The Game of Life ~ Contest

It's back! CAA's "The Game of Life" 

There are a total of 2727 instant win prizes available to be won online during the contest. See the chart below.

QUANTITY	INSTANT WIN PRIZE DESCRIPTION	APPROX. RETAIL VALUE (CDN)
400	Petro-Canada™ Gift Card	$10.00
175	Petro-Canada™ Car Wash Card - Basic Card	$7.99
200	Petro-Canada™ Preferred Price Card ($0.10 off per L)	$10.00
175	Payless ShoeSource® Gift Card	$5.00
120	East Side Mario’s	$25.00
600	Cineplex Entertainment – Adult Admit One Ticket	$12.99
600	Husky Energy Gift Certificate	$10.00
225	Options Gift Card	$25.00
8	Walmart Gift Card	$200.00
8	iTunes Gift Card	$200.00
8	Roots Gift Card	$200.00
8	Sport Chek Gift Card	$200.00
50	The Game of Life Fame Edition	$25.00
150	The Game of Life Classic Board Game	$25.00

Each Instant Win Prize will be randomly assigned to specific squares on the game board. The entrant who lands on these squares will be eligible to win the Instant Win Prize assigned to that square (“Potential Winner”). The Potential Winner will see a message on screen informing him/her that he/she is eligible to win the assigned Instant Win Prize. The Potential Winner will then be provided with instructions on how to be confirmed as an Instant Prize Winner.

All Instant Win Prizes will be delivered by mail to the confirmed Instant Prize Winner’s address provided on the Contest entry form. Allow 4-6 weeks for verification and shipment/arrangement of the Instant Win Prizes.

You can also go into a CAA store & requesting a game card. There are 30 winning game cards per store location. Grand Prizes can ONLY be won by playing the online game. There are 1020 Instant Win Prizes available to be won at CAA stores.

QUANTITY	INSTANT WIN PRIZE DESCRIPTION	APPROX. RETAIL VALUE (CDN)
1,020	Cineplex Entertainment – Adult Admit One Ticket	$12.99

There is also 1 Grand Prize is available to be won, which consists of the Grand Prize Winner’s choice of one (1) of the following:

1. FLORIDA FAMILY FUN: 
2. POLYNESIAN ESCAPE PACKAGE:
3. THE LEGENDARY DANUBE RIVER CRUISE: 

Contest open to members & non-members.

Ends November 24, 11:49 PM

WOWButter ~ Review & Giveaway

We were given the opportunity to do a review on WOWButter. To be honest with you, when I heard the claims that it "Taste's just like peanut butter" but was nut free, I was skeptic. I mean, how can something without nuts taste like it is made from it? Sure I know that there are imitation products out there, but they never seem to taste as good as the real thing & in my experience, you can generally ALWAYS tell the difference.

The reason I was anxious for this opportunity is simple. I grew up taking peanut butter sandwiches to school as I am sure a lot of you did as well. My daughter however was not permitted to because of possible nut allergies of others. We've all gotten the letters requesting to keep schools "Nut-free". I don't have a problem with that, however my daughter was a very picky eater & there were only so many things I could get her to eat. Of course the only thing she wanted & asked for on a regular basis was peanut butter sandwiches. I'm not sure if it was a matter of she couldn't have it, so she wanted it or if it really was because she simply wanted it.

WOWButter has a cute label that alerts you to the fact that it is peanut free toasted soy spread. When I read that, the first thought to pop into my head was "yuck, gross". Slowly I opened the jar & removed the seal. The peanut butter scent that permeated the air was surprising to me. I reached for my spoon & dipped it in only putting a little bit on the end. I won't lie. I was prepared not to like it before I even tasted it. Slowly I raised the spoon to my lips & scrunching my eyes I tasted the WOWButter.

WOW is exactly the word I would use to describe it. It wasn't hideous or gross tasting. Certainly not what I expected. But maybe I didn't taste enough. So this time I grabbed 2 spoons (double dipping is gross) I put a full spoonful on both of them. I tried it again. OH MY!  This stuff really is good! It does taste like peanut butter! Grudgingly I took the spoon to my hubby. He eats more peanut butter than I do, so I wanted to see if he could tell the difference. He did know which was the real stuff, but even he said it was good. I myself tried the 2 spoons & personally to me, I preferred the WOWButter.

The colours are noticeably different. This was a bit darker. The consistency was about the same, I find the WOWButter a little glossier looking. That evening I happily made myself a WOWButter & jam sandwich as a snack & enjoyed every morsel of it. It spreads easily even after being refrigerated. In addition to being nut-free, it is also Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Egg-free, NO added colours, flavours or preservatives!

As an added bonus, because it does smell & taste like real peanut butter, they have included 16 stickers that you can put on the container or baggie containing the sandwich that shows it is indeed a nut-free product. They are located under the label so that you don't have to worry about misplacing them.

I really don't know much about nut allergies, all I know is I am glad that no one I know has any & thankfully no one in any of the schools my daughter went to had any reaction. My daughter informed me that they use WOWButter in breakfast club when she was in high school. She never knew the difference, she only found out when she volunteered to help out.

We went shopping yesterday just to see how hard it would be to find WOWButter. We only had the chance to check the Real Canadian Super Store. We went to the aisle where all the peanut butters were located. We scoured the shelves...nothing. As a last resort, I suggested checking the organic or natural food section. Sure enough, there it was! At least I know where to go now to buy it. For ONE lucky fan, they won't have to worry about that for a while though because WOWButter has generously donated a case of 6 jars for a giveaway!

Now about the giveaway. It will run from now until Friday October 4th, 2013 at 11:59 PM. The winner will be only posted on the widget. We will post on facebook when the winner has been drawn. They will have 48 hours from the time we post to respond to us with their full mailing address or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada ONLY.

For more information or to check them out yourself, you can find WOWButter at the following links:                 FACEBOOK         TWITTER        WEBSITE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Disclosure** We were provided samples of the mentioned product free of charge for this review. The company has generously donated additional product to be used in this giveaway.

Hasbro Game Night ~ Contest

Enter to win 1 of 20 Hasbro Prize packs valued at $100 from Wonder Bread & Hasbro.
Each prize pack consists of the following: Mousetrap, Twister, WWF Clasic, Monopoly Hotels & Bop-It Tetris.

Contest ends October 21

Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Sample ~ Freebie

Request your 22 mL sample of Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste to be mailed to your home. When you get it & have tried it, go back to their site & leave a review for your chance to win some great prizes.

There are 15 prizes to be won, 3 given away each month. Each prize consists of 1 Nespresso U Pure Orange Coffee Machine & Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief products.
Contest ends January 31, 2014

Elle Canada's Beauty Box ~ Freebie

Registration is open for the Spring 2014 Elle Canada Beauty Box. Sign up now for your chance to to be selected for the next sampling period. This is a picture of what we received in our Fall 2013 Beauty Box.

Review ~ Spirit Lockets - Company Page

Last month I shared with you my review on an independent wholesale distributor of Spirit Lockets. After the head company read my review of my experience with that distributor, they were very apologetic & asked if I would be willing to write another review for them. I happily accepted the opportunity.

Let me start off by saying that everyone I dealt with here was polite. They were very professional & it was a pleasure to have this experience!

On August 2nd I was informed via email that Spirit Lockets shipped me a package. I was also informed that they normally do not ship lockets intact (put together) however, they wanted to be sure they were happy with the selection chosen specifically with me in mind.

On Friday August 9th, only 1 week after being shipped from Texas, I received my parcel here in Ontario.

I was very happy with the precautions they had taken against possible breakage during shipping. They had protective foam wrapping around the locket, put inside the sleeve that was full of crinkle paper, put inside this box & then put inside a plastic envelope. There was no way anything was going to break this locket while it was being shipped!

Included in the package was a brochure/order form, a card, a Large Gold Rose Locket, an 18-20 inch Rose Gold Thin Chain, a Fleur De Lis charm, a Rose Gold Infinity charm, a Perched Bird charm, a MOM charm & 2 Green Puffy Heart charms. 


Every thing is absolutely beautiful & I could tell each piece was thought out carefully before it was added to the locket. My pictures do not do it justice.

The glass holds together. I've had many compliments on it & have been asked many times where to purchase it & for more information about the lockets.

The lockets close using magnets, so while they close & hold together snugly, they are easy to open so that you can change the charms inside.

There honestly isn't anything negative to say about it. They are not waterproof, so remember to take them off before swimming or bathing.

I have found that when worn, the floating charms tend to jumble together at the bottom of the locket, however you can still give it a shake slide them around in order to show it off.

They really have something for everyone. Silver, Rose Gold, Gold, Black Matte lockets & chains. Even lockets with crystals around it! They sell bracelets as well.

Right now for the month of August, every order that is $60 or more (before shipping & taxes) qualifies for a FREE Heart Lock & FREE Key charm! Create lockets for yourself or to give as gifts. Personalize them & change them how you see fit. They have absolutely gorgeous products.

Visit Spirit Lockets to place an order. Follow them on their Facebook page to keep up to date on new products & specials they have going on.

Review ~ Spirit Lockets - A Northern Gals' Hip & Charmed Locket Life

On July 3 I was advised I won a contest for a Free locket, chain & floating charm from a company/facebook page called "Spirit Lockets - A Northern Gals' Hip & Charmed Locket Life"

I immediately went to her site & started perusing her products trying to figure out exactly what I wanted. You see, my daughter's 18th birthday was coming up on July 27 & she would be moving to another town for college in August. I decided to make this a special gift from just me to her.

I sent a message via facebook that same day (July 3) requesting the locket, chain & free charm I had picked out, but also asked if I could add to my order & purchase some other charms. In anticipation of the response, I listed the additional items that I wanted to purchase. I also asked how to make a payment.

July 4th I received a one word response. "Congrats". So I immediately sent another message asking my question again. Several hours later, I received the answer that I could add to my order. So I yet again replied & asked how we do this, did she have a paypal store/site that I could enter payment.

July 8th, having received no response what-so-ever from her, I sent another message asking again how we are to proceed, & informing her of my daughter's birthday & imminent move to another town.

July 9th I finally received a message from her....asking me to email her personal email account. So I did & sent another message via facebook alerting her to the email I used so she wouldn't think it was spam.

July 11th I sent another message via her facebook page informing her I had not received a response to the requested email or any other communication. I finally got a response that night saying she would go check & then an email back from her saying she had one of the charms out of three in stock & a slide (that I didn't ask for) in stock & if I was ok with that she would mail it out that day.

July 14 After many back & forth messages trying to find out what items she had in stock I finally agreed to her suggestions of a Pride slide, 2 birthstones & 2 additional floating charms added to my win. I should add she sent me that message from her personal facebook account. She finally told me to send payment as a gift to her email account using Paypal (it's quite honestly my first time buying something using paypal so she had to walk me through it). Then after payment was made & she checked it, she asked me for my mailing info again. She then informed me that she would package it up that night & send it in the morning.

July 16 She sent me a message from her company page alerting me she shipped it that day & sent a link to Canada post's tracking page. However, she forgot to give me the tracking number so I had to message her again to request it.

July 17 I receive the locket & sent her a message to let her know. 20 minutes later I sent her another message informing her of a problem. First of all, the 2 birthstones advertised on the company page I ordered stated that they were "flat backed" These birthstones were not. Also the back glass of the locket was popped out.

July 18 she messaged me back stating that it was fine when she shipped it "Monday", must be Canada Post's fault. She then went on to say that the birthstones are older ones that she had in stock. She also said she would contact Canada Post the next morning to file an insurance claim.  **(just for clarification, Monday was the 15, she sent me the message on Tuesday the 16 saying she shipped it that day. Not that big of a deal, but still.)**

July 19 I asked her to let me know what was happening as it was a disappointment & that I couldn't give my daughter the locket as it was.

July 21 She messaged me back stating she agreed it was disappointing & that she would contact Canada Post on Monday.

July 23 I again messaged her asking for an update as she hadn't said anything more.

July 24 she sent me a message informing me she was "working on a solution".

July 25, I had contacted the head company's page & found out that the birth stones she put in the locket were not compatible with the pride slide she put in the locket. I sent her a message informing her that I was told that by her head company & also informed her that because the stones are pointed on the backs instead of flat, that that may be the reason the glass popped out, too much pressure. Again I asked for an update.

She replied stating she never had any other problems with any like stones so she was sure it was Canada Post's fault not hers. She informed me that she would be putting in another order on the weekend & that there is no way I would have a replacement in time for my daughter's birthday. She then requested that I start messaging her through her personal facebook page instead of her company facebook page.

July 27 she sent me a message saying (I am C & P it here) Canada Post is issuing me a refund via the Insurance pd  *I will re-order yer locket & 2 flat backed stones (JUST in case) this wkend. **Keep the other stones for the new locket *** I'll need u 2 re-pkg the locket & 2 other birthstones. If u can put stones & glass in locket & wrap locket in paper towel then return to me Id appreciate it. It cud prob be sent in a regular envie...I will re-imburse u the postage.

meant keep the other charms & slide with u

July 28 I responded to her message, informing her that after her message on the 25th, I took the locket to a jeweller & paid to have them repair the glass because as I stated, I needed it for the 27th. Then because I took her word for it about the stones, I put them back in & tried again to close the locket. The back glass held, the front glass did not. So I had to have them repair the FRONT glass too. I advised her that obviously it was not an issue with Canada Post as she was claiming that it was indeed the fact that birth stones are as the company stated, NOT compatible with the pride slides. That she should have known that & not suggested it. I then went on to state had I know, I would not have wasted my money.

I heard nothing further from her to date even though she has posted on her page, her company page & I got the notification that she saw my message. No apology, nothing.

While Spirit Lockets does have some beautiful things, be careful what & WHO you order from. Some may say that I should be thankful to have won the locket, chain & charm & I am. However, I also purchased other items from her & took her at her word & thought she would know what products she is selling. I feel like she ripped me off.

I know I chose to take the locket in to repair it. I am actually thankful I did, because if I hadn't, I would have had the same issues with the new locket.

This is what the locket looks like when she showed me a pic before she sent it. Looks beautiful doesn't it?


This is what I received. The black circle against the chain is the back glass.

Buyer Beware!

Please Note that Spirit Lockets - A Northern Gals' Hip & Charmed Locket Life is an Affiliate/ Wholesale Distributor & this review is based on my experience with her alone & NOT based on the Spirit Lockets - Company itself.

The HEAD Company sent me a message asking me why I was not provided with the incompatibility slip that was shipped with EACH 6MM birthstone & why she would suggest them as they said it states right on their website that the 6MM stones are INCOMPATIBLE with the pride slides. I did inform them that when I brought it up to her, she claimed she never had a problem before.