Design Originals Creative Coloring

The popularity of adult coloring book has continued to grow over the past year and many different books have come out on the market.     Design Originals have numerous adult coloring books to choose from and I had the opportunity to receive four of their titles:  Creative Coloring Birds, Creative Coloring Botanicals, Creative Coloring Flowers, and Creative Coloring Animals.

Each of these contains 30 ready to color illustrations that will help you to decompress and relax after a difficult day.   You do not have to have the skills of an artist to color these marvelous book.  Just pick up colored pencil or markers and fill the pages with color.   You will also find easy to follow tips on how to color the designs found in each of these books.   Also each pages are printed on high-quality paper which will not allow bleeding if you use markers (I know because I used Koi Watercolor brush pens in mine and it was fabulous!).  All the pages in these books are perforated which will allow you to easily remove them if you desire to display them .   Behind each of the drawing you will find a saying that could encourage you.

The books are quite easy to carry around to bring with you if you need to do so for personal reasons.  All you will have to do is pack some pencils or markers in order to color while you wait to an appointment.   

These books would also make a great Christmas gift for anyone who desire to get new adult coloring books for 2017.  

These coloring books are available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Mom’s Family Calendar 2017

Are you looking for a calendar for 2017 still?   Well look no further because the Mom’s Family Calendar by Sandra Boynton is the best one for your family.   Why?  Simply because you will have a quick glance on a daily basis for all the activities that goes around in your family.

I will admit that I am a bit biased for this calendar.   It has been part of our lives for many years now but every year I make sure that I get the new one because – well it is simply fabulous.  There are five columns on this calendar where you can write the names of the people in your family.  For ours Mom & Dad share a column and each of our kids has his/hers own column.   That way I know exactly who has an appoint or worship practice and so on.  When all the kids share a same activity, I make sure that the words spread on all the columns.  For example, on Wednesday swimming is on the schedule for three of our kids – so the word swimming is spread on their columns. 

This calendar is an absolutely must for families with numerous children.  Nothing stops you to put more than one child on a column if needed be.   Having the calendar hung in the kitchen also makes it very useful because anyone can access the information rapidly.

The calendar comes with it’s usual 2 sheets of stickers which are very useful for brightening up some days.   But this year, you will also find 9 fridge magnets that are just the cutest thing.   They are adorable and will be useful to hold specific notes on our fridge.

So here you go, if you are still looking for a calendar for the new year, why not considering the Mom’s Family Calendar by Sandra Boynton.   It will make your life much easier when 2017 comes around.

The Mom’s Family Calendar is available for purchase at your favorite store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Educational Board Games

If you are looking for educational games this time of the year, you should check some of the games below from Family Games America.  

 

Math Table Junior

Math Table Junior will give a good springboard to young mathematicians when it comes to addition and subtraction.  The game is composed of a doubled-sided game board, four racks, 60 numbered tiles from 0 to 20 and the game rules.   The goald of the game is to place your tiles and perform addition or subtraction until all the tiles are used.   Basically the game is very similar to Scrabble but with numbers instead. This game will take about 30 minutes to play.  It can be played to up to four people and is recommended to ages 5 and up.   An older version of the game is also available which is call Mathable Classic.

Mark My Words

• Making words has never been so fun! Each player is given a number of letter tiles to use to make words and score points. As letter tiles keep getting added to the board, new words MUST be made and then marked down for points! This game is definitively educational and will require creativity.   It is perfect for parents to play with their kids as all ages can have fun with it. 

• To play it is pretty easy.  Turn the tiles face down and pick 14 each. Put the rest aside.   Flip the tiles in front of you and each player places one of their letter tiles anywhere on the board.   Once this is done, every time a new letter tile is added to the game, it must touch one of the already positioned tiles and a word (or words) must be made.  If you make a word, you count it as 1 point.   The player who has the most point is the best word maker.

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Rational Thinking

Rational Thinking is a quick game that will challenge your brain cells with fifty cognitive creations to test your ability to think clearly while problem-solving.   Each of this challenges will make you use your grey cells in order to use facts and reasoning in order to find an answer that is rational.   Solutions are included in the back of each cards included in this pack.  So try to solve the question or conundrum before flipping it over for the answer!

What I particularly like about this little game is that you can play in English or in French as the challenges are written in both languages.   It would make a great tool to use to break the ice on a get-together or just to challenge friends around the dining table.

 

IQ Challenge

• This quick game will challenge you to complete the 50 cards in 30 minutes to reveal your IQ Rating. Memory, analytic, abstract, spatial and math questions will put your problem-solving skills to the test.  This cognitive creation game is great for people ages 10 and up.  To play you will have to set a time limit of 30 minutes.   It would also be preferable to have paper and pencil close by so that you can make quick calculations.    You will have to answer as many questions as you can during the allotted time.  At the end, tally up the answers and look at the score card in order to find your IQ rating.

• This game is also bilingual which is very interesting.

 

• Are we there yet?

• Have you ever driven somewhere and your kids keep asking “Are we there yet?”.  Maybe this little question brings fear in you… but next time you drive with the kiddos in the vehicle you will be able to take this interesting game that will set the wheels of fun in motion for a travel game that will help them spend a bit of time to be observant with what is outside.   The game comes in a little red auto bag that contain everything you need to play Eye-Spy while on the road.  The goal of the game is to sight the most travel items on the travel cards to win points.  Each player will get five cards.   You will have to set a limit whether in time or distance for the fame.   The player who accumulates the most cards by sighting the most items wins.  

 

Risk Factor

• Risk Factor is a quick game that can be quickly summarize by this: When to stop and when to risk a roll is what this game is all about. In the package you will find 9 dice faced with the following letters: T-E-N-O-N-E.  The goal of the game it for you to collect 10 points when spelling T-E-N or 1 point when the word O-N-E is made. However if you take a risk and roll without forming a word, you lose your accumulated points! Yes you’ve read it correctly, you lose ALL your points.  So even if you cannot spell T-E-N make sure you can at least spell O-N-E to make 1 point and stay in the game.  Here’s the catch though, when you spell T-E-N, you will have to remove the Ts out of the game.  Same thing happens for the Os when you spell O-N-E.  The game continues in turn with players rolling, spelling, putting Ts and Os aside for points and then risking additional rolls or losses.  The first to reach 200 points wins this dicey diversion.

**When you put the T and O dice aside for points, put them face up so you know what is ten points and what is one point.

 

Milky Words

• Milky Words is a quick letter game that anyone ages 8 and up can play.  The game is simple.   Spill 3 letter die from the milk carton and be the first to bellow a word that  starts with the first letter, includes all green letters and excludes all red. This game will challenge you to develop quick-thinking and creativity.  It is a great educational and challenging word game. This game is only available in English. 

 

 

 

Most of these fun games are available on amazon.ca.

   

   

Disclaimer: Thanks to Family Games America for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

NERF Rebelle Flipside Bow

After numerous NERF blasters that I have reviewed in the past few years, it was a breath of fresh air to receive a NERF toy that is especially designed with a girly flair.   The NERF Rebelle Flipside Bow is perfect for the girl in your house who desire to fight with her brothers with a bow that is absolutely stylish.  This bow will keep your daughter busy by flipping the barrels which can contain 5 darts each.   Yes she will have to refill the drums once they are all gone but it will keep her busy for a little while.  

The bow is easy to use.  First you will have to pull the bowstring toward you.  Second, release the bowstring in order to shoot a dart to your “enemy”.  Third, flip the barrels in order to have a new dart ready to be used.  Voilà! You can start having a blast with friends or siblings anytime you want.

The Elite darts that are included in the package can go up to 24 meters (80 ft).   There are 10 darts included with the bow.   More darts can be purchase in stores.

This bow can be fun to use in event like a NERF Night Challenge for youth.   Our boys are going to such an event numerous times during the year at our church.  Our daughter is looking forward to be able to join them when she is in grade 6.  She still has a couple of years to wait but in the meantime she can practice at home.

The NERF Rebelle Flipside Bow is available for purchase at your favorite toy store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Bionaire Mini Tower Air Purifier

Since the past summer I have been experiencing difficulty in breathing normally.   My doctor suspects that I might become asthmatic and I had to go pass a breathing test last month.  About two weeks down the line, the hospital called me and asked if I could come back for a second test.   Anyhow, I am still waiting for the results.  I had done a bit of research on asthma and how to ease it.   I learned about how air purifiers could help you.    I knew I could not justify purchasing it until I get the final results on the tests I had done but imagine my delight when I saw the Bionaire Mini Tower Air Purifier being offered on Vine Voices.

Last week, while at the pool during the kids’ swimming lessons, I slowly started having issues again.  Fortunately, I also knew that the Bionaire Air Purifier was on its way.  It was just a matter of days…

When I received it I immediately proceeded in unpacking it and plugging it in the living room.   The air purifier has been working all day and night since then.   As I write this it has been over 48 hours since I plugged it.

This mini tower air purifier possess an Allergy Plus Filter.   The tower operates quietly and we barely hear it while we are in the living room.   The goal of this air purifier is to help remove up to 99.99% of airborne allergens such as pollen, dust, mold spores, pet dander and smoke in order to provide relief from irritants in the air. This specific air purifier will trap particles as small as 0.3 microns so you can breathe comfortably.  The bionaire mini tower air purifier came with one filter (purple color).

This specific air purifier has 5 speed settings including turbo and quiet.   The turbo setting will quickly circulate and filter the air in the room while the quiet setting will be preferable for a bedroom during sleeping hours.   You will also find a filter check indicator will let you know when to change the filter which could be very useful if you do not check the filter regularly like suggested in the manual.   Also on the tower you will find an optional ionizer .  What are ions?  Ions are tiny particles that carry a positive or negative charge.  They exist naturally around us.  The negative ions bind themselves with airborne smoke, dust, and pollen to form larger particles that are easier to capture.   This feature will help the process of air purification. 

The mini tower can be positioned in two different ways – you can put it vertically or horizontally depending of where you decide to place it.   It is recommended for small rooms up to 93 sq. ft. 

Another interesting feature for the Bionaire mini tower air purifier would be the 12 hour timer for worry free operation.  This function will allow you to program the air purifier to work up to 12 hours.  I have tried the feature for a 4 hours period and the air purifier shut down by itself once the timer was complete.

Now concerning the filter, let me remind you that it is an allergen remover that can destroy viruses, moul spores and fungi and more.   The aer filters are all compatible with this device.    Personally, since we have plug this little device in our living room, I have smelled a difference in the air.  It is as though the air is more pure and I have a better facility to breathe.    Having experience this mini tower air purifier and seen the difference it has made for me for my breathing issues I was having lately, I am seriously considering moving this tower in my bedroom and getting a bigger tower for the living room.  And I would also consider bringing the mini tower at the RV during the summer time.

I am very satisfied with the Bionaire mini tower air purifier.  My breathing seem to have eased a bit with it.   I would recommend it to any allergy suffering person. 

 

Disclaimer: This product has been provided courtesy of Amazon.ca Vine Voices for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by Amazon.ca or the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

AVERY Easy Peel Clear Address Labels

The main reason while I decided to grab the AVERY Easy Peel Address Labels 7663 was not to print labels.  I will tell you the main reason why in a minute.   First let me tell you more about these clear address labels.  Yes you read it well – clear labels. 

These will give your envelopes a clean, print-on look.  They are permanent labels that will offer aa unique finish to your letters or cards that you send via snail mail.

These labels virtually disappear on colored or textures surfaces and give a professional look.   They would be perfect for special occasions like invitations for a wedding for example.

You can design and print your own personalize labels using the free design and print online software from AVERY.   For more details on the AVERY Easy Peel Address Labels 7663 and quickly print address labels with their online tool go directly on the Avery website .

Now let’s get back to my number one reason why I chose to review these.  You see I have decided to do a special bible journaling for each of my kids.  This year I splurge a bit and bought four NIV Bible Journaling bibles and slowly I am filling their pages with personalized designs.  But when I saw these clear labels, my brain immediately jumped into creative mode.   I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them – I would print a picture of their ultrasound image on it and insert it on the page of Psalm 139 where you can read: “You knit me in my mother’s womb.”  And though I had a bit of issues in printing correctly on the clear label, I love the look that their ultrasound pictures are giving to it.  

Also we do not have an inkjet or a laser printer at home but  a Xerox ColorQube which uses wax instead of ink.  The labels are absolutely stunning!

Whether you desire to print labels on a clear sticker or do just like me in printing photos on them for a special project, the AVERY Easy Peel Clear Address Labels are fabulous!

 

Disclaimer: This product has been provided courtesy of Amazon.ca Vine Voices for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by Amazon.ca or the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Soul Coats–Restoration

Soul Coats Restoration is a coloring book  that depicts biblical scenes and scriptures.   In this book, you will find 64 illustrated scenes that will encourage you and restore your soul as you apply color to them.

The book contains 72 pages through which you will find 56 coloring scenes as well as 9 hand lettered scriptures.   At the end of the book you will also find a scene key providing the biblical section which the images was inspired from.  I think my favorite one is definitively the star over the town of Bethlehem.

The design are simply stunning and awe inspiring.  Some of them will fill the whole page while others will only use part of the page.   I suppose you could add some of your own design in the space in these pages if you would like to personalize it a bit more.  The designs are also very intricate which makes it more suitable for teenagers, young adults or adults alike.

When working through this specific coloring book for adult you will also have the opportunity to go through a study guide that goes with the book.  This study guide is only downloadable when signin up to the Soul Coats newletter.  The study guide has been written so that you can enhance your journey of restoration with thoughtful questions and reflections.

You will also find a page where you can learn more about the creator and the illustrators of this book. 

This new coloring book for adult is will help you spend more time in biblical stories in a different way while taking out your coloring pencils or markers to decorate the page.  Seeing that each person will be different in their choices of colors and such, two friends can use the same book and come up with different art pieces.

Soul Coats – Restoration is a great coloring book with a Christian flair.   It would make a great gift for anyone who desire to have Christian stories and/or scriptures to color.   Perfect Christmas gift for anyone!

Soul Coats – Restoration is available at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to the creator of Soul Coats for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Free admission at Parks Canada for 2017

As some of my readers might know – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadais celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2017.  We know that many activities throughout Canada will be happening for sure.   Ottawa will probably have an amazing Canada Day celebrating on July 1st, 2017.  And the celebrations in town will start on Parliement Hill on December 31st at 7pm until midnight with musical performances on pyromusical show and fireworks at midnight.  

To celebrate this milestone for our country Parks Canada is inviting Canadians and visitors from everywhere to come and celebrate while visiting our national treasures from coast to coast.  How?  Well Parks Canada is offering its Discovery Pass for free admission for 2017!  Click on the badge below to access the page to order your free Parks Canada Discovery Pass for 2017.

What does this pass includes?  Well it allows you to get free admission to all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada.  It also allow you to use lockage for free at Parks Canada’s historic canals and waterways.  Check the full list of Parks Canada places on their website.

However, regular fees will be charged for other experiences and services like camping, backcountry, any other accomodations, Canadian Rockies Hot Springs, mooring, reservation fees, guided tours and hikes, programs not usually included with admission, firewood, backcountry overnight use.  Note that this is not an exhaustive list.  You will have to verify with the location you will be visiting for more details.

To learn more what is going on in 2017 throughout Canada to celebrate the 150th anniversary, check out the Canada 150 website for details.

We haven’t decided what we will do in 2017 – but we know that we want to celebrate Canada Day in Ottawa.   Canada’s 150th anniversary is definitively something we do not want to miss!

And to make celebrations even more interesting – did you know that 2017 is also the 375th anniversary of Montreal?   If you visit Ottawa in 2017, Montreal is only two and a half hours away in the province of Quebec.

Painterly Days–Watercoloring Books for Adults

I received two stunning watercoloring books for adults titled Painterly Days – one on Flowers and one on Woodland.   Both are especially designed for  artist wannabe in your if you desire to explore coloring with watercolors.   The images are printed on luxe watercolor paper and are ready to be painted on at a moment’s notice.

These two books are great help you take some time to relax after a busy day or a stressful event.   I find that coloring help me to slow down and remove the weight that might have stacked over my shoulders at times.   No wonder that the niche of adult coloring books is still very much active and growing!

The Flowers book has 25 floral sketches while the Woodland book offers 25 woodland sketches.  Each of the sketches are printed on lovely watercolor paper which invites artistic experimentation with only a brush and paint.   The page is double-sided, offering the opportunity to paint the same page in different ways.

The author shares painting tips for each sketch and advice for discovering the artist within. Also included is a painting tutorial and handy color wheel. Each book is small enough to carry anywhere and simple to use. Creativity is an escape, and this book offers a delightful way to make art regardless of skill level.

Bottom line, if you desire to unwind and have a bit of personal time you should consider taking up some coloring books for adults.   It is amazing how much good it does on you…  Consider getting some this Christmas season for yourself or for family and friends who likes to color.

Three other Painterly Days titles are also available: Pattern, Kristy’s Spring Cutting Garden and Kristy’s Summer Cutting Garden.  You can also get the 12 colored pencils as well as the 18 watercolors and paintbrush.

These beautiful books are available at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Delonghi Full Room Radiant Heater

I recently received a Delonghi Full Room Radiant Heater to review from Amazon Vine Voices.   Right away, I knew this useful heater can have its advantages because it possess an easy wheel system that will allow you to move the radiator around the room or to another spot in your house.

We have decided to put it in our own bedroom which is the biggest room on the second floor.  But due to its location (facing north and above the garage) we thought that the radiator would help us not the get too cold at night.  And we were right!  Since we are using it we have slept better and do not wake up due to cold temperature in our room.   We have programmed it to stay at 20 degrees Celsius for our comfort.

While I was testing it, one afternoon the room was particularly cold, so I decided to bring the temperature higher at 25 degrees to see how it will start.  Immediately I could sense the heat coming out of the thermal slots which was nice.    After a certain period of time, I decided to touch it to see if it gets too hot for the touch.   I was please with the fact that I didn’t burn myself doing so.  It was indeed warmer but not burning hot.   So the thermal slots maximizes the heat flow but maintain the low surface temperature.   Apparently this unit contains 35% more steel than standard radiators which enhance the rapidity of the heat and allow it to be more even.

This specific unit also has an energy saving 24-hour programmable time and adjustable thermostat with 3 heat settings.  I have tested it and it works perfectly well.  When you put the heat at maximum the radiator will immediately kick in and start heating your area.     The digital panel and the easy to push buttons makes it easy to control the temperature.

There are two other interesting functions on the radiator.  The first one is the antifreeze function.  If you set the temperature to 5 degrees with the minus button, the appliance will activate to the antifreeze function and a snowflake symbol will appear.  This will program the appliance to turn on automatically at the max power if the room temperature falls below 5 degrees Celsius.   The ECO function can be selected in order to set the radiator to go to the most appropriate power level to guarantee optimum comfort while reducing energy consumption.   We have decided to select this function when using the radiator.

You will also see a working indicator when the unit is heating the room.  If it is red, the unit is working at the maximum power.  If it is orange, the unit is heating at medium power.  If it is green, the unit is heating at minimum power.  Finally, if the indicator is absent, it means that the unit is not heating the room at the moment. 

You will also have the possibility to program the unit for delayed start or delayed stop.   This could be useful if you have specific time period you would like to have the unit working. 

Finally, the Delonghi Full Room Radiant Heater possess a safe thermal cut off if the unit accidentally tips over.   Note that even though this unit contains oil in it, it is completely sealed and it does not leak.  You won’t have to refill the unit at any time while using it.

We also realized that compared to a smaller heating unit that we already have, the Delonghi Full Room Radiant Heater will take a bit longer to warm up the room.  However, once it has reached the temperature desired, the warmth will stay longer.  

The Delonghi Full Room Radiant Heater is available for purchase at a store near you.  It is also available on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: This product has been provided courtesy of Amazon.ca Vine Voices for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by Amazon.ca or the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.