How to Make Your Halloween Pumpkin Last!

Pumpkins kept indoors don’t last very long and will mold easily. So if you get one this weekend, don’t leave it inside. Keep it in the garage or basement.

A carved pumpkin only lasts 3 days, so wait until at least Tuesday before you do your carving.

To get a cool template, you can look online for stencils or use pages from kid’s colouring books.

You don't need to spend tons of $$ on fancy tools, just a dollar store chisel and curved blade.

Once you have it carved, keep the lid of the pumpkin on a tilt, to allow it to breathe.

Instead of tea candles, try light bulbs. Just pop in a small light bulb, like Christmas lights, from a hole in the backside of the pumpkin. It’s safe, looks amazing in the dark, and won’t scorch the inside of the pumpkin.


This blog made possible thanks to my old radio friend, Buzz! ;)


Erin

Dog Blog

“2 Strangers a Wedding” update....it’s Energy 101-5’s “social experiment”. Two people, sight unseen, will meet and marry on October 3oth. We want our question answered....is love blind??

In case you haven’t heard....our bride has been chosen. We call her “Monday”! We’ve learned a lot about “Monday”.....friends and family are very important to her, she loves the TV show “Coronation Street” (He! He!), she works with people who have disabilities, she recycles and she LOVES dogs!!!
I am excited to introduce to you, “Monday’s” babies....Jimmy and Bailey.


Jimmy is her 10 year old Cockapoo....he’s black and weighs in at about 18 lbs. “Monday” tells me Jimmy adores children. There is a good story behind the naming of her Cockapoo, Jimmy but I’m going to hold off on sharing that story with you.....I’ll be getting “Monday” to tell you that story herself!!





“Monday’s” other baby is her 9 year old Bichon-Cocker, Bailey. Bailey was named for his cream coloured coat (after Bailey’s Irish Cream)!!! Bailey is also affectionately referred to as “The Pork Chop” (he weighs in at a whopping 30 lbs.)!! I’m told he’s all about food and is extremely vocal. When “Monday” leaves to go to work, he sits up like a gopher and shows his disapproval vocally. According to “Monday”, Bailey is the hedonist of her two babies!!




It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know “Monday”. All of our Energy on-air staff has chosen NOT to see her before the wedding day. It’s been tough, only because I’ve felt like giving her a hug while telling her how much I hope she finds the love of her life. Two things I’m sure of....she is “beautiful” on the inside (I’m betting on the outside too!), and there IS going to be a guy standing with her at the altar on October 30th, heart pounding and hands shaking, knowing that “Monday’s” love hasn’t completely “gone to the dogs”!!

Regards....Erin

Is Anybody Out There....GUYS??

Attention all single men……OR
Mom’s with available Sons….
Sister’s with cute Brother’s…..
Girls with great “Guy Friend’s”…(who won’t get jealous when he meets the love of his life)….
you get the picture! In case you haven’t heard, Energy 101-5 will soon be looking for single men in our “Two Strangers and a Wedding” social experiment. Two people will meet SIGHT UNSEEN, on their wedding day, which is coming up October 30th!
All this week, Energy 101-5 is introducing five potential brides. As they’re introduced, their personal details are being posted on our website. Go to energy1015.com and click on “2 Strangers and a Wedding” for all your details!!
Now, for the potential “Grooms to Be”…you can start filling out your applications Monday October 6th! Make sure you do your “homework” this week….listen to each potential Bride. Again, by the end of this week, you’ll be able to go to our website and get the details on ALL of our 5 potential brides!!
So far so good, I know we have an amazing bunch of women looking for love and I’m certain we’ll be able to present to them, some amazing potential mates! This is indeed, “the ultimate blind date to find your soul mate”!!

Erin

Top Summer Songs of 2008

With the last day of summer fast approaching….(first day of fall is September 22)…let us reminisce about summer songs of 2008!

I smile and nod as I hear my co-worker, Freeway Frank of the “Freeway and Meg Morning Show” come on after the end of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” and say…”that song is definitely THE summer track of 2008”! I agree with Frank but I think Katy had some competition this year!!

The following is my small list of Top Summer Tracks of 2008:

Katy Perry “I Kissed A Girl”: I quickly turn to my husband Jamie and say “quick, give me the top summer track of ‘08”!! His reply…”I Kissed a Girl……but I hate it”!! Ha!
For the record, I quite enjoyed it. I found myself enjoying it even more when I got to talk with Katy while she was in Calgary over the summer. Very bright, very together and a breath of fresh air.

The Pussy Cat Dolls “When I Grow Up”: Another track many love to hate. Again, I chuckle thinking about my husband one morning, dancing around the bathroom in a towel to this tune. When Jamie notices that I notice him dancing, he promptly stops and says “This song is awful, but it’s got a good beat”!
Our Energy Sales manager (Gavin), also came running down to the studio one afternoon when I was playing the song…Gav poked his head in and said…..”you can’t help but love this song Erin…..it’s that song that the drunk guy at a wedding is dancing on a table to, swinging his jacket over his head at the end of the night”! Ha!
Oh and for the record…..I’ve been told by Meg Tucker of the “Freeway and Meg Morning Show” and also by Energy Promotions Director Khazma, that it’s “Groupies”, not “Boobies”.

Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”: Love, love, love this track. I’ve played it on Energy 101-5 at least five times a week since the Spring of ’08 and I’m still not sick of it. Another summer memory attached to “Bleeding Love” is when Chelsea and Mark danced so beautifully to it on, “So You Think You Can Dance”. You can check them out on YouTube if you missed it.

Metro Station “Shake It”: I had the chance to chat with Trace Cyrus (vocals/guitar) for Metro Station…also the brother of Miley! I admitted to Trace, that for an entire week, I listened to their self titled CD on the way home from work and that it made me want to drive fast. He laughed and replied, “I just did an interview with a guy down in California who got a speeding ticket listening to our song “Shake It”. It seems I’m in good company.




Ray J and Yung Berg “Sexy Can I”: Is it bad that I’m a Mom and I love this really dirty track?! It’s just so….sexy. Over the summer, by mistake I was caught by my husband downloading it onto my i-pod. But I was accidently, downloading the X-Rated version. He wasn’t too impressed…especially when my 6 year old daughter Hailey came dancing into the room and said “Mommy, this song has a good beat”. Ooooops!



Kid Rock “All Summer Long”: Although I’m not a huge Kid Rock fan, I think that this is the serious contender for “I Kissed A Girl”! How could it NOT be, with the word summer in the title?


I hope you add to my small list of Top Summer Tracks of 2008…and make it a bigger list. Hope you had a great summer….here’s to fall!


Erin

Baby Bonus....in Russia!!

BABY BONUS….in Russia!!!

Today, (September 12th), in the Russian province of Ulyanovsk, it’s their 4th annual “Day of Conception!!
Sergei Morozov, governor of Ulyanovsk “conceived” the idea as a way of helping Russia pull out of its demographic crisis. The slogan, (“born” by the governor): “Give Birth to a Patriot on Russia Day”!
Get this….couples only have to work for a half day today so they can go home and make babies. Oh, it gets better! Any couple who 9 months later gives birth on Russia’s “National Day” (June 12th)….gets all sorts of cool swag for their patriotism! The swag includes everything from TV’s and washing machines to video cams and the grand prize of an SUV!
So far, it’s a success…with an almost 5% increase in babies this year compared to last not to mention, a spike in births during the month of June!!
The tradition of awarding prizes to Moms for giving birth, dates back to Soviet times when women could be named “Hero Mothers” for having many children.
So to our friends half way across the world in Ulyanovsk, “Happy….’er, Boinking”!

An A Minus for Junk Food

The province of B-C is the latest Canadian provincial government to legislate a Junk Food Ban. Prompted by the scary stat that one in four kids in B-C is either overweight or obese, my friends kids on the West Coast will no longer be able to get their hands on junk food while in school. The ban includes kindergarten through Grade 12….B-C kids will also be expected to complete 30 minutes of physical activity a day or the equivalent of 150 minutes of exercise a week!! Other legislated junk food bans include Ontario and Quebec.

In Britain, the new National Child Measurement Program (their government’s drive to solve childhood obesity), will take the height and weight of kids in their first year of school. They’ll do the same thing five years later. Parents who agree to have their children weighed and measured, will receive “size report cards” in the mail.

So what about us Albertans? According to a recent article in Avenue Magazine (September Issue), “different school boards have different nutrition policies that individual schools interpret as they see fit”. In other words, it’s up to each individual school to make the appropriate changes.

There’s no denying it….Stats Canada says just over one quarter of kids and adolescents TODAY, are overweight or obese compared to fifteen percent back in the late 70’s. While we can blame part of obesity on poor nutrition, we also have to look at the lifestyles of our kids. Kids today, aren’t moving as much as we used to when we were young! I think back to the late 70’s, once our homework was done, we were out playing until the sun set. Kids today are more apt to sit in front of a computer, playing video games and watching TV.

Maybe we have something to learn from our friends to the west. B-C’s ban of junk food, combined with its daily exercise program will give that province the most aggressive health program in the country!

I really hope Alberta follows the example of B-C, Ontario and Quebec. Healthier kids today, will make way for a generation with lower rates of heart disease and diabetes and longer life expectancy! An A-Plus to our B-C friends....after all, a healthy body promotes a healthy mind!

Packed Lunches....ARGH!!!!!

Packed Lunches….Aaargh!!!

With the kids heading back to school next week…Yay! I look forward to NOT hearing, “Moooom, I’m bored!” What I DON’T look forward to, is packing lunches. Healthy, Creative, NUT-Free lunches!
In a quest to make my life a little easier, I did some research on the subject of packed lunches and talked it over with my “Mommy Friends” and my co-workers….this is what I came up with….

Make their food smaller: kids love anything bite-sized. Instead of a sandwich try a roll-up!

Hard Boiled Eggs: you can make the eggs in advance!

Soups: It’s Healthy and again, you can make it in advance. Throw it in a thermos to keep it warm. (My daughter’s school has microwaves to heat food up, so you can send the soup cold if that’s an option at your school)!

Give ‘em leftovers from the night before: need I say more?

Cream Cheese and Jelly: most schools are peanut-free zones now….replace the peanut butter with cream cheese!

Think “outside” the Bread!: Chicken Fingers, Burritos, Kabobs and Quesadillas!

And, from my co-workers:


**My mom made the BEST nut-free lunches that were simple and easy!
Here's one of her favorite recipes:

Ingredients:
One 20 dollar bill

Directions:
Exchange 20 dollar bill for plate of chicken fingers and fries to the nice cafeteria workers.
Use leftover change in the vending machine to purchase a bottle of nut-free orange juice.
Sit and enjoy!
Ian MacKinnon
Morning Show Producer
The Freeway and Meg Morning Show


**Left over cold pizza
Shalini/Energy Promotions


**Applesauce was (and still is) a hot commodity in my lunch bag J
Monica/Energy Sales


**My mom used to pack me tinned spam sandwiches with no toppings except margarine. I used to trade with a kid whose mom used to pack prime rib sandwiches...I'm still in therapy.
Gavin Mortimer General Sales Manager


**slice of bread, cheese wiz, slice of bread.
no kid wants that.. therefore, no trading!
Zack/Energy Announcer

**I remember i used to always get wagon wheels with my lunch, which was awesome. i'd never trade with the other kids cause they never had anything better than wagon wheels.
Besides that, just the basics really, a good ham sandwich and maybe some leftovers from last nights dinner are what i usually had in my lunches.
Rob Kealy Production & Imaging Director


**No sales input...everyone in our dept is nuts! Conan/Energy Sales


**Guacamole or hummus with pita (be sneaky and blend veggies in with the hummus)
bake homemade chicken fingers and real potatoes fries with salsa instead of ketchup (unless homemade ketchup)
Jenn Hruby Business Administrator



Happy, Healthy Lunch Packing! Now we can look forward to mastering “Litterless Lunches”…….that’s a whole other blog! Enjoy your long weekend.

Erin