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Roxymandy June 12, 2015

The Importance of a Thank You Card

The introduction of emailing, texing, and social media in general has made written notes and cards almost forgotten. Now you can send an invitation online, or ask for an RSVP via email and text, but how do you say thank you?

Most people still do it with a Facebook post or text message, but I don’t think that a proper thank you card should be forgotten!

Is’this it lovely to check your mailbox and find a written letter or card? I love receiving mail (as long as it’s not my credit card bill), and I remember that feeling when it’s time to say thank you to someone else.

Is it a bit of a painful process to look up addresses and write everything down by hand? Absolutely! The person receiving the card will know this, and appreciate the effort you went through to give them a proper thank you.

I send out thank you cards after parties where gifts are exchanged, or just in general at times when I think someone needs to be thanked in a special way.

I find the easiest thing to do is already have thank you cards on hand. I always have a stack on my desk just in case I need to send someone a quick note – it’s much easier that way!

My absolute favourites come from Rifle Paper Co! I also loved the selection I would find at Target, but since they have left Canada I tend to buy mine in boutiques, or at Chapters.

Here are a few of my favourites below – I hope it inspires you to say thank you to someone!

Merci Beaucoup Thank You Greeting Card {Rifle Paper Co}

Thank You Hostess Greeting Card {Rifle Paper Co}

Merci Greeting Card {Rifle Paper Co}

Navy Stripe Foil Thank You Cards {Waste Not Paper}

Note Card Set – Thank You {Kate Spade New York}

Thanks and Thanks Again Card {Papyrus}

Metallic Embroidery Thank You Card {Papyrus}

Thx Bae Thank You Card {CVCustomPress}

Thank You For Being Your Awesome Self {Whitsicle}

Roxymandy June 10, 2015

Arnicare Gel Review + Ultimate Boiron Product Giveaway!

When you have your first child, you are pretty much terrified of everything – especially sickness. I remember being so scared of a runny nose, and listening carefully with every cough or sneeze that came out of my son. The biggest thing I was worried about when he was sick was what to give him. I was scared of antibiotics, I and always reading labels to makes sure I was giving him the proper dosages or over the counter medicines for his age and weight.

One of the first things I every gave my son when he was teething was Boiron’s Camilia. I was very nervous to use anything because anytime I thought I had found the perfect thing to try, some mom at a play group or stroller fit class would say not to use whatever I suggested because they had heard all kinds of terrible things about it. A few mother’s had told me about Camilia and said great things, so I gave it a try.

It was a homeopathic medicine so I felt good about giving it to him, but would it work?

It actually did – I used it throughout the first year of his life on and off when he was teething. It really seemed to soothe his teething symptoms.

A couple weeks ago I attended a Boiron Canada event where I learned more about some of the products they have for not only children, but adults as well. We had a great yoga session, a healthy lunch, and learned all about how to life a healthier lifestyle.

The product that stood out the most to me was Arnicare Gel which relieves muscle and joint pain, and eases resorption of bruises and inflammatory edema.

If you have a toddler, you know that they are forever bumping into everything – accidentally and occasionally with intent! – and they end up covered in bruises. We have an ice pack on standby for whenever the tumble is a little harder than usual, and our son is covered in bumps and scrapes.

I am no better – I play soccer and the harder I get knocked around, the more I say to myself that I am probably not going to be wearing a dress that week because the bruises will be so visible. Last week I was bruised so badly on the back of my leg that my son was really concerned about me so I had to put pants on because he was completely distracted by it!

I gave this product a try on myself first to see how it would work. I have to say I was pretty impressed with it. It’s so hard to tell if a bruise would be worse if I didn’t use it, but at least my bruises seemed to hurt a little less when I applied it. It’s a really soothing gel too so I can say that it absolutely eased the pain a little.

I started to let my son try it as well when he banged into tables or fell to the floor playing. First of all it helped to have something to offer him when he fell down and was hurt – it was a great distraction to say that I had something that would help! He was truly mesmerised by what I was doing so it would stop the tears for a moment or two. When I would rub the gel on he would always say that it was making him feel better, so it’s replaced the ice pack.

Boiron has a full arsenal of products for infants to adults for all kinds of different symptoms and afflictions.

Would you like to try out some Boiron products for yourself? I am giving away an amazing prize pack courtesy of Boiron Canada to one lucky sparkleshinylove reader! It has everything you could want and need to have a healthy summer. Everything in the photo below is in the prize pack!

All you need to do is enter below to win! One winner will randomly be chosen via the Rafflecopter App below. The contest begins at 12:00am on Wednesday, June 10th 2015, and ends on Wednesday June 17th at 12:00am. This contest is open to residents of Canada only. Good luck to everyone who enters!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roxymandy June 9, 2015

Style and Function with Lou Harvey Canada

One my biggest challenges since having a baby has been still dressing stylishly while at the same time being able to function as a parent. For example I love wearing white jeans, but no matter what the situation, I still end up with little footprints all over them by the end of the day. I love wearing a cute bag, but there is always a dirty toy thrown inside or a juice spill that has me scrubbing the bag clean while muttering to myself “It’s just a bag, don’t cry!”.

When I am heading out for a day with my son, I feel like a Sherpa carrying snacks, drinks, and anything else I may possibly need to survive a day away from home. Finding something to carry it all can be a challenge, let alone finding something that looks great as well.

Once I looked through the Lou Harvey Canada website to see their bold and bright patterns matched with the functionality of being wipe able and washable, I did a little summersault and chose something perfect for those long summer days where I need to carry everything.

As a family we spend much of the summer at the beach. We are there almost every weekend to spend time near our families boat. The boat isn’t in the water yet, so until then we have been spending many days nearby enjoying the warmer weather.

This means sand EVERYWHERE, and lots of trucks, shovels and sunscreen.

This Lou Harvey Large Weekender in Arabella Aqua is absolutely gorgeous, and completely functional for a day at the beach! It’s also perfect for traveling overnight, or just a great bag throw everything in and go. I used it over the weekend on one of our beach trips.

The pattern is so bright and pretty for summer. I love bold patterns, and the outer shell of the bag is canvas so it’s easily wipe able. The bag is made of cotton and laminated (PVC free) so it’s very durable, and machine washable. That means it has a force-field against grape juice – mother’s can rejoice!

What else do you need to know about Lou Harvey? They also have everything from clutches, bottle warmers, coolers and passport covers. It’s a great site to shop – they pretty much have everything under the sun with some amazingly fun patterns.

The Lou Harvey brand also has a great background story to it as well. The brand is based out of South Africa, and it’s been launched in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and in many other countries around the world.

Lou Harvey’s product lines are designed and ethically manufactured in Durban, South Africa. There is really a Lou Harvey – she oversees the design and production of the brand in the factory in Durban.

Over 50 of the women employed in the factory in Durban are called “Grannies”, a name given to the the women who care for children who’s parents have been affected by HIV and AIDS. Lou provides skill improvement courses to all of these women, and has them working in various jobs in her factory.

She even encourages her staff to set up their own business, and she now has five mini-factories selling back to her. How amazing is that? What an great way to give back to a community where jobs are scarce, and HIV and AIDS harshly affect the country.

Ethical fashion with a side of function and serious amount of style? Sounds like the perfect combination.

For more information on Lou Harvey Canada, or to shop the brand, visit them at www.LouHarveyCanada.ca!

Disclosure: I received this product for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own!

Roxymandy June 5, 2015

Fisher-Price Mommy Moment Event with Social Common

When I was invited to an event by Fisher-Price and by the lovely ladies from the Social Common (Natalie and Catherine) at one of my favourite spa’s – Her Majesty’s Pleasure – my automatic response was “yes”! Date and time didn’t matter, I was heading for some pampering!

The event was centered around two things – giving mamma’s a break, and previewing some amazing new innovative Fisher-Price products which were basically created to make a parent’s life easier.

We were treated to hand massages, manicures, and we were even able to have our hair done! There were lots of yummy treats and drinks to get us in a relaxed mood. Babies were welcome as well, and a great little play station with Fisher-Price toys was set up for the kids who came along for the ride.

During all this pampering, socializing, and relaxation we learned all about how some of these great Fisher-Price toy’s could save us some time and give us an extra hand when trying to keep our little one’s happy.

The biggest wow factor came from the 4-in-1 Smart Connect Cradle ’n Swing! The free Smart Connect App lets you control the swing from your smart phone or tablet – up to 164 ft. away! How amazing is that? Sometimes you know your baby just needs a bit of a rocking motion to fall back asleep, but if they see your face it could be game over – they will suddenly become wide awake and cry until they are picked up. With this new technology there is no more sneaking across the floor, praying not to be seen! Just a push of a button and you can sooth your little one in their swing! Very awesome.

The Ocean Wonder’s Aquarium was also a big hit with most of the ladies – all of us either had one, or had heard amazing things about it.

The Laugh and Learn toys are also one of those big hits not only in my own home, but in the homes of all of the other ladies there. All of the different variations of the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn puppy seem to keep kids happy and entertained.

All of the products we saw at the event are in stores now, so you don’t need to wait for them to launch.

Check out www.Fisher-Price.com to learn more about what their innovative toys have to offer to make your life easier!

To see more photos from the event, check out the hashtag #FPMommyMoments on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Roxymandy June 3, 2015

Peasant Dresses for Summer

I love wearing summer dresses! I am that crazy girl who wears skirts in the winter, and summer dresses when it’s still spring and chilly. One of my favourite styles for this summer is the peasant dress. It’s a good thing I love them, because they are everywhere. My favourites are usually white, but I am pretty much impartial and would buy any colour.