On Monday March 18th, I reached 5,000 followers on Twitter. This is a big deal for me. Really. Therefore, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who reads my blog via facebook or twitter or email. I started my blog in October 2010 and it’s been an incredible journey. In fact Samsung saw my passion for blogging  (and my zest for life ) and selected me and a handful of others to attend an event last year that was truly inspirational.

I was sincerely touched that Samsung had reached out to me. They even offered me a Samsung Notebook Series 9  to give away to one of my readers!! Guess what? The time has come to say thank you and run this “thank you contest”.

Contest Rules

The contest will be open to anyone in Canada and will run from March 19 and will end at noon on April 2nd.  (which is a great way to celebrate my birthday – with gratitude). The winner will have another 7 days to contact me via email, otherwise I will select another winner. I will use www.random.org to select the winner.

All you have to do is answer the following question:  How many computers are in your household? Just leave a comment on my blog!!

Wishing everyone the best of luck and once again….THANK YOU for supporting @momwhoruns

For More Information:

Twitter: @SamsungCanada

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SamsungCanada

Website: Samsung.com/ca

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Today’s blog post is dedicated to the question: How Many Knives Do You Own? I have a lot….errr….WAY TOO MANY. It all started 20 years ago, when I never invested in a decent knife. My attitude was “I’ll buy another one”.

My useless knife collection

This is NOT the right attitude. Here’s why.

A long time ago, I saw a blog post (or was it a tweet???) with the question: “What’s Your Favorite Kitchen Tool”. Many of the replies were  “MY KNIFE”.

Think about it. Do you think you could make a dish without a knife? It truly is an instrumental tool to have in the kitchen.

Because it’s so important,…I will be giving away a CUTCO knife to one lucky reader!! (value $138). All you have to do is go to the Cutco Website and leave a comment telling me which knife you would want to own.  If you haven’t heard of Cutco before, here’s what you need to know about this North American company: a) they have a Forever Guarantee b) they produce quality, SHARP knives c) they are all about offering exceptional knives and customer service.

Isn’t that easy? Isn’t this a great contest? Something tells me, I’m not the only one with a million knives in their kitchen. Actually I’ve decided that these knives are going into the GARBAGE. Ever since I was introduced to Cutco, I’m now dicing vegetables like a pro and have no need to  have useless knives in my kitchen!!

What a difference a good knife makes!!

The contest will run from Thursday Dec 6th to Friday Dec 21st and is open to all Canadian residents. A winner will be selected using random.org and will have one week to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Happy Knives = Happy Cooks. Yes?

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Quite regularly I stumble upon new businesses/restaurants/services while on Twitter. My latest find is a start up called Spinzo.

I started to chat with them via twitter and liked what they were all about. Now I want to share with you, (dear readers) what Spinzo is all about. I am also going to run a contest today with Spinzo!! What’s super cool about this contest is the fact that I could pick any prize I wanted for my readers!!

They originally offered me an iPad as a gift but I said “hmmm…my readers are mostly foodies so what about a gift to KITCHEN STUFF PLUS. Thats right…you could win a $250 gift certificate to Kitchen Stuff Plus to buy anything you want.

Love. This. Store.

When I went to visit my local Kitchen Stuff Plus, I was eyeing this piece of kitchen equipment. Now who wouldn’t want to  win a $250 Gift Certificate towards a purchase of one of these beauties?

One of my favorite appliances in my kitchen!!

Ok..back to Spinzo. Who are they? They are a Canadian Startup dedicated to offering dynamic pricing on great local experiences.

Want to know how to participate in this amazing contest?

All contestants have to do is post their purchase requests to the Spinzo Facebook page or Spinzo Twitter page.

These purchase requests can be about anything!

Important: (really important) Please use @momwhoruns in these requests: i.e : “I heard about #SpinzoSavesTO from @MomWhoRuns and I really want a new Kitchen Aid” (or another request like pots, cutlery etc)

Post requests to: Facebook.com/SpinzoToronto  OR on Twitter.com: @spinzotoronto) 

No need to leave a comment below…just head over to the Spinzo Facebook page or onto Twitter!!

So what do you think? Easy peazy contest non? Not to mention, a gift certificate to Kitchen Stuff Plus is SWEET. The contest will run from Tuesday Aug 21st to Tuesday September 4th at midnite. This contest is open to anyone in Toronto and the gift certificate can be used at any of the Kitchen Stuff Plus locations. Random.org will used to select the winner and that winner has two weeks to get in touch with me. Otherwise a new winner will be selected.

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I love Festivals (see previous blog post) and I love events too. This one came to my attention last week and I immediately knew that I wanted to blog about it.

So here’s the scoop:

On Sunday, August 19, Piola will be hosting a Gnocchi-Eating Competition at their  Toronto location (1165 Queen St. W.). Hosted by Furious Pete, the inaugural contest will kick off at 3 p.m. Contestants will have ten minutes to eat as many bowls of gnocchi.

Gnocchi Anyone?

Over $5,000 in prizes will be awarded, with the champion eater winning a vintage 1963 Vespa. (not just any Vespa)

What a great prize!!

The Gnocchi-Eating Competition is open to amateur contestants 19 years and older. To enter, contestants must “like” Piola’s Facebook page and complete the contest form. Deadline for registration is Friday, August 17 at noon EST. (errr…hurry up and enter) For those with a voracious appetite and love of Italian food, this event is not to be missed.

If you aren’t in the mood to compete…then why not watch the competition while enjoying a drink or two or perhaps a pizza. (or a salad if you are on a no carb diet like me)

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I enjoyed a delicious salad, a pizza and dessert. Here’s a few photos:

Roka Cabana Salad

Roka Cababan Salad: Arugula, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella fior de latte, yellow sweet peppers, pistachio nuts and pomegranate dressing. Not only did this salad look gorgeous but it had all the right elements of a perfect salad.

The Perfect Pizza

Torta Nera & Gelato

Torta Nera & Gelato: Chocolate cake and vanilla gelato. More like a brownie..it was so dense and so chocolate-y and SO PERFECT!! Our waiter suggested it and he selected a winner.

Finally, don’t forget about Piola’s Lucky Gnocchi Day, which takes place on the 29^th of each month. All-you-can-eat gnocchi is offered in a variety of sauces like four cheese or tomato sauce for $14.99 per person. . Reservations are recommended.

www.piolatoronto.com/gnocchicontestrules

Website:         www.piola.it
Twitter:           @PiolaToronto
Hastag:           #piolagnocchicontest
Facebook:      www.facebook.com/piolatoronto

Wish I could go to this event but I will be out of town. I will be following it on twitter though.

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My Dyson! Notice the clean area rug and hardwood floors?

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to attend a Dyson event at the TIFF Lightbox. I immediately replied: “How did you know my carpets needed vacuumed? Would love to attend this event.”.

I’m not kidding. I moved into my apartment at the end of September and purchased an area rug in October. Guess what hasn’t been vacuumed since? This event could NOT have been more timely.

At the event I learned more about Dyson and the team of 700 engineers who work on these innovative products. I was in awe of the determination of James Dyson (the founder) to make the first vacuum that has balls. (their words, not mine). Dyson has a great product and a great ad campaign. Everywhere I go, people are talking about Dyson. Either they have one or they want one. This is the type of buzz every brand dreams of!!

As for my “vacuum cleaner” history – it goes likes this:

Childhood: Grew up with an Electrolux that was shlepped around and hit every wall known to mankind. I can still hear my mother shrieking “watch the walls” as I did my chores.

University: Lived in Israel for 4 years and carpets arent really popular in hot climates. So for 4 years I didn’t see a vacuum.

Adulthood: Bought a stand up vacuum cleaner that lasted for years and then graduated to a house with central vac. Recently I moved into an apartment with hardwood floors and one small area rug.

I am delighted to finally own a DYSON so I can finally clean my floors and  my area rug.  Wouldn’t you know that my mom is visiting next week? Another reason, that this event was so timely.

I’m also delighted to announce that I will be giving away a Dyson Vacuum cleaner!! All you have to do to enter this contest is CLICK ON “ADD REPLY” (at the bottom) and answer the following question:

“Are you a pusher or a puller?”.

The contest will close on Monday June 11th at midnite.  The winner will be selected using random.org. Please note that this contest is open to Canadians only and the prize will be mailed to you directly. If the winner does not reply within two weeks, another winner will be selected.

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A while ago I was introduced to PUR Gum and immediately I fell in love with the pomegranate mint flavor.

Not quite sure if there’s another pomegranate mint flavored gum on the market – but I think it’s a brilliant flavor. Not that I don’t like spearmint or peppermint (which PUR also carries) but sometimes change is good. I’m tired of fruity flavored gums and Pomegranate PUR gum has just the right amount of tart.

After I was intoduced to PUR gum, I started to see it everywhere!!  Due to the fact that I’m a sales rep and know a few store owners,  I asked a retailer why their customers preferred PUR over their competitor and they replied “our customers like the fact that it’s made in Switzerland”. I actually heard the same statement from two different retailers. Interesting, don’t you think?

As a consumer, I loved the clean packaging and the different flavors (you know me, it’s all about flavors). It also appeals to me because it’s aspartame and GMO free, vegetarian friendly, with no artificial colors or flavors. Pretty impressive.

I’m so Pomegranate crazy these days – that I’m going to give away ANOTHER pomegranate tool.

Here are the contest rules:

a) like MOM WHO RUNS on facebook. simple eh?)

b) the contest will run for two weeks and will close on Sunday May 8, 2011 at midnite. The winner will be selected using www.random.org and the winner will have one week to contact me otherwise I’m going to select another winner.

c) only residents in Ontario can enter (sorry about that).

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We all know that spring is around the corner, despite the rain, the snow and the freezing rain that we have had over the weekend!! I’m pleased to announce that Taste of Cheese has offered to sponsor my next contest to get us ready for Spring!!

I’m thrilled…as CHEESE is a huge part of my life. I can pass an ice cream store, I can pass a chocolate store but I simply can’t pass a cheese store. I have even gone to  cheese classes!! (beer and cheese always being a fav. class)  and checked out a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches in Toronto.

Now let’s talk about Taste of Cheese!

Taste of Cheese is awesome for any cheese lover . Each month, they select 5 exciting and unique cheeses that are included in a Monthly Taster Box. Plus you will receive cheese descriptions and tasting notes! All this gets delivered right to your doorstep. Isn’t that the best?

When I saw that Taste of Cheese participated in Wagjag– I bought two coupons immediately.  This type of coupon will certainly come in handy as a birthday present for some friends I have who love cheese.

Please take a peek at their website by clicking here: Taste of Cheese. They have an awesome blog and you can read more about their fantastic corporate gift boxes, charcuterie, and more.  You can also follow them on twitter: @tasteofcheese.

Here’s the Contest Rules:

a) The contest is simple. All you have to do is answer the following question: what is your favorite cheese?

b) The winner will receive a custom designed taster box, which has 3 cheeses, a box of crackers and fig spread. YUM. (app. value..$50)

c) The contest will run from March 6th and will close at midnite on March 20th, 2011.  This contest is open to any Canadian resident and one lucky winner will be selected using www.random.org.

d) The winner has one week to reply to me with their complete name/address. If I don’t hear from the winner, another winner will be selected.

Hope this contest helps the next two weeks go by …till its actually Spring. Can’t wait.

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Two lucky winners will win this great product!!

I was so in love with my Pomegranate Tool that I decided to pick up the phone one day to call the owner of Shoham in Israel. FYI – Shoham is the brains behind this clever device.

We immediately hit it off. We talked about Loblaws, Costco, Mangoes, Pomegranates, his travels to Toronto, my last trip to Israel etc.

He knew that I had blogged about the Pomegranate Tool and offered to send me TEN more. I knew immediately that I would be using them for a contest.

The box arrived this week and I was thrilled. (little things make me happy, did you know that?).

I wanted to celebrate with a contest when  MOMWHORUNS turns 6 months old…but I simply can’t wait.

Here’s the contest rules:

-the contest will run from Sunday Feb 13th  and will close on Sunday Feb 27th at 5 p.m. At that time I will use random.org to help me select TWO lucky winners.

If you win, I will contact you via email and you will have 7 days to reply. If I don’t hear from you another winner will be selected. Fair?

-only residents of Ontario can participate in this contest. (sorry).

-how do you win?  leave a comment by answering the following question: do you ever make anything with a pomegranate or do you just eat the seeds?

How simple is that? It would be nice if you would subscribe to momwhoruns but I won’t make it mandatory. But it would be really really nice to have a few more subscribers. (hint hint).

Wishing everyone the best of luck.

p.s I will be giving out the remainding pomegranate tools at future events!!

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