Get Ghoulishly Glamified with Glama Gals for Halloween (& a Giveaway!)

Hello lovelies!

Many of you already know how much I adore Glama Gals. This fantastic spa for tweens inspires girls to be confident, positive and unique. Although it is geared towards girls, it also caters to females of all ages for bachelorette parties, wedding parties, birthdays, and fun day spa experiences. If this spa was around when I was younger, I would have begged my mom to let me be pampered by the lovely ladies at Glama Gals for every birthday! It's an incredible place for girlies of any age to be pampered and glammed up. 

 



I am so excited to share a few of the exciting events that are coming up this month at Glama Gals:
 

Glama Gal Tween Spa Presents: Hallow'Tween Party
(for Tweens)

• Date: Thursday, October 30
• Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
• Cost: $40 per Tween

 



Make sure to join Glama Gals for their annual Hallow'Tween Party! This exciting event includes:

• A Witches Brew Dinner with Spider Web Pizza, Spider Cider, and Eyeball Cupcakes
• Magic Potion Lip Gloss Creation Station
• Witches Cauldron Manicure Station with Halloween Nail Art
• Monster Mash Dance Party
• Creepy Crawler Swamp Bath Bomb to Take Home
• Best Costume Contest

You can find ticket and location information here.

Glama Gal Tween Spa Presents: Little Munsters Bash

• Date: Friday, October 31
• Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
• Cost: $35 per Lil' Munster and Mummy

Don't miss the Glama Gals Little Munsters Bash - another annual tradition! This bewitching event includes:

• Decorate Your Own Mini Pumpkin
• Handprint Bat Bag Creations
• Decorate Your Own Mummy Cupcakes
• Ghoulish Snacks - Banana Ghosts, Witch Carrots and Tangerine Pumpkins
• Glow in the Dark Mini Manis

Click here for ticket information, and make sure to bring your Little Munsters for some ghoulish fun!

 



If you can't make it out for the parties, Glama Gals also has a wonderful Halloween Spa Special this month! For the amazing price of $35, your little Ghouls can enjoy the following spa treats:

• Pumpkin Spice Mani and Pedi
• Spider Web Nail Designs
• Trick or Treat Gummy Worm Mist Facial
• Witches Brew Bath Bomb To Take Home

I'm happy to announce that I can give one lucky person the chance to attend the Glama Gals Hallow'Tween party through a special giveaway! To enter, tweet the message "I want to get glamafied with Glama Gals at the Hallo'tween Party! #‎gghallowtween2014". You will be able to choose from one of the following locations: Vaughan, Ajax, Oakville, Newmarket, Toronto, Markham, or Sudbury (Glama Gals newest location!)

Good luck, and Happy Halloween! I hope it's glamtastic!



Disclaimer: As a Glambassador, I have been compensated for this post, but the opinions expressed are all my own!

Back to Driving School with #CAARoadTest!





Last week, I was incredibly fortunate to attend a fun event with several of my fellow CAA South Central Ontario Brand Ambassadors that reminded me of my driver training days! The CAA Road Test Revival, which took place in the parking lot of Woodbine Racetrack, included a written quiz and three driving stations. These were Parallel Parking, Reverse Lot Parking, and a Three Point Turn.

Parallel Parking 

I am one of those people who drives around looking for 'slider' parking spots for my car, as I'm not great at parallel parking! My anxiety was high as we arrived at the first station. Fortunately, we had an incredibly helpful and patient instructor who walked us through the process. Using tips provided to me by my car mate and fellow Brand Ambassador Mara Shapiro (who would make an excellent instructor herself!), I nailed the Parallel Parking portion on the first attempt! Usually, when I have to parallel park, I do it in my little Mazda 3 Hatchback. Imagine my surprise when I had to get into a minivan! Thankfully, it all worked out.

For those of you who need a refresher on parallel parking, here are a few tips to remember:

• Ensure the space is large enough to accommodate 1 1/2 times the length of your vehicle
• Signal early to help the driver behind understand your intention
• Do not start reversing until the way is clear of traffic has stopped to let you begin parking

Three-Point Turns

We've all been here. Blushing as it takes 50 turns, reverses and forward moves to get out of a tight jam. I can honestly say I have completed tons of three-point turns in my driving lifetime, but it's nerve wracking to have an instructor tell you he's going to score yours like he would during a driving test. Boris, our instructor, was incredibly sweet and informative, and helped put me at ease. He said my three point turn was almost perfect, which made my day!

We all believe that we're decent drivers and have great skills, but it was amazing at how many little things I picked up from my session with Boris. Everyone should have a refresher course in these important skills!

Here are a few helpful reminders to think about when making a three-point turn:

• Be aware of U-turn restrictions
• Be 360° aware throughout the entire manoeuvre, check all mirrors and blind spots
• Avoid using a driveway or private property

Reverse Lot Parking

This is another manoeuver that I admittedly try to avoid at all costs, but is so important to master. If you park downtown Toronto in one of the many underground garages or lots, it's much easier to reverse park in a lot, so you can have a quick exit and are able to see other cars driving by. Our instructor was hilarious, and told us that even though it seems easier to go nose first into a spot, it's safer to simply back into the spot. Taking his advice to heart, I was able to back into the spot on the first try! Clearly, I'm better at these skills that I gave myself credit for, but still appreciate these helpful tips:

• Visibility around your vehicle is better while backing in
• Easier for drivers to see if the way is clear when exiting the parking spot
• Mechanical problems are easier to diagnose, and vehicle is easier to tow or boost.



Here are some important tips to remember while driving:

• Do not depend on backup cameras when reversing. Drivers only see what's already in view of the camera, and not what's approaching the car
• Driving forward or reversing, looking in the direction of where you want your car to go will help you steer your car more accurately
• Avoid dry steering. Your vehicle should always be moving slowly when turning the steering wheel

CAA How to Drive Beginner Driver Education

Did you know that CAA has over 50 years of experience in driver education?  Their flagship driving school, located in North York, offers beginner driver education, senior driving seminars, and corporate driving seminars.

The CAA How to Drive Beginner Driver Education course is MTO-approved, and only taught at CAA Approved Driving School Network (ADSN) locations across Ontario. There are currently 37 ADSN locations teaching the CAA How to Drive Course. You can find all of the locations at

caasco.com/drivertraining.

Some of the benefits of the CAA How to Drive Course include:

• Graduates can take their G2 road test 4 month earlier than G1 license holders who do not take an MTO-approved course (this group must wait a full 12 months!)
• Graduates may be eligible for a reduced auto insurance premium
• Graduates can redeem a free 1-year CAA Basic Membership 

Tear-up-the-Tuition Contest

Students who register for the CAA How to Drive course at any ADSN location can enter the Tear-up-the-Tuition contest by visiting Caasco.com/learndrivewin. Contest prizes include 2 x $200 Apple Store® gift cards, 3 x choice of $75 CAA Rewards Partner gift card, 39 x Cineplex Great Escape Packages, and 2 x Grand Prize of CAA How to Drive Course tuition reimbursement! This contest runs until November 30, 2014. Good luck, and drive safe!

I had such a great time at the #CAARoadTest event! It was fun to spend time with everyone, refresh my driving skills, and boost my confidence while practising the manoeuvers that we should all use on a regular basis. The best part was I didn't need to be towed away by this friendly face: 

 

CAA is known for being the most trusted name in Roadside Assistance. With a full range of products, CAA Members have access to not only Roadside Assistance, but also life, home and auto insurance; travel packages and insurance; and exclusive access to savings and rewards at more than 164,000 retail locations and services worldwide.
 

Disclosure: I am a CAA Brand Ambassador and although this post was sponsored by CAA South Central Ontario, the opinions expressed here are my own, and in no way do they reflect CAA South Central Ontario.

 

.

THE GAME OF LIFE - CAA Edition: Play The Amazing CAA Contest!

When I was younger, I loved playing THE GAME OF LIFE. I’m very competitive, and loved to spin the wheel, move my family car around the board, and complete life challenges to earn money and rewards while racing to the finish line. Being old school at heart, I prefer playing board games over PS3 and Wii, and still break out THE GAME OF LIFE, Monopoly and Payday on a regular basis!

Sometimes, I see life as a game filled with challenges and opportunities. When I was laid off from my job during a company merger in 2002, I was offered the option to either start my own business, or go back to school as part of my severance package. As in THE GAME OF LIFE, I spun my own personal wheel, and decided to go back to school to study Public Relations. It wasn’t easy to return to school after a 10 year break, but it’s a decision I have never regretted, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity. Life may take you down some difficult paths, but it’s the opportunities you create for yourself as a result that can open your world to incredible possibilities.

CAA is known for being the most trusted name in Roadside Assistance. With a full range of products, CAA Members have access to not only Roadside Assistance, but also life, home and auto insurance; travel packages and insurance; and exclusive access to savings and rewards at more than 164,000 retail locations and services worldwide.

I am thrilled to announce thattorld to incredible possibilities. at may take you down some strange paths, but iTHE GAME OF LIFE – CAA Edition is back for a 4^th year! Players have the chance to win over 2,600 instant prizes, and an incredible dream vacation! This amazing contest is open to residents of South Central Ontario and, by playing THE GAME OF LIFE – CAA Edition daily, you can earn entries into the grand prize draw! The more times you play, the better your chance of winning.

 incredible possibilities.

You can also earn bonus entries by sharing your game activity on social media, and by inviting your friends to play! It’s not only fun, it’s very interactive. In addition, you can earn even more bonus entries through winning mini games, and by redeeming GAME OF LIFE Dollars (G.O.L.D.)!

Want to know what you’re playing for? Here are the in-game instant prizes:

·         Petro-Canada™ Gift Cards

·         Petro-Canada™ Preferred Price Cards ($0.10 off per litre)

·         Petro-Canada™ Car Wash Cards

·         Payless ShoeSource Gift Cards

·         East Side Mario's Gift Cards

·         Cineplex Entertainment - Adult Admit One Tickets

·         Husky Energy Gift Cards

·         Options Gift Cards

·         Dulux Paints Gift Certificates

·         Kernels Popcorn Gift Cards

·         LensCrafters Gift Certificates

·         Teleflora Promo Codes

·         Starwood Pre-Paid VISAs

·         Best Western Travel Cards

·         Walmart Gift Cards

·         Sephora Gift Cards

·         The Body Shop Gift Cards

·         Tiger Direct Gift Cards

There are also three fabulous grand prizes to choose from! When players register for the game, they will have the ability to select one of the following options:

·       Florida Family Fun – An 8-day trip for 4 people to Orlando theme parks

·       Northern European Cruise – A 7-night Norwegian escape for 2 people with Holland America Line

·       Signature Argentina – 2-person, 13-day tour of the best of Argentina (Buenos Aires, El Calafate & Mendoza)

I believe this is a contest that is definitely worth playing for. Click here to register and play now! Good luck, and have fun playing THE GAME OF LIFE – CAA Edition! 

Contest open to CAA Members and non-members. Complete rules and regulations are available at www.caagol.com.

HASBRO and its logo and THE GAME OF LIFE are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission.

©2014 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

®CAA and CAA logo trademarks owned by, and use is granted by, the Canadian Automobile Association.

Disclosure: I am a CAA Brand Ambassador and although this post was sponsored by CAA South Central Ontario, the opinions expressed here are my own, and in no way do they reflect CAA South Central Ontario.