone, I could hear G-Girl singing "A  real mouse... a real mouse..." over and over to her new friend. "She's a princess, she's a reeeeeal mouse, she is sooo ah-woooo."  I got to hear all about how this new mouse friend was a ballerina who dreamed of cheese and fairies. It's definitely the most excited I've seen her get over a toy. At naptime and then again at bedtime Miss Mousey slept snug in her little "match box" bed on the window ledge right next to my daughters bed. 

The next day when her nap was over G-Girl popped out of her room wee mouse, complete with all of her bedding, cradled in her hands. She brought her new friend into the front room and was playing with her quietly. G-Girl took a potty break and then went back to play with her mouse, but apparently she was gone. G-Girl stuck her head in the computer room and informed me that her mouse was missing.  "My 'tend mousie friends must of took her away. I can't find her anywhere." A search and rescue mission was mounted.  We emptied bins and bags. We looked high and low. I crawled under tables and reached under bookshelves. To this moment, I have no clue where the heck that mouse has gotten to.

I feel badly because my little girl's heart is broken that this mouse went missing.  But I also feel badly because when Little Cool Toys surprised me by sending me unexpected toys I offered to post a review.  I was looking forward to writing about how excited G-Girl was with her new mouse friend. I wanted to tell you how the pictures on the Little Cool Toys website don't do this toy justice. I was planning on taking pictures of my daughter toting her mouse everywhere around the house.  I wanted to tell you how soft, how cute, how perfect she was. How she had a little leather tail, how her skirt came on and off, and how absolutely adorable her bedding was. But then the darn thing went missing when we'd only had her here for one day.

G-Girl still maintains that her 'tend mousies took Bumpo away with them.  Personally, I worry that it's far more likely that our cat made off with her. I'm still hoping she'll turn up some time soon...

These little Maileg mice really are the sweetest toys ever. From what I could tell after searching about on the web for more, Little Cool Toys is one of the few places to offer them in North America.  For the little time that we had her here, Miss Mousey seemed incredibly study and the attention to detail was simply amazing. I would definitely recommend this toy! You can pick one up from Little Cool Toys for $25.

EDIT: I later revisted this item. Check out my review recap here to discover how this item did over the long haul.

And the winner is...


The winner has 24 hours to respond to my email, after which I'll redraw.

Thanks to Scotch Brand for sponsoring this giveaway, and thanks so much to everyone who entered! 

I made myself a Holiday playlist on Grooveshark that I've been enjoying for the past few days.  I've got it blaring right now while I'm working on trying to finally finish decorating the tree.   While "bopping" around the Christmas tree, it just occurred to me that I could share it with you all.  So here's my playlist of holiday classics, heavy on the Burl Ives and Bing Crosby.  Enjoy!


Thinking of some holiday classics I forgot? Let me know so I can add 'em.

Edit:
It's come to my attention that this widget isn't working right in some browsers, so here's a text link version:
My Holiday Playlist on Grooveshark

I wanted to put my tree up in September, yet it's still not up...

In September I was struck by the sudden urge to put up my Christmas tree.  I realized it was a crazy idea and kicked it to the back of my brain.  October passed by with all the Hallowe'en buzz and other then commenting on how the damn Christmas displays just keep coming out earlier each year, I didn't think of it much.  November came around and suddenly serious thoughts of putting up the tree filled me with a paranoid dread. Where was it going to go? How would I keep the baby/cat/preschooler the heck out of it? I started to panic as I realized that we have more furniture then we did last year, and all of it is going to have to be moved around.

Thankfully my husband stepped in and just started bringing all the boxes down from the attic one day.  He calmly fended off G-Girls' frantic excitement and had infinite patience with letting her help hang ornaments.  He hung about a quarter of the ornaments and then told me I could take care of the rest.

So about five days ago my tree finally went up. Sort of. It's still sitting smack in the middle of my dining room.  The dining room table is covered in boxes and tissue paper.  The plastic crates that hold everything are strewn about the room.  I have got to get it together and get this decorating thing done.

And then there's the Advent calendar.  You know the whole count down the 24 days 'til Christmas thing?  We have this adorable Playmobile one that is seeing it's third year in service. Santa bringing food to all the little animals in the forest. It's disgustingly cute and G-Girl loves it.  The thing is, we didn't hang it up until December 9th. My husband and I were glancing at each other and hanging our heads in shame as my daughter opened nine little boxes all in one day. 

Overall I'm feeling some serious guilt that my house isn't decorated and I only have my tree half done and it's already December 18th.  How are the rest of you faring?

Kimberly over at All Work And No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something is the brain child behind Secret Mommyhood Confessions Saturday.  Yeah she's all decorated for Christmas. Go check out her site and read all about her secret tacky Christmas village.

Last weekend we took our annual drive out to Amherstburg to see the River Lights Festival.  It's a great event to take kids to, well worth the drive if you're anywhere in Essex County.


You walk along the river front through the Navy Yard Park and then up the street to Toddy Jones Park. There are over 100 lighted displays, including two large animated "fireworks" displays.  There is also a large Christmas tree with lights.  Music plays from nearby speakers and the lights are programed to move with the music.

This was our second year attending the Lights Festival. G-Girl loved it!  I will warn you that it does get cold along the river front.  Expect it to feel several degrees colder with the breeze off of the water then it does on the sidewalk outside your house, and dress accordingly. 

Pardon my rotten photos. My camera doesn't like taking pictures in the dark! These photos truly don't do the displays justice.

They also have different events each weekend (original animated Grinch movie shown outside, Santa parade, costumed carolers, carriage rides, etc).  The weekly events are pretty much over at this point, but it's something to keep in mind for next year.

There is still the Amherstburg Christmas Concert coming up this Sunday, December 19th at 7:30 pm, during which the Windsor Symphony Orchestra will be performing at St. John the Baptist Church in Amherstburg.  This is also the last weekend that the "Gingerbread Warming House" featuring crafts for kids, hot chocolate, and a cozy place to get warm will be open (5-8pm, Friday, Saturday, Sunday).


The light show itself runs until January 2nd and the lights are on every night from 5:30pm to 9:30pm.

You can check out their website for further info: River Lights Winter Festival.
Let me know what you think of it if you go!

Along with the awesome giveaway that they are sponsoring, Scotch brand sent me some holiday wrapping tips to share with my readers.

 I'm big on reuseable cloth giftbags, and those cute pre-patterned boxes that you can use year after year, but some items just don't fit in the reuseable containers.  So for those we use giftwrap.  Also with my close family members I will sometimes use gift bags, and then immediately demand they return them. But the majority of the presents leaving the house do so in paper wrap, as it's pretty awkward asking for the bag back and I don't want to part with my cherished gift bags.  So I'd say we do reuseable packaging for about half of our presents, and paper wrap for the other half.

When it comes time to wrap with paper the only tape we use is Scotch brand.  I'm not just saying this cause they sent me a package full of goodies.  I genuinely love Scotch tape.  I'm even fond of the smell of it.  However, I am horrible at wrapping presents!  I dread it and rope my husband into doing most of the dirty work.  So I was pretty eager to see what sort of wrapping tips they had to offer...

Here they are: twelve holiday wrapping tips from one of Canada’s leading style and décor experts,  Lynn Spence.

1.    Stock Up – Before you start wrapping, make sure you have all of the necessary supplies. Quality scissors and tape will make the gift wrapping experience a breeze (see proof points below):
2.    Stay Sharp – Have a sharp pair of scissors, such as Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Scissors, for cutting paper and other materials. It will allow you to achieve greater precision with your cuts. And if tape on your scissors is a pet peeve, Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Non-Stick Scissors use non-stick technology that means no more sticky build up on blades.
3.    One of a Kind Tags – You can make your own gift tags by using the back of old holiday cards. Cut pictures or words from magazines, and paste them on the gift card to make it festive. Voila! Your own customized gift tag.
4.    Go Glam – Add luxury to your packages with glamorous materials such as metallic papers that will make anyone feel spoiled. Fashioned inspired animal print or sophisticated quilted paper will look luxurious under the tree.
5.    Mix It Up – Move away from traditional wrapping paper by incorporating new textures such as rice, foil and matte papers into your wrapping repertoire. Mixed colours and patterns are also a great way to add visual interest to your presents.
6.    Au Natural – For a more organic, eco look, use recycled papers or materials such as linen, Kraft paper, fabric remnants, burlap or a fabulous vintage scarf.
7.    In Lieu of Glue – For tasks where you’d traditional use glue, reach for Scotch® Double-Sided Tape, a no-mess alternative for light duty attaching and mounting tasks.
8.    Fit to Be Tied – Homemade bows are easier to make than you think. Simply tie the ribbon as you would a shoelace, and use fresh greens or other ornamentation to “dress up” the package. The recipient will surely be impressed with the “professional look” of the present!
9.    Stay Seamless – Scotch GiftWrap Tape features a unique satin finish that disappears on most gift wrap papers. Makes all your gifts look great! Easy to dispense and sticks securely.
10.    Make It Last – The joy of giving is always in style but before you start wrapping gifts, make sure you stock up on quality tape like Scotch Brand to ensure your packages stay sealed until its time to unwrap them.
11.    Waste Not, Want Not – Get creative with scraps of paper, ribbons and other found items to add pizzazz to your wrapping and help the environment by keeping these items out of the waste basket. 
12.    ‘Tis the Season – Before you start gift wrapping, put on some holiday music, relax and have fun! Remember – it’s the thought that counts!

Lynn Spence acts as a style expert on Citytv's CityLine, Around the House and Fashion Friday. She is also known for her past work as the decorating editor for Chatelaine Magazine. She is currently pursuing a freelance career as a contributing editor for Canadian Home and Country Magazine and continues to style photo shoots for various magazines.

Personally, I'm loving tip #3 on how to make one of a kind tags.  That sounds like a fun and easy art project to pursue with the kids.

So what about you guys?  What's you're favourite gift-wrapping tip? Any hints to share?(Trust me, I need all the help I can get!)

Please be sure to include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you then you can't win!   

I was provided with product from Scotch Tape Brand  in order to test the products  and give my own personal opinion on it. The opinions expressed are my own  and  were not influenced by the company or the free product provided. 

No, it's not that my photography is even worse then usual... all of these pictures were taken by my three and a half year old daughter using the Fisher Price camera she got for Christmas last year. 


This is the second time I've posted some of G-Girl's pictures. I love seeing the world from her perspective! Click here to take a look at some of her previous photos.

Check out the gorgeous clothes I got from Jilly bo Billy Boutique! My kids are going to look SO cute this Christmas.

G-Girl in her adorable new Room Seven shirt.

For G-Girl I got a Room Seven Typje Long Sleeve shirt.   This is one of the nicest pieces of clothing to ever enter my house.  Everything about this shirt is simply amazing. I couldn't get over the quality. I wish Room Seven made clothes in my size!

The material is amazingly soft.  I just keep wanting to touch it, and I caught my daughter petting her new shirt more then once. The flower embroidery and smocking is adorable, but what really wowed me is the attention to detail. The back of the shirt is every bit as cute as the front, since the embroidered design is on both sides. The button holes are so well made! And the buttons are small enough to be cute on a kids outfit, while still being big enough to be easy on my giant clumsy fingers.

The back is just as cute as the front.

The single feature that impressed me the most?  The backside of the smocking is covered over in a nice soft cotton, I have seen so many adorable kids outfits with picky itchy interfacing material on the inside. I was really impressed that the inside of this shirt was just as nice and as soft and comfortable as the outside.  I think the only down side was that the soft velvety material is a cat hair magnet... which wouldn't be a problem for folks who don't live in a house filled with mounds of fur.  To get around this I think in the future I will put this shirt on G-Girl just directly before whisking her out the door.

Baby-G in her disgustingly cute new "dino" dress.

For Baby-G I got this lovely Decaf Plush Turquoise Stripe Giraffe Dress.  Everything I've seen from Decaf Plus is disgustingly cute, and this dress was no exception.  It's very eye catching, bright and playful.  People were quick to notice this dress, and I received a lot of compliments on it.  Again, it's a real quality piece. The felt appliques are firmly stitched and seem like they are going to last nicely.  Again, here we have buttons and button holes that are well made, and actually sized for adult finger.  The head opening is generous, and this was easy to get on and off, which to me is a big bonus in infant clothes. I know it's supposed to be a pair of giraffes on the front but I think it looks more like dinosaurs.  Which is cool, I like it.   

Overall I am in love with both pieces of clothing, I can't get over the quality, and I can't wait to buy more!

Jilly bo Billy Boutique deals strictly in discounted boutique kids clothes. The service is great and the shipping turn around time is quite simply amazing. The only downside is that because they deal in clearance items and sample sales, they don't always necessarily have the sizes available that I want. Of course this just adds to the "thrill of the hunt" bargain hunting aspect for me.  They are constantly adding new stock to the site and I find myself compulsively checking back in, worried I am going to miss something cool.

You can snag some really great deals off of  www.JillyBoBilly.com.. They have an awesome sale on right now with a 12 Days of Christmas theme.  Each day a different brand is marked down.  Today is day five and Right Bank Babies is at 65% off.  (I'm hoping Misha Lulu or Room Seven is on Santa's list for the 7 days of sales left to come!) They are also still offering FREE SHIPPING until Christmas for both Canada and US. And don't forget the daily $0.99 deal of the day.

The opinions expressed in the above review are my honest experiences, and thoughts. I did not receive any money for writing this review. I purchased the Decaf Plush dress and I received the Room Seven shirt for free for review purposes.

Wow, almost four hundred entries in 14 hours.  I guess I'm not the only one excited about the idea of receiving a TASSIMO Home Brewing System!








Thanks to TASSIMO Canada for granting me the opportunity to give away two of their awesome machines. And thanks so much to everyone who entered! I was really excited to see so many entries on such a short notice.  If I haven't heard back from the winners by Noon today I'll be drawing again.

The TASSIMO home brewing system is a revolutionary approach to home brewing that allows you to prepare your favourite drink at the touch of a button. Each beverage has its own single serve T DISC equipped with a unique barcode. Inside that little barcode are precise brewing instructions from the brand. Our brewer then adjusts the temperature, water volume and brew time. The result is the perfect cup, every time. 


Whether you’re in the mood for a coffee, tea, latte or hot chocolate, with our 29 beverage varieties, you’re sure to find a drink to suit every occasion.

Please be sure to include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you then you can't win!   

Two years ago we replaced the "you-can-see-sunlight-through-the-cracks" original wooden front door on our 1954 house.  We didn't realize until after the contractors ripped it off and disposed of it that this meant losing our front screen door.  I was a little dismayed at the time but we didn't have the extra cash to spend on getting a new screen door as well.

Now due to my husband's online shopping addiction, I've always received a fair amount of packages.  Add to that the fact that I've started winning stuff online (woohoo!) and requesting product for review, and I am currently receiving a LOT of packages.

The packages arrive by a variety of methods, Canada Post, DHL, UPS, etc, and show up at different times throughout the day.  Despite the fact that I'm home all day, the delivery person often just leaves the package sitting in the middle of my front porch.  They don't knock. They don't ring the bell. Back when I still had a front screen door they would leave leave it sandwiched between the two doors, which was pretty ideal. Now they leave it leaning up against my front door, or even better just sitting at the top of the stairs. Maybe I'm a little jaded, but I am paranoid that people are going to snatch my stuff.  I'm developing a nervous compulsion to look out my front window hourly.

Okay, I know many of my readers are also bloggers who do product review. Or maybe you enjoy shopping online, or like me you have a husband who is addicted to eBay.  How do you deal with parcels?

Maybe I just need to buck up and get a new screen door.  Or I've considered putting some sort of container on the porch to hold packages, but then how do I coerce the delivery guys into using it?  And what sort of container?  I'm thinking maybe one of those plastic bench seats that lift to store stuff.... Suggestions?

I want to know why the heck my kid is fixated on learning to play the Banjo?!

As part of our we'll try anything to get her to stop using diapers program, one of the bribes I offered G-Girl was the opportunity to take classes.  They have all sorts of cool cheap classes available through Parks & Rec in her age bracket, but all of them have that bold print addendum "Must Be Toilet Trained".  So I talked to G-Girl about it, and told her if she could stay dry all day for three days in a row, we would find a class to take.  I explained to her that there were art classes, dancing classes, music classes, etc.  She immediately decided on a music class.  

She is finally out of diapers but constantly having accidents.  Still, the day when I'm going to have to come through with this promise is drawing near. I've been looking into Kindermusic, and it's expensive but looks awesome.  Or there's the dance and play classes offered through the local Parks and Rec for way reasonable rates.

In the meantime G-Girl has worked up some Very Specific expectations.  She says that she is going to take music classes, and "All of the children will dance and sing.  All of the grownups will watch us and they will clap. And I will play the Banjo!!"  This isn't a one time thing.  She keeps repeating it with very specific details.

The other day she was on the phone with my dad and she says "Pip, will you come to my class?  I'm going to play the banjo, and you can watch and clap. All the other children will dance and sing.  Will you come?"

She has been working her way through inviting every grown up she knows.  She has even started to add her younger sister into it, saying that Baby-G will dance with the other children. The other day she insisted that my parents DOGS would come and watch her play the Banjo. 

Okay, first off, other then the song I've Been Working On The Railroad which ends with "someones in the kitchen... playing on the old banjo", I have no clue how my daughter would even know what a banjo is.  Secondly, where the heck am I going to find Banjo lessons for a three year old? Or, for that matter, where does one find banjo lessons period?

I have tried to explain to her that her music classes might not have banjos at them, and that she's probably not going to be playing an instrument while everyone else dances and watches.  She refuses to believe me.

My husband jokes that we need to get her into a class and then slip the teacher a $50. I can just see it now....  "Say, look could you let my kid play music and make all the other kids dance and sing while my family watches and claps? Oh, and do you let dogs in here?"   Sigh. So not going to happen.

Congratulations!  I'll be emailing you all shortly.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered and hello to all my new followers!  

And of course, thanks to the above sponsors and to the wonderful bloggers who organized this hop;  Simply Stacie,  Little Yayas,  My Wee View,  Review Retreat  and  Stockpiling Moms. 

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