Archive for the ‘Cool Site’ Category
February 25, 2010 | 8:08 AM
Fashion Shaker iPhone App.: Pick an item, then shake to create different outfit combos.
We love a website that speaks to our fashion-conscious side and a makeover happening today will launch Joe Fresh’s website from informative to interactive.
Expect: a new blog (discussing trends, events and promotions), daily polls, a fashion-forecasting widget (that provides suggestions based on the weather in your ‘hood) and an outfit-assembly iPhone app., as well as a pop-art inspired redesign and the unveiling of Joe’s Spring 2010 collection.
We can’t wait to scope out some great deals!
Tags: Canadian, Fashion, Love, Spring, Website
Posted in Cool Site, Shopping | 3 Comments »
February 24, 2010 | 7:05 AM
There is even have an Olympic Stirfry with 5 vegetables to compliment the colours of the rings
Think Julie Powell but way more savvy, and with a kid. The Great Big Vegetable Change started as a blog, and is now a book, that focused on one UK mom’s struggle to get her seven-year-old kid to eat his vegetable.
The rules: to work through as many vegetables in the alphabet that they can think of, taste testing at least two dishes per veg (to really give it a fair shake). Momma Charlotte Hume makes it (though helpers are always accepted) and Freddie rates ‘em.
So far the duo, plus frequent dinner party guests—including dad and sister Alex—have tried everything from Brussels sprout, dandelions and edemame, to okra, nori and plaintains, and the best part (besides the real-life mommy commentary) is she includes the recipes! The blog, which began three years ago, has also included subsequent challenges including school lunches and lunches.
Check it out for some great inspiration, and a few chuckles.
Take a look at some of our own great veggie recipes, and be sure to pick up our April issue—out March 11—for a selection of delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes.
- Winter Slaw
-Grilled potato salad with pesto
- Confetti couscous
- Carrot and parsnip Fritters
- Nature’s veggie nachos
Tags: Food, Lunch, mom, Recipe
Posted in Cool Site | No Comments »
January 27, 2010 | 8:09 AM
Photo by Mind on Fire, via Flickr.
In honour of Family Literacy Day, we’ve compiled a collection of places where you can find and download free e-books online! Happy reading.
• Authorama Classics by the likes of Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle all available through your browser.
• Project Gutenberg Over 30,000 classic books available (for free!) for your mobile e-reader device or PC.
• Public Bookshelf Thousands of romance novels available to read online.
• Free-ebooks.net Self-published e-books on everything from business to religion to eBay.
• LibriVox Classic audio books to download for your iPod or to listen to through your computer.
Tags: Audio Books, Books, e-Books, Family Literacy Day, Free, Reading
Posted in Cool Site | 1 Comment »
January 14, 2010 | 2:45 PM
Photo Courtesy of TumbleBooks
Everyone’s favourite Canadian author Robert Munsch has teamed up with the digital version of Tumbleweed Press to ensure that his books go everywhere, and we mean everywhere, with your kids. The Munsch 6-Pack Volume One and Volume Two, can be bought at the Apple iTunes store and are applications for the iPhone or the iTouch. Not only are these six highly coveted Munsch books, including the brand new release, “Put Me In A Book”, the author himself narrates the animated picture books. Munsch delivers the stories as they are meant to be read – with gusto and a plethora of zany noises and music.
Each volume offers over 30 minutes of distraction for your child so that you can complete your banking transactions, go to the bathroom in solitude (HEY, a parent can dream), or even do the groceries without having to lose your focus or answer a zillion random questions. They will also be available for other 3G phones and Sony PSP.
Keep watch at the end of January when the website goes live with nearly 1000 titles for sale. Now you won’t have to lug a multitude of books everywhere, they will fit nicely in your phone and you can relax, knowing that your child isn’t immersed in a video game. The only difficulty will be explaining the uproarious laughter to the puzzled on lookers.
Tags: Books, Canadian, Entertainment, News, Shopping, Technology, Website
Posted in Cool Site, Great Finds | No Comments »
December 23, 2009 | 8:30 AM
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Don’t miss a second of Santa’s journey as he travels all the way from the North Pole to your house! Thanks to NORAD and Google, you can follow his sleigh online in 3D and see exactly where old St. Nick is heading. You’ll even get a behind-the-scenes sneak peak and see Santa in action as they broadcast live footage from in-flight Santa Cams. Starting at 2 a.m. ET on the morning of Dec. 24, you can watch him deliver presents to all the good boys and girls. No matter where you are on Christmas Eve, you can catch Santa’s journey in many different ways:
• Norad Website
• Mobile Phone
• Twitter
• Real-time Google search for news and blogs
Tags: Christmas, NORAD, Santa
Posted in Cool Site, Entertainment | No Comments »
December 18, 2009 | 3:37 PM
Bluey and Squidopus courtesy of Sara
The radio keeps asking “what to get for the person who has everything?” and your nephew’s wish list keeps getting longer and longer. There is no denying it, holiday greed has struck! As if that isn’t enough to get you down we Canadian Family staffers are also sick of the recent spat of gray days that have blocked out the sunshine. In order to pick up our mood from the gloomy doldrums, and avoid binging on more chocolate than the human body can metabolize, we have decided to try out some random acts of kindness. After all, the best way to feel good about yourself is to make some one else feel better!
It is amazing how uplifting it is to let your creativity have free reign for awhile! We made these adorable little plushies from some fleece and stuffing and plan to deposit them some where in Ontario to brighten some-one’s day. The inspiration for this little bit of home grown Santa-like stealthiness came from the amazing Toy Society, which encourages people to leave homemade toys in fun spots for strangers to find (and love).
This is a fabulous activity for the whole family, and a great way to include more altruistic generosity in our everyday lives. We love the global feel to this initiative and think that the best way to combat the seasonal downer of more, More, MORE, is to give, Give, GIVE!
Tags: Christmas, Crafts, Easy Projects, For the Whole Family
Posted in Cool Site, Crafts & Activities | No Comments »
December 3, 2009 | 4:15 PM
kneebouncers.com
Looking to introduce your wee one to the computers early on? Check out these fun websites (which are great for babies, toddlers and preschoolers) to help ease them into using technology, with a little educational play to boot!
Kneebouncers.com has 18 different mini games to choose from, including ones to learn about shapes, the alphabet and music, as well as less-than-educational games like waking up Sammy the monkey and splashing in puddles. While mommy will need to navigate between games, babes and toddlers can take hold of the controls by pressing any key on the keyboard to elicit a response from the game, which makes it a safe place for babies to have at it, without fear of loosing this weeks grocery list or big brother’s homework.
moshimonsters.com
Moshimonsters.com is a little more advanced than Kneebouncers.com and although it does ask for players to sign up for the website it is still a free site, plus we just love the wide-eyed cutie pie monsters. To play kids are encouraged to adopt their very own pet monster and then care for their pet through educational games which earn them virtual rewards (think Tamagotchi with an educational twist). Their success rate is tracked and everything from initial registration to access to forums is first ok’ed by parents.
Tags: Education, Free, Fun, Games, Play, Technology, Website
Posted in Cool Site, Entertainment, Reviews | 1 Comment »
November 4, 2009 | 8:37 AM
Love music? Love giving back? Need to raise funds for a school team or club? Look to FundTunes! We love the idea of this brand new service, which just teamed up with Universal Music Canada to offer digital downloads with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity or organization of your choosing. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Find songs you love (the library offers everything from The Tragically Hip to Lady Gaga to Diana Krall to The Jonas Brothers).
Step 2: Choose a charity to support. Groups like the Canadian Cancer Society and MADD are already on the list.
Step 3: Buy songs in 5-song or 10-song bundles. $1.50 from each 5-song bundle and $3 from each 10-song bundle goes to charity.
Step 4: Enjoy your music. Feel good!
To register your Canadian charity, nonprofit organization, team, school, club, or community or theatre group, visit fundtunes.com, or email info@fundtunes.com or call 1.888.803.7526.
Tags: Charity, Fundraising, Music
Posted in Cool Site | No Comments »
September 23, 2009 | 3:25 PM
Now that kids are back at school and learning new things every day, it may be a good time to pass on some lessons about money: earning it, spending it, saving it and investing it. That’s where Planet Orange comes in.
From the fine folks at ING Direct, the site teaches kids ages 6 to 11 all about the finer points of money through games and fun activities. Kids can earn Obux (the currency available on Planet Orange), and then wander the planet learning how to manage it.
A parents section provides some helpful info and answers questions, and a teacher’s section offers downloadable lesson plans and tutorials.
FYI: The site is not heavily branded as an ING site, and though they do confess they’d like you to bank with them if you don’t already, they swear they will not use the opportunity to sell things to your child.
Tags: Finance, Learning, Money, Website
Posted in Cool Site | No Comments »
September 2, 2009 | 8:30 AM
We love a good laugh, and some of these birth control methods from Momversation are almost as insane as the trusty* Just-Pull-Out Method.
Ancient Greeks suggested the old squat-and-sneeze-after-sex to prevent conception (it won’t), and the advent of Coca-Cola mania contributed to the belief that a Coca-Cola douche would act as a decent spermicide (it doesn’t).
Visit Momversation’s blog for a list of more intriguing methods.
(*Please note sarcasm.)
Tags: Birth Control, Funny, History
Posted in Cool Site | 2 Comments »
