When Little One was a baby, I noticed that Lansinoh seemed to be one of the brands all my breast-feeding mom friends talked about.  Lansinoh has everything from breast pumps to breast pads, breast milk storage and bottles and drinking sets.

In fact, one of the best gifts a friend ever gave me was a basket she put together filled with baby necessities from Lansinoh.  The Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads came in really handy, as did the Lansinoh HPA Lanolin.

I was excited to see that Lansinoh also has items for feeding babies as they continue through different stages of their development.  When I first saw the mOmma Spill-Proof Cup with dual handles and Straw Cup, I was intrigued by their unique design.

Because of the round ergonomic shape and soft handles that are designed for baby's hands to grip, and the fact that pliable silicone spout is for of baby's developing teeth and gums, this makes for a great cup. With babies that like to toss things or drop things frequently, it really helps that the spout is spill-proof.

Gadget Girl, one of my mom testers was given the opportunity to try out both the mOmma Spill-Proof Cup with dual handles and the Straw Cup.

Gadget Girl's Thoughts

My 10-month-old daughter is still mainly using bottles, but we have started to introduce sippy cups. She will try to get them to her mouth (a feat she can’t do with a bottle unless she is lying down) and has tried a few types so far. I love the shape of the mOmma, however, when you turn the cap to close the cup, the sipper also turns and can become uneven with the handles. 

Perhaps if the sippy cup had the handles on the top but separate from the cap/sipper feature, it would make it easier to make the sipper and handles line up, thereby allowing the baby to get the sipper to its mouth. The handles are very helpful in helping her get the sippy cup close to her mouth. 

Over all a good sippy and has not leaked yet even though my daughter throws it around.

Can’t wait to try the mOmma straw cup when she is ready for a straw. She's still not quite ready, but she is eager to try sipping out of the straw!



Did you know that the mOmma Spill-Proof Cup has been awarded the PTPA Seal of Approval? Parents Tested and Parents Approved.

Editor's Note:  When using the Lansinoh mOmma cups, it is important to note that one needs to push the spout down all the way inside the collar of the cup before closing to avoid unevenness.  Pushing the spout down all the way inside the collar of the cup will help ensure proper use and an optimal drinking experience for child. 

Disclosure - Our Mom Tester received products to facilitate this honest review.

Growing up, my parents taught us that travel and exposure to the world around us and different cultures were very important.  They encouraged exploration and whetted our curiosity by taking us on trips to my Dad's homeland of Trinidad and Tobago and to other points of interest.  Long road trips from Montreal to Florida or camping trips in New Brunswick or Gatineau were things we were no strangers to.

Travel has always been a large part of my life and before I settled down and got married, I made sure to travel a lot.  Barbados, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Bali, and over thirteen U.S. states and (only) four Canadian provinces were among the places I marked off on my map.

It is my hope and dream that Little One gets the same opportunities to travel as I did.  She embarked on her first international trip last year when we went to the Philippines.

The experience for my then three year old was amazing.  It opened her eyes to a new lifestyle, language, culture, and a new life in general!

When PTPA introduced me to Little Passports, I thought it was a brilliant idea and a great way to foster the importance of travel and culture in children.

Little Passports is a great way to teach children about other countries and cultures through the adventures and world travels of Sam and Sofia.

With Little Passports, parents can inspire a love and understanding of the world as your child learns about geography, history, culture, and more through monthly packages delivered to your door (starting at $10.95/month).

Simply sign up, select your monthly subscription, and get set to learn about the world with Sam and Sofia! My daughter, though only four years old, absolutely LOVES Little Passports!  She was so excited to see the postcards, stickers, letters, souvenirs, etc.  Best of all, it was mail for her!  What kid doesn't love receiving mail?!

Little One can't read on her own yet (she's in Junior Kindergarten), so I helped her with reading the postcards and letters from Sam and Sofia.  I was surprised at how "into" the whole experience she was!  It was almost magical seeing her go on the adventure with them (so to speak).  She really seemed to feel like she was part of their adventures!

I thought it was neat that when Little One opened up the envelope from Japan, she found origami paper.  We had a layover in Tokyo on our way to the Philippines last year and Little One totally made the connection between the origami paper and what I had told her about Japan.  Incidentally, she loved Narita Airport!  I lived and worked in Japan from 1998 to 2000 and absolutely fell in love with the culture.  Little One somehow remembered hearing that and took a keen interest in what she was learning from Sam and Sofia's trip to Japan.

Did you know that Little Passports is a PTPA Award Winner?

I really love learning activities like Little Passports.  They teach kids valuable lessons in an interactive and creative way.

Thanks to PTPA and Little Passports, we are giving one lucky reader a 3 month Little Passports subscription!

People used to always tell me "Oh, we hate road trips" or "Road trips are so awful" and "You can't go on a road trip with young kids."



When we were kids, my parents took us on tons of road trips and we had a blast! We'd drive from Montreal to Florida every year. We'd also make shorter road trips from Montreal to Toronto or Montreal to New York to visit our family.  What I loved the most was the adventure! I loved driving to Florida with my family and passing through all the States until we reached our destination.

I always knew that when I had kids of my own, I wanted road trips to be part of their childhood memories.

School's Out For Summer! Not Quite, But A Staycation At @Fallsavenue @FallsWaterpark is Perfect for Family Fun This Summer! 

A family stroll to check out the sites and sounds of Niagara Falls was the perfect way to begin our mini vacation.  The Clifton Hill, the main drag is always packed and bustling with people! I love the energy.  We even stopped and watch a few musical performances and dancers. Little One was in awe!


Since Hubby hadn't been to Niagara in ages and this was Little One's first trip, we had planned to check out as many attractions as we could.  Hubby really enjoyed the Guinness World Records Museum.  Hubby is a facts guy. He likes statistics and is a total trivia nut.

We also went to Ripley's Museum (Ripley's Believe It Or Not!) My husband would have liked to stay longer and read through every single rare and mind boggling display in the collection.  I think we rushed him. The man can spend an entire day reading! He soaks that stuff all up! He loved it!

 I was surprised that with all the oddities, Little One wasn't scared.  She was rather intrigued by it all. I really thought she was going to cry!

We went to Brick City and some other fun places for kids to enjoy.  Little One really enjoyed the LEGO exhibits.

 Of course, we just had to go to the Rainforest Cafe! Little One had never been before, and I worried that the tropical rain storm and the gorillas and elephants would make her scared. I was wrong again! She loved everything about the Rainforest Cafe and just had a blast. She was so amazed by her surroundings.


Here's Little One having a chat with Oprah. Too cute! Edward and Bella from Twilight on the right, and the Star Trek guys and Pope Jean Paul II below.
 Again, I thought Little One would be afraid of the wax museum, but she loved it!

Of course we had to go to the Hershey Store! I think that was one of my favourite spots to visit!  We may or may not have bought $100 worth of chocolate. No, I'm not kidding.



She loved it so much that she didn't want to do anything else but stay at the water park. She also made us promise to take her back to Niagara for her birthday.  As you can see, Niagara Falls & Fallsview are definitely #likenowhereelse!

This Summer, will you be 'Staycationing'? We really love @Fallsavenue and @FallsWaterpark. The perfect family getaway that is still 'close to home'.

Check out my other post about our stay at Falls Avenue Resort!  You can win the following...

• Fallsview Family Suite at the Sheraton on the Falls
• Four Passes to the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark
• Celebration Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe

Disclosure - I am a Falls Avenue Resort Brand Ambassador. Though affiliated, all the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

The week of fun giveaways continues as Lil-Sugar and I celebrate both of us reaching 4,000+ Twitter follwers!

To show you how much we appreciate YOU we will be giving away 1 product each day on Twitter for the next few days!! Whoot!! Not on Twitter? Don't worry, we have you covered! All prizes will be announced on Facebook as well...just follow the link and enter for your chance to WIN!! 

So many chances to win, so much fun! To get started, make sure you are following us!! 
On Twitter - @ChancesMommy
On Facebook - LifeOnManitoulin
On Twitter - @LilSugarMag
On Facebook - Lil-sugar.ca
Hashtag: #4000Party 

 **No R.S.V.P necessary** Just join in on the fun and remember to enter daily (via rafflecopter) to win the prize for that day! All entrants can only win once for the duration of the contest. Open to both US and Canadian residents.

TODAY'S PRIZE:

#4000Party Contest #6: Set of 4 Pancake Puddle Books! 

Their sense of humour, vivid imagination, and realistic reflections of childhood experiences offer an interesting dimension to their stories for young children. These two gifted writers will be endearing themselves to the hearts and minds of children for many years to come.

Did you know that Pancake Puddle Books have recently received the PTPA Award and are Parent Tested Parent Approved? 

Come watch the video trailers on YouTube for the books:

The Pancake Princess/ No More Peanut Butter, Daniel!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4rRg2SjJ84

Lucinda Queen of Everything and Wake Up, the Baby's Coming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxMQEsULrPg

Enter to WIN a set of all 4 Pancake Puddle books!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What is Earth Day About?

Little One wanted to know a bit more when it comes to what Earth Day is about.

When it comes to what Earth Day is about, I'm just telling Little One it's about:

Some things kids can do with their family or community is have a community clean-up day. Collect waste from streets and parks.

Some great kits to help with this are:

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Remember, every day should be Earth Day :)

I'll be honest.  It really irritates me when people talk relentlessly about how little Jimmy is the best at every single sport he plays or how two year old Jane is Ivy League material. I don't know why, but it just irks me.  There's nothing wrong with being proud of your kids, but there's a fine line between being proud and being boastful.

Sure, if you look at my Facebook status updates, you'll note that quite a few of my updates are kid related. Well, I've got a kid. She's the source of many writing topics. Who are we kidding? Parenting makes for plenty of blog fodder.  The good, the bad, and the not so pretty sides of parenting.

Of course, I think my four year old is funny, sweet, compassionate, and smart. However, you will never catch me saying, "Oh my gosh! [insert Little One's real name here] is the smartest kid in her school. She excels in every single activity she participates in. She's way more intelligent than even some adults!" Oh, no! I would never say that. 1) I have no idea if those are true and 2) That is just really annoying. Who on earth says things like that anyway?

The things I do talk about?

• How Little One saved me after I nearly severed my finger with my Cutco. I am deathly afraid of the sight of gushing blood (especially my own), and was weaving in and out of consciousness. Hubby was in the barn and my four year old shook me by the shoulders, slapped my face and said, "Mommy! MOMMY! Stay with me! Do you hear me?" (I did make sure to remind her that this situation was the only time she could shake her Mama or slap her Mama in the face. We never do that to people. Ever.)
• I talk about how Little One loves ballet and told through muffled tears that her ballet teacher was going to be very mad at us because we weren't taking her to ballet. Incidentally, we had a heavy snowfall and the road conditions were treacherous.
• I talk about how Little One is small but mighty. The kid is a little string bean, but eats like a grown-up man. I received a note in her school agenda today saying, "[insert Little One's real name here] must be growing. She ate all of her lunch during first break." This amazes me. For her lunch I had packed beef stew, sliced cucumber, sliced pear, 1 Mini Baby Bell cheese, 1 pack of Strawberry Pocky, and her Thermos filled with water. That to me seems like a sizable lunch for a tiny four year old! Wow. 

I guess I'm trying to say that of course parents talk about their kids. How can we not? There's a difference between talking about  your kids and bragging about them though. The latter is super annoying.

Since CEO and Founder of PTPA, Sharon Vinderine is part of @HLNTV's new show #RaisingAmerica with @KyraLHN, I've been watching the videos online and keeping up to date on Twitter and Facebook. It's so great that viewers can join in on the convo via social media.

The show is amazing because Kyra and her contributors talk about topics that parents are interested in. They're things that impact real families. The topics are so gripping. I just caught up on Webcam helps nap abusive nanny, having the talk about the birds and the bees (Julie Cole is in this segment and I adore her), parents judging parents and Sesame Street talking about divorce.

Here's the segment with @Dooce and @TheMoms on Bragging about kids:


#RaisingAmerica Contributors 
Heather Armstrong, @dooce
Charlie Capen, @HowToBeADad
Tom Matlack, @Tmatlack
 Lisa Hickey, @lisahickey
Krystel Spell, @Armywives101
Julie Cole, @juliecole
Jill Smokler, @ScaryMommy
Denise Albert  and Melissa Musen Gerstein, @themoms
Sharon Vinderine, @PTPASharon
Lamar and Ronnie Tyler, @blackandmarried
Lindsay Ferrier, @SuburbanTurmoil
Liz Gumbinner, @CoolMomPicks

Weekdays on HLN at noon.

My four year old is convinced that Mom's bonkers and my husband thinks I'm just a little delirious after fighting off a horrible infection for the past 14 days.

Why?

Well, hearing me sing the following has them raising their eyebrows:

I saw the PTPA sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the PTPA sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the PTPA sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the PTPA sign
No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong...
But where do you belong?

All craziness aside (and yes, it's the seal and not sign), have you seen the PTPA Seal of Approval at your local Sears Canada store? If so, snap a photo or two and submit it to PTPA and you can win some pretty amazing prizes!
{ GRAND PRIZE: WIN A NURSERY VALUED AT $929 }

You may already know that Sears Canada's The Baby's Room has received the PTPA Award (Parent Tested & Parent Approved).

A selection of PTPA award-winning merchandise – a Stork Craft Carrara nursery (Stages 4-in-1 crib and 2-Drawer Change Table), T-fal Steamer & Blender, Angel Care Movement & Sound Monitor and a Crane Animal Shaped Cool Mist Humidifier! Total value: $929.95 CDN!

 Grand Prize winner to be drawn February 1st, 2013.
WEEKLY PRIZES:
Three (3) weekly prizes of $100 Sears Gift Card so you can buy whatever you want or need at The Baby Room! Winner’s name to be drawn for 1 gift card each week on the following dates: January 17th, 24th and 31st, 2013.



Enter here: PTPA Facebook Entry Form


Tweet @ptpa, FB, use the #SpotTheSeal hashtag...and have fun!

For complete details, visit the PTPA blog here.

It's an exciting week at Parent Tested Parent Approved!

PTPA's got a fabulous #TweetTuesday contest going on right now on Twitter.  Tweet @PTPA photos of your kids in their Halloween costumes and answer the #TweetTuesday questions! You can win a @kobo Vox (2 winners)!  We'll be selecting winners randomly in the morning!

PTPA CEO/Founder, @PTPASharon was on @morningshowTO this morning! In case you missed the amazing segment where she featured some hot new products from the #ABCKidsEXPO, here's the link!

Thursday (tomorrow), PTPA is having a fun #ptpachat on Twitter from 1-2pm EST! Join in on the convo and win some amazing prizes!

This is by far the most exciting news in PTPA's busy week!

 PTPA is turning 5 years old on Friday! 

Read about where it all began (post by CEO/Founder, Sharon Vinderine) here. Join PTPA in celebrating 5 amazing years! There will be an open house at PTPA HQ as well as a Big Birthday Bash with LOTS of prizes!