Torch Celebrations

The Olympic Torch has reached the Lower Mainland and the celebrations are underway.

This morning the torch passed through my hometown at the lovely hour of 7:00am. Myself and the kids (my husband was working) were all up very early and standing outside in the cold waiting to see the torch pass by.


The city had great activities planned for the families. There was free coffee, muffins and snacks available if you could make your way over to the one table. There were even crafts and races for the kids to participate in while you waited. Unfortunately these were also located in a spot that left you choosing them or waiting to watch the torch-we chose to stand still and wait for the torch.

The waiting for the torch seemed a lot longer than the actual hour it was. There wasnt much to do but stand and try to 'protect' your space from being invaded by latecomers seeking a good spot. The kids were given some flags and balloon 'clappers' that increased the excitement around us.

And then the flame was down the street. It really is a awe moment when you see the torch. My children clapped and cheered and I hope understood how special this moment will be to them.

I encourage everyone in the Lower Mainland to check out the torch route and take the time to watch it pass by.

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/torch/index.html#/Route

I would avoid any city center stop though and pick a less busy area along the route. You'll be way less crowded and probably get to see the torch for longer than 1 second with 50 heads in your way.

Tip for Drive-Thrus

Yes, I use drive-thrus regularly. As a family we are always in and out and often run of time to make meals at home. I also have a very big coffee addiction and end up at a coffee drive-thru twice a day on average.
All of this time spent at drive-thrus has taught me a few simple tricks on how to make the process as speedy as possible (for yourself and other drivers).

I am going to share what I think the number one tip is. A really simple tip but one that many people just dont think about.

ALWAYS order the most difficult or longest taking item first!!!

That's it.

A bagel takes longer to make than a coffee takes to pour. Order bagel, then coffee.
A cheeseburger with no onions will take longer than chicken nuggets. Order burger, then nuggets.
A latte takes longer than a regular coffee. Order latte than reg coffee.

Yes none of this is rocket science, but I have found that it is one of those things that most people just don't think about.

Trust me-this will make all of your drive-thru visits go much faster.

Winner! Cute Bug Apparel

Congratulations to #63 on winning the baby bib from Cute Bug Apparel

AmyLynn said...

I'm following your blog.

January 25, 2010 3:57 AM

Thank you to Cute Bug Apparel for sponsoring this giveaway. Winner is being contacted via email and has 48 hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen.
Thanks to all that entered and checked out this great Canadian company!

Wordless Wednesdays

Optimizing Your Shoppers Points

You may have noticed that we sometimes post about upcoming Shoppers Drug Mart deals. For our blog readers that don't live in a city with a Shoppers - we're sorry - because Shoppers has a great points system! That said, it can be a little tricky getting started and figuring out the best way to maximize your points. Here are some tips that we've figured out along the way:

1. If you're paying regular price at Shopper's on a regular (not bonus) day, you are probably paying too much.
2. Sign up for the Optimum Points Program - it's free. You do get more points if you also get the Optimum credit card, but none of us have one, so we can't really comment. (I'm wary of taking out too many store credit cards as this affects your credit rating)
3. If you will be buying any baby products, add the VIB (Very Important Baby) option to your card. This simply involves having the cashier scan a barcode on the VIB pamphlet. There are often extra bonus points on baby products for VIB members.
4. Read the weekly flyers. Generally, the best deals are on the front page - and are often available for 2 days only.
5. There are 3 points promotions that are very worthwhile to participate in:

• 20x the points events - Keep a list of everyday products and stock up on the 20x the points days. The best deals tend to come from combining front page flyer deals with 20x the points events.
• Refer a Friend Events - Appoint one of your friends to be the organizer. When the Refer a Friend email comes out, the organizer then registers and refers the group via email. The other participants must wait for the email with referral to arrive before registering for the event. Then, each member shops, spending $20, during the appointed time (usually you have a 3 day window). The group leader and each member that shops gets 5000 points credited to their account. Then, the group leader is granted a bonus 5000 points for each referral that shopped. The way we do this among our friends is that we split up the bonus points. The group leader transfers points to the other member's accounts. With the 4 of us, this means that for spending $20 gets us each our 5000 points plus 3750 points from the division of the referral points for a total of 8750 points (worth over $10 at redemption)
• Bonus Redemption Days - a couple times a year there are Bonus Redemption Days where your points redeem for more than usual. How many Bonus points you get depends on where in Canada you live. Again, the best deal can be had by redeeming for products on sale (if you need them!)

Those are pretty much the basics of getting started. If you get really in to the program and spend enough money in one calendar year, you get promoted to Plus status. Plus status remains with you to the end of the year and through the next calendar year. The perks of being a Plus member include getting points back after redemption (e.g., redeem 75 000 points and you get 10 000 points put back in your account), getting special coupons and getting heads up from your local store about special events. You will know you are getting close to Plus status when a countdown starts appearing on your receipts. One hint about getting Plus status is that if it gets close to the end of the calendar year and you are close to making Plus status, you might consider buying SDM gift cards to make it to the required spending level. If you do not reach Plus status in a calendar year, you are back at 0 for the next calendar year (you do not lose the Optimum Points, just your running towards Plus status).

Shoppers Optimum Points can be quite confusing, but shopping on redemption day is VERY fun.

Wordless Wednesdays

Celebrate Valentines With a Glade Gift Bag!

Looking for a great way to spend Valentines at home with your loved one? Need a great ready-to-give gift to that special someone?
Valentine's Day can be made easy with this wonderful solution from Glade.

Glade has put together a wonderful gift bag that is perfect to give as a gift or share with your special someone this Valentine's Day.

This great gift bag includes:
Sheer White Cotton 3 Wick Soy Candle
Reed Diffuser
Mini Soy Candle
Copper Moon Bottle of Wine
Eco Gift Tags and Blank Cards from Jonesy.ca
Valentine Mookie from Jinja Ninja (so delicious and creative!)

Glade is offering one of our Canadian Readers a gift bag of their own!

This gift bag will help provide the perfect Valentines Night in! Cuddle up, light a candle, sip some wine and have a sweet treat!

To Enter: Tell us how you would like to spend this Valentines or what your favourite Valentine's Day memory is.

Extra Entries:
*Mandatory entry must be done before any additional entries will be counted*
1: Visit the Jonesy site and comment back here on what your favourite product is
2: Visit the Jinja Ninja site and comment back here on something you learned about the product/company
3: Visit the Glade site and comment back here on your favourite product
4: Follow our blog with google friend connect
5: Subscribe to our blog in a feed
6: Become a fan of 4fabfams on facebook
7:Follow us on twitter @4fabfams and tweet the following:

"Enter @4fabfams to win a Valentines Gift from @gladescene filled with candles, wine, cards and cookies! http://bit.ly/bT1WzU"

Open to Canadians of legal drinking age only! Contest ends 2/8/10 at 8pm PST. Winners will be drawn with random org and will have 48 hrs to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.

We were sent several products from this company in order to provide a review. All opinions are of our own and reflect how the products worked for us. You may experience different results.