Some Of Us Are Just Happy We Made It Through Mothers Day

Posted on May 14, 2012 by maija

I don’t post as much about my mom any more.  Not because I don’t feel the fear, the pain and the guilt on an almost daily basis, but sometimes the weight of it all is debilitating and I have a life to live.  I have made the choice to remove myself and my family from her – at least for the time being –  and I need to give myself to that decision… completely.

But the pain is there and on days like Mothers Day, especially if you make a trip to Walmart in the week leading up to the big day, the signage alone makes your heart and your head ache.

But just like on my birthday, I shut down and ignore the day.   I don’t know what the experts would say about this being my chosen coping mechanism, but so far it’s the only thing that really works.  Of course “works” is a relative term.

The shutting down and ignoring part was easy to do because my husband was away (his first time back home since we moved, but that’s a post for another day) and Sugar Plum slept over at a friend’s house.  When I woke up way to early thanks to my sweet little Bugaboo, no one but me knew it was Mothers Day.  I made coffee for me and toaster waffles for the kids then set upon the disaster that was my house with a ferocity that comes only with the need to shut your brain off.

My floors have never been cleaner and by 11:30am just before I needed to leave the house (sparkling!) to pick Sugar Plum up and take her to ballet my mind was ready to unwrap the gifts my children handed me at daycare pick-up on Friday afternoon with strict instructions not to open until Sunday.

With tissue-paper-wrapped-gifts in hand I sat down on the floor in the family room and with each of them taking a section of my lap they unwrapped their own gifts and told me all about how they had made them.

A bracelet from Bugaboo.

Bracelet from Bugaboo

A flower from Sweet Pea.

Flower from Sweet Pea

Followed by a million mommy kisses all over each of their faces.  I put the bracelet on, put the flower on the mantle and rushed them out the door to pick up Sugar Plum and get on with our day.

By then I was present.  I was ignoring the day, but I was present and happy and loving spending the day with the kids.

I know I don’t write as much about being a casualty of my mother’s mental illness, but for those of you who visit these pages to find comfort that you are not alone, I still feel it every day.  But I am still coping, still living and mostly I am still loving becoming the mother I want to be a little bit more every single day.

If you’re like me, and you just made it through Mothers Day, I’m here to tell you that I know what a big deal that is.  I’m here to congratulate all of us for making it through one more day.  Especially one of the tougher ones.

 

Posted in About Maija, Bugaboo, Motherhood, My Mom | 8 Comments

How I Know I’m Pro Same Sex Marriage

Posted on May 11, 2012 by maija

Obama Pro Same Sex MarriageNorth Carolina, President Obama and now the teenage daughter of Sarah Palin are all passing judgement on same sex marriage which makes for some interesting and sometimes heated discussion both on the blog-o-sphere and around the water cooler.

In speaking with a fellow co-worker literally at the water cooler (how very cliché, I know) about the recent same-sex marriage media hoopla she tells me “I don’t think the government or the church should have a say on who we choose to marry, but if it was my son I wouldn’t be happy about it.”

While I have never once questioned my support, right there, in that conversation I knew without doubt that I am pro same sex marriage for all of our children.

Why?  Because there are no “buts” in my world.

In my world, where to the outside I am the epitome of the traditional definition of marriage (after all my husband and I even have the same last name!) there has never once been anything but full support for the definition of marriage to include same sex couples.  I do not feel threatened as an individual and I certainly do not feel like the definition of my own very traditional marriage is threatened because a same sex couple wants the same rights, freedoms and titles that my husband and I are granted simply because we are a man and a woman.

When I speak to my children about their future I say things like “when you fall in love or when you get married” instead of “when you find a husband or a wife”.  I am never gender specific.  I don’t catch myself on purpose because I want to be inclusive, I simply and truly believe that my children (and yours) should be allowed to fall in love with whomever they choose.  Their sex should never be a factor.

Of course there are so many ifs, ands or buts when it comes to who you want your children to marry but for me not a single one of them has to do with their gender.

Certainly I say things like “the boys are going to come around” when I look at my two beautiful daughters and the girls are going to love how sweet my Bugaboo is, but that is a fact.  The boys will come and the girls will too but I will always leave it up to my daughters and my son to choose which ones to love.

When explaining “gay” and “same-sex marriage” to Sugar Plum who has been asking as of late, neither my husband nor I use terms like “some people” or “but” or anything less than there are individuals who think marriage should only be allowed only when it’s a man and a woman and your daddy and I think that’s wrong.

And we do.  We think that is very, very wrong.

I know in that deep down kind of way even when you check yourself by asking what if it was my children, that I support same sex marriage.

I know with every level of certainty possible that when my children bring home the person they want to marry that union will be judged solely on the character of the person they have chosen and the strength of their love.

In my world that is all that will ever matter.

——
photo credit: www.pinterest.com

 

Posted in About Maija, Parenting | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

My Anti-Natal Story and a Thank You to Johnson’s Baby with Giveaway

Posted on May 11, 2012 by maija

I don’t think I’ve told you this story yet, but every time I see the old school yellow-capped Johnson’s Baby wash I can’t help but think about it.

When I was 27 weeks pregnant with Sugar Plum I was admitted to anti-natal as according to the doctors I was experiencing pre-term labour.  I was sent to the hospital from my regular OB appointment because my braxton hicks were coming a little too frequently, like seven minute intervals frequently.

Sugar Plum was my first baby and I was only 25 years old but most of all, at that moment, I was scared.  After I was hooked up to all the monitors and my stress test was completed my contractions started to dull a little and became less frequent.

The doctors told me to get some sleep and to expect a lengthy stay.  When the night nurse came in she took one look at me and told me a shower might do me good.  I was thrilled by the suggestion and after assuring me that my baby would be fine if I stood for five minutes and unhooking me from all the monitors, the nurse left to find me some supplies.

She came back with the yellow-capped Johnson’s Baby wash.

I will never forget washing my hair with that baby wash.  It was certainly not intended for my long thick and now quite tangled mess but it miraculously did the trick.  It also calmed me.  Somehow using a product that I knew would become a staple in my house when I brought our baby home made me focus on just that… bringing our baby home.

Thankfully, after a few weeks in and out of hospital and steroid shots and multiple tests my sweet Sugar Plum decided to stay put until she was just a few days passed 36 weeks.  After a fairly uneventful birth and a few more nights in the hospital we finally brought our first little baby home.

Even though so many years have passed, I know the kindness that nurse showed with Johnson’s Baby wash in her hand gave me strength to get through that first night of uncertainty which was the first and perhaps most important step to getting through the rest.

With all that in mind, both my kids and I were absolutely thrilled when this package arrived in the mail from Johnson’s Baby.
Johnson Baby Mother's Day Prize Package

While it came with a note wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day my kids were certain it was for them.  Sugar Plum (now almost 9 years old) was especially certain the Nikon CoolPix camera was intended for her.

My kids immediately asked if they could have a bubble bath.

After dinner I grabbed the yellow-capped Johnson’s Baby wash bottle and headed upstairs to run the tub with a smile on my face and my babies in my arms, just like I have done so many times before.  All the while remembering that night, that nurse, and that first of many yellow-capped bottle of Johnson’s Baby wash.

Johnson's Baby Bubbles

Johnson’s Baby wants you to celebrate the small moments that make family life so rewarding (like bath time!) and is offering Maija’s Mommy Moments readers the opportunity to win your very own Mother’s Day package (just like mine pictured above).

Here’s how:

Giveaway closes Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10 p.m. EST.

  • Open to residents of Canada only.
  • Winners will be chosen via And The Winner Is plugin. In the event of plugin failure random.org will be used.
  • Winner will be announced Monday, May 21, 2012 and will have 48 hours to reply to my e-mail or a new winner will be chosen.

Mandatory Entry (Must complete before doing optional entries):

  • Leave a comment below and tell me your favourite everyday family-time moment.

Optional Entry (ies):

    • Like Johnson’s Baby Canada on Facebook by clicking here.
    • Like Maija’s Mommy Moments on Facebook by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Follow @MommyMoments on Twitter by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Follow Maija’s Mommy Moments on Pinterest by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Tweet about this giveaway using the link to this page and @MommyMoments (can be done twice daily).  Here’s a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

I want to celebrate being a mom & #WIN a Johnson’s Baby Prize Package w/digital camera via @MommyMoments http://maijasmommymoments.com/johnsonsbaby #Giveaway

MOST IMPORTANTLY remember to leave a comment for EACH OPTIONAL ENTRY YOU DO!

PS:  I hear Johnson’s Baby may be announcing another photo contest soon so be sure to check in with them regularly on Facebook for the details. 

 

 

Posted in About Maija, Giveaway, Hospital, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Products, Sugar Plum | Tagged , , , , , | 152 Comments

EXACTLY Why I Don’t Post Pictures of My Kids Online

Posted on May 4, 2012 by maija

I am rarely questioned on why I don’t share full-face pictures of my children on my blog – until very recently my husband was a police officer and people (and I hope all of you) understand that because of this we take a few extra precautions.

What many of you (and my friends and family) don’t understand is why we take that to the extreme and don’t post pictures on our personal Facebook site or on any private photo sharing sites or even on a private You Tube account.

What the school doesn’t understand is why I refuse to sign the form that allows my child’s “image” to be used on the school website.

But I’ll tell you – it’s because of this.

Most people share pictures online without ever even considering what “bad” people may do with them.  Unfortunately, my husband knows all to well what that cute little bare-bum picture of Sweet Pea in the kitchen sink could be used for if a certain type of person found it online.

It could be used by this certain type of person for personal pleasure.  Or worse.

The “worse” is when that “bad” person starts sharing those images with the other “bad” people they know then one (or more) of them becomes fixated with your child’s image and starts to look for them.  Obsessing over them.  They don’t even need to know your child’s name.

Which is precisely why we will never allow the school or daycare to post images of our children online – you are essentially telling predators where your child is every single day for years!

So why not Facebook?

As my husband says, you are not just sharing with your “friends” you’re sharing with all of their “friends” too and do you know who every single one of those people are?  Do you know what they will do with those photos?

Of course, we take EXTREME cautions.  Mostly because of my husband’s job and because of all the things he “knows” that most law abiding citizens would never even consider.

Trust me, if my husband wasn’t a cop I would have posted pictures of my children all over these pages without ever giving it a second thought.  And there are definitely moments where I wish I could share with you just how cute my kids really are.

But then something like this happens and you can’t help but wonder – who really is looking at those photos.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t post pictures of your children online.  I likely would if my husband hadn’t arrested some fairly scary people in his cop-lifetime.

BUT I am asking you to THINK first and CONSIDER the pictures you are posting online.

That cute little bare-bum picture could be so much more than “cute” to someone hundreds of miles away or even to your next door neighbour.

You don’t want to be that mom who discovered her diaper-clad child dancing on YouTube attracts attention from 3,000 people she does not consider friends or family because she will forever have to wonder who is looking at her child’s image and what they are using it for.

Posted in Hubbie, Parenting | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Get Your Video Cameras Out Then Grab a Box of Kleenex

Posted on May 2, 2012 by maija

PampersI am absolutely loving how Pampers and Procter and Gamble are celebrating the upcoming Olympics with the release of two videos: O Canada, Baby! and The Best Job.

Neither of these videos need introductions except to say they are amazing and if you haven’t seen them you should.

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep & Baby NataliyaO Canada, Baby! is the Pamper’s created very first O Canada version performed entirely by babies.  Including the super-cute-baby of one of Canada’s favorite Olympians and a new mother, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.

My little Sweet Pea may be appearing in an upcoming O Canada, Baby! cut and your baby can too simply by uploading your baby’s gurgles, giggles and perhaps even an attempt at the actual O Canada lyrics simply by uploading your footage here.

The Best Job is P&Gs fabulous ode to a mother’s role in getting our Olympians to the games.  All I can say is have Kleenex readily available.

So the two Take Home Messages of today’s post are:

  1. Click on the link(s) to watch O Canada, Baby! then dress your babies in white and red and get them “singing” our country’s anthem.
  2. Pat yourself on the back for every time you’ve frozen in a hockey arena at 6am, spent more money on your child’s dance make-up than on your own every day make-up or dabbed your eyes the first time (and every other time) your child scored a goal in whatever sport they play then grab a box of Kleenex and watch The Best Job.

Enjoy the videos and as Sweet Pea likes to say “Go Canada Go!”

Posted in Motherhood, Parenting, Sweet Pea | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How I Know My Barista Loves Me

Posted on May 2, 2012 by maija

Happy Wordless Wednesday everyone!
I wish you all a wonderful day and a little Barista love.

Barista Love

Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Working Mommy Moment: Sweet Pea vs. Mommy and the Diaper

Posted on May 1, 2012 by maija

Sweet Pea

A few weeks ago I promised to start sharing my Working Mommy Moments.  You know the ones that happen when we’re trying to rush out the door to get to work on time (or at least by a reasonable time) or when mayhem happens and all you can hope is that you have an extra 2 minutes to drive-thru Starbucks on the way to work but knowing there isn’t enough coffee in the world to cure your sleep deprivation.

You know, those moments.

Sometimes being a working mom means we have “moments” and while I’m all about the “fake it ’til you make it” and never letting on exactly what I had to do/get through just to get to work before 9am – but here, in this safe space, I’m going to be open and honest.

Sometimes I am SO not rocking this working momma gig.

Take the other day for instance.  I was working on auto-pilot, running through my to-do list that started with “get Sweet Pea dressed”, ended with writing a 2500+ word project brief by the end of the business day and had about 100 things in between.

With pants, shirt, socks and diaper in hand I approached Sweet Pea like a cat ready to pounce, just waiting for the absolute best moment where I could hopefully have most of her pyjamas off and at least the beginning of her clothes on before she really realized what exactly I was trying to do.  After all getting dressed means going to daycare and like all of your kids, my children protest – loudly – until I’ve actually dropped them off in their designated rooms and made a quick “kiss and fly” exit.  Then when I go to pick them up at the end of the day they tell me they aren’t ready to leave yet because they’re having too much fun.

But I digress…

Just as Dora the Explorer (yes I let my kids watch television in the morning.  Lots of it.) I go in for the zipper on her sleeper.

BUSTED!  Well before the zipper is completely down she let me know she was having none of it.  After some gentle pleading, some firm counting and finally a full-blown squirmy baby vs. over-tired-about-to-be-late-for-work-momma wrestling match I had her pyjamas off, her wet diaper off, her bum wiped and her socks and shirt on.  Next came the diaper.

Again, she was having none of it.

“No momma. No diaper.  I panties.”

To which I replied “No… you must have a diaper. You HAVE TO wear a diaper to daycare.”

This went on for a good 45 seconds which if you’ve ever debated with a toddler you know this feels like 45 freaking years.  And there were tears.  Mostly hers.

She refused, stood her ground and finally I realized I was arguing with my 2 1/2 year old daughter that she needed to wear a diaper.

Think about it.

With my first child I think I registered for a potty and brought it out within a week of her learning to walk.

With Bugaboo I’m fairly certain I invested in some super hero underwear before he was 2 years old.

Yet here I was with Sweet Pea closer to 3 years old than 2 years old and I was literally raising my voice about a diaper.

Without saying a word I stood up, went upstairs, got her a pair of panties that my grandmother bought her for Christmas, came back downstairs and without one complaint Sweet Pea allowed me to finish dressing her.

On the way out the door I stopped by the laundry room and grabbed a few pairs of pants and socks (this at least I have learned from potty training two other children – socks get wet when the pants do!) out of the dryer, stuffed them in a plastic bag and headed to daycare.

When I dropped Sweet Pea off I told her teachers that she insisted on wearing panties to school but that I had brought 3 extra pairs of pants and socks (which of course screams – look at me I really am an experienced mom).  I “forgot” to mention the wrestling, yelling and tears (again, mostly hers).

They gave me a very skeptical look and I was certain they’d have a diaper on her within an hour of me walking out the door.  Which I did.  Quickly.

This was not one of my finest parenting moments.  Me vs. the 2 year old.  The 2 year old vs. the diaper.  Needless to say the scoring went:

Sweet Pea 1/Mommy 0
Sweet Pea 1/Diaper 0 (since she’s had exactly 2 accidents since that fateful day).

There are so many lessons here people… so very many lessons but instead of analyzing them I’d rather hear about your Working Mommy Moment(s) this week.  Maybe someone out there had a Working Mommy Win?

PS: Speaking of winning – don’t forget to enter my Pizza Hut $50 gift card giveaway.

 

Posted in Helpful Hints, Mommy Oops!, Motherhood, Parenting, Sweet Pea, Working Mommy, Working Mommy Moments | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

A Pizza Hut Giveaway That Helps You Celebrate Family Night

Posted on April 30, 2012 by maija

I can’t even tell you when it started, but every Friday night I would pick up the kids after work and head over to my in-laws for what we came to call Friday Family Night Dinner.

My kids and their cousins would spend hours playing together (usually nicely) while the adults waited for the pizza delivery, drank wine and talked about our weeks.

I loved Friday Family Night Dinners which is part of the reason why we’ve continued the tradition since moving 3,000kms away from our extended family.

After a long busy week at work, pizza is essential and thanks to Skype we are still able to join in with Friday Family Night Dinner conversation back home.

Pizza Hut understands how special family time can be, especially for those of us who relish (almost) every moment of Friday nights together and until June 3rd they are making it SUPER easy for you to pick up or order your complete family meal with their new Pizza Hut Dinner Box.

Pizza Hut Dinner Box

The Pizza Hut Dinner Box is only $19.99 and includes 10 signature WingStreet boneless chicken bites, ½ a PANormous Pizza and Chocolate Dunkers (a completely craving-worthy dessert for adults and kids alike).

Best of all, Pizza Hut would like to like to help one lucky Maija’s Mommy Moments reader celebrate their own Friday Family Night Dinner (or whatever night of the week you choose to enjoy a little family time) with an opportunity to win $50 in Pizza Hut gift certificates.

Pizza Hut Chocolate DunkersI highly recommend the Pizza Hut Dinner Box especially because it comes with those oh-so-yummy Chocolate Dunkers.

PS: As one of Canada’s largest pizza restaurant chains with over 320 franchised restaurants across Canada, Pizza Hut offers dine-in, delivery and a VERY handy online ordering system at www.PizzaHut.ca to super-simplify ordering your family meal before leaving the office or without having to pick-up the phone and hoping your kids are quiet long enough to be able to get your order in (trust me – I know!).

Here is all the official stuff for all of you rule followers out there:

Giveaway closes Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 10 p.m. EST.

  • Open to residents of Canada only.
  • Winners will be chosen via And The Winner Is plugin. In the event of plugin failure random.org will be used.
  • Winner will be announced Monday, May 7, 2012 and will have 48 hours to reply to my e-mail or a new winner will be chosen.

Mandatory Entry (Must complete before doing optional entries):

  • Leave a comment below and tell me what your favourite way to spend family night is.

Optional Entry (ies):

    • Like Pizza Hut Canada on Facebook by clicking here.
    • Follow Pizza Hut Canada on Twitter by clicking here.
    • Like Maija’s Mommy Moments on Facebook by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Follow @MommyMoments on Twitter by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Tweet about this giveaway using the link to this page, @MommyMoments and @PizzaHutCanada (can be done twice daily).  Here’s a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

I want to #WIN $50 in Pizza Hut Gift Certificates via @MommyMoments and @PizzaHutCanada  http://maijasmommymoments.com/pizzahut #Giveaway

MOST IMPORTANTLY remember to leave a comment for
EACH OPTIONAL ENTRY YOU DO!

 

Posted in Family, Giveaway, Products, Working Mommy | Tagged , , , , , | 145 Comments

Birthdays Not Worth Celebrating

Posted on April 24, 2012 by maija

Happy Birthday DaddyI ordered my own birthday cake once.

I’m not sure that would seem too odd now that I’m a mother and responsible for everything, but I think I was eleven years old.  Maybe twelve.

I really wanted a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  They must have been new – to Dairy Queen or to my hometown – but I remember it was special and I wanted one.

When I asked my mom if I could have a Dairy Queen cake for my birthday she told me that if I wanted one, I needed to get out the yellow pages, order what I wanted and have my step-father pick it up on the way home.

So I did and then had an awkward conversation with the person at the other end of the phone that went something along the lines of:

Them:  “What do you want written on it?”

Me:  “Happy Birthday Maija”

Them:  “And what name should I put the order under?”

Me:  silence…. “ummm, Maija.”

Birthdays were not a big deal in our house.  While there was always the obligatory birthday cheque, usually a cake and the occasional sleepover there was always something missing.  As I look back now I wonder if it was my mother’s excitement to celebrate.  It felt like a task to check off her to do list.

Unless it was my mother’s birthday which was something entirely different, complete with dinner out at her favourite restaurant and instructions on exactly what cake she wanted and what to buy her as a present.  If you deviated from the plan (especially the gift), there were consequences.

In exchange for always making an effort to ensure my mother felt celebrated on her birthday, on my 30th birthday she had my step-father served with papers demanding a separation and denying him access to their marital home unless accompanied by police officers to collect a few meager items.

My 30th birthday.

What mother does that?

I ask myself this question often when recalling some of the events of my past and the answer is always – my mother.

For me, birthdays bring on an overwhelming feeling of guilt which is a classic characteristic of girls and women raised by bipolar mothers with sociopathic tendencies.

I was 31 before I learned that unfortunately.

So I don’t take birthdays off work and I don’t spend all day at the spa.  We don’t hire babysitters and go out for lavish dinners and not one single part of me wishes we did.

Though, I did try the whole day-off-work-spa-thing one birthday – my 30th – but just before I was scheduled to have a massage I received a phone call from a police officer  informing me of what my mother had just done and asking if he thought she would allow my step-father into the house on his own or accompanied by me.  Needless to say, that vacation day was a waste.

But I don’t want you to picture me sulking in a corner all day – completely the opposite! Today will be special for my children because they are always happy to have any excuse for a cake and I don’t ever want them to feel awkward about celebrating something that makes them happy.  Even if it is mommy getting one year older.

We celebrate (almost) everything in my house.  Good report cards, gold medals at dance competitions, successful potty training and of course birthdays.

I make favourite dinners, go out to favourite restaurants, make fancy (and sometimes not so fancy) desserts and tell my children and those I love that they are special and deserve to have their accomplishments and their lives celebrated.

In fact, my husband has a birthday month (and an extra special birthday week – complete with three separate cakes this year).  In comparison, I’m happy with a hot coffee in the morning and my kids helping me blow out candles after a quiet dinner at home.

I guess that’s part of what made me a good shift-worker’s wife for so many years – not really caring if we celebrate my birthday, anniversary or Mother’s Day on the day they fall… or at all.

My husband has learned to take my lead – low key, no gifts, chocolate cake with candles so the kids can blow them out.

He understands me without really having to understand all the things that makes me who I am.

And while he may not completely understand why, he knows I really don’t like ice cream cake (even though it’s his favourite!).

Posted in About Maija, Family, Hubbie, Motherhood, My Mom, Parenting, Shift-Work | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Happy Earth Day From Heinz With GIVEAWAY

Posted on April 22, 2012 by maija

Heinz Plant BottleCONGRATULATIONS TO MICHELLE – The winner of the Little Tikes BBQ and Heinz Ketchup and many thanks to Heinz for this fabulous giveaway! 

My family thinks one of my biggest parenting failures was the day I brought home a bottle of ketchup that was not made by Heinz.  My children turned their noses up at the non-familiar label then protested and refused to dip their chicken fingers in it.  But the person who was the most offended… my husband!  Needless to say, it doesn’t matter what is on sale, in my house we only ever buy Heinz ketchup.

Just in time for Earth Day our favourite brand of ketchup has announced their new PlantBottle™ packaging – a plastic bottle made from at least 30% plant-based material derived from sugarcane.  Thanks to a partnership with the Coca-Cola company (the innovators behind PlantBottle™) you can now buy the ketchup we all love and support the environment at the same time.

The new PlantBottle™ label is also a “talking label” with the question “Guess what my bottle is made of?” giving you the opportunity to have some interesting conversations with your kids about plant-based packaging, the environment, recycling and sustainability.  Of course, this is also a very convenient way to distract them while navigating the grocery store aisles or putting the finishing touches on dinner.  A win-win for everyone.

To celebrate Earth Day, their new PlantBottle™ and of course the warming Canadian Little Tykes Barbequetemperatures (perfect for grilling!) Heinz is offering Mommy Moment readers an opportunity to win this super-cute Little Tikes Backyard Barbeque Get Out and Grill and two bottles of their famous ketchup in the new PlantBottles™ (just scratch that off your grocery list!).

Here is all the official stuff for all of you rule followers out there:

Giveaway closes Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 10 p.m. EST.

  • Open to residents of Canada only.
  • Winners will be chosen via And The Winner Is plugin. In the event of plugin failure random.org will be used.
  • Winner will be announced Monday, April 30, 2012 and will have 48 hours to reply to my e-mail or a new winner will be chosen.

Mandatory Entry (Must complete before doing optional entries):

  • Leave a comment below and tell me what is your/your kids’ favourite thing to put Heinz ketchup on (or dip into Heinz ketchup).

Optional Entry (ies):

    • Visit the HeinzItUp.com PlantBottle™ page and come back and tell me in a comment what impresses you most about the Heinz commitment to the environment.
    • Like Maija’s Mommy Moments on Facebook by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Follow @MommyMoments on Twitter by clicking here (if you already do just let me know in a comment – it still counts!).
    • Tweet about this giveaway using the link to this page, @MommyMoments and be sure to mention Heinz Canada (can be done twice daily).  Here’s a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

I want to #WIN the a Little Tikes BBQ and Heinz PlantBottle Ketchup via @MommyMoments and Heinz Canada http://maijasmommymoments.com/heinz/ #Giveaway

MOST IMPORTANTLY remember to leave a comment for
EACH OPTIONAL ENTRY YOU DO!

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Posted in Giveaway, Products | Tagged , , , , | 173 Comments