Hooked on LÄRABAR

My sister has been raving about LÄRABAR for years because she’s the more athletic one of us. So, when Jess Bennett from Palette PR asked if I’d like to try some, I said sure.

I received a lovely sampler with four different flavours (Cashew Cookie, Coconut Cream Pie, Pecan Pie and if memory serves me correctly, Ginger Snap) in a stainless steel thermos. They’re all made with various unprocessed, uncooked combinations of two to eight different ingredients consisting of fruit, nuts and spices. I’ve tried about six or seven different flavours. My favourite ones are Cinnamon Roll and Ginger Snap although I’d really like to taste Peanut Butter & Jelly and Cocoa Mole.

According to LÄRABAR, three new flavours are coming soon. Although the flavours sound creative and these bars are relatively tasty, I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying they’re “indulgent deserts” – a claim I read on the Wikipedia page.

If you’ve been reading Bargainista for a while, you probably know I’ve eaten a lot of NutriSystem and my favourite items were the bars. LÄRABAR is a completely different type of product. I think it’s designed more as an energy bar than a meal supplement. I really like the idea there are no additives. For those of you who are concerned about various allergies (except for allergies to nuts) and dietary restrictions, you may want to take a closer look LÄRABAR.

Being able to purchase LÄRABAR at many retail outlets including grocery and health food stores make them easily accessible. I’m also comfortable giving them to my kids who want to give them a try as soon as they come home from camp. As for the price, I’ve spent anywhere from $1.99-$2.99 per bar. I’ve found grocery stores tend to be less expensive than convenience stores and health food stores are selling them anywhere within that range.

UPDATE: Costco sells a 12-pack for $15.99 with three flavours - Key Lime Pie, Cashew Cookie and Cocoa Coconut Chew - it’s a great deal. I’d like it better if there were more flavours or at least two combinations to choose from.

Perhaps, like my sister you’re a fan of LÄRABAR. If so, you may want to check out their fan page or tweets.

Have you ever tried LÄRABAR? What are your favourite flavours?

And an now for a special update...

Editor’s note: Welcome Baby Atkinson! Our best wishes go out to you and your loving parents, Rebecca and Mark.

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Rebecca Atkinson shares tips about how to save money while in labour, seriously!

Surprises are a part of life and babies come when they want to. That’s the biggest lesson I learned last week. Not due until Jul y 23, I was shocked when I arrived for my weekly check up and found out my OB wasn’t happy with some of the things that had occurred since my last check-up. A few tests later and suddenly I was going to be having a baby in a few short hours – or so I thought.

After being induced on the evening of July 3, Mark and I finally welcomed our daughter Meredith Jane Atkinson into this world at 3:58 am on Sunday July 5, 2009, weighing 6 pounds and 12 ounces (Yes, I caved and took the drugs, that was too long for me!)

I can’t help but constantly stare at her to make sure she’s breathing and to just ponder the miracle of life. The week has gone by really fast, but it’s incredible how much we’ve learned already.

Lessons Learned
1. If using disposable, buy small packages of diapers at first – or get samples if you can until you find the best diaper for your baby; it will save money in the long run.
2. Find rides to and from the hospital for Dad because overnight parking is expensive!
3. Bring or have someone bring snacks and food, and a thermos of coffee – especially for your partner – because you can only take so much hospital food. And if baby wants to be born in the wee hours of the morning, most hospital cafeterias follow regular business hours.

Support your local toy store

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Jenny discusses one of my favourite places: toy stores.

I’m a big believer in supporting local businesses. Sure, you can often find better and bigger bargains at chains like Walmart and Toys R Us, but I’ve been doing a lot of local shopping lately during my maternity leave, and it’s cemented for me that when shopping for toys, price isn’t always everything. Here are some compelling reasons to support your local store.

1. special orders
Recently I stopped into Mastermind’s Beaches location. A friend had recommended to me a bamboo mat, designed to fit any stroller, that wicks sweat away from baby’s back in the hot summer months, that she had purchased at that location a few weeks earlier. I was set on getting one because both my girls suffer from heat rashes and I figured this item would provide some relief. Unfortunately a lot of other moms had counted on it too, and the store was sold out; but a salesperson immediately set about special-ordering one for me – an option no Toys R Us clerk has ever offered.

2. knowledgeable staff
My local toy store, Treasure Island Toys, is a great example of how knowledgeable, friendly staff can make a shopping experience effortless and comfortable. Many’s the time I’ve stopped in to buy birthday gifts for girl #1’s cousins, classmates, and friends, armed with only a gender and age; the staff never fail to offer assistance within a few minutes, and always have a recommendation or two that’s appropriate for the child’s age and sex, taking out all the guesswork for me.

3. free gift wrapping
Treasure Island Toys also offers free gift wrapping – an incredible boon to busy moms, especially when faced with the often oddly-shaped packaging of many toys! Again, not a service I’ve ever heard offered at a chain store (except perhaps during the holiday season).

All these reasons have a common thread – unparalleled customer service. The service I’ve gotten over the years at big-box stores has been spotty at best; but the local stores I’ve frequented have never failed to surpass my expectations. I like a good bargain as much as the next person, but often (like when I’m hauling a hyper 5-year-old and a cranky infant along with me to the toy store) speedy, friendly, knowledgeable service that goes the extra mile is well worth the extra few dollars I might pay at the cash register.

Editor’s note: As I was preparing this post, I learned Mastermind has gone full force into social media and they seem to be doing a great job – they blog, have their own YouTube channel and you can reach them at @MastermindToys on Twitter.

Six String Nation - a Canada Day story

Looking for something to be proud of this Canada Day? Want to read a kick-ass story about our culture and heritage in a way that’s never been told before? Read on...

For the second year in a row, I had the good fortune of attending Podcasters Across Borders. Despite it’s name, this gem of a conference – organized by Canadian Podcast Buffet hosts Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche and their wives, Andrea Ross and Cat Bobkowicz – is about so much more thank podcasting. It’s really about content, creativity and inspiration. The three key elements in plain old-fashioned storytelling, the best way to engage an audience.

That’s exactly how the tone was set with keynote Jowi Taylor, Peabody award-wining writer broadcaster formerly with the CBC, as he presented an overview of his career leading up to the inspiring story of Six String Nation.

What’s Six String Nation and why should you care?

Six String Nation is many things to many people. It started with a dream in 1995 and over the past few years, it’s the result of a cross-country journey and collaboration culminating in:
• 64 pieces (hand-crafted from vast riches of our history, heritage and culture)
• 6 strings
• 1 guitar (the Voyageur)
• 1 Canada

According to Jowi, the goals are simple:

“• invite the many voices and perspectives that together define the spectrum of Canadian identity and experience to speak to one another – each in their own voice;
• celebrate the people and stories that make each part of Canada distinct;
• tell the story of a country from the roots to the trunk rather than the other way around; and
• encourage us to tell that story to ourselves and the world through music – the language that Canada speaks just about better than anyone else in the world.”

After Jowi’s story, we were further wowed when Jay Moonah, accompanied by Bob, Mark and a chorus of PAB attendees, started to play With a Little Help from My Friends on the Voyageur. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Many of us also had an opportunity to be photographed and photograph our friends holding the Voyageur as well.

What struck many of us as odd was the fact that there was no direct government support and next to none from corporate Canada. Six String Nation has really been Jowi Taylor’s labour of love.

Help support Jowi by telling others about his story, buying his book – I bought one for Mr. B as a Father’s Day gift – and checking out the Six String Nation tour this summer or a slew of visits to schools and community events throughout the year. You can even have your picture taken with the Voyageur.

Happy Canada Day!

photo credit: Six String Nation at PAB09 by lexnger on flickr, Thanks Lex!