Skylanders Giants Wave 3 release date

I don’t know about you, but my son is looking forward to getting Ninjini. Probably the poor little one stands no chance considering that probably it is going to be a limited numbers of them, but hope springs eternal, so you never know.

According to squidoo, the release date for Wave 3 of Skylanders Giants is December 21 or/and December 23, 2012. I can only imagine Toys’r Us being assaulted by tired parents and super excited kids. Geez, it looks like a mandatory trip to the mall.
Wait a minute! December 21 is today! I guess I’ll go over there and check.

What is going to be in the wave 3: Eye-Brawl, Hot Dog, Wrecking Ball and Ninjini.

I wish myself luck!

Thinking about a new heating system?

Boy we had a pretty bad weather here in British Columbia.
Yesterday it was snowing and the temperature dropped to –9°C.
Needless to say that our big 4000 sq ft house it’s even harder to warm up then normally is.
We had a combination of heating sources in the house: gas fireplace, wood burning stove, headboard elements and various types of heaters.
Wood burning stove is messy although the heat generated is nice and not very dry and it looks cozy if nothing else.
Because we are thinking about remodeling the house, it’s time to shop around for something that will look nice and be energy efficient as well.
With the natural gas increasing costs maybe we should investigate propane cost and efficiency as an alternative. From aesthetic point of view I would like to choose a fireplace.
As I have mentioned already, we are doing home renovations, and that includes a bigger garage and gas garage heaters will come handy because most of the time the garage is cold and it feels humid somehow.

If you plan to give somebody a gift of love, think about heaters. I will warm up their body and soul.

A lip-gloss that could help you lose weight

Recently I came across a piece of news: a California based make-up company dubbed Too Faced created a lip gloss that allegedly helps you shed the extra pounds.
The wonder product named FUZE Slenderize Guilt Free Gloss is infused with healthy and delicious fruit flavors and most important, with appetite suppressant ingredients.
It is sold under the slogan “Always on the lips. Never on the hips” and it comes in three flavors and colors: Blueberry Raspberry- sheer purple, Strawberry Melon- sheer pink, and Dragon Fruit Lime- sheer peach.

What are the active ingredients that could help you lose weigh?
According to the company’s information, here they are:
-Chromium: A mineral said to improve the amount of energy you get from food and to boost metabolism.
-L-Carnitine: An amino acid that boosts energy.
-Super Citrimax: It’s a plant extract said to help to maintain a normal appetite and increase energy in healthy individuals and to support a healthy metabolism.

The same ingredients are found in Fuze energy drinks, which energize and slenderize.
It is said that Katie Holmes is one celebrity using Fuze energy drinks.

A spokesman for Too Faced said: “Application of this long-lasting, high-shine formula will actually help suppress one’s appetite for food without sacrificing delicious glamour.
“With a single swipe of the tube, Fuze Slenderize provides a pretty, plump pout with an added bonus of healthy, energy-boosting, appetite curbing ingredients.

Diet experts caution that there is no quick-fix when it comes to losing weight and there is only one way to lose weight in the long-term and that is a combination of sensible eating including avoiding bad fat, sugar and salt, exercise and a good night sleep.

Toys recall due to lead content : November 2007

Children’s umbrella with a yellow duck-shaped handle.
Description: Yellow Duck Handle Kids Umbrella, style # 79WWM
Hazard: Health Canada’s testing demonstrates that the yellow colour used on the product contains lead in excess of the allowable level per the Canadian Hazardous Products Act.
Sold at: Wal-Mart Canada Inc. from January 2005, through October 15, 2007.
Manufactured in : China
Distributed by: A.C.I. Accessory Concepts Inc. of Oakville, Ontario.
duck-umbrella.jpg
Piggy Bank
The recall involves a Frog shaped wooden painted piggy bank.
Hazard: Surface paints on the product contain excessive levels of lead.
Sold at: San Francisco and San Diego stores across Canada from 2003 until May, 2007.
Manufactured by: Xiamen Shangfa of Xiamen, China
Imported by: San Francisco Gifts Ltd. of Edmonton, Alberta
piggy-bank-frog.jpg

Elite Operations Toys
Description: 3 pack Combatant Squad (Sku 577286 UPC 803516930355); Command Patrol Center (Sku 661317 UPC 803516939136); and Barracuda Helicopter with 2 figures (Sku 661287 UPC 803516939136). the Elite Operations Troop Carrier (Sku 577251; UPC 803516930478) and the Elite Operations Rapid Response Vehicle (Sku 615889; UPC 803516939150)
Hazard: Surface coatings on the toys contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.
Sold at: Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and toysrus.com from July 2007 through October 2007 for between $10 and $30. No other Elite Operations brand military play sets are included in this recall
Manufacturer: Toy World Group Ltd/Chun Tat Toys Factory Limited, of Guangdong, China

Curious George Plush Dolls
Description: Curious George 12-inch plush dolls with a plastic face.
The dolls are dressed to represent five various themes: birthday, fireman, sweet dreams, tool time and tool time with a soft face.
The plush dolls were sold with a Curious George storybook or activity book. The following product and SKU numbers are printed on the packaging.
Birthday 90253/ 8-83199-90253-5
Fireman 90246/ 8-83199-90246-7
Sweet Dreams 90247/ 8-83199-90247-4
Tool Time 90251/ 8-83199-90251-1
Tool Time (soft face) 90251/ 8-83199-90251-1
Hazard: Surface paint on the toy’s plastic face and construction hat contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.
Sold at: Toy and discount department stores nationwide from December 2005 through August 2007 for about $15.
Manufacturer: Marvel Toys, of New York, N.Y. (Manufactured in China)
Importer: Grand Toys Ltd., Dorval, Quebec

“Robot 2000” collectable tin robot
Description: The “Robot 2000” is a battery-operated, tin robot standing 12” tall. It has a red light on the head and chest panels that open.
Hazard: Surface paints on the robot contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.
Sold at: Specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from October 2006 through September 2007 for about $25.
Manufactured in: China, imported by Schylling Associates Inc., of Rowley, Mass.

Winnie-the-Pooh Spinning Top
Description: the spinning top is primarily metal and has wooden handles. The top is printed with Winnie-the-Pooh characters. Tops with plastic handles are not included in this recall.
Hazard: Surface paint on the wooden handle of the top contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.
Sold at: Specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from April 2003 through November 2003 for about $12.
Manufactured in: China, imported by Schylling Associates Inc., of Rowley, Mass.

Duck Family Collectable Wind-Up Toy
Description: Duck Family consists of a large wind-up duck, which pulls three little ducks. They are made of tin and are primarily yellow in color.
Hazard: Surface paints on the ducks contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.
Sold at: Specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from January 2007 through August 2007 for about $8.
Manufactured in: China, imported by Schylling Associates Inc., of Rowley, Mass.

Dizzy Ducks Music Box
Description: The Dizzy Ducks Music Box is a wind-up music box with ducks that spin as music plays.
Hazard: Surface paints on the wooden base of the music box contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.
Sold at: Specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from March 2007 through October 2007 for about $12.
Manufactured in: China, imported by Schylling Associates Inc., of Rowley, Mass.
dizzy-ducks.jpg

Christmas shopping on a budget

Christmas is around the corner, so is the lay off-time-of-the-year. Contrary to what you read in the paper, Canadian economy it’s not booming, it’s taking a beeline to the rock bottom.
Therefore, when your kids start talking about what Santa is going to bring them, instead of pulling your hair out, think a new strategy: second-hand or discount buying.
So what if a toy or a book is not new? You compensate with a nice and shiny wrapping and a bigger ribbon.
Seriously speaking, there are many things around that don’t have to be new to enjoy them.

DVD and CD
Yeap, I am an old dinosaur and still purchase DVDs and CDs, vs. copying them from the net. Nowadays I am digging into the boxes of ‘hot deals’ at Wal-Mart or Superstore or any other store that may be offering still in-box (as in new) DVDs and CDs at low prices.
Or I check the online sellers. With online retailers the problem is that even if the discs are cheap, being used, the shipping and handling is more expensive than normal and what you save on the disc’s cost you spend on shipping. It happened to me when I checked Amazon market place. So you have to do your homework and compare. Don’t forget the duty you have to pay if the content of your package is more expensive than 20 USD.
Another source might be Rogers video or Blockbuster video rental stores. It’s worth trying anyway.

Books
Normally you read a book once, maybe twice if you really like it or you suffer from some sort of brain fart and can’t remember the action, so when you reread it it’s like new to you (been there, done that)
Library sales, online retailers (like abebooks, check: www.abebooks.com), Amazon market place, Value Village, anything may be a source of cheap books.

Toys
With kids you never know what might be a success toy story. My son enjoyed a toy purchased for $1.99 at Ikea and did not play much with a big, remote-controlled, expensive car. On top of that they get bored pretty fast and most of the toys will end up at the bottom of the toy box in no time.
A good quality second-hand toy will work just as fine as any new one.

Software and console games
If you have the patience to wait a few months after the release of the newest gizmo or game, you will get it cheaper for sure. Another benefit: whatever bug the device, software had, it would be fixed by then. Now, if your kid goes to school and all his peers boast about the newest Xbox they got, he may feel really unhappy with his outdated version. Again, put in balance what is important and act accordingly.
You have to be careful as well because some manufacturers restrict the number of computers the software may be installed, which can make the transfer to the new owner more difficult.
Cars
We got our BMW X3, ex-leased, for a good discount. If you are in the market for a new car, at least new for you, an ex-lease is a viable option. Of course you have to do your homework and check the depreciation value. Be realistic and don’t expect a Hyundai to perform as well in time as a BMW, Porsche or Mercedes.
Don’t expect that the dealer will voluntarily disclose every weak point the car has and have a good, objective mechanic verifying your car.

Timeshares
It’s the time of the year when Canadians are not getting too much sunshine. Seasonal depression is in full blast and everybody dreams about that perfect vacation on a hot, white, sunny beach.
Numerous families are contemplating purchasing a timeshare as well. Like in the car’s case, you have to do your homework and check resale values on line. Take with a grain of salt what the agent may tell you about the expected depreciation. Most of the timeshare will loose value in time, as high as 70% of the original cost. Exception may be some high-end properties in exclusive resort.

My tip for not going over board with Christmas shopping: CASH.
I promise you will think twice before throwing lots of stuff in you buggy.