.@TeddyOutReady: March 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Teddy's March Break in Hamilton

This year we spent some time with auntie in Hamilton during March Break. We had lots of fun outside in the snow (you know how much we got) then warming up by the fireplace. Such a great getaway!
March Break Hamilton March Break Hamilton smile March Break Hamilton March Break snow
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Friday, March 22, 2013

Useful tips from Insurance Hunter for used car shopping online

This post brought to you by Insurance Hunter. All opinions are 100% mine.
Auto insurance
Internet changed buying habits significantly, including buying such big items as bikes, cars or boats. There are so many choices, designs and colors same as websites where you can find desirable products.
When I first came to Toronto I needed a car and, of course, my first option was to get a used car since I was new to the city, did not have a job and was looking for one. First I browsed web to get a general pricing range for a car I wanted to buy. Then I used my findings to negotiate the price at my local dealership. From one point I am thankful for having on-line resources to get the necessary information but from other point I found many times that advertised car was not that fancy dream auto I saw on-line especially when photo editing was involved.
With option buying a used car online there are also possibilities of attracting scammers using fake adds, addresses and car details. If you are new to the city and need to buy a used car or looking for cheaper option for your kid, I suggest reading Insurance Hunter article: Looking to buy a used car? Use common sense when shopping online.  They have awesome tips for buying a used car via Internet, where my favorite one is “Always get the car inspected by a mechanic before purchasing” since I am not good in car details and want my auto to be safe and comfortable for my family, especially for my kid. I think it can be not exactly a mechanic but someone who has more experience with autos.
Used car is a cheaper option but not cheap item to buy so shop carefully for your vehicle and visit   Insurance Hunter for more information about auto insurance, great articles and professional help on your insurance hunt.
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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Smile Brilliant! Review and Giveaway CAN/US

review giveaway blue

Beautiful smile opens many doors, why? Because you look welcome, attractive and confident. That is why I was thrilled when offered to review LED Teeth Whitening System from Smile Brilliant! Even before getting it what I liked the most is that it is at home teeth whitening system, we do not need to go anywhere, call or book an appointment with a doctor.

Smile Brilliant! sent me a tooth bleaching package consisting of 4ml Professional whitening gel pen (22% concentration), Protective trays(top & bottom) , High intensity Ultra-Blue LED activating light (batteries included).
We found that the kit was quite easy to use: first I painted the teeth with special whitening gel. Then I place LED whitening tray in my mouth and finally I use the Light transmitter and turn on the light for 20 minutes. That’s all. During these 20 minutes when advanced light with applied gel working on removing stains and whitening I could watch TV, clean and even cook. Here are my husband's photos testing the kit:

Professional whitening gel pen High intensity Ultra-Blue LED activating light
We noticed slight results after second use; the teeth started changing their color and looked more cared I think. After 12 days results were amazing, no more excuses for skipping a good laugh.

I like that I do not need to go to dental office for this procedure. Besides paying for my hygienist’s work, I have to find someone to babysit with my toddler. I preferred evenings when my family home but usually evenings are the mostly booked time and I had to arrange dental visits long in advance because of that.

What if you have a special occasion like wedding, anniversary, birthday or just a regular party and want to look fabulous for that day. Go to a hygienist again or just use this LED Teeth Whitening System, it is easy, effective and can be done at home.

Of course LED teeth whitening system is not a replacement of our dental visits but with our coffee and tea habits this kit is a must-have for smiling brilliant. And price is not bad $39.95 compared to hygienist visits even with insurance coverage. Plus the company offers 30 Day money back guarantee, life-time tray replacement warranty and 20% off coupon code.
Smile Brilliant coupon

Giveaway time: One lucky Teddy Out-Ready reader is going to win LED Teeth Whitening System, for your chance please enter using Rafflecopter form below and be ready to Smile Brilliant!
Giveaway open to Canada and US, ends April 10. 

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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blog App and Blu-ray Giveaway

Exciting news for The Hobbit fans, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" coming to Blu-ray & DVD March 19th 2013, that means today! 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an amazing quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield.

Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien


You will love this The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blog App:

 •Are You 100% Hobbit Quiz! What has a tendency to be very brave, is around 4 ft. tall with sharp eyesight, little to no facial hair, and loves cake? If you thought we were talking about you, then you might be a Hobbit Indeed! Take the quiz to find out just how much of a Hobbit you are!

•Creatures of Middle-earth! Hobbits, Elves and Dwarves are just a few of the magical creatures that call Middle-earth home. Check out vital stats and unique features about each one!

•The Hobbit Handbook! Our Hobbit Handbook includes everything you need to throw the best viewing party in Middle-earth right at home!

•Get Social! Tweet with the #TheHobbit hashtag to share your excitement about the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey coming to Blu-ray & DVD March 19th 2013!


Plus one lucky Teddy Out-Ready reader is going to win a copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack! Giveaway is open to Canada and US, ends April 5, 2013.
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Kid reviews matter: listen to opinions of little ones

You know that we are on the search of our new car, we ready for the change mostly technically but not financially. It is fascinating to listen to the kids when they talk about cars and in a car, it is like another world for them to explore.

I like when my boy proudly said that when he grows up he will occupy driver’s seat and take us anywhere we want. He also knows a lot about lights, turns and driving as a passenger. And I think his opinion would be really important when making our purchasing decision, the reason is he has sincere attitude to what he likes or not; and gladly shares his ideas.
This week I stumbled upon this cute video review on the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport by 10-year-old girl Simone, check it out. It is straightforward and adorable.


It is interesting that most of the time I checked serious reviews, full of technical details (sometimes I do not even know what they were really about), this time I was thinking simply ask my little one what he is looking in a new car and just start from that.
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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Disney on Ice: Rockin’ Ever After in Toronto

Teddy Disney on Ice

This week we were lucky to watch Disney on Ice: Rockin’ Ever After show in Toronto. Rogers Centre was quite packed for the evening show (we were there on Wednesday), lots of girls and boys in costumes. Teddy also put on his Pirate outfit as a symbol of magic adventures and was equipped with finger lights to wave to Mickey and lightning stick.

The show started with fancy and funny introduction including Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy to Teddy's excitement (my boy was not like that last year).

Disney Under the Sea

First story was about Little Mermaid Ariel. I think the whole story sequence was caught so smoothly. The scenes were very colorful with all the “Under the Sea” beauty of plants and sea creatures plus the song (I was singing too). Honestly, I would be happy to escape to such wonderful “Under the Sea” we saw.
Sea witch Ursula was huge and moved smoothly on ice and we heard the audience when she first showed up, her octopus-like costume looked quite interesting.

Rapunzel Tangled
Next story was Tangled about princess Rapunzel with long beautiful hair. Some parts of this story looked same as last year, may be a little bit shorter, but we liked it anyway. My boy was impressed with Lanterns scene last year and this year’s one was quite different with all these orange lights going up, so beautiful! And Maximus, the lovely horse was skating like a pro. 

Merida Brave
Third story was about Merida from Brave, appeared first time not only on Ice but among audience too, we noticed so many little cute Merida fans. We haven’t seen the movie Brave before so we were just guessing what was going to happen with this red head archery beauty.

Belle Be our Guest Be our guest Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast Castle
The last story was Beauty and the Beast, Teddy’s favorite. He knows all the songs from the movie and heard them so many times that this part was truly enjoyable. The costumes were just incredible especially for scenes in a castle including “Be our Guest” . The feeling was that the whole story was present: Gaston with his intentions, the Beast in his castle, Belle looking for love and town people around.

All the previous Disney shows seemed quite short to me, but not this time. We truly enjoyed the show and it was just perfect, have to say that it featured lots of solo skating scenes same as mass ones, and skating level was quite high. I think that great combination of music, skating, decorations and March Break mood did the right job created all the Magic memories lasting forever.

Disney on Ice

P.S Pay attention to Mickey’s and Minnie’s skates, they looked like regular shoes, I had not even noticed blades ( Is it first time or maybe I just did not see that before?)
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Monday, March 11, 2013

Your child’s formal wear debut

Girl

Time does not stand still when you are a young parent. Many parents with children find themselves faced with numerous invitations to formal events. While we can easily pull out the little black dress from the back of our closet, finding formal wear for children is a slightly more difficult task.

There are plenty of occasions such as, religious holidays, weddings, anniversaries, events and birthdays, that may require your child to look their best. With the ever growing children it may be sometimes difficult to find a stylish outfit that is within your budget and that will fit your growing child. Places such as Noori dresses are ideal for parents. There you can shop by occasion-so that your outfit is always appropriate, by colour, or by size.

Since every lady and even a young lady know that the perfect outfit is not finished without the right pair of shoes or accessories, you can choose those to complement an ensemble. All the outfits are age appropriate so no function at an event whether your child is going to their first communion or be a flower girl at a weeding, will be without a great outfit.

As much fun as little girls are to dress up, little boys can be quite handsome looking in their formal attire. You can choose great formal outfit with a splash of colour in the boy’s vest or tie (or even both!) to complement the colour scheme of the formal event. Dressing your children for formal events does not have to be a daunting task.

There are plenty of beautiful and affordable outfits to choose from that are sure to suit any special occasion. So make sure to have your camera ready to snap a picture of the little lady or gentleman as they make their debut!
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Thursday, March 7, 2013

The $5 Cookbook from Bizy Mommy: Easy Dinners for Busy Families giveaway

Cover photo Cover_zps72ef94c7.jpg
Cooking for the family is one of the most exciting thing in life and involves various skills from planning, grocery shopping to preparing the meal. Sometimes I like to serve a huge meal (mostly on holidays) but during our everyday life I also want to give our loved ones delicious dinners, want to cook something special but spending less time and money. When I was offered to review The $5.00 Cookbook: 20 Meals for $100, Easy Dinners for Busy Families by Tiffany Wong, I decided to give it a try, realizing that the experience of Mom of six kids is invaluable in the areas of cooking and savings and definitely will benefit all of us.

Ready to cook photo 017_zps2542b86c.jpg

When I received a copy of Tiffany’s e-book first thing I liked was the high-quality photos. The instructions are easy to follow and the major part most ingredients can be bought in any North American grocery store. Plus consider that some products you already have in your pantry like pasta or rice (I buy lots of pasta on sale and one bag of rice enough for longer time), or spices like onion powder and garlic powder.

Final photo 018_zps0f16b274.jpg

Each recipe can be prepared in around 30 min time, I spent even less when I cooked for dinner Southwest Beans & Rice. The only thing I changed in recipe is rice cooking, for this one I used my rice cooker instead of microwave (only because I used to it). My guys liked it so much, it was tasty, fast and easy to prepare.

The $5 Cookbook photo E-book_zps5257b43b.jpg

If you like to try it for yourself, you can buy a e-book just for $4.99, plus use code teddyoutready to get extra 20% off. Look, here are just a few of the recipes you’ll find in The $5.00 Cookbook:
Meatball Subs
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Southwest Beans & Rice
Chicken & Dumplings
Minestrone
Pizza Enchiladas
Zucchini & Beef Pasta
Tex-Mex Bake
Cheesy Tuna Empanadas

To celebrate the release of e-book The $5.00 Cookbook, The Bizy Mommy is hosting a twitter party on March 14, 9-10pm EST (6-7pm PST). Please join to chat about favorite go-to dinner ideas, how much most families spend weekly on food, how often families eat together and more and win some amazing prizes, details here: http://thebizymommy.com/2013/03/04/cheapeasymeals-twitter-party-314-9pm-est/  (note Twitter party giveaway open to legal U.S. residents aged 18 and older at time of entry)

The Bizy Mommy is offering one lucky Teddy Out-Ready reader their own copy of her amazing e-book The $5 Cookbook: Easy Dinners for Busy Families. For your chance please enter using the Rafflecopter form below and Good Luck!
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Teddy Goes to Paris

 photo ted_zps240ce2e4.jpg 
 
Bonjour, I have great news for our little man. Teddy goes to Paris this Spring! He is not as excited as we are, but he learns something new about France every day.

What is done so far is the Hotel booked, close to Eiffel Tower, good I managed to do it as early as possible and found a room at good price, plus negotiated to add a kid’s bed to the room. And plane tickets purchased, this area is quite crazy, prices change every day in growing direction.

That’s just a quick introduction, hope you will follow us during our European adventures, we will gladly share our findings, pictures and stories. Merci beacoup!
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