Hollywood Cone is Open!

by Steph Simpson // April 18, 2017 // Comments off

I love love love ice cream…I think it’s probably one of my favourite treats! I was thrilled when I heard that Hollywood Cone was opening in Whitby, not too far from my house. Hollywood Cone is known for their creative ice cream creations – as I have a soft spot for soft serve (Hah – see what I did there?!) I am thrilled to have one near us! If you haven’t been to Hollywood Cone, it’s definitely worth the trip – they take delicious soft serve and top it with over-the-top toppings (say that five times fast!), such as strawberry shortcake, coconut cream pie, and Kinder Surprise, to name a few.

I have read a few articles about their Mutant Shakes, so over the weekend I headed down for their grand opening with the family. Andrew and I decided to try the Funnel Cake Shake, while Ryan and Lily shared vanilla soft serve with Reese’s peanut butter cups mixed in. As you can see in the pictures, both were a HUGE hit.

The mutant shake was unlike anything I’ve ever had before – it was a delicious, thick, creamy strawberry milkshake topped with a hot funnel cake (read – made fresh!) and more of that perfect soft serve! Andrew’s eyes almost bugged out of his head when I brought it to the table. Funnel cakes always make me think of hanging out at Canada’s Wonderland in the summer, and splitting a funnel cake before heading home for the night. The funnel cake at Hollywood Cone was so good it definitely took me back there. The strawberry sauce was perfect, although messy – get lots of napkins! Don’t let the price tag of the bigger ice cream dishes and mutant shakes deter you; the servings are HUGE and can easily be shared. The mutant shake was legitimately two desserts in one.

I love the decor in Hollywood Cone – the movie seats are so comfy, and Andrew thought it was hilarious to have movie seats in an ice cream shop!

Hollywood Cone is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Durham Region! What would your ice cream choice be?

Hollywood Cone is located at 1549 Dundas St. E. in Whitby. You can also find Hollywood Cone Whitby on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Spring Refresh with Pine-Sol #YesItsPineSol

by Steph Simpson // March 24, 2017 // Comments off

Spring has (kinda) sprung! Even though Mother Nature hasn’t gotten the memo yet, it is officially spring. For me, that usually means breaking out my spring wardrobe, getting all my spring decor out, and cleaning. As it was hailing this morning when I left for work, it’s clear that my entire spring wardrobe isn’t coming out anytime soon (although I made the decision to forego socks and boots for the season, for better or worse), so my current spring prep consists of cleaning and decor.

I tried out Pine Sol Spring Blossom to kick off my spring cleaning. It’s the same Pine-Sol that can be used on almost every surface in your house, but with a fresh floral scent. Plus, it’s pink, so I’m pretty much sold on it by the packaging!

I use Pine-Sol throughout my kitchen, bathroom, and most recently my laundry room! I was worried about using a cleaner in my laundry room because it’s such a small room without a ton of ventilation, but it desperately needed a good scrub. My worries were unfounded – it smelled so nice! It has scents of jasmine, magnolia and orange blossom…makes me dream of the beautiful garden I wish I could grow in my backyard. Unfortunately, I have no trace of a green thumb, so Pine-Sol Spring Blossom might be the closest I get!

Pine-Sol multi-surface cleaners are available in a variety of fresh scents, and provide 4X cleaning action, by deodorizing and cutting through grease, grime, and dirt. They are available nationally at grocery and discount retailers for $4.49 (1.41L) – trust me, that lasts a long time.

I recently picked up a new spring wreath from HomeSense – coincidentally, also pink! I love how it looks against the white door! That’s my first piece of spring decor to come out… my next spring project will be some nice bright decor inside the house!

Do you have any spring rituals? What spring decor are you putting out this year?

Ten Things Canucks Love About USA

by Steph Simpson // February 27, 2017 // Comments off

I feel like America has really been taking a hit in the media lately, and there is undoubtedly a ton of controversy swirling in the news right now. Since I’m currently sitting here wishing I was still on vacation in the States, I thought I would give our southern neighbours a little love and share the ten things that I love the most about coming to the USA.

Bob Evans – I don’t know why, but I have a real love for this place. It’s real home-cooking, and is so comforting after a day of being on the road! When I was going to university in Kingston, there was a group of that would drive over the border to New York just to go to Bob Evans for breakfast. Seriously. I’m sure the border crossing guards had bets on when they would catch us with drugs, but it really was just a trip to Bob Evans.
The little sticks of butter. It’s SO SMART.
There are no words to describe my love for Target. Having Target briefly in Canada was a tease, and I miss it more than words can say. One of my first stops whenever I get to the States is to spend some quality time in Target. That bullseye just makes my heart go pitter patter. When I get to Target, it’s like I’ve been returned to my homeship.
Buying liquor everywhere. There’s something so freeing about buying wine with your cereal, isn’t there? Even Costco – who doesn’t love wine and vodka at rock bottom prices?
Along with the previous…the free flowing liquor. I mean, isn’t a place where you can get bottomless mimosas a wonderful place? (For those not familiar with Canada…this just doesn’t happen to your neighbours in the great white North. It’s actually not allowed…which is why Canada doesn’t have all-inclusives).
$1.49 McDonalds for a ten pack of nuggets. Just being able to buy a 50 pack is amazeballs.
Sheer variety of things. We stood in the cereal aisle for about ten minutes. Being able to buy a cinnamon-variety in every cereal type. You may not be able to buy ketchup or all-dressed chips (which are amazing, btw), there is a jaw-dropping amount of variety.
Shake Shack – this is my newest obsession. It came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. I’m adding it to my list of regular US stops.
Shopping: Dollar Tree, TJ Maxx, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Kohls… the unbelievable outlets…to all my US friends, I hope you know how lucky you are! I will be eternally jealous of both your budget and luxury shopping options.
Warm weather options without leaving the country. I wish we had a Florida and Hawaii in Canada!

Kidapalooza is Back + GIVEAWAY

by Steph Simpson // February 3, 2017 // Comments off

All moms can agree that the cold winter months make it harder to keep kids entertained. Any way we can get kids out of the house and burn off energy is a win…so all you moms will be happy to know that Kidapalooza is back for their second year, and it is even bigger and better than last year!

The 2^nd annual Kidapalooza has expanded by over 15, 000 square feet, bringing it to over 45,000 square feet of pure fun. Kidapalooza will be taking place indoors at the Markham Fair Grounds on Family Day Weekend, February 18-20^th, 2017.

There will definitely be something for everyone at Kidapalooza – they will have activity stations, play zones (and have added more from last year), interactive inflatables, a performance stage, dance parties and vendors. It will give families the chance to create, explore, and play together.

Check out the list of play zones – I am already planning my day with the family!

Toddler: a designated area for little ones to jump, slide and ride
Build It: construction activities with building blocks, sand, and the chance to build and race Lego balloon cars
Bounce It: jumpy castles, slides and obstacle courses
Sport It: active sports zone with basketball, t-ball, tennis, soccer, hockey, a bike course and more
Craft It: Make and take painting and crafting activities and group art installations
Imagine It: Imagination station with dress up, tea parties, a princess pavilion, pirate ships and knights. Joy Spa will also be here providing manicures and hair treatments with glitter and temporary colour highlights
Pet It: a petting zoo for kids to pet, feed, and learn about all the animals (pony ride available for additional cost)
Dance It: main stage performances and shows (even more than last year!)
Gaming RV
Springfree Trampoline Zone: burn off some of that extra energy!

For more information or to buy tickets, head over to Kidapalooza’s website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Now, YOU have the chance to WIN!

Do you want a chance to join in on the fun at Kidapalooza? I’m giving away a Family Four Pack (2 adults and 2 child passes) to one lucky winner! Pop over to my Facebook page to enter! Contest closes February 9, 2017 at midnight.

Kidapalooza is also giving away a Springfree Large Oval Smart Trampoline, with FlexrStep and Delivery & Installation (Value: $2,749.00). You can enter to win here: http://kidapalooza.ca/contest.html

Good luck!

The Secret to Sleep Training Sanity with Philips Avent + GIVEAWAY! #AventMoms

by Steph Simpson // January 10, 2017 // Comments off

Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Philips Avent and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group, however all opinions are my own!

Hands down, one of the hardest things about having a baby is the lack of sleep. I never really appreciated sleep until I had a colicky baby. If you are one of those moms that has a magic unicorn baby that came home and slept through the night – well then, move right along and don’t tell me that. I might cry. Neither of my kids slept through the night until a year (for real, y’all. It was painful), and right now we are smack dab in the middle of Lily’s 18-month sleep regression. If there one thing that has consistently worked for me as a mom, it is the fact that sleep training works. It’s not easy by any means, but it works. I won’t get into all the methods and techniques, because there are SO many different options with SO many opinions on the matter. I will share the why – because I was exhausted and needed sleep to survive. So, we used gentle sleep training methods with both our kids with success.

Although it requires commitment and persistence, sleep training is worth it. One thing that made sleep training infinitely easier for us was using a video monitor. It allows you to check in on bebe, it helps calm your nerves, and just makes life with a baby a little bit easier. I don’t think Ryan was 100% on board with getting a video monitor when I was pregnant with Andrew – I’m pretty he sure he thought it was a waste of money. However, our first video monitor died when Andrew was still a young infant, and Ryan was as adamant as I was that we NEEDED a new video monitor that same day. Even the Budgetmaster saw the value in a video monitor (I’ll be honest, they’re not cheap, but SO worth it. If you are debating on whether to splurge on a video monitor, I would strongly suggest you do it!)

The Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor has all the features to help with sleep training – plus more that are just nice to have! The video is crystal clear, and the audio is fantastic. The battery even lasts for ten hours unplugged – you know, for moms like me that fall asleep with monitor on their lap while sleep training. For me, having a video monitor was critical so I could check on them without going into the room to gauge whether they might settle without Ryan or I going in to soothe them. There were definitely times when it sounded like they were pretty upset and not even close to sleeping, but a quick check on the video monitor allowed us to see that they were lying down and settling themselves. If I didn’t have the video, I definitely would have gone in and disturbed them as they were trying to sleep.

An amazing feature of the Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor is the vibrate feature. It is SO difficult to listen to a baby trying to learn to fall asleep on their own, as they fuss and try to soothe themselves. The vibrate feature actually allows to you turn off the audio, and it vibrates whenever a sound is detected. Definitely a sanity-saver.

The Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor has so many great features, as well as all the standard video monitor features – it has a nightlight to turn on (perfect for middle of the night feedings!), you can check the temperature in the room, turn on lullabies, and even has a talk-back feature. I made a lot of wise-ass cracks about the talk-back feature when I was pregnant – “Who is actually going to sit on the couch and talk to their baby through the monitor?!?” Uh, this mom. I definitely did that ALL THE TIME. When we were sleep training, I used the same phrase over and over to encourage sleep. When Andrew would wake up or fuss, I would sit there on the couch, grab the monitor and repeat that same phrase, and he went right back to sleep. Yup, I definitely ate my own words. Another great feature is the ability to adjust the sensitivity to make sure you’re only hearing what you want to hear. When Lily is sick, I can crank it up to listen to her breathing, or turn it down on normal nights so I’m not listening to cars driving by on the street. It is really easy to use – I figured out how to use all the features without looking at the manual.

The monitor comes with hardware to mount it, but I just leave it on a shelf – it provides a perfect view of the crib, and I can grab it easily when I’m putting the kids down to sleep somewhere else. It’s so light and portable, it’s perfect for travelling.

The Philips Avent Digital Video Baby Monitor has created a device that will most definitely help new parents – especially when it comes to sleep training!

Want to hear the most exciting part? Philips Avent is giving away TWO video monitors to two lucky winners! Enter through the link below. For Canadian residents only excluding Quebec.

CODE: Philips Avent
#AventMoms Video Monitor Giveaway

Plus-Size Holiday Style with Giant Tiger

by Steph Simpson // December 16, 2016 // Comments off

*Although this post is sponsored, all opinions and love for Giant Tiger are my own!*

There are a lot of things that I love about the holidays (that’s an entire post on it’s own). But one thing that I love about the holidays is the clothes. The sparkle, the lace, the accessories…getting dressed up for holiday parties is a dream come true for me!

Typically, the only downfall of dressing up for holiday parties is the price tag – especially for plus-size dresses. I’m pretty sure many plus-size women out there will agree with me when I say it’s painful dishing out cash for a plus-size cocktail dress. Worry no more, my friends – Giant Tiger has stepped up their game!

Giant Tiger now has three plus-size brands: Lily Morgan (my personal favourite – stylish and fashionable), my STYLE (more casual), and ACX Active (activewear). All the brands are very current and fashionable, and very affordable. Giant Tiger makes it easy for me to spoil myself a little bit because I don’t really feel guilty buying another pair of leggings if they’re only $10! It had the same effect on me when I went looking for a new dress for the holiday season – I usually balk at $200 price tag on cocktail dresses (“Do I really need another one?”). At Giant Tiger, the answer is always YES. Definitively YES! When I can walk out of a store with a new dress and new jewellery for under $50 that can never be wrong.

I popped into Giant Tiger and picked up a little black lace Lily Morgan dress that is just perfect for Christmas and New Year’s partying. It fits well, the cut is great (lots of room for boobs and hips!) and has a nice swing to it. I love that with the cut and style of the dress that I can wear a regular bra with it! The dress came with a cute little braided belt that could be paired with other dresses and tunics too.

There were two things that really surprised me when I got the dress on – first off, I was absolutely thrilled with the quality. It is SO well-made. The lining of the dress is soft and well-made – it helped to hide all my bumps and curces (no Spanx needed with the dress!) Secondly, I was surprised by how soft the lace is – so incredibly soft! It makes the dress feel so comfy cozy – perfect for a long night of partying! Because the dress is so soft, it also means that it’s REAL hard to wrinkle! I left it in a ball the morning after I wore it, picked it up the next morning…and it looked as good as it did the night before!

I also picked up the accessories to go withe the dress at Giant Tiger. All the accessories are as affordable as the clothes are. I was totally drawn to the sparkle in the earrings, necklace and bracelet. I think it adds the perfect amount of sparkle to the outfit! There was a huge variety of accessories to choose from, both casual and dressy. The jewellery I chose was lightweight and comfortable to wear.

Time is at a premium around the holidays – Giant Tiger is a definite one-stop shop for plus-size clothing! Check them out here! Bonus – you can shop online too!

Can a Woman Really Have It All?

by Steph Simpson // December 14, 2016 // Comments off

In my head, I had this dream that when I had kids, I was going to be the mom at pick-up and drop-off, joining the PTA and volunteering in the school. I would know all the other moms, be in the know about school business, and would chat with my kids’ teachers regularly. Yet at the same time, I also saw myself working and getting the personal fulfillment from my job that I love. Somehow, I saw myself having it all.

Maybe I had that notion because when I was growing up, we were told women can have it all. You can have the best of both worlds – you CAN be an amazing mom and have a kick ass career! The modern woman can have it all! But what is having it all, really? Is it being able to juggle parenting and working? Is it simply making choices that are right for you?

Growing up, the mantra of ‘having it all’ was everywhere. I really do love the positive message it sends to young girls and women, and it will undoubtedly spread to my daughter as she gets older. Sadly, for me, and where I am right now, I don’t feel like I have it all. I feel like I am constantly dropping the ball somewhere. That I am always disappointing someone. That I am rushing from one thing to another without really enjoying my tiny, incredible humans. Those are my truth bombs right there. I pretty much feel like I am sucking at everything. In my mind, it is a constant struggle: “I should be there to pick him up from school!” but “I can’t leave work yet!”

It is a continuous battle in my head, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only mom waging a war on herself in her head. So to any other moms out there feeling like this…you’re not alone. I hear you mama. I’m doing it and there are days that I feel like I’m failing miserably. I feel guilt like never before. I don’t really feel like I have it all, even if it looks that way on paper. Don’t get me wrong – there are days when I feel like I’m totally killing this whole working mom thing. Healthy meals prepped and ready to go, lunches and snacks prepped for the week, schoolwork organized and complete, clothes for the kids and I ironed and laid out. But trust me when I say that those days are not the norm.

I want to have a career that brings me joy, and to be able to show my daughter how kick ass it is to be a lady. Maybe it’s the fatigue, maybe I’m just having a bad day. I do what I can to make myself feel better – take a step back for a few weeks from blogging and social media. Surround myself with people and things I love. All I know is…right now, I’m not feeling so kick ass. Maybe I’m overthinking this whole thing. My kids are happy and healthy. I wake up everyday beside a man that brings me happiness, laughter and love every single day. Our house may be messy, it may be chaotic, but it is filled with love. I know undoubtedly that every person in our house feels loved every single day. Maybe I’m not doing so bad after all.

Kids Holiday Style with Giant Tiger

by Steph Simpson // December 1, 2016 // Comments off

The holidays – the food, the fun, the fashion!! I love dressing my kids up for the holidays, and they usually have different outfits for each event. I love love love buying the kids fun outfits, but the price tag usually reins me in, especially around Christmas. However (my apologies to the Budget Master), I recently discovered Giant Tiger’s kids line of clothing and they are so cute and SO affordable! I can shop away guilt-free!

Giant Tiger Has You Covered with Affordable Kids Wear

Andrew fits into the Monkey Bars brand, which is made for running, jumping and playing. It is durable, stylish, and affordable (I can totally vouch for this – I bought Andrew a few pairs of their jeans for the start of school and even though Andrew plays hard, they are all still in excellent shape three months in). The brand tends to fit on the slim side, which is perfect for my kids.

Unfortunately for me, Andrew has started to have an opinion on what he wears sometimes…and this was one of those times. He refuses to wear dress pants, so we settled on dark jeans so they don’t look quite as casual. I love that they have an elastic waist as Andrew hasn’t quite mastered buttons and zippers yet…or he’s just too busy to care! I paired his dark rinse skinny jeans with a cute plaid shirt. Andrew told me he looks like Daddy in it!

If your kids are anything like mine, they will want the fun holiday wear as well! Andrew was adamant that he have a Christmas shirt and socks – and Giant Tiger totally delivered. I’m not usually a fan of buying holiday-themed shirts and socks, for the sole reason that it won’t get worn for more than a month or two. Yet again – I don’t mind when the prices are as low as they are at Giant Tiger. Andrew’s Christmas socks only cost $1.50 (RIGHT?!?!?!) and his long-sleeved Christmas shirt was $7! We were both happy with our purchases when we left!

I found a Monkey Bars dress for Lily as well, even though she’s still in infant sizes. Giant Tiger had an absolutely adorable holiday dress for her – and the prices are incredible. I have no qualms about buying multiple outfits when the price point is so affordable! The dress is such great quality, and I love that it’s not sleeveless, so it’s a bit warmer for her (you know, in case it actually gets cold here by Christmas! We have been so lucky with weather this year!).

I also love that the skirt of the dress is full, but it doesn’t have a crinoline, so it’s still nice and soft for her. It is a bubble hem, so it’s comfy cozy for my little lady. The shrug is attached to the dress so I don’t have to worry about her losing pieces of her outfit throughout the day. Plus – how sweet is that little flower on her shrug?

It’s only December now – which means you still have enough time to pop in to Giant Tiger to pick out some more holiday outfits for your kids – and while you’re there, I’ll let you in on a little secret – it is an AMAZING place for stocking stuffers for the entire family – you can even buy lottery tickets (in Ontario anyways)! Happy Shopping!

Cleaning for the Holidays with Pine-Sol Lavender

by Steph Simpson // November 28, 2016 // No Comments

*Although this post is sponsored, all opinions expressed are my own!*

To say that December is busy for us is an understatement. My birthday, Ryan’s birthday, Christmas, New Year’s….there is a lot of entertaining in our house, and in typical Stephanie-style, my cleaning and prep is usually last minute. For the upcoming holiday season, I’m counting on Pine-Sol Lavender to get me through all my last-minute cleaning.

Pine-Sol has totally upped their game – it’s the same trusted cleaner, but it smells lovely. Pine-Sol Lavender promises to cut through the toughest grease, grime and stains leaving a lavender scent behind. I can honestly say that the product stands up to their claims! Pine-Sol seemed to take a good product and made it even better. Pine-Sol has always been a reliable cleaner, but now it does the job while leaving your house scented with lavender.

The thing that I love most about Pine-Sol Lavender is that it is a multi-surface cleaner – meaning I can whip around the house and clean most surfaces with one cleaner, saving me a ton of time. I can do my kitchen, my floors, and my bathroom with the same cleaner. I even used it on my ceramic cooktop when I was in a rush and it took all the burnt little bits off with minimal work on my part.

The only thing I didn’t love was the bottle itself – while it worked well for diluting and cleaning floors, it wasn’t the greatest for cleaning counters and sinks. I ended up pouring some into a little spray bottle to make the application easier and it was perfect. I would love if it came in a spray bottle where you could twist off the top to pour out of as well.

I was pleasantly surprised with the lavender scent – I didn’t think it would have any staying power, but it left a nice scent throughout the rooms I had cleaned with it.

Now, I’m not usually one to get excited about cleaning products, but I am genuinely looking forward to trying the other new scents that Pine-Sol is introducing. Along with the original Pine-Sol and Lavender, you can also find Pine-Sol in Lemon, Mandarin, and Sparkling Water Scents at grocery, discount, drug, dollar and club retailers. Price points are completely reasonable, starting at $2.99 for 828 ml, $4.49 for 1.4L, or $12.99 for 4.25L.

Happy Cleaning!

Christmas with Cricut + GIVEAWAY!

by Steph Simpson // November 21, 2016 // 26 Comments

I love Christmas. Like, seriously, LOVE Christmas. Whether it’s the extra time with family, the festivities, the decor, or the fact that it is acceptable to have every surface covered in glitter….I love Christmas, and Christmas decor in particular.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I won a Cricut at Blogpodium back in September, and I was more than a bit excited about it! I’ve decided that it’s going to be a Cricut Christmas, and I’m going to integrate as much Cricut as I can into gifts, decor and gift wrapping! (And no, this totally isn’t a sponsored post, I am seriously just amazed by what a Cricut can do!) I’m pretty sure you will be amazed as well.

I’ve teamed up with some other Cricut-obsessed bloggers to show just how awesome a Cricut is, especially for the holidays. We all made Christmas ornaments with our Cricuts, and I think you’re going to LOVE them!

My creation was a work in progress but I’m happy with the way it turned out. My vision was a sparkly snow globe ornament for each of my kids with their initial cut out using the Cricut. It had to be sparkly. Obviously. I headed to Michael’s to stock up on supplies for my project. I bought:

clear glass ornaments
sparkly metallic confetti
glycerin
Krazy Glue
wide wire ribbon
glitter vinyl adhesive Cricut sheets

I used my Cricut to cut out letters on the glitter vinyl adhesive – I started out by doing Lily’s entire name but ended up liking the look of just the L – pretty and simple.

Now – learn from my mistakes and fill the ornament BEFORE you put the vinyl letter on! I put the water and the glycerin in a cup and mixed it up well before putting it in the ornament – I’ve been told that the glycerin makes the glitter/confetti float down slower and it seemed to work in mine. Pop off the top of your ornament and carefully pour the water in. Add the glitter afterwards (put in what you think you need and then add a little bit!). Don’t you love my completely precise instructions?

Pop the top back on and wipe the exterior of the ornament well. I used Krazy Glue to seal the top of the ornament to prevent leakage. I let it sit for about an hour to let it dry and seal. Then you can just peel your letter (or name, whatever you prefer!) and stick it on the exterior of the ornament! Just make sure it’s really dry so it will stick. You can use transfer paper if you’re doing an entire name to keep it neat, but I just used tweezers to place the letter.

Annnnnnd because I can’t get enough glitter in one project, I topped the ornament with a glittery gold bow! Now – I’ll be completely honest. This ornament really doesn’t photograph well…I’m sure a professional photographer would be able to get a great shot, but with the floating sparklies inside sinking and settling, and the glare off the the metallic, it doesn’t translate the best. But…you get the idea!

I can’t wait to make even more Christmas goodies with my Cricut! If you have done any awesome Christmas projects with your Cricut, please share below, I would love to see them – I’m a Cricut newbie!

Now on to the part that I’m most excited about! I’ve teamed up with a group of awesome Cricut-loving bloggers to give away a mint green Cricut Explore Air 2.

This contest is open to US and Canadian residents, and one winner will be selected randomly from the widget below.

Good luck!

Now that you’ve seen what the Cricut can do, it’s time to enter to win your own Cricut Explore Air 2!

cricut-ea2
a Rafflecopter giveaway