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Thanks to Freedom Mobile for sponsoring this article

When Freedom Mobile asked me to try out their mobile network and write about it, I was pretty excited. I wasn’t super impressed with the network that I had been using and I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to try it out and share my experiences.

But there ended up being a big problem. While I was supposed to be trying it out, I hardly thought about it at all.

Impromptu Photos

One of the first things I did was take the kids out to review a new playground. I’ve been using my phone more and more for my photography so having a phone with a great camera is super important to me. The playground pictures and videos I took were great but what I really want to talk about is the photos I took of my kids. At the end of our visit the kids were hanging around a tree goofing around. I pulled out my iPhone X that I got from Freedom Mobile (they have great handset options now) and took some spur of the moment portraits. They turned out really well, especially for impromptu pictures. 

Waiting at the Doctor

We seem to have had an endless number of appointments this fall. Dentist appointments, doctor appointments, optometrist appointments. Playing eye spy out the window is fine (if you are lucky enough to have a window) but it gets old pretty fast. One of my least favourite things to do is try to entertain a three-year-old in a waiting room or empty doctor’s office. Thankfully, I was able to pull out my phone and distract him with YouTube. Baby Shark may have been endlessly running through my head for the next 3 days but at least I wasn’t pulling out my hair.  This would have been a great opportunity for me to evaluate the network, but I didn’t think about it at all.

Bedtime

My daughter has been having trouble settling at night since school started again this year, so I’ve been playing her guided meditations for kids. Even though my house is fairly small, there’s a dead spot in our WiFi network that happens to be in her room. Since Freedom Mobile has Big Plans that don’t cost big money, like the 10GB for $60 Big Gig plan that I’m currently on, I didn’t think twice about switching off the WiFi on my phone and running the video.

(In fact, for a limited time, Freedom’s Big Binge Bonus offers 100 GB of extra data when you sign-up for a $60/month, two year plan with a new handset. This data doesn’t expire and is automatically applied when you exceed your normal monthly limit, giving you even more freedom to use your data.)

Sharing with Family and Friends

When I’m not using my phone for blogging, I’m usually using it to connect with people. Sharing photos and videos, chatting, facetime, you name it. My kids love sharing all their big news with their family. My daughter lost her first tooth and couldn’t wait to show everyone. She loves showing everyone her cool new gymnastics moves, and I love that I don’t have to worry about whether I’m connected to a WiFi network before I hit share.

Exploring Outside

My kids and I spent some time exploring Nose Hill Park, finding new trails and geocaching. And despite using my phone extensively, I didn’t even think about the network. 

Hanging out at the Playground

When the weather was nice, my kids spent a lot of time at nearby parks. And so I spent a lot of time Facebooking while they played. Facebook is a surprisingly big data suck and few playgrounds have WiFi connections. It ends up being one of the biggest uses of my data consumption. But this fall, I didn’t think about it at all.

I hardly thought about it at all, but in retrospect, that’s exactly what I want in my network – service so reliable, I can focus my energy on more important things. It turns out, that the best kind of phone network is that kind that you don’t have to think about. It just has your back, whenever you need it. It just works. 

Thanks to Shaw Communications for sponsoring this article

A few months ago, Shaw offered to let us trial their new BlueSky TV system. We’ve been long time Shaw customers and have had a PVR for a long time as well. We had previously been using Shaw’s Gateway system but have now finished our trial and made the switch over to BlueSky without looking back. I already shared our first impressions of Shaw BlueSky (which still holds true after a few months).

Here are a few things you may not know about Shaw’s BlueSky TV:

1. Content Integration is the best thing you never knew you wanted – You can access your regular cable channels, recordings, Shaw On Demand, Netflix and CraveTV all from the same menu.
   
2. Adding shows to your PVR is easy – with the voice controls, you no longer have to spend way too much time typing in a show title. Just say the show you want and it will pull right up. As long as the show is in the system, you can ask it to record new episodes at any time – making it easy to set it and forget it.
3. Special treatment for special events – Whether it is the Olympics or March Madness, BlueSky TV has special menus to make it easy to find the programming you want to watch as well as see stats, scores and more.
4. No more ‘accidental’ on-demand purchases by the kids – BlueSky TV’s parental controls make it easy to prevent pay-per-view content from being purchased while still allowing access to free on-demand content.
5. Automatically adds time to live shows This is not a perfect system, but it is a huge improvement. When a This is Us episode played after the Super Bowl, my PVR recorded it seamlessly without me having to adjust the settings.
6. Show only the channels you have access to – The guide has a ‘free to me’ menu, which shows only the channels that are part of your subscription. No more wading through channels you can’t even watch.
7. You can change your theme packs online – If you decide you would like to swap one of your theme packs for another, you can make the change in just a few minutes by chatting online with one of Shaw’s customer service people. We did this the other day and the process was quick and easy.
8. Easy control of what your kids can watch with the Kids Zone – For example, you can restrict content by common sense media age ranges and require a pin to get out of the Kids Zone
   
9. Channels are re-ordered – Similar channels are actually grouped together; all the kids channels are in one spot and all the sports channels are in another, making it easy to navigate the guide.
10. Sports App – You can find tons of information inside the sports app. You can see stats, compare teams and players and settle debates. Just say “sports app” in the remote to access it.

Overall, we’ve been really happy after making the switch to Shaw BlueSky TV. It was easy to get used to and my whole family has enjoyed the new features and voice controls. As with any new thing, there are a few things I would tweak, but I haven’t missed our old system for even a second.

Enter to win this Shaw Prize pack including a 3-month Netflix gift card!

Giveaway open to Canadian residents only

Shaw giveaway package includes:

• Shaw water bottle
• Shaw lip chap
• Shaw hat
• Stuffed Shaw Bot (his name is Bit!)
• 3-month Netflix gift card

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Thanks to Shaw Communications for sponsoring this article

We’ve been long time Shaw customers and have had a PVR for a long time as well. We had been using Shaw’s Gateway system which I have liked but found the menu navigation to be a bit clunky and it had a few frustrating features (like no input button on the remote). I had heard about Shaw’s new BlueSky TV system but I wasn’t sure if I actually needed something better. When Shaw offered to let us trial BlueSky TV I was pretty excited to see if it was really as good as they say and to be able to help you decide whether it’s right for your family too.

We’ve only been using BlueSky TV for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to share our first impressions and what it’s been like to get used to using it.

Voice Commands

I’ve been really impressed by the voice commands. Setting our new recordings was super quick because I didn’t have to spend forever typing in the titles. I could just tell the remote what I wanted and up it appeared. You can also consistently use the voice commands from just about anywhere which makes using it really effortless.

I was a little wary of the voice commands, but I’ve found them to work really well. It can even understand my 5-year-old when she’s talking like a baby instead of using her big girl voice.

Speaking of kids, it’s made it way easier for my kids to access the things they want to watch. They can ask the remote for Disney Junior or Treehouse or to go to the KidsZone (more on the KidsZone below) and don’t need me to set it all up for them.

Content Integration

The voice controls are great, but the content integration is what I’ve been most impressed with. You can access your regular cable channels, recordings, Shaw On Demand, Netflix and CraveTV all from the same menu.

For example, if you searched for Grey’s Anatomy, you will find the first 13 seasons that are on Netflix, the current season On Demand as well as your PVR recordings. In the past, I would rarely use Shaw On Demand because I found it to be too much effort to find what I wanted. Now we use it all the time.

KidZone and More

We have a 3-year-old, 5-year-old and 8-year-old so the kids’ programming and access are big considerations for us. With BlueSky TV and the KidsZone, my bigger kids are now able to use the voice controls to get into the KidsZone and then access programming that’s appropriate for them. My 8-year-old mentioned how much he likes being able to access On Demand episodes of his favourite shows.

KidsZone can be customized for what you want your kids to see – you can limit it by channel, age, rating and even eliminate specific shows if you can’t stand your kids watching them (I’m looking at you Caillou).  The KidsZone is a little difficult to get out of, especially if you’re not used to it, but that helps make it so the kids don’t exit accidentally. 

You can also set all kinds of parental controls in the settings. For example, you can set a code for On Demand purchases (but still allow access to free shows) or limit how long the TV can be on.

Navigation

I was a little concerned that the non-voice control navigation would still not be very good (this was one of the things I disliked the most about our Gateway system). But I have been pleasantly surprised to find that this has vastly improved too. One of the only things I’d like to see changed is that it currently doesn’t hold your place very well when you go back to a show you’ve been binge watching, so you have to scroll down to the right episode.

Sports App

The new sports app is also a big improvement. I cannot tell you how many times we’ve been scratching our heads trying to figure out which channel the Flames game is actually playing on. Now it’s easy to find what sports are currently playing or pull up the upcoming games. You can ‘favourite’ the teams your family likes to watch to make them even easier to find.

There are a lot of other features too, like being able to see stats or game scores while keeping the game you are watching on screen at the same time. One of the new features I really love is being able to set a reminder for when a Flames game is coming on. I don’t want to record every game but we like to see them when we’re home so the reminder is perfect.

Overall, we’ve been really impressed with how easy BlueSky TV has been to get used to and are loving some of the new features. We’re looking forward to trying out BlueSky TV more over the next couple of months and will be reporting back to let you know how it goes.

I am a brand ambassador for the 2017 year with Church & Dwight. As part of this program I receive monetary compensation as well as products to review.

Sweater weather, sore throats and runny noses can only mean one thing – the start of cold and flu season! Luckily, there are easy ways to protect you and your family, and with the proper care and a lot of TLC you can say goodbye to cold and flu symptoms in as little as three days. By taking these preventative steps, you’ll fight every flu season with confidence.

Practice healthy eating: Maintaining a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will help keep you healthy. But sometimes it’s hard to keep up and give your body all its recommended nutrients. To help keep pace with your hectic schedule, take a multivitamin to help support your immune system. If you’re like me and don’t like swallowing pills, try Men’s and Women’s Complete Multivitamin – they come in an easy-to-take gummy format and taste delicious.

Be active: Keep your body moving every day. Take a brisk walk or spend 30 minutes at the gym to keep your immune system healthy and your stress levels low.

Combat stress: Stress can affect how your immune system functions and a weakened system can lead to colds and the flu. To keep your immune system strong, get plenty of rest, and relax– not just when you’re sick!

Drink plenty of liquids: Fluids in general will help soothe a sore throat, loosen congestion and flush out any bacteria in your system. Drinking plenty of water also helps to prevent dehydration and replace fluids lost from a fever or respiratory infection.

Rest and recuperate: Unless you were one of the lucky ones this fall, and managed to avoid getting sick, you may have to spend a few weekends indoors resting. Keep plenty of tissue nearby, enjoy a movie marathon and recover with Gravol™ Multi-symptom Cold & Fever.  This natural health product is an all-in-one anti-nauseant, pain reliever and fever reducer. The medicinal ingredients that make this formula so effective are Ginger and Willow Bark extracts, traditional herbal medicines used for centuries.

Know when to see a doctor: The symptoms of different viruses and bacterial infections can be very similar and often confusing, which is why it’s important to know when to see a doctor. If you don’t start to feel better after a few days, your symptoms worsen or you’re in a high-risk group to develop flu symptoms , you should see your doctor.

Tip: Antibiotics are great at fighting the bad bacteria that makes you sick, but for some women, they can also affect good bacteria (also known as vaginal flora) making them susceptible to bacterial vaginosis (BV), which causes discomfort, discharge and itching. If you’re prone to BV when taking a prescription medication, try RepHresh™ Pro-B Probiotic. Just 1 oral capsule daily while using oral antibiotics can help treat bacterial vaginosis and help maintain vaginal flora in a normal range.

To help you stay ahead of the flu season, print out this infographic and post on your fridge for constant health tips and reminders.

I am a brand ambassador for the 2017 year with Church & Dwight. As part of this program I receive monetary compensation as well as products to review.

Having a child can be one of the most exciting times in a couple’s life. Whether it’s your first baby or you’re looking to expand your clan, once you’ve decided to have a baby, the last thing you want to do is wait!

Getting pregnant isn’t an exact science but you can put some planning behind your baby making to help better your chances:

Take a multivitamin: Start the journey well prepared. Taking a prenatal vitamin prior to pregnancy is an essential part of keeping you and your baby healthy.  The NEW FIRST RESPONSE™ Prenatal Multivitamin is a great option. It helps ensure you and your baby get the essential nutrients needed to stay healthy, maintain immune function and bone health. Two of the vitamin gummies provide the recommended folic acid intake per day to help prevent neural tube defects, which are commonly developed within the first month of pregnancy** and often before many females know they’re pregnant. As a bonus, this vitamin has a naturally sourced fruit flavor, low in sugar and gluten-free—making it easy to remember and delicious to take.

Understand your cycle: You probably don’t know your own ovulation schedules or know when you’re most fertile. But knowing when and if you’re ovulating is going to help you know when to try to conceive. Did you know that there are just two days during your cycle when you’re most likely to conceive? So how do you find these two days?  Pick up a FIRST RESPONSE™ Advanced Digital Ovulation Test. What makes it so great? It’s over 99% accurate in detecting luteinizing hormone (LH) surges in laboratory studies.  LH indicates when you’re most fertile and likely to conceive which is 24-36 hours after you detect your LH surge.

Tip: Be sure to keep a journal as well. This may be an app on your phone, a charting website, or a plain old paper one. The more you know and are in rhythm with your cycle, the more likely you are to pinpoint ovulation. There is a wealth of resources available at  www.1stresponse.ca.

Use a sperm-friendly lube: The last thing you want to do is decrease your chances of getting pregnant because of the lubricant you choose. Pre-Seed™ Fertility-Friendly Lubricant is sperm friendly. It not only enhances your comfort; it’s specially formulated to mimic your body’s fertile fluids. Other lubricants, saliva and even oil can inhibit sperm from reaching the cervical opening but Pre-Seed is pH-balanced and isotonic, allowing sperm to swim freely.

Don’t let the suspense drive you crazy: The amount of time it takes to get pregnant is different for everyone but if you’re “dying” to know, try the FIRST RESPONSE™ Early Result Pregnancy Test. It’s sensitive enough to capture scant amounts of pregnancy hormones to give you results 6 days sooner than your missed period.

Turn to others for advice: Remember, we’re all here to help you along your pregnancy journey—you’re not alone. Chances are, there is someone else out there who is going through the same—or similar—experiences, so don’t be shy about reaching out.

Help spread the conversation: In the spirit of giving advice and sharing to help others in a similar situation, I’d love to hear your conception stories and especially some of your misconceptions around ovulation, birth control and tips for getting pregnant. Share your stories and engage in the conversation online using #conceptionmisconceptions

* https://sogc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/gui324CPG1505E.pdf

**Helps to reduce the risk of neural tube defects when taken daily at least three months prior to becoming pregnant and during early pregnancy.

I am a brand ambassador for the 2017 year with Church & Dwight. As part of this program I receive monetary compensation as well as products to review.

Tips to keep you happy and healthy ‘down there’ this summer

Oh, summer, how I missed you. After a long winter, there’s nothing I’m craving more than the hot sun and patio weather. What I don’t miss are the pesky issues “down there” that also come with soaking up the sun. Yes, you read that right. For many women, the warmer temperature brings an increased risk of an “itch” that nobody likes to talk about – yeast infections.

Surprisingly, yeast infections affect more women than you think! Approximately five per cent of women experience reoccurring yeast infections (3 to 4 infections in the last year)[1] and this has a lot to do with heat. The infection occurs when moisture gets trapped and yeast can overgrow, causing itching, burning and discomfort. If you’ve had one, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

The good news is that with a few simple tips, you can avoid that pesky itch.

1. Remember to dry off: Relaxing in a hot tub is the perfect way to enjoy a warm, summer evening. However, yeast grows best in a moist environment, making hot tubs a breeding ground for unwanted infections. This means it’s important to dry off well afterwards and change into dry clothes right away. Use this same approach when spending the day at the beach or pool.
2. Know your pH: Many vaginal health issues, including odour, itchiness and yeast infections stem from an unbalanced pH. RepHresh™ Gel is a gynecologist recommended product and clinically proven to be pH balanced which can help to eliminate feminine odour and relieve feminine discomfort.
3. Wear cotton undies: Unfortunately, your tight skinny jeans may not be the best option this summer. Warm, tight clothing allows for little oxygen movement making the perfect breeding ground for yeast. If you must rock the skinnies, wear cotton underwear.
4. Take healthy measures: RepHresh™ Pro-B reduces the number of urogenital pathogenic bacteria and yeast on vaginal surfaces. It’s clinically tested and works by balancing the yeast and bacteria that are naturally present in a woman’s body to help restore and maintain proper vaginal flora. Try adding one capsule to your daily routine to keep your body on track and ensure nothing slows you down this summer!

Are you ready to beat the summer heat? I would love your feedback if you’ve tried either of these products.

[1] http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/oh-no-not-another-yeast-infection

I am a brand ambassador for the 2017 year with Church & Dwight. As part of this program I receive monetary compensation as well as products to review.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with that little orange box in your fridge, freezer or baking cupboard. Arm & Hammer™ Baking Soda has been helping generations of Canadian families cook and clean for decades.

Over the years, the team at Arm & Hammer – with the help of their loyal fans – have come up with more than 100 uses for baking soda and I’m sharing some of my favourites here.

• Baby, baby, baby. Baking soda is an all-natural cleaning product that’s gentle enough for even the tiniest baby clothes, yet effective enough for big baby odours. It can be used to treat spills on carpets, clean equipment and toys, deodorize baby bottles and diaper pails as well as freshen stuffed animals to give them a new life.
• Have you tried it in the bathroom? It helps remove the dirt and grime from bathroom tiles or no-wax floors quickly and easily. It’s also effective at cleaning shower curtains, deodorizing drains and wastebaskets, surface-safe cleaning and for septic system care.
• Not just for cooking in the kitchen. Yes, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is a staple baking ingredient as it causes dough or batter to rise, becoming light and porous when heated, but it can also be used in the kitchen to clean lunch boxes, microwave ovens, dishes, pots and pans, recyclables, drains and garbage disposals. Did I mention it removes odours from plastic containers, polishes silver, freshens sponges and stinky sinks, refreshes tea pots, cups and mugs and works great as a fruit and vegetable scrub? It’s also a common deodorizer for fridges and freezers. Changing the box regularly (every 30 days is recommended) helps ensure optimal odour elimination.
• Don’t fret about your floors. It helps remove unsightly scuff marks without unwanted scratch marks from tile and no-wax floors. It’s also great at neutralizing common household odours and freshens stale-smelling air in your home.
• Tackles the greasiest of garages. Arm & HammerBaking Soda safely cleans your car lights, chrome, windows, tires, vinyl seats and floor mats without you having to worry about unwanted scratch marks. It’s also a great deodorizer for car interiors and camper water tanks and tackles oil and grease stains on your garage floor or driveway.
• Smelly gear no more. Use Arm & Hammer baking soda to clean and deodorize smelly sports equipment like hockey or camping gear, as well as gym bags.
• Don’t forget to take it outside. It is a must-have for your next camping trip! It’s a dish and pot scrubber, hand cleanser and deodorant, just to name a few. It also cleans your plastic and vinyl pool toys as well as lawn furniture when it’s time to bring them out for the summer and works wonders on barbecue grills.

And that’s not all!

Because of the gentle and all natural formula of Arm & Hammer™ Baking Soda, it’s a popular personal hygiene product for many. It can be used as a body and facial scrub, hand cleanser and a refreshing bath soak. It also helps to fight bad breath and body odour and is great for washing hair.

For a full list of these 100 uses of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and usage instructions, visit www.armandhammer.ca. You’ll find them under the ‘Solutions’ tab.

We’re offering one lucky reader the chance to win 12 boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda – one for every month of the year – in celebration of Canada’s 150^th anniversary! Share your favourite baking soda secret for a chance to win!

Giveaway includes the following Arm & Hammer Baking Soda products:

• Three (3) 250g boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
• Nine (9) 500g boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Approximate value: $20

What is your favourite way to use Arm & Hammer Baking Soda? Let me know in the comments below to enter to win!