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Target REDCard Debit Card is more than what you think! @TargetCanada #‎TargetREDcardCA‬

October 29, 2014 by Wendy S

Target Canada offers a REDcard program that allows Canadian shoppers to save 5% every day on already low prices at Target stores using either a REDcard debit or credit card.

Because Target is still a new retailer in Canada, I didn’t fully understand what the program is all about or how easy it is to get!! Did you know that that the savings are applied right at time of purchase?!? But if you don’t use a Target REDcard you are giving up 5% savings on almost all of your purchases.

3 things that Target REDCard Debit Card is NOT:

Target REDCard Debit Card is not another credit card
Target REDCard Debit Card is not another bank account with bank
Target REDCard Debit Card it’s not a bank account with Target

What is Target REDCard Debit Card?

The Target REDCard Debit Card is linked to your existing personal chequing account
It has its own secured PIN
With each purchase at Target, you will save an extra 5% !!

Get yours today!

If you’re like me and you already love shopping at Target, you might as well get the Target REDCard Debit Card and save more every time you shop!

You can apply online or in store!

Yes, there is a full-fledged MasterCard as well. Just be aware that you will be opening a new credit card account.

Special Offer for new REDCard holders

All newly approved Target REDcard holders with applications received between October 20^th and November 10^th, 2014, inclusive. will receive a coupon that can be used between December 1^st and December 31^st, 2014 inclusive to get a one-time additional savings of 5% off their Target REDcard purchase at Target stores in Canada.

CLICK HERE for more details.

Cabbage Patch Kids celebrate 30 years with giveaways and parties!

October 21, 2013 by Wendy S

When I was 8 years old, all I wanted for Christmas was a Cabbage Patch Kid. Me and all of the other 8 year old on the planet. I guess they had a pretty good connected with Santa, because magically on Christmas morning, she was there!

I’m sure Santa had a hard time during the Christmas of 1983. Cabbage Patch Kids were the big “must have” present that year.

My CPK dolls had been a part of many of my childhood memories. Just last summer, a friend of mine got married. She and I have known each other since we were 3 and we shared many memories that included our CPK dolls. My doll made a special appearance during my speech at her wedding.

(Source)

When I was invited to the kickoff event for the 30th Anniversary of Cabbage Patch Dolls, I was so excited! These dolls continue to be a part of so many little girls lives and to be able to celebrate such a milestone is amazing.

Jakks was thrilled to help kick-off the Make-A-Wish season of giving with a $5,000 cash donation as well a commitment for a season of partnership with toys and fund raising.

Come celebrate with Cabbage Patch Kids on November 16th at Toys R’ Us!

“Toys R Us has been a primary Cabbage patch adoption center for Canadian children for 30 years and what better place to throw our nation wide party than at their stores.

On Saturday November 16th, Toy R Us locations across the country will have special pricing on Cabbage Patch Kids product to help recreate the craze of 1983.

Also on that date, there will be parties at 6-flagship Toys R Us locations across the country:

Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal

and two in the GTA: Vaughn Mills and Sherway Gardens.

At these stores consumers will have the opportunity to celebrate by having their photo taken, receive a custom CPK Frame, mini doll loot bags, tasty treats and $5off coupons.

You could win a Cabbage Patch Kid of your very own!

Beginning November 1st, when you join the Cabbage Patch Kids online community by liking the Jakks Pacific FB page and share your memories and post pictures, you will be entered Each day we will randomly select one winner to receive a 30th anniversary Cabbage Patch Doll.

Like Jakks Pacific FB page

What Cabbage Patch Kid memory will you be sharing on Jakks Pacific’s facebook page as your entry to win?

The Circus is coming to Ontario! Discount code and twitter party!! #shrinecircus ~ 2013 ~

June 16, 2013 by Wendy S

2013 is a monumental year for producer TARZAN Zerbini. Since the humble start of the Zerbini Family Circus in Paris, France in 1763, ten generations of Zerbinis have traveled the world sharing their talents with circus audiences on three continents.

We invite you to be a part of the Zerbini Family Circus’ 250th Anniversary Celebration at the Shrine Circus featuring a fresh mix of amazing entertainment in a traditional circus setting, all under the European style Big Top.

We have something for the entire family in this imaginative, exciting new show including; the largest exotic cat act in the world with 10 tigers, the TARZAN Zerbini performing Elephants, the Zerbini Liberty Equestrian Horses, astounding Trapeze & Aerial artistry, Juggling, Unicycles, Comedy, high-flying Acrobatics, Classical Clowns, The Incredible Circus Wheel and more! ~ Shrine Circus’ website

(image from shrine-circus.com )

Ontario Schedule:

Jun 21, 2013 – Jul 01, 2013 — Rexdale – Woodbine Centre Parking Lot
Jul 05, 2013 – Jul 14, 2013 — Brampton – Powerade Centre Park
Jul 18, 2013 – Jul 21, 2013 — Vaughan – Interchange Parking Lot
Jul 25, 2013 – Jul 28, 2013 — Oakville – Oakville Entertainment Centrum Parking Lot
Aug 02, 2013 – Aug 05, 2013 — Markham – Markham Fair Grounds
Aug 09, 2013 – Aug 11, 2013 — Ottawa – RA Centre Parking Lot

For more details or to see the Quebec dates, go to the Shrine Circus Schedule on their site!

Ticket information:

You can purchase General Admission tickets to any of the above shows online

Buy tickets!

~~Discount Code: Use the code “Fun” in the Coupon Code box when ordering and you can get 2 tickets for the prices of 1!~~

**UPDATED** This code was for 2013.

Want an extra chance to win the family trip to Two Tails Ranch in Florida??

Click here to enter!!

Twitter Party

When: >Tuesday June 18th 8-9pm EST

Hosts: @theshrinecircus

Hastag: #shrinecircus

Prizes:

TEN (10) sets of family for four (4) passes to our Ontario and Quebec shows
Family trip for 4 to Two Tails Ranch in Florida http://www.allaboutelephants.com/ (approximate value ~ $4,000)

–> RSVP here!

This post is sponsored by the Shine Circus.

I will receive compensation for this post, but all opinions are my own.

Protecting our fresh water starts with you! #RBCBlueWater

June 12, 2013 by Wendy S

“Canada has a relative abundance of water, possessing 7 per cent of the world’s renewable fresh water, yet only 0.5 per cent of the global population. Despite Canada’s abundance of water, this valuable resource is now under pressure from growing and often conflicting human requirements, which is likely to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change.”

We need to teach and encourage our child to protect our fresh water!

When the RBC Blue Water Project team asked some kids what they would do to protect fresh water, this is what they said…

When I asked my girls what they would do, they started listing all the thing we already do. So I encouraged them to think “out of the box” and asked them that if they had all the money in the world and could protect our fresh water, they said…

“I would put a force field over all the rivers so the big companies couldn’t put dirty oil in the water”

– Rachel, age 8

“I would have a superhero protect the water. The superhero would be called Mrs. Envirogirl!”

– Lauren, age 6

We need to lead by example!

We do many things around our house everyday to minimize our water consumption…

The girls know to turn off the water when they’re putting soap on their hands, or when they’re brushing their teeth.

For a long time now, we’ve been collecting water in a rain barrel. This is a great source of water for watering our gardens and plants.

Here are some other great tips!

Whether you get your water from a municipal or local government water department, private water company, or from your own well, you have a direct stake in water stewardship. Here are some ways you can help:

Get informed. Learn about your local watershed. Support your local watershed organization or regional conservation authority.
Minimize the square footage of impervious surfaces such as concrete and asphalt on your property. Consider using paving blocks, grass driveway strips, wood decks, wood chips, and crushed rock when designing driveways, patios and garden pathways. This will allow rainwater to soak through the ground rather than going directly into the storm drains.
Don’t dump products that contain toxic chemicals or pharmaceuticals on the ground, into sewers, or into the toilet.
Pick up after your pet (or teach your kids to do it)
Use natural, organic gardening and lawn care products.
Use non-phosphate soap to wash your car. Try to wash your car on gravel, grass or other permeable surfaces so that soaps, dirt and oil do not enter the storm drain system.
Use a rain barrel to collect rooftop runoff, and use that water for lawn and garden watering, car washing, and window cleaning.
Use tap water instead of buying bottled water, where municipal supplies are safe. Use a thermos or re-useable aluminum bottle to carry your water.
Plant trees and support pro-forest initiatives. Soil erosion due to forest depletion results in water pollution worldwide.
Convert your lawn. Native plants tend to be better adapted to local environmental conditions, and can require less fertilizer, fewer pesticides and less water than typical grass lawns.

For more great tips, see rbc.com/bluewater.

What are you teaching your children about conserving and protecting our amazing fresh water sources?? Start small…start today!

This post content is sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada, however the views and opinions expressed herein represent my own and not those of Royal Bank of Canada or any other party and do not constitute financial, legal or other advice.

Make yourself a priority, your heart will thank you for it! #EncourageAMom #spon

March 26, 2013 by Wendy S

This post is part of YummyMummyClub.ca‘s and Becel’s “Encourage a Mom” program. In its role as founding sponsor of The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s The Heart Truth™ campaign, Becel wants to empower moms and encourage them to prioritize their own health and well-being as much as they do others. I received compensation for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.

When YMC posted the opportunity to do a blog post about encouraging other moms, I knew that this was perfect for me. Perfect timing too! It had taken me awhile to figure out that I needed to focus on myself. The large number on the scale was a huge sign that something needed to change. A lot of things.

What is all of this weight doing to my body?

Extra weight puts a lot of strain on the other organs – particularly heart and lungs. Did you know that “by taking the time to take care of themselves too through healthy lifestyle choices, women can reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke (a leading cause of death for women in Canada), by as much as 80%”?

I want to be around to see my grandbabies. Death is not an option right now. I lost my dad just before that 2008 photo was taken. Rachel was only 6 months old. I weighed about 130 pounds.

Life caught up to me. Habits were formed; bad habits. For example, I take the time to make my kids a nice healthy lunch with fruits and vegetables but I end up getting drive-thru fast food for myself. In that 2013 photo, I’m more than 30 pounds heavier. My BMI is in the “overweight” category.

Reducing the Risk – Making time for me!

In order to be healthier, my doctor told me that I need to make healthy food choices and exercise. It really didn’t seem that difficult. But how? But when?

The excuse I tell myself often is “Between the 4 of us we have activities every night and finding time to exercise is tough.” I need to MAKE time. And I had to start out small. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with too much too quickly. I substituted my trip to the drive-thru with a healthy lunch and fruits and veggies for snacks. I park at the back of the parking lot and I take the stairs instead of the elevator. I started tracking what I eat and blogging about my journey.

Moms helping moms

My “Motivational Mondays” posts have led to become a part of an amazing group of women who support and encourage each other to stay focused on our goals of living a healthy life. “The majority (60%) of Canadian mothers say they don’t have enough time to take care of themselves. Over half (56%) of Canadian moms surveyed said they would be more likely to spend more time to take care of themselves if another mother encouraged them to do so,” according to a Becel commissioned survey. I’m very glad I have this group! A friendly reminder that I’m important too and that scheduling 30 minutes of exercise a day for me isn’t taking away from my kids. In the long run, it will mean more time.

Is there a mom you want to encourage?

Every mom needs a little reminder that she is important too!

I’m personalizing and sending this video to a few moms who are on this journey with me, who I know would appreciate a little encouragement!

Becel made this amazing video to empower moms and encourage them to prioritize their own health and well-being as much as they do for others.

You can go to the Becel website to easily personalize and send the video to moms in your life to remind them to take care of themselves too!

Encourage a Mom today! #EncourageAMom

** Images are my own.