Breakfast in Bed with Chocolate Philly

Very often my children want chocolate for breakfast. What can you do, right? They are kids after all and they will at least try for the sugary stuff. And pretty much just as often as they’ve asked, I’ve said no. I am after all, a mom, and I will at least try to get the good stuff in their bellies. It’s the classic dance.

chocolate philly

This week though I was able to surprise them with Chocolate Stuffed French Toast made with Chocolate Philly from Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Why? Well because with Chocolate Philly you get the dairy goodness of Philly plus the deliciousness of pure milk chocolate — with half the sugar and calories (per 1 tbsp. serving) of the other guys.

The classic dance just got a little funky. I mean, do you realize what this means? It means that Chocolate Philly has less sugar than a tablespoon of maple syrup! “A little Chocolate Philly spread on your pancakes, honey?” No problem.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Serve with a croissant, dip strawberries in it, spread on toast, add to a bagel with banana, try my Chocolate Stuffed French Toast or come up with your own unique recipe. Better yet, challenge your family to come up with their own recipe and serve it to you…..in bed!

Chocolate Philly has come up with a simple yet highly effective way to convince your loved ones to serve you breakfast in bed. In just 3 quick and easy steps, your loved ones could be serving you Chocolate Philly in bed. C’mon – you deserve it! By using the power of social media and some friendly peer pressure, breakfast in bed with Chocolate Philly can be yours. Here’s how it works:
• Just post a Facebook status update that says something like “If I get 20 Likes, my sweetie(s) are/is serving me Chocolate Philly in bed. Help a girl out! Thank you!!”
• Your friends will start liking your post and put the pressure on.
• When you do get served breakfast in bed with Chocolate Philly, take a photo and submit it to the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Canada Facebook page.

I don’t know about you but I’d rather be eating the Chocolate Philly than cooking with it. Just sayin’.

No doubt you’re eager to accept this challenge, so Philadelphia Cream Cheese Canada is offering a coupon that can be downloaded from their Facebook page starting May 21st.

ChocoPhil_CoverPhotoIntro-1

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What Would You Do with $50,000?

Today is Blue Monday. Aside from the fact we’re suffering from a serious lack of daylight, most of us are also coming to grips with the reality that we probably overdid it a smidge at Christmas. Almost a month later and those dreaded bills are rolling in. Eeep. No wonder we’re blue.

It was perfect timing then that I was asked to share the details with you for the Royale Golden Kittens 50th Anniversary promotion. What better form of escapism is there than to contemplate what you’d do with $50,000? Let me just emphasize the amount if I may – FIFTY.THOUSAND.DOLLARS. Fifty freakin’ thousand dollars. Pause for two seconds and think of the happy dance you’d do if you won that amount. I’m barely able to sit right now as I type that.

What would I do with $50,000? Well, responsible me would pay some bills and invest in the future. BUT, responsible me is soooo boring. Let’s ignore her and find out what irresponsible me would do, shall we?

I would rent a villa for a week for me and my friends at Half Moon Jamaica and get totally pampered at the Fern Tree Spa.

head back to your room relaxed

I would take my family to Italy and spend a month eating delicious Italian food and absorbing the culture.

tuscany

I would take my husband to Thailand. Then maybe to Vietnam and China! Holy cow, this is fun!!

phuket

Finally, I would buy a brand new wardrobe to go with my brand new body I got working out with him. What? This is my daydream. Get your own.

joe

What would you spend $50,000 on? Share your thoughts with me below in the comments but more importantly, why not try to really win it and make your dreams a reality. First, there are 440 Golden Kitten Tickets hidden inside specially marked Royale bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towels and dinner napkins. Next, you could go to the Royale Kittens Facebook Page to start searching for 60 Golden Kitten Tickets hidden online! Aside from the Grand Prize winner of $50,000 there are more prizes of Samsung TV’s, Samsung Tablets, and even SpaFinder Gift Cards.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Golden Kittens Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Royale. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

*note: It was really, really hard to find a picture of Joe with his shirt on. I had to look at A LOT of photos. I highly recommend this ladies.

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Walmart Mom of the Year Nominees

I am absolutely humbled reading through the nominees for the Walmart Mom of the Year contest. I also managed to cut my pity party short. See below.

Please take a second to read a little about each of the nominees at the Mom of the Year website and get inspired. Then start thinking about who you’re going to nominate next year!

 

 

Disclosure: I’m part of the Walmart program by Mom Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. Mom of the Year Award: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Internet access and valid email account required. Nominations open May 10, 2012 to July 8, 2012 for legal residents of Canada over the age of majority. Entrants cannot nominate themselves. One (1) grand prize available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $100,000 donation by Wal-mart Canada Corp. to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Seven (7) runner-up prizes available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $10,000 donation to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Charity/cause subject to verification and final approval by Wal-mart Canada Corp., at its sole discretion. Odds of winning depend on how the judging panel evaluates each entry according to the criteria. For Official Contest Rules and to nominate an entrant, visit [www.momoftheyear.ca].

 

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Gaiam TV Fitness Videos

Last March, I quit the gym. For good. Tired of the time it took and the expense, I shut it down. This did not mean, however, that I was giving up on fitness. On the contrary, I turned to Jillian Michaels to keep my body fit. And cursed a lot. Then the summer came and sangria season hit, and my willpower dissolved faster than the ice cubes in my drink. I mean, really, who can work out in that heat anyway, right?

Next thing you know, it’s fall and my body has somehow gotten a little mushier, and well to be honest so has my brain and my spirit. The summer, was hectic, to say the least and brought some interesting challenges both personally and professionally. It was just before the kids returned to school that I was approached by Gaiam TV to preview their streaming video service and write a sponsored post. If you’re familiar with Gaiam at all, you know they’re the leaders in mind, body, and spirit multi-media. So, to say it was fortuitous they approached me when I was feeling rather frazzled to begin with, is an understatement.

So for the last week, I’ve been exploring through their site and have found these fabulous guides:

For the body: Seven Ways to Lose Weight this Fall. Oy, do I need this. Also, Jillian Michaels haunts me. Why can’t I shake this girl?

For the mind: I’ve been dabbling with these stress relievers on Gaiam and notice my mind has become a little less loud :)

For the soul: Serenity now. I’ve been loving this Detox video starring Seane Corn.

So, I’m breathing a little easier these days and that feels good. It’s also a perk that I don’t have to leave my house and the world’s top fitness instructors can join me wherever I am. That’s not all. Check out these great features of Gaiam TV:

Innovative Service & World-Class Programming: Gaiam TV is the first streaming fitness video subscription service designed to reach those interested in health, wellness, yoga, fitness and personal development. With over 2,000 titles, Gaiam TV is like Netflix for health, wellness, yoga and fitness lovers, delivering hundreds of hours of online yoga, Pilates and cardio workouts. Gaiam TV viewers can practice with top instructors like Rodney Yee, Seane Corn, Jillian Michaels, Mari Winsor and Kathryn Budig.

User-Friendly and Customizable Programming: Gaiam TV’s yoga and fitness videos are flexible and simple to use. Viewers can customize workouts for weight loss, total body sculpting or increased energy and narrow down their options based on level, style, instructor and amount of available time. With Gaiam TV, viewers can easily search for yoga videos, make playlists, and preview selections. Plus, subscribers to Gaiam TV are offered the chance to rate and review Gaiam TV titles.

Instant Access, 24/7 Convenience: Gaiam TV’s entire library of award-winning videos is available anytime, anywhere. Streaming capabilities for Gaiam TV include personal computers, iPads and smartphones.

Free to Try: Gaiam TV’s $9.95 per month subscription fee allows subscribers to stream unlimited content. The subscription to Gaiam TV is no strings attached; there is no commitment, and members can cancel at anytime. Gaiam TV is offering a free 10-day trial to my readers, plus the first 25 people that sign up for Gaiam TV will get a free yoga mat with their subscription! Simply visit here to start your 10-Day trial offer.

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Kobo Vox eReader Giveaway

Summer vacation is just around the corner, which means it’s time to catch up on all that reading you’ve been stockpiling. So, I’m very excited that I have a Kobo Vox eReader to giveaway to one lucky reader from Future Shop Ottawa and Kobo.

I’m feeling very Oprah-esque today.

Aside from the fact that I’ve got it in this seasons hottest colour, Ice Blue, the Kobo Vox has a number of other great features you’re going to love, like:

- a 7″ colour touchscreen
- the ability to watch movies and play games
- Android capability – access to hundreds of apps
- Wi-Fi capability, check in on Facebook and Twitter, surf your favourite website *ahem*
- share what you’re reading with the Kobo Community and discuss as you’re going. You don’t even have to leave the house for your book club now.
- add your own photos so you can share 500 pictures of your kids with the person beside you at the beach
- 7 hours of battery life

You know what the best thing is about the Kobo Vox though? It’s portability. It’s small enough to slide in your purse and you can leave behind tons of weight in books, games and magazines. Why lug all that with you?

It’s the perfect gift for Father’s Day, your upcoming graduate, or frankly, for yourself. You deserve it, right? I think it’s one of the best priced gadgets on the market right now. Future Shop has $10 off right now and is selling it for $169.99 (excluding taxes). It comes in 4 great colours, Hot Pink, Ice Blue, Lime Green and Jet Black.

So here’s what you need to do to win a Kobo Vox eReader from Pleasantville. Go follow @FSOttawa on Twitter, because he’s the guy hooking you up here. Also, Chris loves to talk, about his wife, his kids, his Doodle, sports……but not so much the business. Because the guy gets social media and understands it’s about conversations. So go talk to him, seriously, you won’t regret it. Then tell me what book you would download first onto your Kobo Vox eReader in the comments below. That’s it. Contest ends June 5 at 11:59 PM. I’ll announce the winner on June 6 using the number selected by Random.org. Contest open to Canadian residents only, excluding Quebec.

Pleasantville Note: Just so you know I have a great little Facebook page over here and I’m always looking for more great people to join me there. It is not a prerequisite for entering the giveaway, merely an invitation to come on over for more great conversation….outside of 140 characters.

Good luck.

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Walmart Mom of The Year

I got so excited about being involved in this, I decided to vlog about it. My apologies in advance for my extreme dorkiness.

So, there you have it, I belong in print. Put that aside for a second though and go nominate a mom you know at momoftheyear.ca. Then don’t forget to share the link with them to let them know how incredible they are.

You can check out my nomination for Heather here. Don’t forget to check out her incredible site Globetrotting Mama as well.

I sadly cannot be nominated this year, as I have already won the worst mother of the year title. Kidding. A little.

In addition to Heather though, I’d like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to some mamas I know that are rockin’ the mother gig. Much love to you ladies.

Judy Sampson – Antonella Mistretta – Jodi Martin – Bernadette Erb – Sharon DeVellis – Lisa Thornbury – Heather Hamilton – Anita Denny – Laurie St Julien – Laurie Balerna – Michelle Falardeau – Kelli Catana – Joanne Wallace – Becky Stanisic – Sara Cooper – Stacey Diffin-Lafleur – Julie Cole – Tricia Mumby – Candace Wiseman Alper – Erica Ehm – Kat Inokai – Cherie Lynn Buchanan – Dee Brun – Nat Rea – Tammy Derickx Gardner – Tara Derickx – Catherine Jackson – Jen Taylor – Maria Stanley – Nadia Carriere – Connie Bernardi – Karma Brown – Charlene Burnside – Amanda Goetz – Mary Champagne – Krista Swanson – Erika Wilson – Ingrid Meza- Macdonald – Leslie Foster – Diane Duff – Tracey Black – Michelle Davies – Jen Maier – Maureen Turner – Kim Short – Marg Smith – Andrea Tomkins – Nadine Silverthorne – Stéphanie Montreuil – Sarah Gunn

I am forcing myself to stop at 50 because I could go on and on. Maybe next year :)

Disclosure: I’m part of the Walmart program by Mom Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. Mom of the Year Award: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Internet access and valid email account required. Nominations open May 10, 2012 to July 8, 2012 for legal residents of Canada over the age of majority. Entrants cannot nominate themselves. One (1) grand prize available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $100,000 donation by Wal-mart Canada Corp. to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Seven (7) runner-up prizes available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $10,000 donation to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Charity/cause subject to verification and final approval by Wal-mart Canada Corp., at its sole discretion. Odds of winning depend on how the judging panel evaluates each entry according to the criteria. For Official Contest Rules and to nominate an entrant, visit [www.momoftheyear.ca].

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Chapters Indigo Kids: Gifts Made Easy

Shopping for kids that aren’t yours can be difficult at the best of times, throw in some distance and it can seem almost impossible. If you’re like me though, you have kids across the miles that you regularly send gifts to. To me, it’s important that I send a gift that will make them happy, make me look cool and is also age-appropriate. That’s where Indigo Kids makes life easy. You don’t even have to leave the house. I went shopping in my pajamas.

Simply go to the Chapter Indigo Kids website.

Et Voila! Could this get any easier?

Click on the age you’re looking for and tons of great toys, games and books pop up! All gifts have been hand-selected by Indigo Kids expert buyers, so you know they’re going to be age-appropriate and totally deliver the wow-factor! I was shopping for a nine year old girl and loved the suggestions they had for Bananagrams, the Fashion Design Artist Tote and even The Game of Life. All great choices I’m sure any 9 year old girl would love.

In the end though I decided the gift that would be most from my heart would be books, something Indigo Kids know a lot about. Their Indigo Kids Books section is also broken down by age, making finding great books for kids easy peasy. In fact I’ve found every one of the books I placed on my Top Ten Books for Tween Girls at Indigo. This is what my order looked like when I was finished.

The Penderwicks, Ella Enchanted, The Mysterious Benedict Society and an adorable book mark all for under $30. I added gift wrapping and my order was just under $35 for everything. Plus, because my order was over $25 the shipping was free. And what kid doesn’t like receiving a gift in the mail?

I know this one did.

And I’m pretty sure she’s thrilled with her new books. (Thanks to her Mom for capturing the moment for me)

Chapters Indigo wants you to know how easy gift giving with them can be too and that’s why they’re offering one of my readers a $35 gift certificate. Simply leave a comment below telling me how you think Indigo Kids can be helpful to you. Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Winners can only win from one of several blogs currently running this contest through Mom Central. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Contest closes April 23 at 11:59 PM.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Indigo Kids program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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Chevy Orlando

I hate my mini-van. I really, really, really, hate my mini-van. It represents that stage of the mommy game I’m all to happy to leave behind….the dowdy mini-van stage. I am, however, reluctant to give it up. Admittedly I don’t need all the space it offers anymore; strollers have been a thing of the past for a while. Also, with only two kids at home, there’s really no reason for such a big vehicle, and it’s also a bit of a pig on gas. With all that being said, I’m hesitant to give it up because it can carry up to seven passengers and I need that frequently enough that I couldn’t imagine giving it up. Until now.

Enter the Chevy Orlando. My family had the pleasure of enjoying the Orlando for three weeks on our winter vacation to Savannah, Disney and The Florida Keys. What a fantastic vehicle! The Orlando is perfect of our family of four giving everyone lots of space and leaving loads of room in the back for trips to Costco and the grocery store. Where it really impresses me though is that it can also seat up to seven people! To me, that’s everything. At least once a week I need those extra seats when we pick up my girls’ friends or go somewhere with my parents. It’s like the magic car! It’s appears compact, yet doesn’t feel it. It manoeuvres like a peppy little car, but has the stability of a large SUV! It’s great for today’s smaller families but can take the whole gang when need be.

Don’t get me started on the XM radio. I drove my husband nuts as I scrolled through the channels constantly. So many good stations to choose from. Plus the radio flips up to reveal storage for your iPod, sunglasses or wallet. Really smart.

We towed the Orlando from Ottawa to the Florida Keys. It’s a great car to tow along behind an RV but you can’t use a tow bar, it must be flat towed. It was the perfect vehicle for cruising around town in Savannah, Disney and the Florida Keys.

Ready to leave the snowy north


Finally, we drove it for the long haul when we left our RV behind in Florida. We made the 24 hour trek from St. Augustine to Ottawa and it was a great little car for travel, with an amazing amount of storage capability. I couldn’t believe how much we were able to transfer from the RV into the Orlando. I wouldn’t recommend it for seven passengers for long treks. I think the back row can be a little tight for long distances, but it is all you need for tooling around the city.

The Orlando is a fuel-efficient 4 cylinder vehicle that is reasonably priced in my opinion, starting at $19,995. Now that we’re back in the Keys, it’s making me miss our versatile Orlando a little more. It’s possible I’ve found my mini-van’s replacement.

 

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Power Song Contest

Oh dear, it looks like my love/hate relationship with running is currently on the love side again. I even went out and invested in a fancy schmancy new pair of running shoes with the Nike + sensor. That’s right, I’m playing in the big leagues now. For the last week I’ve been running with my Marley headphones and continue to love them. I do however need some new power songs to get me through those moments when. I. just. want. to. die.

So, here’s the contest. I want your power songs. Give me that one song that motivates you to keep moving when your body just wants to quit and you could win a new pair of Marley Headphones for yourself from Future Shop Ottawa.

But first you must go like Life in Pleasantville on Facebook and follow @FSOttawa on Twitter. You can also enter if you already like and follow by leaving your favorite power song. This contest is open to all Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) and will run from Friday, March 9 to Monday, March 12 at 5pm. The winner will be determined using random.org. Good luck!

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Marley Headphone Giveaway

You may have guessed that I love music. I can’t play it, or sing it or write it, but I can listen to it and I do. Every. Single. Day.

When Future Shop Ottawa approached me about giving some Marley Headphones away I jumped all over it. What better way to listen to music than on a set of incredible headphones! I’ve been testing out a pair for three weeks now and I love mine. They have soft ear cushions and high performance speakers. They also have a three button remote with microphone and volume control. Perfect for watching a movie on my iPad or listening to music on my iPod. You’ll love these.

So here’s the contest: Like my page on Facebook here, Follow @FSOttawa on Twitter here, and finally leave a comment telling me you’ve liked and followed on your favorite song of the day this week. Was it, What Makes You Beautiful, Island in The Sun, Lovers In A Dangerous Time, Man in The Mirror, or Gel.

Only one entry per person. Contest begins Friday, March 2 and will end Monday, March 5 at 5:00. Contest is open to Ontario residents only. If you already like me on Facebook and follow @FSOttawa, you can enter by leaving a comment on your favorite song of the day. I will draw Monday using Random.org for the winner! A set of on ear headphones valued at $110 will be sent to the winner. Good luck

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