Auntie Thesis

The "Apple" of my eye

2011-09-19T23:59:00.002-04:00

What would you buy with a $500 Apple gift card? I've got my eye on an Apple iPad; I've wanted one since they first came out! If you stop by IndieBizChicks.com you can enter to win that gift card worth $500 to Apple...awesome! The folks at Cashier Live are the sponsors of the giveaway; Cashier Live is a web-based Point of Sale software to help you manage your business. With Cashier Live you can conduct transactions, track customers, manage employees and monitor inventory – all from one easy to use tool. I’m posting this to enter a contest offered by Cashier Live, a point of sale software company, at Indie Biz Chicks. Enter to win here!

What's on your bucket list?

2011-09-19T22:47:00.003-04:00

Do you have a "bucket list"...a list of "someday I'm going to's"? I do and while I've done a few things on my list (went to Hawaii, won an essay contest, refinished my father's old desk), there are still some things I really want to do...someday.

Visit Salem, MA during Halloween
Meet Stephen King in person and get his autograph
Write a short story or novel that gets published (money appreciated but not required)
Learn to speak Polish

So what's on your list? Want a bit of help accomplishing one "to do"? Maybe you could win $500 from Budgets are Sexy and fund one of your "somedays". The $500 Budgets are Sexy giveaway is being sponsored by Life Insurance Finder and a post, just like this one, will give you 5 extra entries into their giveaway. Or just stop by and post a few tasks from your own bucket list and get an entry into the giveaway. Hurry, this giveaway kicks the bucket on October 4, 2011.

Mountain of Giveaway

2011-07-24T15:06:00.002-04:00

Make sure you stop by Robyn Story Designs and enter to win the Mountain of Giveaway for a shot at winning **10** pots of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint...oh the projects you could complete with that!

Hurry, you only have until July 30 to get your entry in!

Who couldn't use a great giveaway?

2011-03-13T13:38:00.002-04:00

If you're in the market to do some super shopping at CSN Stores, stop by Once Upon a Miracle and enter the huge giveaway for $140 to CSN. CSN has just about everything: bakeware, tools, tv stands and more! I've got my eye on some Graham & Brown Paintable Beadboard Wallpaper and a 6 cupboard organizer for my office space. Hurry, the deadline is Tuesday.

Super sweet giveaways going on now....

2011-02-28T02:28:00.004-05:00

There's something for everyone at CSN Stores and if you win the $70 giveaway going on right now at Beth & Cory's Mom, you'll have a tough time picking just one favorite to spend your dough on!
Speaking of dough...$70 is just about enough to buy this great Oster Breadmaker:

Super Stands to the Rescue from CSN Stores

2011-02-23T02:49:00.007-05:00

A few months ago our beast of a tv finally died. It was a slow, painful death and I, for one, was not sorry to see it go. We were finally able to buy one of the new flat panel tv sets that doesn't have a huge back on it that looks like a Jersey mule. Since we were in a hurry, we just picked up a cheapie tv stand for our new 42" LG TV at the local discount store. No storage and it wobbles like my daughter did the first time she tried on a pair of high heels. What I should have done instead was hit CSN stores and take a look at their flat panel tv stands because the problem wouldn't be finding one I like, the problem would be narrowing it down to just one!

Moving my living room around would really let me save space and I'm crushing on this corner tv stand with the gorgeous glass doors:

Sliding doors and frosted glass...I've always loved anything in a warm espresso color too:

I love the variety CSN offers as well as how affordable their products are. Many items ship free and that's one criteria I look for in an online shopping site. Take a minute and check out all CSN has to offer.

Best Picture Ever for Wordless Wednesday!

2011-02-23T02:38:00.000-05:00

Giveaways too good to miss

2011-02-02T13:09:00.004-05:00

If you're in the market to do some online shopping..for free..check out Some Like it Vintage and enter to win $75 to shop at CSN Stores. With over 200 stores to choose from, you're sure to find some super-sweet swag to spend your new-found wealth on! The giveaway end on February 6.

Stop by An Optimistic Beauty and enter her giveaway to win $100 to CSN Stores. Be optimistic...but you can't win if you don't comment and enter! Deadline: February 14 (wouldn't that make your Valentine's Day sweet?)

Cuckoo for Coupon Deals is also sponsoring a CSN giveaway. With $90 you'll have plenty to purchase your favorites from one of CSN's over 200 stores. Ends February 9.

Tassimo Winner

2011-01-18T01:08:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Ellie who won the Tassimo Brewer. Thanks to everyone that entered, I wish I had one for each of you:

ellie said... 197

I follow via GFC (ellie)
eswright18 at gmail dot com

Pssst...wanna win a Kindle?

2011-01-16T12:19:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't like saving money? One of the best resources out there are great money-savvy blogs where you can get tips and tricks on investing, saving, and wiser ways to spend your hard-earned money. Stop by Realized Returns and check out the site and while you're at it, sign up as a reader and you just might win the Realized Returns Kindle giveaway where you can win a new Wi-Fi Kindle...for free! That would sure save you money!

Be quick, the deadline is January 31.

CLOSEDTassimo T20 Single-Serve Brewer by Bosch: Review and Giveaway

2010-12-27T14:29:00.017-05:00

I love the smell of coffee brewing. There's something about a good cup of coffee that just makes me inhale deeply and sigh. As far as drinking it goes, I need foo-foo. I love anything frothy and foaming and full of flavors like chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. My husband, on the other hand, has to have his full pot of coffee in the morning..plain, boring "Original Roast" with milk and sugar. Since he gets up at 1 am, he usually drinks about 3 cups while getting ready for work and takes the remainder of the pot in his thermos for the rest of the morning. Our coffee maker then sits, unused, until the next morning when he gets up.

If I crave a cup, I just want one and I want it yummy. I have instants with flavor that I make when I'm really desperate. I warm up the old tea kettle and mix a few teaspoons with hot water and add my own milk. I have a one-cup maker but the flavor is watery. And there's no foam, there's no froth, there's very little foo in my home-brewed foo-foo coffee. I've been known to make a trip out during the day just so I can pull through the Starbucks drive-thru and grab Grande of Mocha to go.

But as I sit here and type this in my sweatpants with my hair standing straight up on my head, I can tell you I'm sipping foam, lots of froth, a whole lot of foo-foo and best of all, great flavor. I'm having a cup of Cappuccino Primo that I just made in my Tassimo T20 from Bosch and it is pure heaven.

I even gave my husband a taste and he pronounced it "kick-a-poo go-go juice". It's definitely full of delicious flavor; not weak and watery. The Cappuccino Primo is actually a two-step process. For this coffee, T Discs come paired; one milk creamer disc and one coffee disc. I made the creamer disc first and then the coffee. The Tassimo reads the bar codes on each T Disc and knows the exact temperature, pressure and time it takes to brew a perfect drink every time. Yes, those tiny T Discs each come bar-coded; the Tassimo is one smart cookie.

For my review, I received the black Tassimo T20 but it also comes in white with optional Tassimo color kits to match your decor: Strawberry Red, Lime Green, Hazelnut Brown and even Mint Blue which looks like that popular turquoise color that's made a come-back in home decorating.

The Tassimo T20 makes coffee, tea, cappuccino, latte, crema, espresso and hot cocoa with popular brands like Starbucks, Gevalia, Maxwell House (hubby's favorite),and Twinings. I can't wait to try the Tassimo Milka Hot Chocolate. There's also no lag with the Tassimo; it starts brewing almost immediately and takes about 1 minute to make a cup. There's a soft hum when you push the start button and then you've got contact. It's hot enough that steam rose from my cup as it was brewing.

One of the features I like the best is the removable tank reservoir for the water. No more attempting to pour water into the machine as it sits on the counter; just remove the reservoir and fill it up. Plenty of times my eyes were just not open enough in the morning to fill my previous 1-cup coffee maker and I ended up with water all over the coffee maker and the counter. There is no easy way to take a coffee cup full of water and pour it into a coffee maker on a counter. There are markings right on the reservoir for "minimum" and "maximum". So if you're in the mood for more than one cup, fill up the reservoir and make yourself another. Just one cup...use the minimum line.

The Tassimo is also smart enough to tell you when it needs cleaning. There's a Service T Disc that comes with your Tassimo (and it even has it's own spot on the back of the machine for storing the Service T Disc and instructions. Before your first use, you need to use your Service T-Disc and a full reservoir of water and cycle the brewer 5 times. There's a light on the front of the brewer that will light up when it's time to descale the Tassimo. My prior coffee maker just let me guess by not working at all when the brewer was dirty. I need the visual reminder that it's time to clean. Tassimo also recommends cycling the brewer after making a hot milk T Disc so that a subsequent cup of coffee is full coffee and not milk-flavored.

You can even adjust the strength of your coffee. Say you like a brew but it's a bit strong for your liking. You always have the option of using the manual icon and extending the brewing process to get your desired drink strength. That's not the only thing adjustable either. Your cup size is fully customizable. Small espresso cups...just adjust the cup stand a bit higher. Latte mug...pull the cup stand all the way out; a great feature for those travel mugs.

Where can you buy the Tassimo: Walmart; Bed, Bath, and Beyond; Target, Kohl's and Macy's and from Tassimo Direct online. It retails for $129.99 (and Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a $30 rebate going on right now on the T20 until 12/31/10). But one of you reading is going to win one, just like the one I reviewed.

Mandatory EntryMust be completed before any "Extra Credit" entries count!

Visit Tassimo and take a look at all the T Discs Tassimo offers and let me know which one you want to try first.

Extra Credit Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry you're entitled to

1) Follow my blog with blogger or take credit if you already do. (2 extra entries, leave 2 comments)

2) Follow me on Twitter (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter name)

3) Follow Tassimo on Twitter (1 extra entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter name)

4) Like Tassimo on Facebook (1 extra entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name).

5) Write on Tassimo's Facebook wall and tell them you're entering the giveaway at AuntieThesis. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

6) Snag my uber-cool button for your blog (3 entries, leave 3 comments with your blog url)

7) Add me to your blogroll (3 entries, leave 3 comments with your blog url)

8) **Daily entry** Tweet the giveaway. An easy tweet you can use:

Enter the giveaway @auntiethesis to win a Tassimo T20 Brewer & T Discs (arv $129) from @TassimoTaster. Ends 1/17. http://bit.ly/dSC47k

You can tweet once a day until the end of the giveaway. Each tweet is one entry and make sure you leave your tweet url for your extra credit.

US residents only. The giveaway ends on Monday, January 17, 2011 at 11:59PM EST. Leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not listed in your email profile. The winner will be drawn via Random.org and notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before there's a do-over. Product will be shipped directly to winner by the sponsor; I'm just the middleman.

Disclosure: I was shipped a free Tassimo T20 and two packages of T Discs to facilitate my review.

Stop, Drop and Let's Roll

2010-12-22T12:12:00.006-05:00

Allow me a bit of Wednesday Whining. My kitchen is small. When I purchased the house some 20 years ago, I never realized that the lack of counter space and cupboards was going to be such a problem over the years. The kitchen is one of the biggest reasons I want to sell my house and move. The economy is not cooperating. In the meantime, I've managed to expand my storage space by installing decorative shelving over the stove, using a tall cupboard that also functions as a microwave cart ala pantry, and using drop leaf tables to extend my limited counter space as well as provide seating in my kitchen.

The time has come to replace my worn-out drop leaf and I'm in the market for something functional, stylish that might even give me a bit more storage.

Between counter appliances, my canister set and my dish drainer, I have a space of about a foot left in order to create kitchen masterpieces. Forget making cookies with my counter; I've always opted to flip up the leafs and lay my cookie sheets on my drop leaf table. But I sorely need that extra cupboard space and I'm craving this table:

I love the detailing and the extra space would be perfect for storing cookbooks and other odds and ends. My current drop leaf table is the first thing you see when you walk into my kitchen from the back door and this one is quite a show-stopper. It's the perfect size for my kitchen. While I could always opt for a small kitchen island for my kitchen, I don't want to give up the cozy seating a drop leaf provides. Some of my favorite moments are spent with my daughter doing homework at the drop leaf table while I cook dinner in the evening. I love sipping coffee in the morning at my kitchen table while I look out the window. I think that drop leaf is the most used seating in my house.

I'm torn, I love them all. Which one is your favorite?

Standing out from the crowd: Store Crowd

2010-12-13T11:21:00.003-05:00

Finally, a deal-hunting site doing it right. Introducing Store Crowd a site that combines all the best aspects of a deal site in one convenient location. Looking for the best price on a product? Store Crowd has a price comparison feature to help you find the lowest possible price. What about coupon codes? User submitted codes are available on each stores page; no need to Google search for a code anymore! Daily Deals are available right on the home page.

Have you found a great deal or coupon code you want to share? Store Crowd wants to know. You can submit deals and coupon codes so the whole Store Crowd community can save big too. You can also track how much money you've saved using Store Crowd and also how much money YOU have saved other Store Crowd users right on your personal dashboard.

And right now, Store Crowd wants your help. They want your store reviews so other users can see your experience, good or bad, with an online retailer. Every review you submit, up to 10, enters you for a chance to win a $200 Amazon.com gift card. Get your reviews in now, the giveaway ends on December 25, 2010 and your odds are pretty good...only 64 entries so far!

Sign up at Store Crowd now and get started saving big money. And be sure to follow Store Crowd on Twitter and also on Facebook so you can be the first to know about new deals and promotions.

Disclosure: I wrote this post for entries in the Bargain Babe $100 Target giveaway hosted by Store Crowd. Stop by Bargain Babe after you write your first Store Crowd review and enter for your shot at winning a $100 Target gift card. Be quick, the giveaway ends on December 19.

What a deal: Spa Week gift cards

2010-12-04T13:24:00.002-05:00

Spa Week is sponsoring a promotion right now. Purchase a $100 Spa Week gift card for only $79.99. Get yours now by clicking here (and I earn a little cashback for telling you, too!)

"Do Not Wait" Launches..with a giveaway

2010-10-06T21:43:00.003-04:00

It's never to early to plan for your retirement. With only 10 short years left before I can start thinking about leaving the daily grind, the time has come to make sure my "golden years" are gold and not blue from lack of green! In honor of the new site launch Do Not Wait you have a chance at winning some great prizes like an Apple iPad 64gb WiFi worth $769.99, cash, an Amazon gift cards, books and even some great money-savvy subscriptions to help you on your way to yellow brick road of debt-free living.

There are several ways to enter; you can even ask your retirement planning questions as an entry. Deadline: October 31.

It's "Time" for a Giveaway at Atlas Signs

2010-10-06T21:25:00.004-04:00

Stop by the Atlas Signs blog and comment for a shot at winning this Peace Sign Clock in the 2nd of 3 giveaways they're hosting for their followers. Then stop by their store and check out the incredible address signs they have for sale. I have quite a few favorites and this is one of them:

Pretty, no?

Giveaways around the Blogosphere for 9/19

2010-09-19T18:52:00.003-04:00

The fine folks at Couple Money are giving you a chance at winning a brand new Toshiba Silver 15.6″ Satellite Laptop in honor of their first anniversary. This stellar laptop also comes with some extra goodies:

* Canon Pixma PIXMA MX320 All-in-One Home Office Printer with Fax
* Inland Pro 15.6″ Black Notebook Laptop Bag
* 4GB USB Flash Drive
and two great books:

* Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
* The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillbeau

How can you win, you ask. Simple, surf over and sign up for the Couple Money newsletter and leave a comment. There's extra entries available for tweeting, blogging or embracing Couple Money on Facebook. Deadline to enter: 9/26.

Then you can stop by Out of Debt Again -there's over $800 in prizes up for grabs including books, gift cards and even a Kindle! The giveaway deadline is 9/27.

Winners! Rubbermaid & Yoplait

2010-09-17T22:36:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Kerri69 the winner of the Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop!

and it's a Yoplait day for Cheryl F. {The Lucky Ladybug} who has won the Yoplait Splitz prize package from My Blog Spark.

Congratulations winners and thank everyone for entering!

Eat your heart out Pottery Barn

2010-09-05T15:54:00.005-04:00

So I was smitten with these Pottery Barn Found Soda Crates but not so impressed with the price: $24 each and you didn't get to pick your style; your choice was at the mercy of the fine folks at Pottery Barn.

Enter Craig's List and my thrift find for today: all three for $25

I'm happy; I have an old wood table I'm planning an overhaul on and these are going to be perfect on the shelf underneath for holding magazines and whatnot.

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop

2010-08-30T00:44:00.006-04:00

Mopping floors is one of the chores I avoid. It used to mean grabbing the bucket, my cleaning solution and the old squeeze mop from the basement and dragging it all upstairs. The other day, my 14 year old daughter dropped an entire carton of eggs on the floor when she was making brownies. To clean it up, she grabbed the old mop and mopped the area where the damage was. The next day I was downstairs and kept thinking that someone left a bag of old garbage in the basement; it stunk! I finally located the source; the old mop's sponge head was rank. It was time to retire it anyway since I now own a Rubbermaid Reveal Mop sent to me courtesy of the great people at Rubbermaid. Adios stinky mop; there's a new mop in town!

Rubbermaid has reinvented the mop and designed it with you in mind. This new mop is designed to save you money and end your frustrations. There's no batteries or expensive refills to buy. The Reveal comes with a durable microfiber cleaning pad that's designed to be washed up to 100 times before you'll need to buy a new one. The refillable bottle uses your own cleaning solution. Just mix two tablespoons of your favorite cleaning solution with water in the refillable bottle, close the cap, and click it into the Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop. Concentrated cleaner, vinegar, borax, dishwashing liquid..just pick your poison!

You can use your Reveal on wood, laminate, tile, or vinyl. Our house is mostly hardwood floors and vinyl in the kitchen. The Reveal did a fantastic job on both and it dried faster too! You're not slopping a bunch of water on the floor as you clean and the microfiber pad actually seemed to clean my floor better than my old sponge mop ever did. You control the amount of spray you need; squeeze lightly for small jobs and lay on that trigger for power-mopping major messes. The pad attaches with super-strong velcro-like surface and it was simple to just pull it off and toss it in the washing machine after I was done. If you don't use all the cleaning solution, you can just remove the refillable bottle, squeeze the trigger to get any remaining solution out of the mop, and store the rest for another time. Simple!

You can purchase the Rubbermaid Reveal online, at Home Depot, Walmart and Target but Rubbermaid is going to give one of you reading this a Reveal free of charge.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Just tell me what you're currently using to clean your floors now; sponge mop? hand and knees? or something else? (1 entry, mandatory before any extra credit)

Extra Credit:

2) Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (left sidebar) or take credit if you already do. (worth 1 entry)

3) Follow Rubbermaid on Twitter and tell me your twitter name. (worth 1 entry)

4) Like Rubbermaid on Facebook and tell me your Facebook name. (worth 1 entry)

5) Tweet the giveaway and leave me the link. (worth 2 entries-leave 2 comments each time. You can tweet daily).

Easy tweet you can use:

Win a Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop & discover easy, affordable floor cleaning http://bit.ly/b7Qmct #giveaway Ends 9/12

Rules:
US and Canadian residents only-Please note that Canadian winners might get charged C.O.D. Giveaway ends on September 12, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over.

I was provided with a Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop free from Rubbermaid to facilitate this review and given the opportunity to offer one free to my readers. Thanks Rubbermaid!

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: Yoplait Splitz Prize Package

2010-08-29T23:03:00.008-04:00

Growing up my mother never purchased snacks for my sister and I. Rarely did cookies find their way into our cupboards and forget candy; one time my sister ate an entire package of chocolate Ex-Lax she found in the bathroom cupboard because she thought it was candy and my mother was hiding it. The only splurge my mother would buy was yogurt; she was a huge yogurt fan. I think if yogurt had a street team, my mother would have been Ambassador of Yogurt. Of course, when I was younger, yogurt didn't come in all those great flavors. We were lucky if vanilla made it into our Amana after my mother went shopping.

So my love of all things yogurt followed me to adulthood and I've passed that yogurt-yearning on to my children. My 14 year old daughter isn't happy unless she has a yogurt in her lunchbox. Thank to the folks at MyBlogSpark, we had the opportunity to sample the new Yoplait Splitz yogurt for free. Yoplait Splitz comes in three flavors: Rainbow Sherbet, Strawberry Banana Split, and Strawberry Sundae.

I picked up the 4-pack of Rainbow Sherbet. Yoplait Splitz claims it is the "yogurt that tastes like a sundae" and you know what? It does! Both my daughter and I loved the creamy taste and the Rainbow Sherbet reminded me of real sherbet. My daughter said tasted like pudding. According to Yoplait you can even freeze it, but we didn't make it that far..my daughter and I consumed all 4 in two days. I was glad that it was only 90 calories per cup since I've been trying to watch my weight. For my daughter, I was glad it's a good source of Calcium and Vitamin D since she rarely drinks milk from a glass.

Yoplait wants one of you to try it free too! I have a Yoplait Splitz prize package to giveaway to one of you. You'll get a coupon good for a free 4-pack of Yoplait Splitz in your choice of flavor, a roll-up fleece picnic blanket, and a awesome insulated tote bag. I really love that tote bag...it's large enough to pack my Pyrex bowl when I'm transporting my famous pasta salad to parties and keep it cool and help protect it from breaking.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Just tell me which of the three flavors of Yoplait Splitz you and your family would like to try. (1 entry, mandatory before any extra credit)

Extra Credit:

2) Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (left sidebar) or take credit if you already do. (worth 1 entry)

3) Follow Yoplait on Twitter and tell me your twitter name. (worth 1 entry)

4) Like Yoplait on Facebook and tell me your Facebook name. (worth 1 entry)

5) Tweet the giveaway and leave me the link. (worth 2 entries-leave 2 comments each time. You can tweet daily).

Easy tweet you can use:

Get your yogurt on; win a Yoplait Splitz Picnic Prize Package http://bit.ly/bOYBB7 #myblogspark #giveaway Ends 9/12.

Rules:
US residents only. Giveaway ends on September 12, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over.

Many thanks to MyBlogSpark for providing me with a free coupon and picnic prize pack for my review and one to give away to my readers.

Ballard Designs Wishes

2010-08-28T16:50:00.005-04:00

Limited Edition Hollywood Pillow w/ Insert
Enjoy the Show: 20"Sq
Film Reel: 20"Sq
Movie Ticket: 12"H x 20"W
Retail $49-$75

Vintage Ticket Plaque
12"H x 24"W
Retail $29

Film Reel Plaques
Small 1 1/2 lbs -12" D
Med 4 lbs -18" D
Lrg 5 1/2 lbs -24" D
Retail $179.00

Pottery Barn Obsessions

2010-08-28T16:33:00.006-04:00

American patchwork quilts inspired this fresh interpretation of the stars and stripes.
50" square, 2" deep
Crafted from planks of distressed pine.
Detailed with visible nail heads for a rustic look.
Retail $199

This substantial wooden flag is made entirely of recycled pine and then painted for a rustic finish.

50" wide x 27" high
Detailed with a distressed painted finish and sealed with lacquer for moisture resistance.
Hangs or mounts to the wall with the included D-rings.
Retail $129

The front-desk organizers used in hotels inspired this home-sized version for CD, office or kitchen storage and display.

29.5" square, 5" deep
Crafted of solid mahogany and carefully hand distressed.
Finished with a rich stain that highlights the wood’s natural grain.
Each of the 25 cubbies is detailed with a hand-painted number.
Retail $129

Winners; Freschetta Pizza

2010-05-20T01:01:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to cdziuba for winning 2 free coupons!

Congratulations Luvdaylilies for winning 1 free coupon!

I've sent you both emails...thank you everyone for entering!

CLOSEDGiveaway: Freschetta FlatBread Pizza

2010-05-19T01:23:00.009-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.

We're a family of pizza lovers. For my husband, pizza is its own food group and if he doesn't have it at least once a week, he gets cranky. I recently received two complimentary coupons to try Freschetta FlatBread pizza. I picked up two of the Zesty Italian pizzas on my last grocery trip and I have to say, we're now fans. Zesty Italian has pepperoni, Genoa salami, Italian sausage and a blend of mozzerella and asiago cheese. The crust turned out thin and crispy for a much lighter taste than regular pizza; I didn't have that heavy feeling I sometimes get after eating rising-crust pizzas and I thought the lighter crust gave me the opportunity to really taste the toppings without that doughy flavor overpowering the seasonings. I thought it was a nice change from the store-bought pizza we normally buy and a far more economical and equally tasty meal as opposed to buying delivery pizza. I'm one of those people that loves the crust on a pizza the best; it's the crunch that gets me. Freschetta FlatBreads reminded me of pizza crust with all the flavor.

Freschetta FlatBreads also comes in three other varieties: Roasted Garlic & Spinach, Pepperoni, and Five-Cheese. They are the perfect snack, appetizer (would be great for parties) or a light meal.

You can also print out a $1.00 off coupon good for Freschetta pizza here. But two of you will do even better than that! Freschetta has generously given me three more coupons to giveaway to my readers so you can try Freschetta FlatBreads yourself! There will be two winners: one winner will get two free coupons and the other will get one free coupon. This giveaway will be quick since the coupons expire on 5/31/2010.

Mandatory Entry:

Just tell me which of the 4 varieties of Freschetta Flatbread pizza you want to try! (Zesty Italian, Five Cheese, Pepperoni, or Roasted Garlic & Spinach).

Extra Credit:

1) Follow my blog or take credit if you already do. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

2) Follow Freschetta on Twitter (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

3) Follow Freschetta on Facebook (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

4) Tweet the giveway with the hashtag #Freschetta (1 entry, leave 1 comment).
Easy tweet you can use:

Quick giveaway: Freschetta FlatBread Pizza..flatbread pizza full of taste. Try it free http://bit.ly/cN9ua4 #Freschetta

US residents only. Giveaway will end Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. I'll notify the winners who will have 24 hours to respond with mailing address so I can get the coupons out to you quick.

Playtex: Size does matter....

2010-05-18T19:25:00.004-04:00

Did you know that 7 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra? Straps that slip, backs that ride up, underwires that make you feel like your undergoing acupuncture all day long, or how about that ever-gorgeous boob spillage...where boob seems to spill out over the top, the sides or, in my case, out the bottom? How much better would your clothes fit with the perfect bra underneath? How much more comfortable would you be if you were wearing a bra that actually fits your girls? There have been times I couldn't wait to get home to get my bra off; sometimes I've even unhooked that sucker while I'm driving home in the car.

Playtex wants to give 10 lucky winners the chance to have a professional bra fitting with fashion and style expert, Alison Deyette. Deyette is a fashion and trend lifestyle expert who has been featured on Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker and TLC's Ten Years Younger, as well as in print publications including Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, and O Magazine.

If you're chosen, Playtex will fly you to New York in late June for your professional bra fitting and you'll also star in your own bra makeover episode (no, you won't have to show your ta-tas!). Just shoot over to PlaytexBraMakeover.com to apply. You could be one of the ten lucky winners to jet to New York and finally find the bra of your dreams...in your correct size! Apply today...your deadline is Friday, May 21, 2010.

Good luck to you...and good fitting for your girls!

By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to win a free bra from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Rubbermaid Redraw- Winner

2010-05-04T08:54:00.003-04:00

Since the original winner did not respond to my tweets on Twitter (no email address), there was a do-over:

Congratulations BlueViolet -I'm sending you an email now.

Looking forward

2010-05-03T00:21:00.009-04:00

Last weekend my oldest son got married. What an exciting day and I'm so glad I have a new "daughter" added to our family. The day after the wedding she had already tagged my husband and I as "Mom & Dad" on Facebook; what an honor. Now my husband and I are looking forward to grandchildren; my son and newest daughter were just discussing potential names.

Of course, that started me thinking about the excitement of pregnancy; planning the nursery, having a baby shower, all those great new gadgets available for babies. There are so many new products on the market today that weren't available 27 years ago when I had my oldest son. The crib I had barely made it through all four children and wasn't worth saving to potentially pass down to future grandchildren. Cribs today aren't limited to dark/white/brown square-shaped; they're coming in all colors and styles.

Almost makes me wish I was having another baby...almost! For now, the only baby I'm working on is remodeling my house in order to put it on the market next year. We've far outgrown our "starter" house and I'm anxious to buy a house closer to my parents; one with more living space, a larger kitchen, and a big backyard so we can host some cookouts in the summer!

So with all those great things to look forward to, I have another! CSN Stores is going to let me review one of their great products from their over 200 stores. The hardest part is going to be picking just one! I'm torn between a new mailbox from More Mailboxes or maybe this great wall mirror from Accent Furniture Direct:

Soon, very soon, I'm going to be looking forward to a visit from the UPS man with my CSN Stores package. You'll be looking forward to a review from me soon!

Winner: Rubbermaid

2010-04-30T12:42:00.004-04:00

Congratulations stowelljg...since I don't have your email I sent you a message on Twitter....I need your address in 48 hours before I redraw.

Winner: Yoplait

2010-04-22T10:52:00.001-04:00

Congratulations dddiva..I've sent you an email.

Psst...wanna win some gift cards?

2010-04-11T15:59:00.004-04:00

BlogHer and Oxiclean gave some bloggers the opportunity to test drive Oxiclean on their toughest laundry stains. How did it fair? Find out yourself and comment for a shot at winning a $200 Visa gift card at each of their blogs!

1) Tuppence Reviews. Ends 4/30.

2) Princess Mikkimoto Reviews. Ends 4/30.

3) The Football Wife. Ends 4/30.

For the complete list of all blogs hosting OxiClean giveaways, check out the BlogHer Special Offers page.

CLOSEDGiveaway: Rubbermaid Modular Canisters

2010-04-11T12:30:00.010-04:00

Is your pantry a problem? Most people share the same frustrations: wasted space from various boxes, bags and canisters from the grocery store; bags that don't close properly resulting in stale food; not being able to find what you need because items weren't put away in their proper spot; wire shelving that causes bags or boxes to topple over.

But those clever folks at Rubbermaid have come up with a solution. Take a look at Rubbermaid's newest product: Modular Canisters.

Organizing your pantry has never been easier. Rubbermaid sent me a box of these new canisters and I have to say, I am impressed. The 8-piece set contains four clear canister bases: 5 cup, 10 cup, 16 cup, and 21 cup; as well as four interchangeable red lids. That's what I love most about Rubbermaid products, they always try to make it easier for you; each of those red lids fits on any of the canisters so there's no need to launch a search and destroy mission to find the exact lid for a canister. Each lid will fit on any of the canisters. Rubbermaid lids are easy to snap on the canisters; they fit securely providing an airtight seal on the canisters. I've had other container products that I always seem to have a problem with the lids fitting on the container..it's almost like they shrink or warp and it takes an act of Congress to put that lid on the container. Not Rubbermaid, even after dishwashing, their lids always manage to hold their shape and snap right back on the canisters.

I know it's difficult to imagine the size by just looking at the photos, but the 21 cup canister is really large and the perfect size for flour, cereal or dried pasta. I decided to use mine to store saltine crackers, which is my husband's favorite snack. We normally have at least 3 boxes of Saltines in the cupboard, each box containing a package here or a package there, most of them my husband has started on a sleeve and didn't finish. He twists the package and then puts them back in the box and they normally go stale before he goes back for another round. I consolidated our cracker supply into the 21 cup canister...no more stale crackers!

I'm using the 16 cup canister to store sugar and it could also be used to store cookies..another item that the kids never seem to be able to close properly resulting in stale cookies. The 10 cup container is great for rice, dried fruit or granola and I'm using mine for oatmeal. The 6 cup canister is good for baking soda, baking powder or coffee. I've turned mine into chocolate chip storage, which is an item I sometimes add to plain oatmeal so the bag is normally closed with a twist tie that doesn't always work. Countless times I've had a chocolate chip mess to clean up in my pantry because the bag opened up and the chips spilled out. Not a good idea since I also seem to have a problem with ants in the spring and summer. I do whatever I can to make sure I don't attract them into the cupboards.

The canisters were designed to maximize space in your pantry. They stack evenly and each canister also has a durable base and graduation marks on the side of the container for measuring:

After organizing my canisters, I made sure to label each canister with what's inside. While they're clear, it's easy to mistake baking powder for powdered sugar. In addition, you can add expiration dates to your labels or even cut the preparation directions from the original container and tape them to your modular canisters. After using my current set, I realized I really want another set to store my instant mashed potatoes, rice, noodles and brown sugar. Especially with the instant potatoes, I never know how much of the box I have left until I start pouring. With these clear canisters, I can easily see if I have enough product left or if I need to purchase more. I can just cut the package directions off the box and tape it to the side of the container. So simple!

If you're looking for some great organizing tips and tricks, you can check out the Rubbermaid blog; Adventures in Organization. The organizing experts are Rubbermaid want to help you use their products to their maximum efficiency and show you just what Rubbermaid can do to add affordable organization your life.

Rubbermaid Modular Canisters are currently sold at Fred Meyer, Publix, Ahold, and Albertson's. They should be available at Walmart and Meijer in August. But one of you is going to win your own set, delivered to your front door, from the great people at Rubbermaid!

***Mandatory Entry***

Just tell me what items you think you'd like to store in your new Rubbermaid Modular Canisters or you can vent about your biggest pantry frustration.

Extra Credit:

1) Follow my blog or take credit if you already do (left sidebar: 1 entry, leave 1 comment).

2) Follow Rubbermaid, RubbermaidTwo and/or Erin from Rubbermaid on Twitter (1 entry for each, leave each following in a separate comment with your Twitter I.D.)

3) Tweet about the giveaway, you can do this daily. Leave a comment with your tweet url.

Easy tweet you can use:

Pantry organization made simple with Rubbermaid! Win a set of Modular Canisters & put your pantry in order. Ends 4/25. http://tiny.cc/a76dn

4) Follow Rubbermaid on Facebook. (Two entries, leave two comments with your Facebook name).

5) Blog about the Rubbermaid giveaway. It doesn't have to be long or wordy, just a blurb on your blog with a link to the giveaway is just fine. You can have 5 entries for your blog post and my eternal thanks, leave me 5 comments with the url.

6) Post about the giveaway anywhere you like; Facebook, forums, Mr. Linky's or email 3 friends...take 3 entries for each place you post and make sure to leave me 3 comments for your credit.

US & Canada only (woot woot for Canada!). The giveaway will end on Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be drawn using the almighty Randomizer and notified via email. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not listed in your blogger profile. Winner has 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over and I redraw a new winner. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from Rubbermaid.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free set of Rubbermaid Modular Canisters for my review, photos and information and given the opportunity to offer my readers a set of canisters as well. The opinions expressed are solely my own and not influenced by the sponsor.

CLOSEDGiveaway: Yoplait YoPlus

2010-04-11T11:08:00.008-04:00

We're not big fans of milk in our house; normally a gallon lasts us an entire week for the four of us. Unless that milk is spiked with chocolate, of course! In order to receive the health benefits of milk, we substitute with cheese, ice cream, puddings and yogurt. Yogurt happens to be one of my daughter's favorite snacks for after school and also a frequent visitor to her lunch bag.

MyBlogSpark recently sent me a coupon to try their new Yoplait YoPlus Yogurt. YoPlus is available in six delicious flavors including Strawberry, Vanilla, Cherry, Peach, Blackberry Pomegranate and Blueberry Acai.

YoPlus now provides three important health benefits in each four-oz. cup:

1) Antioxidant vitamins A and E (now with 20% of your recommended daily value)

2) A blend of probiotic cultures & fiber (three grams of fiber per 4-ounce serving) for digestive health

3) Calcium and vitamin D for bone health

If you are looking for all the great health benefits of YoPlus with even fewer calories, YoPlus Light is the perfect solution, with one third fewer calories than the original. YoPlus Light is available in three delicious flavors - Honey Vanilla, Strawberry Banana, and Key Lime - all with just 70 calories per cup.

My local grocery store didn't carry all the varieties of Yoplait YoPlus when I was there, so I chose Strawberry. My daughter was thrilled when I came home with yogurt because she's usually my reminder to buy some when she shops with me. Both my daughter and I tried it and we agree, the taste is great and the yogurt very rich and creamy. The cup size was just enough and perfect to fit in her lunch bag. I had hoped to try the Peach flavor, but that was one of the varieties not available at our grocery store. I'm planning to look for it the next time I shop.

If you're interested in trying YoPlait Yoplus today, there's a printable coupon for $1.00 off available here. You can save $1.00 on any flavor of Yoplait YoPlus, YoPlus Light or Yogurt Multipacks and it expires 5/11/2010. The coupon is restricted in LA, NV, ND and the Giant Eagle on Snow Road in my city who has a case of the red ass with internet coupons.

In addition, one of you will win a Yoplait YoPlus "Better for You" gift pack like I received from MyBlogSpark:

This cute gift pack comes with a coupon to try Yoplait YoPlus for free, an insulated lunch sack, pedometer, and an on-the-go lunch container with utensils.
*This coupon offer for a free 4-pack of Yoplait YoPlus yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee.

Mandatory Entry

Super simple..just tell me what flavor of Yoplait you'd love to try with your new coupon!

Extra Credit:

1) Follow my blog or take credit if you already do (left sidebar: 1 entry, leave one comment).

2) Tweet the giveaway, daily if you'd like. (1 entry, leave one daily comment with your tweet url).

Easy tweet you can use:
Yoplait YoPlus gift pack giveaway; win free yogurt and goodies. Ends 4/19. http://tiny.cc/yoyum

3) Follow me on Twitter (1 entry, leave one comment with your Twitter name).

US residents only. Giveaway ends on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be drawn using the almighty Randomizer and notified by email. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winners will have 48 hours to respond with mailing information before I pull a do-over and draw a new winner.

Disclosure: I received free product, information, and gift pack through MyBlogSpark and Yoplait for my review as well as the opportunity for one of my readers to win the same. The opinions expressed as solely my own and were not influenced by the sponsors.

Lincoln MKT Luxury..look who has a giveaway

2010-03-21T01:27:00.002-04:00

Stop by Secret Agent Josephine and read her review of her test drive of the new Lincoln MKT and comment for a shot at winning a $500 Visa gift card. Deadline: 3/31.

By hook or by crook, I covet the Nook

2010-03-17T15:59:00.000-04:00

Of all the various ereaders on the market now, it's the Barnes and Noble Nook that has stolen my heart. With its touch-screen display and the ability to share books with other Nookers, the Nook seems to have all the features I desire in an ereader at an affordable price. But what's even better would be a free Nook and The Greer 5 has one to give away right now. Stop by a leave a comment and you could be a new Nook owner. Deadline: 3/22.

For another chance to win a Nook, stop by Susan Heim on Parenting. Check out the great Nook covers Barnes and Noble has for the Nook and comment for your chance to win your own nook. Deadline: 3/31.

Winners: Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

2010-03-15T02:35:00.004-04:00

Congrats to cdzuiba and Cheryl F.

cdziuba said... 14
Button ceeceeblogger.blogspot.com entry 2
March 2, 2010 9:40 AM

Cheryl F. {The Lucky Ladybug} said... 31
Following @auntiethesis on Twitter and Tweeted the giveaway

I've emailed you both...thanks to everyone that entered.

Kick it into Overdrive with Sprint & BlogHer

2010-03-14T17:45:00.002-04:00

Check out the latest gadget by Sprint, The Overdrive, a device that allows you to access the internet anywhere, anytime. Sprint and BlogHer gave these tiny pieces of technology to a group of bloggers who reviewed and posted their opinions. You can comment to win a $300 Visa card for yourself..enough to buy yourself a netbook and hook it up to Overdrive. Deadline: 3/31.

1) Life in Chicago Reviews.

Giveaway Goodies

2010-03-08T04:32:00.003-05:00

Stop by Mocha Momma and read the review of the new Lincoln MKT and comment for a chance to win $500 courtesy of Lincoln and BlogHer. Deadline 3/19.

Suburban Scrawl Reviews and Stuff also has $500 to give away courtesy of Lincoln and Blogher. Deadline: 3/19.

Winners: Zevro Modern Solutions

2010-03-03T00:16:00.003-05:00

The winners, in order drawn, for the Zevro Modern Solutions giveaway:

1) Jessica: Cereal Dispenser
2) Carolpie: Coffee Dispenser & Sugar 'N More Dispenser
3) Deb: Magnetic Spice Rack
4) Ky2Here: Ruby Series Storage Set

Congratulations winners..prizes being shipped this week.

CLOSEDGiveaway: Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

2010-03-02T02:28:00.007-05:00

I'll be the first to admit, I used to have a bias toward anything "organic". To me, organic meant more money and I always associated the word with things that are "green"..like lettuce and alfalfa sprouts. Images of Birkenstock-wearing hippies danced through my head whenever someone would mention the dreaded "O" word. My grocery store had a whole separate section where they hid those "organic" freaks..a place I never ventured.

Times are changing and so has my opinion. Organic foods are no longer out of my price range and they're no longer segregated in their own hidden corner at my local grocery. Organic products are happily mingling with those regular products I normally buy and more often they're also finding their way into my grocery cart.

Horizon Dairy has been around since 1991. Horizon Organic products are produced without antibiotics, pesticides or cloning, from cows not given added growth hormones. In addition, Horizon helped to develop the National Organic Standards and the USDA Organic Seal; they're pioneers in the organic field. They take the Organic Standards of Care seriously and strive to make sure any foods they produce are the purest, safest and highest-quality organic milk and dairy products that consumers can purchase.

I recently had the opportunity to try Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk Plus DHA Omega-3. DHA Omega-3 is an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health. I have to admit, I was skeptical. Would it taste as good as the regular chocolate milk I usually buy?

Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk more than passed the taste-test with my daughter and son. Both of them are chocolate milk connoisseurs and neither one of them could tell the milk was lowfat. It was creamy and had a rich chocolate taste. Childhood obesity is such a prevalent topic today. Any time I can introduce something low fat into my children's diet that they enjoy makes me feel like I'm making strides in insuring their future good health. Couple that with the fact that I'm not introducing extra pesticides and unneeded chemicals makes me feel even better about buying Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk.

I was also surprised by the shelf-life. I purchased two half-gallons of Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk almost a week ago and the sell-by date on the one half-gallon that is left is March 31, 2010. No worries that my chocolate milk is going to go bad in a few weeks; the shelf-life is impressive for an organic product. I seriously doubt it will last that long; there's barely a glass left in the half gallon I still have in the refrigerator. The only reason it's survived the locusts is because it was hidden behind a pitcher of my Crystal Light.

Horizon Dairy is also going to give two of you the chance to try their Lowfat Chocolate Milk Plus DHA Omega-3, too.

Prize: Two readers will each win 4 coupons: two free half-gallons of chocolate milk and two more coupons for $1.00 off a half-gallon.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Stop by Horizon Dairy and take a look around their site. Let me know another Horizon Dairy product you'd also like to try. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit:

2) Follow my blog (left sidebar), or take credit if you already do (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

3) Follow Horizon Dairy on Twitter. (2 entries, leave 2 comments with your Twitter name).

4) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the giveaway, can be done daily. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your tweet url)

Easy tweet you can use:

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk giveaway, win 2 free @horizondairy half-gallons & coupons. 2 winners. Ends 3/10. http://tiny.cc/nr11o

5) Follow Horizon Dairy on Facebook. (3 entries, leave 3 comments with your Facebook name).

6) Add my blog button (upper right sidebar) to your blog, or take credit if you already have it. (5 entries, leave 5 comments with your blog url).

US residents only. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be drawn using Random.org and notified by email. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winners will have 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over. Coupons will be shipped to the winners by Horizon, I'm just the middle-man.

Yummy Giveaway: Sony Reader

2010-02-25T13:30:00.001-05:00

Stop by the Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench and comment for a shot at winning a Sony Reader. If you could, tell her "shel" sent you and I get an additional entry. Deadline: 3/8.

Great Giveaways Going On

2010-02-23T01:07:00.001-05:00

Stop by Just Julie and enter to win $25 worth of Scentsy products for your home. Deadline: 2/23.

44th Street Fabric has a giveaway going on for Free Blush Fabric. Find the photo of the owner on one of the Blush Fabric Etsy listings and you're entered to win one-half (1/2) yard cut of each of the Blush fabrics shown for a total of 4 yards of beautiful fabrics. Deadline: 2/23

If you're a fan of Flor, then make sure you stop by The Not-So Blog's Experimental Mommy and enter to win a 5x7 Flor rug of your choice. Deadline: 3/11.

Stop by Unpaint and comment for a shot at winning Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007. Three winners. Deadline: 2/23.

For a chance to win $150 to SkinCareRX and stock up on some great beauty and makeup products, stop by the Fresh Mommy Blog and leave a comment (or two). SkinCareRX has some all the best beauty brands on the market, like SkinCeuticals Skincare products. Whether skin is dry, dull, oily, acne-prone, or aging, SkinCeuticals has a product designed with your skin type, tone, and texture in mind. I’m interested in trying the SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator. It combines the effects of a powerful exfoliating treatment with a hydrating treatment for skin that is super smooth and soft without irritation or redness. Deadline: 3/9

Winner! Rubbermaid Junk Drawer

2010-02-16T11:57:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to The Whitakers. I'm sending you an email now.

Apt Dweller-$50 Target card giveaway

2010-02-16T03:55:00.000-05:00

Stop by Apt Dweller and comment to win a $50 Target gift card. Multiple ways to enter and you need to move fast (pun intended) because the giveaway ends 2/16 at 4PM.

Welcome to the Sunday Giveaway Round-Up

2010-02-14T23:20:00.002-05:00

Crushing on Scentsy? Enter the Two Classy Chics giveaway to win a Scentsy warmer and three Scentsy bars. Deadline: 2/24.

You've got a shot each month at winning some Scentsy by entering the giveaway at Sassy Scent Squad. Drop your name in the hat each month and you might be a winner. This month is a Roma Scentsy Candle..gorgeous! Deadline: Monthly.

I need your help-

2010-02-12T12:43:00.004-05:00

I'm a finalist and have a one in five chance of winning an iPad in a voting contest. My failed pickup line: Dairy Queen/Burger King has been turned into a video by The Budget Romeo and Savings.com.

Could you leave a quick comment on this YouTube video for me?

Thanks so much everyone!

Worth Avenue Group

2010-02-11T04:32:00.001-05:00

Stop by the Worth Avenue Group and enter the giveaway, you could win a Kindle, netbook, Wii or iPod Touch. Giveaways monthly!

To my husband: 10 Reasons I Adore You

2010-02-11T00:40:00.004-05:00

This April, my husband and I will be married for 15 years. It seems like yesterday when I met him at our mutual friends house as a "set-up". I still remember how nervous I was that evening and how I kept thinking "say something, you dumbass, he's going to think you're a mute" and worrying that if I did, I'd say something that would totally turn him off. When I was brushing the snow off my car before leaving and he came up to me and asked if I'd like to have dinner some night, I was so nervous I was worried I'd throw up my dinner if I said something.

Now, in honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day, I list the top 10 reasons I love my husband...

1) When my tires are low on air, you snag my keys and go put air in my tires because you know I have tirephobia..the irrational fear that my tire is going to explode if I try to put air in it myself.

2) When there's snow on the ground, you always grab my hand as we walk through it because you know I'm a klutz and I'll fall if left to my own devices.

3) You know I don't balance the "household" checkbook that I am responsible for so you secretly check the account balance and issue dire warnings when I'm dangerously low and close to overdrafting...again.

4) When I do overdraft, you don't yell at me. I can live with the eye-roll.

5) You laugh at all my stupid jokes especially when I pretend to have vast amounts of sports knowledge. I don't, you do. I'm impressed by all those stats you can rattle off; who went to college where, who won what SuperBowl when. You'd think that after living with you for 15 years, I'd at least acquire a smidgen of sports knowledge, if only by osmosis. It's apparently never going to happen and you don't care, you love me anyway.

6) You think I'm beautiful even when I'm wearing my ugliest pair of sweatpants, a ripped t-shirt and my hair is standing up on my head like Jimmy Neutron. I know I'm not as thin as we were when we met; there's some saggin' in the wagon and the girls have lost their "perk". You've never said one negative word and you still tell me I'm beautiful.

7) In keeping with #6, it doesn't bother you that I have the world's shittiest teeth that require monthly dental visits and vast amounts of our money. You understand and you always find a way to make sure my mouth gets taken care of.

8) You have a job that I couldn't do. I could never work outside in the cold all day. I was built for comfort, not speed. Even when it's freezing outside, you still get up at 1:30am and go to work. You never call off sick. You never stay home because you don't get paid. When I ask you to stay home and say "If you love me, you'll stay home" your answer is "I do love you, that's why I go to work".

9) You treat your stepsons just like they're your own. You may not be their biological father, but you are their dad. When they need money, it's you they call. Why, because they know you are soft and want the best for them, even if that means you take the birthday money you got from my mother and send it to your stepson. It's never a sacrifice with you because it's just "what dads do".

10) Because you think I'm smart and you're my biggest fan. Whenever I want to do something, you always defer to me and do your best to make sure it happens. Those times when I doubt myself, all I have to do is talk to you. You hate it when I'm sad, it bothers you when you can't make my world cupcakes and rainbows. Thank you for making sure I never fall into a black hole of despair; sometimes I un-sad myself just for you, so you won't have to work so hard to make me happy. Thank you for that.

Every day I'm thankful that you came into my life, just when I needed you the most. You are generous, kind, smart, funny, responsible, handsome, and you have more heart than anyone I ever met; I'm glad your heart is mine.

Review: Purex 3-in-1

2010-02-10T00:58:00.006-05:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Purex. All opinions are 100% mine.

I seem to spend a bulk majority of my time doing laundry. With two children still living at home, my husband and I, there always seems to be at least a load a day that needs to be done. It doesn't help that my 13 year old daughter feels the need to change outfits hourly. Most of the laundry-responsibility falls on my shoulders so naturally I'm also responsible for buying the laundry accouterments: laundry soap, liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets were my normal routine.

I'm not brand loyal to many products; I tend to buy based on what works well and what doesn't damage my wallet. There are certain laundry products I avoid based on that criteria. I've found some cheaper products that just couldn't hold their own and some more expensive products that worked well but just weren't cost effective in our house with the amount of laundry we do. So every week it's a crap-shoot when I hit the grocery store as to what I'm bringing home.

I recently had the opportunity to try the new Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets in the Tropical scent. I have to say, I'm smitten, for many reasons.

First is convenience. Purex 3-in-1 sheets combine laundry soap, fabric softener and an anti-static agent all in one convenient sheet. I have an HE washing machine and Purex 3-in-1 is completely safe to use in HE machines; just toss the sheet into the washer, load the clothes and start the machine. Was your wash is done, just transfer the wet sheet with your clothes to your dryer so the little sheet can works it's magic and make sure your socks aren't getting too friendly with your nightgown. Especially in winter, we have a real static problem in our house which sometimes causes me to use liquid fabric softener combined with a dryer sheet. It's like arming yourself with a bazooka and a machete to conquer the static-monster. The Purex 3-in-1 sheets are their own little army against static; I had no static problems while using them.

I also liked the mess-less factor. There's nothing like trying to scrub dried fabric softener gunk off the top of your washing machine. I tend to make a mess when I wash; soap sloshes over the cap of the bottle, fabric softener dribbles all over. There's no slop with Purex 3-in-1 sheets. They go in dry, they come out of the dryer the same way. Doing a half load? Just cut the Purex sheet in half.

And my favorite part, the cost savings. Buying separate laundry soap, liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets add up. Couple that with the fact that I have to buy HE laundry soap, something not as common in grocery stores, and my wallet takes a hit every week when I lay in my supplies. Purex 3-in-1 sheets in my local grocery store were far cheaper than buying the three products I normally buy. While math has never been my strong suit, I calculated at least a $3.00 savings by buying the Purex 3-in-1 over my normal purchases. Your mileage may vary here, but I was impressed with my savings. Plus it takes up less room on the top of my washing machine.

All these things are a moot point, however, if the product doesn't work. But Purex 3-in-1 triumphs again. My clothes were just as clean as they are when I'm using my usual 3-product combo and I really liked the light tropical scent the sheets left on my clothes. The smell wasn't overpowering but you can definitely catch a whiff of it when transferring from washer to dryer. My clothes were soft and static-free when they came out of the dryer.

Purex 3-in-1 comes in two sizes: the Starter Kit (1 dispenser + 20 sheets) or the Refill Pouch (24 sheets). You can also choose from three scents: Tropical, Spring Oasis, and Pure & Clean.

You can request a free sample and try new Purex 3-in-1 for yourself. Head over to Try Purex and they'll send you a free 2-pack sample of the product.

Kindle Giveaway at Warning: Tartitude

2010-02-09T17:55:00.001-05:00

If you're like me, you've been coveting an ereader but cringing at the price. For the chance to win a Kindle Reader, stop by Warning: Tartitude and enter Ash Elizabeth's giveaway. You have until March 15, 2010 to enter.

Monday Giveaways too Good to Miss

2010-02-08T18:27:00.004-05:00

The Mom Reviews has a Sony Pocket Reader giveaway going on. I've been reading reviews about the various readers on the market now and those up and coming, the Sony Pocket Reader is actually the one I'd love to own the most. Check out the Words Move Me site and comment at The Mom Reviews before February 13 and you could be reading your thrillers high-tech!

Get Your Skinny On- DiGiorno & Blogher

2010-02-08T03:42:00.008-05:00

DiGiorno Pizza obviously know my New Year's Resolution to drop a few unwanted pounds and is giving me a hand with their new 200 Calorie Portion Pizza. Courtesy of Blogher, a few bloggers had the opportunity to experience DiGiorno's newest pizza to purge the pudge and offer their reviews and the opportunity at each site to win $200. Deadline for each is February 22, 2010.

1) Swistle Reviews.

2) Busy Mom.

3) Clever Girl Goes Blog Reviews.

4) Cheat Day News & Reviews.

5) A Spectrum of Reviews.

6) FiddleDeeDee Reviews.

7) Scrutiny by the Masses.

Keeping that Family Connection -Sprint & Blogher

2010-02-08T03:12:00.006-05:00

Sprint and Blogher want you to stay connected with your family in the New Year. In addition to offering you some tips for staying close, they're also offering you the chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. Just check out the tips offered by these bloggers and comment with some ways you're planning on keeping communication open with your family this year and you could be a winner. Deadline for each: February 9, 2010.

1) Multi-Minding Mom Reviews.

2) Beyond Just Mom.

3) The Hotfessional: Reviews & Stuff.

4) Tuppence.

5) Reviews from the Trenches of Parenting.

V-8 V-Fusion & BlogHer -revv up your tastebuds

2010-02-08T02:07:00.011-05:00

V8 V-Fusion sounds like a car but it's actually a great juice blend of fruits and vegetables designed to not only help you and your family live a healthier lifestyle, but tickle your tastebuds at the same time. BlogHer and V8 are sponsoring a few giveaways on different blogs to bring awareness to their product. Each blog is giving away a $100 Visa gift card which will buy a whole bunch of V-8 V-Fusion and then some. Deadline to enter is February 9, 2010.

1) Busy Mom.

2) Scrutiny by the Masses.

3) Stop, Drop, and Blog.

4) Simplicity in the Suburbs.

5) Life with the Boys-Blogher Review by Little Ol Me.

6) Heavenly Homemakers.

7) Super Healthy Kids.

8) Picky Palate.

9) Naptime Chef Reviews.

10) Quadville's Favorites.

CLOSEDGiveaway: Zevro Solutions for Modern Living

2010-02-07T14:37:00.015-05:00

My husband and I used to play a game. It's not a fun game and it was going on for years. I call it The Canister Game. You see, in the morning my husband loves his coffee. He brews a full pot and has a few cups before he leaves for work while I gently slumber. He takes the rest of the pot in his thermos for work. Every morning I wake up to find my canister of sugar on the kitchen counter. Now, I have zero counter space in my tiny kitchen so even something as small as a canister takes up precious room. Plus it just irks me to no end. To top it off, he must get bonus points in this game by dipping his wet coffee spoon back into my canister of sugar. When I'd go to bake something, I'd find these little sugar-coffee nuggets in my canister of sugar. Grrrr.

Game over..I found a solution. While browsing through the Lillian Vernon catalog, I came across one clever gadget. It's the Indispensable Sugar n' More Dispenser by Zevro.

The Indispensable Sugar n' More Dispenser can be used for sugar or other powder cooking products. It comes with three measurement inserts: 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, or 1 teaspoon. Insert the desired measurement, fill the dispenser with product, and squeeze the handle and you get a perfect measurement each time you squeeze. The dispenser keeps out moisture and air and it's simple to refill. In addition, there's a dial on the top of the dispenser that you can turn from "closed" to "pour" or "sprinkle" making it easy to use for baking or sprinkling powdered sugar. I love the sleek design and it's small enough to sit on your counter but large enough so that you won't have to refill it daily.

Zevro is based in Illinois and the company designs uncommon products to solve common problems. I was impressed by the clever, attractive and just plain cool gadgets Zevro has to offer all very reasonably priced. Kitchen organization doesn't have to be plain and boring with Zevro. The products are designed to solve kitchen dilemmas right out in the open; you're not going to want to hide Zevro's products in a cupboard or drawer. They're going to do their job and look great while doing it.

The folks at Zevro want to introduce you to their products so you can find out for yourself just how clever they are. Zevro has generously provided four prize packages of some of the products they're most proud of. There will be 4 winners; one for each prize offered.

Prize#1: Single Canister Gat100 Dry Food Dispenser in Black: great for storing cereal and other dry foods. The Gat100 dispenses a perfect 1oz portion of dry goods with the twist of the knob and keeps your product fresh for 45 days. Great for those of us with young ones that can't seem to remember to seal the cereal bag after pouring.

Prize#2: Ruby Series-5 Piece Vac 'n Seal Rectangle Storage Containers: The Vac n' Seal storage containers have a hand-held pump to seal in freshness and flavor for all your dry or liquid foods. They also have side buckles for additional protection. Vac 'n Seal storage containers an airtight and leak-proof barrier for your food storage.

Prize#3: Magnetic Spice Rack: The Magnetic Spice Rack contains 6 silver spice canisters, a stainless steel accent shelf and self-adhesive spice labels. Designed to keep your spices fresh, there's an easy dial on the top of each canister for "closed", "pour", and "sprinkle".

Prize#4: Indispensable Coffee and Sugar 'n More Dispensers: The Indispensable Coffee Dispenser is designed to keep ground coffee fresh while dispensing a even tablespoon of coffee with the squeeze of the handle. Measuring is easy and no more coffee grounds ending up on the counter since you just position the dispenser right over the coffee maker and squeeze. Your Sugar n' More Dispenser will keep your sugar fresh while dispensing either 1/4, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of product with the interchangeable measuring attachments included.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Visit Zevro and find another product, other than those I've mentioned, that you find clever and would love to have in your kitchen. Tell me in a comment which one. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit:

2) Visit Zevro's "As Seen In" section and tell me the name of a magazine or TV show Zevro products have been featured in. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

3) Become a follower of my blog (left sidebar) or take credit if you already do (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

4) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the giveaway. You can tweet up to 3 times daily for extra entries. Leave a comment after each tweet with your tweet URL. (3 daily tweets, 1 entry per tweet).

Easy tweet you can use:

Zevro Solutions giveaway - win some cool kitchen gadget prizes & solve your storage dilemmas Ends 2/28 http://tiny.cc/zevro

5) Spread the word on Facebook about the giveaway. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name)

6) Blog about the giveaway, it doesn't have to be long or wordy but include a link to this giveaway and also to Zevro. (5 entries, leave 5 comments with your post url).

US residents only. Giveaway will end on February 28, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. There will be four winners; one for each prize package. First winner drawn will have his/her choice of prize package, each additional winner will choose from the remaining prizes. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your Blogger profile. Winners have 48 hours to respond with their shipping information and prize choice before there's a do-over and I draw another winner.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated nor provided a product for my review. I purchased the Sugar 'n More Dispenser on my own and was smitten. Zevro generously shipped the products above to me to offer as a giveaway to my readers.

Lincoln & BlogHer -Luxurious Ride & Giveaways!

2010-02-06T01:43:00.005-05:00

Some very lucky bloggers got to experience the joy of driving the new Lincoln MKT for a week and have posted their reviews for your reading pleasure. The Lincoln MKT looks like a pretty sweet ride and you also get the experience of entering some pretty sweet giveaways to win a $500 Visa gift card at each of their blogs courtesy of Lincoln and Blogher. Read the rules at each blog and the deadlines:

1) Fluid Pudding. Deadline: 3/5

Make sure you keep checking the Lincoln Special Offer page at Blogher as more reviews are posted.

Giveaways around the Galaxy 2/2

2010-02-02T20:17:00.008-05:00

Snag a Scentsy warmer and three bars of your favorite scents at Simply Stacie. Deadline: 2/10.

One to Try has a Price Pfister faucet to giveaway, choose from select styles for kitchen or bath. Deadline: 2/16.

Because I Said So is hosting her own Scentsy giveaway. Check out the great catalog of scents and warmers and comment to have a chance to win.

Seeryus Mama also has a Scentsy giveaway going on. One winner will win a warmer and three scent bars and 3 other winners will receive a car candle. Deadline: 2/11

For you crafty folks, Fave Crafts has a Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine worth $79.99 for you to win. Deadline: 3/4

Win a $100 Visa gift card at Good, True & Beautiful. Deadline: 2/13.

Give Daddy has a True Lemon giveaway going on where you can win an awesome prize pack of True Lemon goodies including the new True Lemon-ade with Raspberry and a $100 Visa card. Deadline: 2/28.

Sears Good Deal Alert -Rotary Tool Kit

2010-02-01T22:59:00.004-05:00

While I was coveting a Dremel, I found a really good deal tonight at Sears. The Craftsman Rotary Tool kit that comes with 65 accessories, a flex lite and deluxe carrying case was normally priced at $99.99 and was on sale at my local Sears for $29.97. Looks like it's an in-store deal only and my Sears had a large display of them on an end-cap. Far cheaper than a Dremel; let's hope it works nearly as well.

CLOSEDGiveaway: Revamp your Junk Drawer with Rubbermaid

2010-01-31T23:57:00.009-05:00

I'm sure you have a drawer in your house where you store all your "junk". If you're like me, maybe you have more than one. The one in my kitchen is a dark abyss, things vanish in the junk drawer and materialize later...just when you don't need it. Batteries..junk drawer. Twist ties...junk drawer. Outlet adapters...junk drawer. I had a junk drawer overload a few weeks ago; my drawer was so packed that it causes one of the sides of the drawer to break. My husband had to pull out the drawer, empty it, and fix the side since it had a "blow-out". He made the gentle suggestion that I might want to clean out the junk drawer. Blasphemy, I *need* everything in that drawer...maybe.

Truth be told, it was time to purge. One of my loftier goals for 2010 is to become better organized. No more search-and-destroy missions in order to find an important paper. No more hanging on to clothes that are no longer in style nor do they fit. No more drawers so packed that you have to sift through everything in it in order to find what you're looking for.

Little known trivia fact: You can only request a copy of your social security card 10 times in your life. How do I know this? Because I'm on copy number four....three cards are floating around somewhere in my house. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to locate the other three during 2010.

One place I know where they aren't is my junk drawer because, thanks to the folks at Rubbermaid, I reorganized my junk drawer. Rubbermaid sent me one of their new Junk Drawer Organizers to try. It came at the perfect time; I was feeling the need to accomplish something on this cold, snowy weekend since I wasn't feeling up to braving the elements and venturing out of the house.

Once I got started, it wasn't as bad as I feared. I did manage to throw out a few things; some pieces-parts that I didn't have a clue as to what they went to or why I saved them. The rest was a breeze. The 6-piece Rubbermaid drawer organizers actually interlock and you're able to move each piece to a configuration that you like. The bottoms have feet so they won't slide around in the drawer. Each unit has a rubber bottom that looks like a patterned drawer liner so it's easy to clean when it gets dirty.

Much nicer, no? The Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Organizers aren't just for junk drawers either. They'd be perfect for crafts, office supplies, cosmetics, and medicines. They're a neat solution for your untidy problem. In addition to tips & tricks on the Rubbermaid Solutions Center, Rubbermaid has even created a easy tutorial if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at tackling the task of revamping your junk drawer:

1) Set aside an hour of time and clear off a working space (your counter, the floor, a table) that is large enough to hold all the items in your drawer.
2) Take a deep breath
3) Create four piles to place things into:
A) Belongs somewhere else
B) Trash (this pile could actually be your trash can or trash bag)
C) Donate (just in case there is something in there you would actually give away)
D) Keep
4) Go through the drawer and put the things in the appropriate pile
5) Trash the trash pile, take things to your car that you will donate (so you'll actually donate them), put the things that belong somewhere else away
6) Come back to your keep pile. Start to group like things together (pens with pens, small tools with other small tools, medicine with medicine, batteries with batteries, etc.
7) Containerize these items. Put them into the Rubbermaid drawer organizers.
8) Reward yourself for a job well done. I would personally suggest a massage but a tasty cup of coffee or hot chocolate might be good too.
9) Check back in a few weeks to make sure everything is still in its place. Organization is not a one-time thing but a process that is best worked on constantly.

Rubbermaid wants to help you get organized, too. They've offered to send one of my readers a 6-Piece Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Organizer set just like I received so you can turn your "now, where is it?" into "it's right here".

Mandatory Entry:

1) Tell me something you keep in your junk drawer. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit:

2) Follow Rubbermaid on Twitter. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter name).

3) Follow Rubbermaid Two on Twitter. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter name).

4) Become a Rubbermaid Facebook Fan. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name).

5) Follow my blog (left sidebar) or take credit if you already do. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

6) Tweet the giveaway, can be done daily. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your tweet url).

Easy tweet you can use:

Revamp your junk drawer giveaway; win a @Rubbermaid drawer organizer set. Ends 2/15 http://tiny.cc/pBRBo

7) Sign up for the Rubbermaid Club. It's free and you'll receive money saving coupons & rebates, special birthday savings, organizational tips and new product information. (3 entries, leave 3 comments that you signed up).

US residents only. Giveaway ends on Monday, February 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and notified by email. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over. Prize will be shipped directly to the winner by Rubbermaid, I am just the middle-man.

Here's the Skinny from The Divine Miss Mommy

2010-01-29T03:07:00.002-05:00

Swing by The Divine Miss Mommy and comment for a shot at winning one of 5 Sam's Club gift cards good for purchasing a Sam's Club Plus membership or using to buy your favorite products at Sam's Club...like Skinny Cow ice cream! Deadline: 2/10.

Monday Giveaway Round-Up

2010-01-25T03:10:00.016-05:00

Rant, Rave, Roll has a cute St. Eve girl's cozy (wearable blanket) to giveaway. Deadline: 1/31.

Read the review of the new Lincoln MKT and comment to win a $500 Visa gift card at Quadville's Favorites. Deadline: 2/24

Three Kid Circus also has a $500 Visa card; read her Lincoln MKT review and comment to win. Deadline: 2/24.

Views from the Pants also reviewed the Lincoln MKT (watch out for zombies) and has a $500 Visa card to giveaway. Deadline: 2/24.

Win $200 and stay connected with Sprint at Fabulous @50. Deadline: 2/9.

Child Wild Reviews also has a $200 Visa card from Sprint to giveaway. Deadline: 2/9.

Win a comfy lounge gift set from Eden Home at Jolly Mom. Deadline: 2/5.

Leslie Loves Veggies has a Magic Bullet to give away to 5 lucky winners. Deadline: 1/31.

Win $60 worth of great beauty products in the Pink & Posh Valentine's Giveaway. Deadline: 2/6.

While you're there, make sure you enter the Pink & Posh Red Satin SAG Awards giveaway for a gift bag of goodies from Degree Women. Deadline: 2/14.

Pink & Posh also has an I Love NY Flip Camcorder to giveaway. Deadline: 2/14.

Mommy Goggles has 5 $100 Sam's Club gift cards to giveaway courtesy of Skinny Cow Ice Cream. Deadline: 2/10.

Outnumbered 3 to 1 also has 4 Sam's Club gift cards to give away courtesy of Sam's & Skinny Cow. Deadline: 2/17.

Be quick and enter the Sam's Club giveaway at The Diary of a PoshPreneur; win one of 5 $100 Sam's Club gift cards to buy yourself a whole lot of Skinny Cow ice cream! Deadline is Monday.

The Mom Reviews has a $25 Macy's gift card to give away in honor of their Go Red for Women campaign against heart disease. Deadline: 2/5.

Review: General Mills Cereal

2010-01-24T21:08:00.006-05:00

My husband and I will be married for 15 years this April 29. When we first got together, he's frequently stop at my house on his way home from work. Every day, he'd have a bowl of cereal for a "snack". We joke now that my husband fell in love with me for my cereal because I always had at least three different boxes...cereal is something I always have on hand and a lot of.

When my oldest sons were in school, cereal was a mandatory breakfast item before they left the house. I never felt good unless they left the house with something in their stomach before school and cereal was filling, quick and simple. Studies also say that children who eat breakfast before school perform better on tests, are less likely to be tardy or miss class, make less trips to the school office, and have fewer discipline problems than children who skip breakfast. Now I only have to police my 13 year-old daughter in the morning but it's an easy job. She loves her cereal and usually has a bowl before she even gets herself dressed for school. Sometimes she's so sleepy when she pours a bowl, I've found the cereal box in the refrigerator after she's left for school!

Cereal also provides important vitamins, minerals and fiber. Cereal is the #1 source of whole grains in a child's diet. Cereal eaters also tend to consume less fat than their counterparts. Studies have shown that people who eat cereal in the morning for breakfast tend to weigh far less than those who don't eat cereal or even skip breakfast entirely.

And heck, it just tastes good! It's one of my favorite after-work snacks before I go to bed. I work second shift and if I tend to eat dinner earlier or eat a light dinner, I need something to eat before I go to bed and cereal always fits the bill. It's filling without causing tummy-trouble when I lay down; the last thing I need when I go to bed is heartburn.

General Mills and MyBlogSpark sent me coupons to buy try four General Mills Cereals for free. There are four of us in the house now: me, my husband, my 22 year-old son and my 13 year-old daughter. I let each of use pick our favorite cereal using our free coupons. My daughter chose Lucky Charms which is one of her favorite cereals. My son loves Cinnamon Toast Crunch, one of the cereals I almost always have in my cart when I grocery shop. My son is a large boy: 6'1" and 280 pounds. He doesn't just eat a bowl of cereal, my son has a trough. I've actually seen my son walked by a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, grab a fistful and eat it straight without any milk.

My husband wanted to try something different so he picked Strawberry Chex and declared it a keeper. Strawberry Chex isn't a frosted cereal and it had a nice, light strawberry flavor to it. I picked the Banana Nut Cheerios since I'd never had them before. Another winner from General Mills; while I always add a teaspoon of sugar to my cereal, I could have easily gone without and still enjoyed the Banana Nut Cheerios. It reminded me of my Nana's banana nut bread. My daughter also gave the Banana Nut Cheerios a try and said she'd like me to buy it again. Two thumbs up for Banana Nut Cheerios.

General Mills is committed to further reducing sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain. Less sugar and more nutrients means far healthier kids..and adults.

You can print a coupon good for $1.00 of one box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms or Trix General Mills Cereals by clicking here. The coupon is good until 02/23/2010. Take advantage of the countless benefits cereal has to offer courtesy of General Mills.

My thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills for providing me with the free coupons to try their cereal and the information on their commitment to better health for children.

Giveaway Round-up 01-14-10

2010-01-14T08:31:00.013-05:00

New year and some great giveaways out there:

The Crazy Consultant is giving away a Hugs and Kisses Scentsy warmer. Deadline: 02/01

Moms Focus on Cyber World is giving away a Scentsy warmer and 3 scent bars. Ends 01/15.

Win a $200 Visa gift card courtesy of Sprint & Blogher at Cheeky Monkey Play. Ends 2/9.

BooMama has a $100 Visa gift card to give away courtesy of Eggland's Best Eggs. Deadline 2/8

Picky-Palate also has a $100 Visa card from Eggland's Best. Deadline: 2/8.

In honor of her 100th post milestone, Lori at Everyday Blessings is giving away a Lowe's gift card. Deadline: 1/23.

Check out the Quilt Creator giveaway at The Cloth Diaper Report. You could win your own twin-size Country Store quilt in Vintage Red colors. Deadline: 1/31.

Win a $50 gift card from Gift Card Mall at What's That Buzz. Deadline: 2/2.

Multi-Testing Mommy has a Price-Pfister faucet giveaway. Deadline: 1/31.

Win a Select Comfort Plush Blanket at The Art of Being Mom. Deadline: 2/6

Winner! OXO-Staples Giveaway

2010-01-13T18:16:00.001-05:00

and the winner is Jennifer from Eighty MPH Mom:

Jennifer-Eighty MPH Mom said... 53

I tweeted your giveaway!
http://twitter.com/EightyMPHMom/status/7067887768

mandjregan at gmail dot com

Congrats Jennifer! Sending you an email.

Giveaway-Go-Round

2009-12-25T18:38:00.008-05:00

What would you buy with a $50 gift card to American Express? MomStart wants to know..comment to enter to win $50 to spend on yourself this holiday. Deadline: 12/31.

And MomStart also has a giveaway going on to coincide with the movie "It's Complicated"...win a $50 Visa gift card and a tote bag of movie goodies. Deadline: 12/30.

The Not-So Blog has a $100 American Express gift card giveaway courtesy of Hall's Refresh. Deadline: 01/04

Stop by A Couch with a View and enter the Petcentric giveaway for your chance to win a Nikon 10mp Digital Camera. Deadline: 12/31

Start your spring cleaning early by winning a Hoover WindTunnel V-Series vacuum at Just for Me and You. Deadline: 1/12.

While you're there, enter the Just for Me and You Lavender Fields giveaway for a chance to win a cute pair of warm PJ's for winter. Deadline: 1/4.

Just for Me and You has 191 Unlimited giveaway going on; 5 winners will snag a great 191 Unlimited shirt for the favorite male in their life. Deadline: 1/6

Rockin' Mama is giving two winners a cute pair of Karen Neuburger Lady Boyfriend PJ's. Deadline: 1/9.

How about something for your furry friend? MomStart is giving away a snoozer pool, patio dog bed and Rachel Ray goodie bag courtesy of Petcentric. Deadline: 1/11

Also make sure you enter the MomStart giveaway for your chance to win three great books from Chicken Soup for the Soul. Deadline: 1/15.

Born to Impress has a Price Pfister faucet giveaway; win your choice of seven different styles offered. Deadline: 1/19.

Winner: BJ's Wholesale Club

2009-12-25T13:07:00.003-05:00

Congrats elkaye

GIVEAWAY: OXO - STAPLES

2009-12-23T00:33:00.008-05:00

If you read my review of OXO office supplies a few months ago, you'll remember that I'm a confirmed office supply junkie. Hand me a new pen and I'm in bliss. A trip to any retail store always involves a quick jaunt down the office supply aisle. So when I got a package a few weeks ago containing an OXO tape dispenser, scissors and two packages of OXO retractable ballpoint pens it was like an early Christmas present just for me!

Each time I'm amazed at the ingenuity of those folks at OXO. The OXO think-tank is working overtime and they're quite a clever bunch, I must say. When they decided to delve into office supplies, they did it right the first time. Someone must have sat down and said "How can we do this better?" and then, they did.

I have a tape dispenser, well actually it doesn't work anymore because it used to have a drop in spool holder for the tape that one of the kids lost. I put the base away hoping that someday the little black spool would reappear and I'd be able to set it on the desk again. Not anymore, because I am now the proud owner of an OXO tape dispenser and there's no little spool to get lost now. Bet someone at OXO has kids like mine.

The spool is built right into the side to hold the roll of tape and the side of the dispenser flips open: it reminds me of a DeLorean car the way it flips open to load a fresh roll of tape.

I love my OXO scissors. There's a tiny button on the handle that you can push so the blades of the scissors cross and lock together so they can be safely used as a box cutter. No more grabbing a butter knife or fanning your scissors like a Ninja blade to open a UPS box.

OXO is also designing a line of markers, highlighters and pens. I had a chance to sample their new retractable ballpoint pens and I'm smitten. Ever put a pen in your pocket and discover later that the ink has now stained your shirt? I frequently use pens at work and I have a breast-pocket that I keep a pen clipped to and it's happened to me before. Not with OXO pens. These pens twist to expose the writing tip. When the tip is exposed the clip for the pen retracts; you can't clip the pen to a shirt if the tip is exposed, you have to twist it back in order to clip the pen to a shirt. Pure genius! These pens are also refillable and have a nice, comfortable grip.

OXO office supplies are exclusively located at Staples. I happened to see an entire display of them the last time I was there and ended up picking up one of their cute pocket staplers for my husband to use at work. But one of you isn't going to have to make a trip to experience OXO office supplies from Staples because we're having a giveaway! One winner is going to get a package of pens, markers, a tape dispenser and scissors all courtesy of Staples and OXO. Next time you're wrapping a present or opening a package, I'm sure you're going to see for yourself that someone was thinking outside the box when they designed these office supplies. OXO designs their supplies with real people in mind and the real needs we face everyday.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Stop by Staples and peruse their line of OXO office supplies. Come back and tell me which one you're dying to add to your desk collection besides the ones mentioned here. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit:

2) Follow my blog or take credit if you already do (top left sidebar: 1 entry, leave 1 comment).

3) Tweet the giveaway, can be done daily (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your tweet url daily).

Easy tweet you can use:

OXO - Staples giveaway: win office supplies designed with you in mind. Ends 1/6 http://tiny.cc/OXO2

4) Blog it, it doesn't have to be long or wordy but link to this giveaway and Staples. (5 entries, leave 5 comments with your blog url).

US residents only. Giveaway ends on January 6, 2010 at 11:59pm. Winner will be chosen via the almighty randomizer and notified via email. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winner has 48 hours to respond with shipping information before we pull a do-over. Prize will be shipped to the winner from the OXO/Staples representative; I'm just the middle-man.

StyleGuidance 12 Day of Christmas

2009-12-17T12:31:00.002-05:00

Make sure you stop by Style Guidance...every day is a new prize and a new shot at winning. Check out the calendar for daily prize details and methods of entry. Today's prize is an iPod Touch and the final prize is a Macbook Air worth $1499.

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: BJ'S Wholesale Club

2009-12-13T23:49:00.008-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to check out BJ's Wholesale Club. I was given a $25 gift card from My BlogSpark and I was able to print out the free two-month free trial membership from the BJ's website. My husband and I decided to stop there last Tuesday and see what BJ's had to offer.

I'd never shopped at one of those "club" stores before and I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived. After being greeted at the door, I was shown to the Customer Service counter where the clerk signed me up for my free two-month trial membership. It literally took 3 minutes including him taking my photo and printing out my membership card. There was no hard-sell to purchase a full membership ($45 for a year). Right now BJ's is running a special new-member paid offer for $45, which includes a $10 couponB and an extra two months of membership. If you sign up for the offer, you also will receive:

~A Member Savings Book with more than $1,000 in coupons and instant rebates
~“Sign up and Save” coupons worth $117 in savings
~2 cards (one for you and someone else in your household)
~A no risk 100% money back guarantee on the fee if you are not satisfied

Vast is the first thing that came to mind. My husband lost himself in the electronics section as soon as we came in the store. You know how some grocery stores have babysitting areas for children where the parents can leave the child there while they shop? That must be why BJ's puts the electronics at the front of the store...so I would know where to find my husband when I was done shopping. I'll admit, I was looking too since I'm coveting a GPS for Christmas and BJ's had a display of all the models they carry at the end of one of their aisles.

I wanted to get a feel for all that BJ's had to offer so my husband and I walked down almost every aisle in the store. BJ's has just about everything: clothing, gift wrap and cards, books, office supplies, and toys.

We spent most of our time in the grocery section. Next time I have a party planned, BJ's is where I'm going to head. They had a wide variety of appetizers in the freezer section that would be perfect when you're planning a party. I loved all the goodies in their bakery section and ended up taking home a tray of danish very reasonably priced at $5.99 for 10 large iced danishes.

All in all, I felt their prices were more than reasonable. While you're buying most things in bulk sizes, the prices are still cheaper than what I've paid at the grocery store. My local grocer sells Chef Boyardee cans 10 for $10 and I found a package of 10 cans at BJ's to be priced at $9.27. A gallon of milk at BJ's was only $1.50, a big savings from what I usually pay at the grocery store. In addition, BJ's accepts all manufacturer's coupons alongside of any coupons BJ's also provides for products. When I came in the store there was a large display of coupons available for the taking.

I did get a huge box of Hershey's Brownie Mix that makes 4 batches of brownies for my holiday baking for $6.99. You just can't find sizes like that in any grocery store.

MyBlogSpark, BJ's and General Mills are offering one of my readers the chance to experience BJ's too. You'll get a $25 gift card to BJ's Wholesale Club so you can pick up some great bargains yourself.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Click over to the BJ's Wholesale Club website and tell me something you'd love to stock up on.

Extra Credit:

2) Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect, or take credit if you already do. (top left sidebar: 1 entry, leave 1 comment)

3) Tweet the giveaway, can be done daily (1 entry, leave 1 daily comment with your tweet url).

Easy tweet you can use:

BJ's Wholesale Club giveaway: win a $25 gift card & experience big savings. Ends 12/23. http://tiny.cc/TfhrB

4) Use the BJ's Store Locator and tell me the address of the BJ's Wholesale Club nearest to you (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST. US residents only. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing information before there's a do-over.

Disclosure: I was provided a $25 BJ's Wholesale Club gift card, BJ's Journal with coupons and a free two-month trial membership courtesy of MyBlogSpark and General Mills for my review.

HP TouchSmart looks really smart

2009-12-12T23:35:00.006-05:00

Want a chance to land an HP TouchSmart 600 computer? There are five blogs participating in a campaign sponsored by BlogHer and by commenting on their sites, you're in the running to win one for yourself! Deadline for all: 12/24.

1) BooMama

2) NieNie Reviews

3) McKMama

4) Totally Together Reviews

5) Kelly's Reviews

Winner! Original Scrapbox

2009-12-12T01:08:00.003-05:00

A winner has been drawn for the EZ View Desktop.....

Congratulations goes to Mom of 3 Dolls who is now also a qualifier for the EZ View Craft Desk worth $495. I'm sending you an email now and I need to hear back from you within 24 hours before I redraw.
{ Mom of 3 Dolls } said... 278

#5 blog entry
http://momof3dolls.blogspot.com/2009/12/win-ez-view-desktop.html

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: The Original Scrapbox 12 Blogs of Christmas

2009-12-04T01:01:00.011-05:00

The Original Scrapbox Gives Back with the 12 Blogs of Christmas December 4-11, 2009 GRAND PRIZE WINNER announced December 14, 2009

There are 12 ways to win and 12 blogs to visit to enter with a special way to help The Original Scrapbox give back!

Enter to win a NEW EZ View Desktop and an entry in the Grand Prize Giveaway for a NEW EZ View Craft Desk from The Original Scrapbox for FREE! Your entries will help The Original Scrapbox GIVE 2 of these desks to charity!

By commenting on this post you are entering for the chance to win an EZ View Desktop. The EZ View Desktop is designed to sit on a desk and has drawers that open on either end. The EZ View Desktop comes in black or vanilla colors, your choice.

The winner from my blog will be combined with the winners from the other 11 participating blogs into the Grand Prize Drawing to be held on December 14, 2009. Rachelle from Rachelle's Writing Spot will be drawing one winner from the 12 to win an EZ View Craft Desk. This desk is designed with a clear, glass-like top and the dimensions are 50"W x 25" D x 31" H. The desk is big, with 4 drawers with built-in partitions for easy organizing on any home project.

Pretty sweet, no? So by entering to win this giveaway for an EZ View Desktop here you'll also have a 1:12 chance at landing the EZ View Craft Desk. This giveaway ends on December 11, 2009 at 11:59 pm and I will draw the winner via Random.org for the EZ View Desktop. The winner will be notified via email and will need to respond within 24 hours with their mailing information, phone number (for shipping purposes only) and color choice (black or vanilla) or another winner will be drawn. I will forward the information on to Rachelle for inclusion in the Grand Prize Drawing for the EZ View Craft Desk that will be held on her site, Rachelle's Writing Spot, on December 14, 2009. The winner will need to respond to Rachelle by December 16, 2009. Unfortunately, Christmas delivery cannot be guaranteed.

How will The Original Scrapbox give back?

We will be tracking web hits to The Original Scrapbox during the giveaway and when we reach 12,000 hits, The Original Scrapbox will donate one EZ View Craft Desk to the Friends of Utah County Children's Justice Center. This charity helps abused children.

'Tis the season of giving and The Original Scrapbox wants to give back to a charity of your choosing. When we reach 25,000 hits during our giveaway they will also donate an EZ View Craft Desk to a charity nominated by you!!

Would you like to nominate a charity to receive this spectacular gift? Please send an email to RachellewritesATgmail.com with the name of your charitable organization as well as a description of what they do. We would like to choose a charity that will be able to utilize the EZ View Craft Desk in their program. Tell Rachelle why these products would benefit your charity.

Email the charity organization name, description, and contact person for receiving donations to

RachellewritesATgmail.com

Rachelle will review all nominations and The Original Scrapbox giving board will choose a recipient.

When you visit the website to choose your favorite product and enter the giveaway, you’ll help us get one step closer to our goal.

Mandatory Entry:

1) Visit The Original Scrapbox and pick a favorite item, other than the giveaway items, and tell me why you love it. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit- you must leave separate comments for each entry you are entitled to for your entries to count!

2) Become a Facebook Fan of The Original Scrapbox. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name).

3) Share the giveaway on Facebook. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook profile link).

4) Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (left sidebar), or take credit if you already do. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

5) Tweet the giveaway on Twitter, this can be done every day for 1 extra entry per day!. (1 daily entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter ID or tweet url).

An easy tweet you can use:

Enter The Original Scrapbox giveaway, win an EZ View Desktop or Craft Desk. Ends 12/11. http://bit.ly/92WuGW #scrapbox

6) Add The Original Scrapbox button to your sidebar - just copy and paste the code below (2 entries, leave 2 comments with your blog url).

7) Become a follower of my Snipi Stream by clicking "follow stream" in the right sidebar of my Stream-A-Dream. You may need to register for a Snipi account, it is free. Then click-through any of the items I have added to my Snipi Stream. (4 entries, leave 4 comments with your Snipi I.D.).

8) Blog about the giveaway. Your post should include the following tags: The Original Scrapbox, Scrapbook storage, Workbox, EZ View Craft Desk. Please include a link to my blog. (5 entries, leave 5 comments with your post url).

***Remember, feel free to tweet the giveaway daily for one extra entry each day!

Giveaway ends on December 11, 2009 at 11:59pm. Open to US, Canada, UK and EU countries. You must leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile.. Winner will have 24 hours to respond with the required information before I pull a do-over.

There are 11 other awesome bloggers holding a contest to give away an EZ View Desktop (Yes, 12 EZ View Desktops will be given away—one from each blog!) and at each of these blogs you can also enter for the GRAND PRIZE-- EZ VIEW Craft Desk. Stop by their blogs and enter for more chances to win:

1) Life As Lou

2) Vanilla Joy

3) Priscilla Styles

4) Capadia Designs

5) Crafty Makes

6) Just Me, My Soldier, and My Two Little Chicks

7) Randomish by Nichole

8) Park City Girl

9) Lovely Little Handmades

10) Queen of the Clan

11) Rachelle's Writing Spot

There were survivors on the Titanic..right?

2009-12-01T01:23:00.009-05:00

aka The Great Bathroom Remodeling Project of 2009-2010.

Welcome to my nightmare. My bathroom hasn't seen a coat of paint since I bought the house way back in 1988. The linoleum was in poor shape when I moved in and has progressively gotten worse over the years.

Andy cut out a section that was already coming up near the door so we could see what's underneath...it's not pretty.

Last weekend we removed the old rope window from the bathroom and installed a new double-hung window. How I'll miss opening that old rope window and jamming that section of wood molding into the frame to hold it open so it wouldn't slam shut and cut someone's fingers off....NOT! Andy also removed the old wood chair rail that ran around the middle of the room and patched and sanded the area where it was taken off.

After much discussion, Andy has agreed to replace the lighting, medicine cabinet, sink, vanity and faucet. I argued that since we were keeping the Titanic..aka the clawfoot bathtub with hanging shower combo..we could afford to replace those other items since everything in there now is old and showing signs of wear. I am working on convincing him to let me purchase the white vanity I saw at Home Depot. He's a strong opponent of any white fixtures since being the father of three sons he's seen firsthand how they dirty anything light-colored. My argument is that they're grown-ups now and no longer eat their own boogers, so any white fixtures should be fine.

Now here's the tricky part, I'm a color dummy. I have a lot of difficulty matching colors and I swear it's probably a defective gene..the same gene that controls balancing my checkbook and making crafts that don't look like a 2-year-old made it. I was leaning toward a deep red wall with a gray woodwork/trim. My bathroom isn't small, so I thought those colors might work.

I picked up two of the Glidden paint testers at Home Depot and gave them a try and I'm not liking the look...not even a little bit. I'm hoping to avoid another paint disaster; my kitchen looks like eggs and ketchup because I *thought* that yellow walls with red trim would look great in the kitchen. Trust me, it doesn't. Now I have no idea what to do in there. The shower curtain can and will be replaced, so I'm open to any color combinations except I want to stay away from white, off-white, and tan. It's hard to tell now, but the original color of the bathroom was tan although it vaguely reminds me of old cigarette smoke now. Tan walls, tan woodwork...lots of tan. Another reason why I want to replace the vanity and mirror. I'm tired of brown. So now I'm back to scouring the internet in search of a decent color combination for the bathroom. Wallpaper is out since there's no ventilation in the bathroom and I'm worried about steam accumulation from the shower making it peel. There was a small part of me that briefly thought about doing some type of faux painting in there and then I woke up. While Andy is an excellent painter with a roller; I'm not sure we can trust him with a rag or a sponge. I am a lost cause with anything creative. I'm open to any color suggestions anyone might have since I'm flying blind here.

As far as the floor goes, Andy is championing for linoleum and I want to go with a laminate wood plank flooring in a whitewash color. I like the Trafficmaster Allure in Blond Maple from Home Depot. After reading some articles online, I'm not sure that it will work in the bathroom. We're planning on hiring someone to put the floor in rather than do it ourselves, so that call will be theirs. I've read that it tends to "shrink" after being installed and I'd hate to have it pull away from the baseboard.

ShoeMall Rocks your Socks Off this Holiday!

2009-11-30T09:42:00.002-05:00

Make sure you enter the ShoeMall Rocks Holiday Giveaway for your chance to win a $500 Visa gift card and a $250 ShoeMall gift certificate. The contest ends December 7, 2009. For more details visit www.shoemall.com/landing/ShoeMallRocks and you could be doing your holiday shopping on ShoeMall.

Aquaphor gives you more

2009-11-30T05:28:00.008-05:00

Aquaphor is sponsoring some great blog giveaways where you could win a gift basket of fantastic products and a $100 Visa gift card. There are 8 blogs participating through BlogHer and you have until December 15 to enter to win on each blog.

1) Kelly's Reviews
2) She Just Reviews It.
3) Kirida Reviews.
4) 1Ideal Life Reviews.
5) Little Bites of Heaven
6) Lora Lee's Looney Tunes.
7) This Northern Life
8) A Girl and A Boy

Giveaway Round-Up 11/25/09

2009-11-26T00:59:00.013-05:00

Stop by Leslie Loves Veggies for your chance to win a Price Pfister faucet for your kitchen or bath. Deadline: 12/7

Love Scentsy? Check out the Scentsy Holiday giveaway at Kirsten's Scents Appeal website. Win a Candy Shoppe plug-in warmer and Cinnamint scented bar. Drawing 11/30.

You can also win a Scentsy warmer of your choice and scent bar at Needle in a Haystack. Deadline:12/6

The Mom Buzz has a Alegria shoes giveaway. Deadline:12/2.

For the Love of 2 Cents is giving away a fantastic Samsung 2View digital camera, a camera so new that it's not even available in stores yet. Deadline 12/3 and you must watch the live MomTV show on 12/3 to claim the prize if you're the winner.

Kiddies Corner Deals has a Kids Foot Locker giveaway, 2 winners get $100 to Kids Foot Locker. Deadline: 12/10.

My Wee View has a Scentsy warmer and scent bar of your choice giveaway going on. Deadline: 12/11.

Barefoot Mommies is giving away a JVC Picsio camera. Deadline: 12/5

More chances to score a gift card to Sam's Club to make your holiday shopping a whole lot easier- stop by Blessings Abound. She has multiple giveaways for $25 gift cards as well as a giveaway for a $50 Sam's Club gift card. Various deadlines.

Our Ordinary Life has a $100 JCPenny gift card giveaway going on-stay out of the doghouse this holiday season. Deadline: 12/10

This Mom Can Shop has a $110 Visa gift card giveaway sponsored by Kodak who wants you to stop paying so much for printer ink. Deadline: 12/12.

Rave & Review has a Dav Rain Boots giveaway going on. Deadline: 12/30.

Giveaway Round-Up 11/2/09

2009-11-01T23:29:00.005-05:00

Life Starring the Kids & Me has a $100 Sam's Club gift card for 4 winners. Deadline: 11/16.

The Science of Being Dad has a Sam's Club giveaway of $100 gift cards for 4 winners. Deadline: 11/10.

and The Science of Being Dad has another Sam's Club giveaway: one winner gets $100 and another gets $50. Deadline 11/27.

The Art of Being Mom is also giving away a $50 Sam's Club gift card. Deadline: 11/27.
Two winners can also win a $100 Sam's Club card or a $25 gift card at The Art of Being Mom. Deadline: 12/4.

6 Week Post-Op Update: Cervical Disc Fusion Surgery

2009-10-22T18:46:00.003-04:00

Tuesday was the six week mark for my cervical disc surgery. I'm pretty much pain-free although the past two days I've had some shoulder pain on my left shoulder. It doesn't last long and may be from sleeping funny: I still tend not to turn very often at night since I'm not wearing the cervical collar and I worry about jerking my head.

I actually don't see the surgeon until the 26th and tomorrow I am headed to the hospital for an xray so he'll know how fusion is progressing by my appointment. I'm not worried, I'm sure that's fine. What I am concerned about is my voice or lack thereof. One of my coworkers called the other day and said I sound like Froggy from The Little Rascals. My voice is still raspy-sounding and I can't get any volume behind it if I want to yell.

I was lucky enough to call Tuesday and get an appointment with the ENT the next day. He took a look at my vocal cords and said that the right side is paralyzed. The left is compensating for it which is why I have any voice at all. It is also the reason I sometimes choke if I try to drink too fast. It doesn't effect my ability to eat, just drinking is a problem and for me...only when I try to drink something too fast. He seems to think the nerve is damaged and will correct itself; if the nerve is severed then this is as good as it gets. I have a follow-up appointment in 3 months. For now though, he said I can't damage it any further by talking..so no worries there. He said I may wear my voice out if I talk too much, but it won't damage that paralyzed side any more than it already is.

Last week was a little rough for me; I was feeling really down. I think because the surgery was a lot more difficult to recover from than I thought and having to deal with the losses: my voice, cutting off the pain pills after being on them since July, and quitting smoking. Silly, but I found myself crying over cigarettes the other day. While I feel better and smell so much better, I do miss my old friends. When I was feeling stressed or sad or angry...I'd reach for my cigarettes. Now I have to find other ways to cope and it's a loss although my bank account isn't complaining. Since both my husband and I quit, we figured we're saving at least $500 a month. Both of us were buying 2 packs of cigarettes each day, a little more than $5 each pack, for 30 days....big money.

I met a woman the other day at the doctor who said she's been smoke-free for years and still misses them. I suppose it will always be like that for me, too. The good thing is that less and less I think about them during the day and when I do get a craving, it's over fairly quickly now. I do like being able to smell things that I couldn't before and I did notice that things taste differently now and not always in a good way. I always liked eggs but the past two times we've gone to Denny's and I've ordered eggs two different ways, I couldn't stand them. I've really tried not to stuff my mouth with food because I didn't want to gain weight by quitting smoking and, so far, all my pants still fit the same way. Sugarless gum and mints help with the cravings. I also have a stash of suckers that help, too.

The scar seems to be fading and while it is still a bit tender, it's not nearly as swollen as it was before. I've even been rubbing some Mederma on it every day to help with the fading. I no longer have any pain when turning my head from side to side like I did when I first came home from surgery. The best part is the arm pain is totally gone and my fingers are no longer numb. Hopefully, the neck is fusing but I'll know more after my appointment with the surgeon next week.

Giveaway Goodies around the Blogosphere

2009-10-10T22:38:00.012-04:00

Get organized when you win the Brother P-Touch Labelmaker at Coffee with the Mrs. Deadline: 10/26.

The Art of Being Mom has a giveaway for $100 Sam's Club gift card..enough to purchase a Sam's Club Plus Membership and save your family some money. Deadline: 10/27.

Mommy 2 3 Monkeys also has a $100 Sam's Club Plus Membership giveaway. Deadline: 10/30.

Win a Valco Ion Stoller at My Sentiment ExactLee. Deadline: 11/3.

You can also win your choice of 3 stylish computer bags from CoolComputerbags.com at My Sentiment ExactLee. Deadline: 11/6

Need a new faucet? Check out the review and giveaway for your choice from three great Price Pfister kitchen or bath faucets at One Project Closer. Deadline: 10/31.

For another chance to land a Price Pfister faucet, stop by Verging on 40 and comment to enter. Deadline: 11/9

Make sure you enter the CoffeeWiz giveaway at Verging on 40 too....your choice of one of three great coffeemakers up for grabs and yes, one of them is the almighty Keurig! Deadline: 10/30.

Two of a Kind Working on a Full House also has a Price Pfister faucet up for grabs. Deadline: 10/23.

How about a $100 Visa gift card courtesy of Scott? Stop by Lipstick to Crayons and enter. Deadline: 11/3.

Ragu & Bonggamom Finds is giving you the chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Deadline: 11/2.

Winner: The Original Scrapbox

2009-10-09T08:42:00.001-04:00

The winner is "Dor". I'm dropping you an email..congratulations! Many thanks to everyone that entered.

A Day Made Better: Office Max & Teachers

2009-09-29T11:29:00.003-04:00

To our family, he’s Jared or “Me-Jared” because when he’d answer the phone when he was little and was asked “Who is this?”, he’d always say “It’s Mejared”. Now he’s “Mr. Fox”, high school English teacher in New Orleans. In his final year of college, Jared applied to Teach for America, a federal program that sends much-needed teachers into low-income areas of the United States. After graduating from college in May, Jared came home for two short weeks before packing everything he owned and driving from Cleveland, Ohio to New Orleans to begin his training for his teaching assignment. While teaching was something that he discovered he loved later in his college years, his enthusiasm for his subject matter and his students is infectious. He and I spent an hour on the phone discussing books we’ve read in the past that he wants to share with his students. He’s also taking my love of sweepstakes and incorporating it into his teaching by offering “prizes” for good test scores and extra credit assignments…prizes he’s paying for out of his own pocket. I know those first few weeks of school, Jared spent a lot of time after school buying notebooks, folders and pens for students who couldn’t afford them. The parish Jared teaches in is one where the families are struggling financially and many of his students hold jobs to bring in extra income for their families. Jared hadn’t even gotten his first paycheck yet and called me to borrow some money so he could buy more notebooks for his students.
I know Jared spends most of his weekend coming up with creative learning techniques to make English fun for his students; he’s working on an interactive book report project where students can either dress up, use the computer, or even make puppets to give their oral book report. He frequently calls me to bounce new ideas off me to make learning fun for his students.
I applaud Office Max and their A Day Made Better campaign for recognizing teachers that not only give of themselves but give from their own pockets to make their students’ lives better. As his mom I’m couldn’t be any prouder of Jared and the dedication he’s shown to his students and his new school.

Stink Not & Smell No More-Febreze Noticeables

2009-09-28T20:28:00.003-04:00

Febreze NOTICEables and Blogher are sponsoring giveaways on a few different blogs and the winners have a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and a Febreze NOTICEables gift basket...a yummy-smelling house could be yours soon. Deadline for each giveaway is 10/27:

1) Unexpected Bliss Reviews

2) Busy Mom

CLOSEDGiveaway with a Twist: The Original Scrapbox

2009-09-28T09:26:00.021-04:00

If you're any kind of crafter, maybe you've come across The Original Scrapbox on the internet. The Original Scrapbox is the company that makes The Workbox, a crafter's dream. For those of you who haven't seen it, you have no idea what you're missing. The Workbox is a workplace and storage solution for all your crafting needs. When open, The Workbox gives you a table to create your treasures as well as dozens of shelves, totes and pouches to store your crafting paraphernalia. It folds up neatly to look like a fine piece of furniture and is completely portable on wheels to allow you to easily move it by yourself. The Workbox comes in raised or beadboard panel styles in black or vanilla colors to match your decor; knotty adler available at an extra cost. The Workbox is the perfect craft solution for scrapbookers, quilters, beading, stampers, or just any crafter that wants an attractive and functional place to store their goodies.

Want to win one? The Original Scrapbox has generously decided to give one craft-lover their own Workbox valued at $1295. In order to qualify for the drawing, you need to enter and win one of the giveaways being hosted on this or 9 other blogs. Each of the 10 blogs participating will draw one winner on October 8, 2009. That person is then entered into a drawing with the other winners from each of the blogs to win The Workbox. That means if you win here, you have a 1 in 10 chance of landing The Workbox. The winner will be drawn by Rachelle from Rachelle's Writing Spot on October 12, 2009. The Original Scrapbox will then ship that winner their own Workbox, free of charge.

So entering this giveaway gives you a qualifying spot at winning the big Kahuna of Crafts but you won't walk away empty handed even if you're not the final winner. The Original Scrapbox is offering each qualifier their choice of either a ScrapMaBob (drink holder & wastebasket for your craft area)

or a Ribbon Box (a box to store your spools of ribbon).

Mandatory Entry

1)Visit The Original Scrapbox and find a favorite item besides The Workbox and tell me what it is and how much it costs. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit make sure you've done the mandatory entry first!

1) Follow my blog (left sidebar) or take credit if you already do. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

2) Become a fan of The Original Scrapbox on Facebook (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name).

3) Spread the word via Twitter and this can be done daily. (1 entry, leave 1 comment daily with your tweet url).
Easy tweet you can use:

Giveaway from The Original Scrapbox; win a craft tool & qualify for a $1295 Workbox, a crafter's dream. Ends 10/8 http://tiny.cc/lpbF5

4) Spread the word via Facebook & make sure you add the $100 off shipping code 100WRITES. (2 entries, leave 2 comments with your Facebook name).

5) Blog it. It doesn't have to be long or wordy but it must link to The Original Scrapbox and this giveaway and include the 100WRITES shipping code to count. (5 entries, leave 5 comments with your post url).

6) Add the 100WRITES shipping code button to your blog sidebar. Just copy and paste the code in the below box in your blog's sidebar(5 entries, leave 5 comments with your blog url).

Official Rules:
Giveaway ends on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. Open to residents of the US, Canada, UK and EU Countries too. Please leave a separate comment for each entry you are entitled to. You must leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Due to the limited time constraints of this giveaway, anyone who does not leave an email address or have one visible in their profile will not be able to win the giveaway. I will use Random.org to draw the winner. Winner will be emailed by me right after the drawing and will have 24 hours to respond with their name, address, phone and choice of giveaway item (ScrapMaBob or Ribbon Box). This information will then be forwarded to Rachelle from Rachelle's Writing Spot for the final drawing for The Workbox on October 12, 2009.

If you want to have more chances to become a qualifier for The Workbox, enter at each of the 9 other participating blogs. Each blog has different entry requirements, make sure you read the rules when entering.

1) Make It and Love It

2) Rachelle's Writing Spot

3) Vanilla Joy

4) The Mommy Files

5) My Organized Chaos

6) Life as Lou

7) Priscilla Styles

8) Cricut Christmas

9) Capadia Designs

Remember if you don't win and want your own Workbox, you can always take advantage of the $100 off shipping code "100WRITES" if you decide to place an order.

These are not your Grandma's pearls....

2009-09-27T10:06:00.004-04:00

I always thought of my grandmother when I saw a strand of white pearls. Growing up, I always knew when grandma was heading somewhere special. Not just because she pulled out her best girdle and her green dress, but because she put on her pearls. Grandma had a strand of white pearls with matching white pearl stud earrings. Weddings, funerals and grandpa's annual Christmas party, grandma donned the white pearls.

Nowadays, white pearls aren't just for dress-up anymore and they're certainly not just for grandmas. Pearls look right at home with a pair of blue jeans and a sweater or the perfect accompaniment to a graceful evening gown. Nothing says "class" like a strand of pearls.

But I've always had my eye on black pearls. While white pearls are beautiful, to me black pearls seem to glow with a light of their own. A few weeks ago I happened upon a trivia contest on Twitter. Museum Way Pearls was sponsoring a trivia contest on a Saturday morning. The prize? A strand of black Akoya pearls with a retail price of $1500. That Saturday, errands had to wait. I spent that Saturday researching every pearl trivia question Museum Way Pearls asked and I held my breath as I hit that "submit" button to send in my answers. A day later, I was announced as their grand prize winner.

My pearls arrived in record time in a gorgeous display case. They are every bit as beautiful as the picture. Elegant and classy; fashionable and sexy; my black pearls seem to have been tailor-made for me and I love them. These pearls are an heirloom to pass down to my own daughter one day. While they retail for $1500, my strand of Akoya pearls are reasonably priced at $318 at Museum Way Pearls which would make them the perfect holiday gift. With Christmas coming, I've been dropping black pearl earring hints to my husband.

Aren't they pretty? While these earrings retail for $175, they're reasonably priced at $41..a price that certainly won't break his shopping budget.

I was surprised not only by the prices at Museum Way Pearls, but also their selection. I had no idea pearls came in other colors besides white and black. The lavender pearls are especially pretty. Whether you're in search of bracelets, drop earrings, pendants or a simple strand, Museum Way Pearls has it covered. After my pearl trivia lesson that Saturday, I learned about saltwater Akoya pearls and freshwater pearls, Tahitian and South Sea pearls; each type carried by Museum Way Pearls. With so many choices, I'm sure there's something to be found for every pearl lover. As the holidays approach, you may want to keep Museum Way Pearls in mind when you're doing your holiday shopping.

Giveaway Goodies around the Blogosphere

2009-09-24T02:22:00.010-04:00

Adore Flor? I do, even more when it's free! Three Kids and Us is hosting a Flor giveaway. Pick your favorite and cross your fingers! Deadline: 10/01.

While you're there, make sure to enter the Three Kids and Us $100 gift card to Sam's Club. Buy a membership or just buy some household goodies, Sam's has it all. Deadline: 9/30.

The Art of Being Mom also has a $100 Sam's club gift card up for grabs. Deadline: 9/27.

Jolly Mom has a jolly-fabulous giveaway for a custom sign or frame from Danielson Designs. Once you see them, you'll want one for yourself. Deadline 10/5.

Mealtime.org is sponsoring a $250 gift card giveaway to your favorite store at Mommy Snacks. Deadline is Tuesday 9/29.

A Giveaway Addicted Mommy also has a chance for you to win a 5x7 Flor rug in your choice of styles. Deadline: 10/13

Need a new faucet? There's your choice of four great Price-Pfister Faucets up for grabs at A Giveaway Addicted Mommy. Deadline: 10/14

Another gorgeous Flor rug up for grabs at The Mom Buzz. Deadline: 10/16.

Up for more Flor? Then stop by Double Bugs and comment to land your favorite Flor area rug. Deadline: 10/31

Post-Cervical Surgery Update

2009-09-23T20:59:00.003-04:00

I am one week post-op now. My surgery was last Tuesday the 15th. The neurosurgeon took marrow from my hip and used a cadaver bone along with fusing the titanium plate to the two discs. Surprisingly, the marrow extraction from my hip didn't hurt at all...and that was what everyone said was going to hurt bad. Just a tiny ache when I'd turn on my side but hardly noteworthy at all. There are two tiny "holes" where the put the needle in and they're slightly bruised and covered with this purple goo-covering to protect them while they heal.

The worst part is my throat. I apparently had "problems" with the breathing tube and there was a lot of swelling in my neck area that still hasn't receded. I don't know what the scar really looks like because he stitched it up and then put this yucky purple goo over it...reminds me of Super-Elastic-Bubble-Plastic in purple. It dries up to a purple crust and I guess it will come off on it's own or the doctor will chip it off next Wednesday when I go see him.

I had problems swallowing the first few days. I had trouble choking down the pain pills and when we got home my husband and I started to crush them and toss them in a Snack Pack pudding to get them down. They gave me Oxycodone for the pain and Flexeril for the muscle spasms...and there are spasms. When I get them, they're right between the shoulder blades and you can feel everything just seize up. So the muscle relaxers do help. Every waking moment is spent wearing the cervical collar...I'm only allowed to take it off for showers and sleeping. I take it off to eat too because I don't need to feel any more restricted in my throat than I already do. The collar actually doesn't feel too bad and now I feel naked when I'm not wearing it.

The thing that I'm most worried about is my voice. It's gone. I barely speak in a whisper now. My husband swears it's better than the first day but it's still "gone" and I'm worried it may not come back. It's like the world's worst laryngitis and no amount of clearing my throat makes it better. Couple that with kicking smoking cold turkey this week and I'm a basket-case. Since smoking apparently interferes with the titanium plate fusing, I didn't want to risk it so I haven't had a cigarette since the morning of my surgery.

But the arm pain and shoulder pain are gone. I knew I needed the surgery because I was having more and more periods of numbness in my right hand and fingers. While there was some pain toward the end, there was more numbness which is pretty scary.

I'm trying to be patient but the throat thing is really bothering me. Since I'm a police dispatcher, I need my voice..not some whisper-voice that no one can hear. I'm considering calling the doctor tomorrow and not waiting for my follow-up appointment on the 30th to find out if it's going to come back or not. I've heard horror stories about vocal cord paralysis from this surgery.

One thing my husband and I agree is that I should have stayed at the hospital longer. I had the surgery Tuesday morning, it lasted 3 hours, was in recovery for a couple hours and then in my own room that afternoon. They discharged me the next morning around 10am. I could have used a few days in the hospital especially since swallowing was such an issue. I sleep a lot now, the pain pills make me tired, which is good because it takes my mind off wanting to smoke.

The morning of the surgery wasn't too bad. They did most of the "prep" while I was sleeping..like inserting the catheter. They also took the catheter out before I woke up which was nice. I vaguely remember being in the operating room with the i.v. in and them putting the mask over my face. Next thing I knew I was in the recovery room moving my fingers. Since I've been home I made sure to take some Correctal every few days because anesthesia and pain pills slow everything down and I didn't need any bathroom issues in addition to everything else I have to deal with. The Correctal really helps.

Would I have the surgery again? Not sure...if my voice comes back and the plate fuses correctly, then yes, I would. We won't know about the plate fusing until at least 6 weeks post-op when the doctor says he'll take another xray. I'm going to try to find out about my voice tomorrow.

I'll update as soon as I know.

A little common sense

2009-09-18T00:44:00.001-04:00

could mean a lot of grocery money! Stop by Common Sense with Money and enter the Mealtime.org giveaway for a $250 gift card to your favorite grocery store. Deadline: 9/20.

Walmart Quickie giveaway

2009-09-17T15:39:00.001-04:00

A Happy Hippy Mom has another $500 Walmart Your Zone giveaway going on now, be quick because the deadline is 9/18.

Winners: Fiber One Yogurt

2009-09-13T14:42:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to the winners: Karin, Nickolay, and KngMckellar. I've emailed each of you for your information.

FeelGood & Look Great with Lands' End

2009-09-10T19:57:00.006-04:00

Lands' End is a company I've come to know for their great clothes but they're now increasing their good works by kicking off their national FeelGood campaign that began on September 1st. For every purchase of one of their FeelGood sweaters, Lands' End will donate their FeelGood yarn to the One Heart's Foundation Warming Families, a nationwide charity that knits clothes for the homeless. With the yarn donated by Lands' End on behalf of its customers, Warming Families will be able to knit as many as 25,000 hats to be donated to families in need across our country. With winter coming, each hat donated to someone homeless will be much needed and appreciated.

By buying a Lands' End FeelGood sweater you'll not only be doing good, you'll be looking great:

This sweater is my personal favorite; soft, cozy, classic and stylish. You'll feel beautiful wearing it and doing a beautiful thing by buying it.

By writing this post, I'm doing my small part to help. For each blog post written, Lands' End is donating a cone of their FeelGood yarn which is enough yarn to make 28 hats. If you want to do more, Lands' End can give you a hand with that, too. There's a link to a free pattern on their FeelGood site that you can download so you can knit a cute ribbed hat yourself and donate your finished work to a Warming Families volunteer group in your area. Can't knit? There's hope for you because Lands' End is even providing a hands-on video tutorial by Vickie Howell, author and host of TV's Knitty Gritty. Even I, hopelessly craft-challenged, should be able to tackle this project without a problem.

And mark you calendar for this upcoming Wednesday, September 16 because Lands' End is hosting a Twitter party and you're invited to attend. Vickie Howell will be there to co-host and I'm sure she'll answer any questions you have about your FeelGood knitting project. Feeling good and having fun are the themes for the party that night and there will be more than 20 prizes for attendees ranging from the Lands' End FeelGood sweater, Vickie Howell books, Lands' End gift cards and FeelGood yarn. The party starts at 7pm CST and ends at 9pm, tweet with the hashtag #landsend.

The FeelGood Story: Every purchase helps a family in need..and they lived warmly ever-after. Let's make a difference this winter.

No Pain in the Neck: Cervical Disc Fusion Surgery

2009-09-09T01:06:00.003-04:00

About a month and a half ago, I developed a pain in my shoulder. It felt like I slept funny and was concentrated in the area of my right shoulder blade, radiated to the front of my clavicle and shot down my right arm. The pain was pretty severe but I decided to wait a week and see if it got better.

It didn't; it actually got worse. I went to see my family doctor who diagnosed a "sprain" and prescribed muscle relaxers and Vicodin. Two days later the pain really flared up from my elbow extending to my wrist; it hurt so bad I thought that somehow I must have broken my arm although there was no trauma. There was no specific "event" that I could pinpoint and say "Yes, that's why I'm hurting now". Vicodin wasn't touching this pain. As I lay awake in bed, unable to sleep because I hurt so bad, I began thinking about a friend of mine who had just been released from the hospital after having pain in her arm from a blood clot.

Naturally, my overactive imagination kicked in and I decided to ask Dr. Google what the symptoms are for a blood clot in the arm. Of course, I diagnosed myself with a blood clot, woke my husband up at 5 a.m. and demanded he take me to the emergency room because I was convinced that because I'd waited so long, said blood clot was going to dislodge in the next 10 minutes, travel to my heart and kill me while I slept.

Three hours and a vascular ultrasound later, the emergency room doctor pronounced my veins in decent shape, prescribed some Oxycotin and advised me to make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor for follow-up.

The orthopedic doctor saw me a few days later. By now the pain was centrally located in my right arm between elbow and wrist. Occasionally my shoulder would flare up but I figured it was because of my "Swan Lake" move; the only way I was able to get minimal relief from the pain in my forearm. The Swan Lake move looks similar to this:

I call it the Swan Lake move because it reminds me of a ballerina. I would actually go to bed with my arm over my head like that and frequently performed the move while I was driving the car or sitting at my desk at work. Both the ortho-doc and the neurosurgeon say the move is fairly common in herniated cervical discs although it doesn't officially have a name...it does now: Swan Lake. She took xrays which were negative for any fractures. She prescribed Prednisone and another muscle relaxer and told me to return in a week for follow-up. Again, there was no improvement. She then ordered an MRI on my neck and called me the next day with the results: I had a herniation, specifically C6-C7 which was probably compressing the nerve causing the pain in my arm and shoulder. She referred me to a neurosurgeon.

The neurosurgeon actually saw me pretty quickly because the ortho-doc called him herself to get him to squeeze me in. After reviewing the MRI and performing a few motor-function tests in his exam room, he dubbed me surgery-worthy and I'm now scheduled to go in for surgery next Tuesday. I exist on Vicodin now. While the intensity of the pain has subsided, I'm now experiencing periods of numbness in my hand and fingers. As I'm typing this, my fingertips of my index and middle finger are noticeably numb. It waxes and wanes; sometimes it's numb, sometimes it's fine.

To say I'm scared would be an understatement. According to the doctor, and written here without all the doctor-ese, he'll cut the front of my neck open, move all the vitals like my Carotid artery and voicebox, scrape out the disc "filling" to release the pressure on that poor abused nerve, fuse the two discs together with a permanent plate, refill the area with bone marrow he'll withdraw from my hip, put everything back in it's rightful place and sew my neck back together. Sounds like a good time to me.

The surgery should take two hours and I will be in the hospital for a day before I go home. I'll be wearing a surgical collar for four weeks post-surgery and I can't help but think of the dog after we had her spayed. She wore that stupid funnel around her head for a week after the surgery. I'll probably be looking just as fashionable.

And to top it all off, I have to quit smoking. According to the neurosurgeon my fusion success rate drops to 78% if I smoke; that's down from a 98% success rate. While I know it's something I should do anyway, knowing I HAVE TO is making this whole thing more difficult. I called the Ohio Quit Line last week and they sent me my first two boxes of NicoDerm Patches free of charge; my insurance company participates in the program and I'm able to get a two month's supply of stop-smoking aide free; my choice of patches, gum or lozenges. They also have coaches who call weekly to check on my progress. Right now I'm staring at these two boxes wondering if I can fashion them into a giant tunic since these first few days are going to be rough and I predict I'm going to need the super-sized dose of nicotine.

While I'm not looking forward to another scar, especially one right on the front of my neck (although I'm planning on telling everyone I was in a knife fight), I am hoping for some relief from this constant pain. I am surprised that there actually isn't pain in the area that's herniated; everything has been in my shoulder or my arm. I suppose I'm lucky that I found an orthopedic doctor that knew what she was doing when she ordered the MRI; apparently pain like this is often misdiagnosed as gout, carpal tunnel or rotator cuff problems. I'll also update after the surgery for anyone that may come across this post and find themselves in a similar situation.

Stop by for coffee..with the Mrs.

2009-09-06T01:11:00.001-04:00

...and enter to win a Keurig Special Edition Brewer courtesy of Shoffee.com at Coffee with the Mrs.. Deadline: 10/4.

Bidding the Baby Room Adieu with Walmart

2009-09-05T23:00:00.008-04:00

My daughter just turned 13 in July. Welcome teen years...goodbye baby room. She was just complaining to me how "babyish" her room is. It seems like yesterday when I was decorating it for her. She specifically mentioned the headboard..a headboard that I salvaged from a second-hand store, painted and decorated with these great decals that match her wallpaper border. All deemed "babyish" now {{{sigh}}}.

Well it's going to take a Walmart win to redo Danielle's room now and there are some great blogs giving away $500 gift cards to redo your teen's room "in the zone"...Your Zone by Walmart. Walmart knows what teens like and created Your Zone with your teens in mind. Everything from headboards to desk lamps, decor and more...all in Your Zone!

If you comment at Suzanne Calling before the September 10 deadline, you may be walking away with that $500 Walmart gift card.

and Blog4Mom also has a giveaway: $500 to do your Walmart makeover, your way, with some great Your Zone products. Do a little virtual shopping and comment with your favorite room redo picks and you may waltz away with a total do-over courtesy of Walmart. Deadline: 9/14.

And you have another chance to land a $500 Walmart gift card at The Mud Bug. Deadline: 9/10.

For a third shot at a $500 Walmart gift card, stop by A Day in My Life and comment with your favorite Walmart redo finds. Deadline: 9/9.

But wait...there's more! On The Go Mommy also has a $500 Walmart gift card giveaway going on now. Deadline: 9/9.

Holy Laptops, Batman

2009-09-05T02:22:00.003-04:00

HP is once again sponsoring a monster-blog giveaway for some super-sized HP prize packages and this time the theme is "Back to School: Better Together". 25 websites participating and each has a prize bundle up for grabs that includes two HP laptops, software and a custom Timbuk2 bag.

Stop by Daddy Forever and comment for a shot at winning bundle for yourself. Deadline: 9/6.

If you want even more chances, stop by Back to School Giveaways and see which sites are still open for entering. Each has a different end date so if you don't win now, you may still have a shot.

The Flor I hope To Score

2009-09-03T02:42:00.003-04:00

The only spider I'd love to see is the one on this great Flor rug, Arachnophobia from the Martha Stewart Collection. Being the ultimate Halloween fan, this is the rug that snared my heart in its web. Wouldn't it be great to have it for free? Wish List Worthy is hosting a giveaway for a 5x7 Flor rug in select styles from Flor's Fall Collection. If you want a chance, you have to enter. Deadline: 9/9.

CLOSEDFiber One Yogurt - Review & Giveaway

2009-09-03T00:57:00.010-04:00

I'm a heavy snacker. It's my huge downfall with any diet I've ever tried. I get a craving for something sweet and sure enough I'm foraging in the kitchen for something to squash my sweet tooth. I was recently given the opportunity to try the new Fiber One Yogurt courtesy of My Blog Spark. Now yogurt isn't usually high on my list of snacks to grab when I've got a craving. You can usually find me dipping my hand into the cookie jar rather than opening the refrigerator and grabbing a yogurt. But I'm really trying to stick to my Weight Watchers guidelines and chocolate chip cookies aren't big on the program.

I sampled the Fiber One Key Lime Pie Yogurt. I have to say, I really liked the taste. With only 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber and zero fat in each 4 ounce container you won't feel guilty grabbing one for a snack. I'm lucky to have even gotten one; my 13 year old daughter Danielle is a yogurt fan and she proclaimed the Fiber One Key Lime Pie "snack-a-licious".

Fiber One Yogurt is even Hungry Girl approved. It also sports a whopping zero in Points value for the Weight Watchers program; for me that means that when I come home from work at midnight and I've exhausted my Points for the day, I don't have to head to bed so I don't stuff my face.

Besides the Key Lime Pie, Fiber One Yogurt also comes in Strawberry, Peach and Vanilla flavors. And thanks to My Blog Spark, you may get to try Fiber One Yogurt too. My Blog Spark and Fiber One Yogurt are letting me give three lucky readers a Fiber One gift pack shown here:

Mandatory Entry:

Tell me your snacking vice; what do you reach for when you're in search of a snack? (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Extra Credit:

1) Follow my blog or take credit if you already do. (left sidebar: 1 entry, leave 1 comment)

2) Tweet the giveaway, can be done daily. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your tweet url or twitter id).

Easy tweet you can use:

Enter the Fiber One Yogurt Gift Bag giveaway; 3 winners get some creamy, yummy, guilt-free goodness. http://454.me/c6ce1/

US residents only. Giveaway ends on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be drawn via randomizer and notified via email so make sure you leave contact information or your email address is visible in your blogger profile. Winners have 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over and a new winner will be drawn. Prizes will be shipped to winners from My Blog Spark; I'm just a middle-man.

AT&T Family Map-aka "Track-a-Teen"

2009-08-31T01:26:00.011-04:00

Have you heard about the latest feature offered by AT&T? It's called "FamilyMap" and it's a service that will allow you to track any cell phone you own via your own wireless phone or computer. You can also schedule alerts so that they could be notified where your child was at specific times each day - like when they were expected home from school. BlogHer and AT&T had 10 bloggers review the service and post their opinions. After checking out the review, you'll find a giveaway on each for a $100 Visa gift card. No need to search, you'll find them here:

1) Slackermama.

2) I Try Things.

3) My Own Circle of Confusion.

4) Because Your Momma Said So.

5) Surviving Assorted Home Mayhem.

6) Bridgett's Reviews.

7) Mama's Picks and Pans.

8) The Swim Mom Review.

9) Caloden.

10) Unexpected Bliss Reviews.

Each giveaway ends on September 20, 2009.

Inspired by the Acer Aspire

2009-08-30T03:53:00.011-04:00

In honor of another school year starting, Blogher and Intel have teamed up to offer a few lucky bloggers the opportunity to put the Acer Aspire laptop to the test. Did it score an A+ or is it serving a Saturday detention? You'll have to read the reviews listed to find out, but if you do your homework you, too, will have the chance to be the teacher's pet with an Acer Aspire of your own! The bell rings for each on August 31 at 5:00pm, so don't be tardy!

1) Scrutiny by the Masses.

2) Deb on the Rocks.

3) Bacon is My Enemy.

4) Owlhaven.

5) Petroville.

6) Mocha Momma.

7) Busy Mom.

8) WhatNot.net.

Review: Nature Valley Nut Clusters

2009-08-29T23:50:00.003-04:00

I was recently given the opportunity by My Blog Spark to sample the new line of snacks by Nature Valley: Nature Valley Nut Clusters.

Let me start by staying my husband is one of those guys that doesn't appreciate change. In any restaurant we visit, I can tell you what my husband will order, with no variations. It will either be a patty melt or a cheeseburger, no onions or mayo. Every so often he throws me a curve and will order ribs.

But he loves nuts and snacks. His routine is to come home from work and grab a bag of chips and a pop and unwind on the couch. He usually keeps a canister of nuts on his end table for snacking. Imagine my surprise to see an empty bag of Nature Valley Nut Clusters laying on the end table last week.

I assumed the kids and I would be sampling all four varieties: Roasted Cashew, Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, and Honey Roasted Peanut. We got to try all except the Roasted Cashew...we got to sniff the empty bag, though. My husband said they were great and to buy them again. All of us agree: they're a great, crunchy snack that will satisfy your sweet & salty side all at once. My daughter asked me to pack her a sandwich bag of them for her lunch last week instead of cookies & chips.

I'm not a huge nut fan. I like nuts in brownies or cookies but, except cashews, I rarely eat nuts plain. I really enjoyed the Nature Valley Nut Lovers Nut Clusters, though. They had just the right amount of sweetness without making your teeth ache and just enough crunch that eating them wasn't a workout for your mouth.

I have to thank My Blog Spark for making them available to my family and introducing us to a great new snack we all enjoy.

And Fiber For All.......

2009-08-29T18:39:00.002-04:00

I grew up in the era of 8-track tapes and transistor radios. There was no such thing as cable television. We had five working television stations and a sixth that required some fiddling with the rabbit-ear antenna on the top of the television to get the station to come in without static. I remember manipulating those rabbit ears to get the signal to come in perfectly clear, walking over to the couch and discovering that I was now watching the "snow-storm" channel once again. There were no cordless phones let alone cellular phones. If you were out and needed to make a call, you found a payphone and put a dime in the slot. We had a "party-line" phone; occasionally you would pick up the receiver to make a call and could clearly hear Mrs. Yabotch down the street discussing her bunion woes with her sister. Video games and computers were ideas of the future; even our calculators back then were oversized monsters that came in their own cases, definitely something that would never fit in your purse or pocket, we called them adding machines and that's about all they did.

Fast forward to today and my kids sometimes can't believe I lived in such an archaic time. But I evolved and adapted. I've become quite tech-savvy and the go-to gal when my own children and friends are having a computer problems. When it comes time to hook up the television, cable, video game system and dvd player and make each one of those components work TOGETHER, the cables are handed over to me and I go to town. When I decided to network my home computer system, I shunned the technician and did it myself and later upgrading everything to a wireless home network. Yes Virginia, I can open up my computer and install components myself.

When our family first jumped online 12 years ago, we had a dial-up internet connection. That meant if you were online, you couldn't use the phone. You could do one but not both. When DSL became available, I immediately signed up. While faster, it certainly came with its own host of problems. I can't count how many times the internet was "down". It was especially frustrating when you were in the middle of something and the modem began flashing its ugly red connect light. Making the switch to cable cleared some of that up as well as correcting the satellite television problems we had every time there was a storm when the "acquiring satellite signal" message would flash across our television screen every time there was a gust of wind. No longer did we have to troop outside with the broom to dust of the dish after a snowstorm so we could watch tv.

Our family has certainly come a long way. But are we all the way there? While everything works, is it really "the best" that's out there? For phone, television and internet, do I have the most reliable, economic, efficient alternative available? Or is there something more?

There is. It's fiber optic technology and it's changing the way home users communicate, relax, entertain and acquire information. What's the difference? Fiber-optic lines are strands of optically pure glass as thin as a human hair that are capable of carrying data over long distances. Unlike electrical signals in copper wires, light signals from one fiber do not interfere with those of other fibers in the same cable. This means clearer phone conversations or TV reception. Fiber technology is also lighter and weighs less than its copper counterpart. This small size means big power; fiber is able to deliver data over greater distances and faster than traditional copper cable lines. Fiber also costs less to maintain than copper cable. With a conductor made of glass, fiber doesn't generate electricity so it is immune to interference from other electrical devices. This means that high-voltage electricity, lightning and power lines won't disrupt fiber in the least.

The only drawback is availability. Verizon Communications is marketing their Verizon FiOS (Fiber Optic Service) in select areas offering high-speed fiber internet, digital television and phone service to home consumers. More bandwidth, better quality and clarity of television stations and crystal-clear phone reception, who wouldn't want fiber optic technology? Companies like AT&T and Qwest are jumping on board but they're not jumping nearly as fast as consumers would like.

Let's make our voices heard, as clearly as fiber optic technology. Let's tell the telecommunications companies that we, the consumers, insist on the best technology available and we want fiber. Join the fiber revolution by heading over to Fiber For All and seeing what all the fiber-fuss is about, find a company in your area who knows the future is fiber and intends to deliver the latest advancements to its customers, and enter for a chance to win a FiOS Triple Play package of prizes.

I pledge allegiance to the company that provides fiber optic clarity and to the future for which it stands, one nation, technologically-advanced, with speed and freedom and fiber for all.

Auntie Thesis

The "Apple" of my eye

What's on your bucket list?

Mountain of Giveaway

Who couldn't use a great giveaway?

Super sweet giveaways going on now....

Super Stands to the Rescue from CSN Stores

Best Picture Ever for Wordless Wednesday!

Giveaways too good to miss

Tassimo Winner

Pssst...wanna win a Kindle?

**CLOSED**Tassimo T20 Single-Serve Brewer by Bosch: Review and Giveaway

Stop, Drop and Let's Roll

Standing out from the crowd: Store Crowd

What a deal: Spa Week gift cards

"Do Not Wait" Launches..with a giveaway

It's "Time" for a Giveaway at Atlas Signs

Giveaways around the Blogosphere for 9/19

Winners! Rubbermaid & Yoplait

Eat your heart out Pottery Barn

**CLOSED**GIVEAWAY: Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop

**CLOSED**GIVEAWAY: Yoplait Splitz Prize Package

Ballard Designs Wishes

Pottery Barn Obsessions

Winners; Freschetta Pizza

**CLOSED**Giveaway: Freschetta FlatBread Pizza

Playtex: Size does matter....

Rubbermaid Redraw- Winner

Looking forward

Winner: Rubbermaid

Winner: Yoplait

Psst...wanna win some gift cards?

**CLOSED**Giveaway: Rubbermaid Modular Canisters

***CLOSED***Giveaway: Yoplait YoPlus

Lincoln MKT Luxury..look who has a giveaway

By hook or by crook, I covet the Nook

Winners: Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

Kick it into Overdrive with Sprint & BlogHer

Giveaway Goodies

Winners: Zevro Modern Solutions

***CLOSED***Giveaway: Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

Yummy Giveaway: Sony Reader

Great Giveaways Going On

Winner! Rubbermaid Junk Drawer

Apt Dweller-$50 Target card giveaway

Welcome to the Sunday Giveaway Round-Up

I need your help-

Worth Avenue Group

To my husband: 10 Reasons I Adore You

Review: Purex 3-in-1

Kindle Giveaway at Warning: Tartitude

Monday Giveaways too Good to Miss

Get Your Skinny On- DiGiorno & Blogher

Keeping that Family Connection -Sprint & Blogher

V-8 V-Fusion & BlogHer -revv up your tastebuds

**CLOSED**Giveaway: Zevro Solutions for Modern Living

Lincoln & BlogHer -Luxurious Ride & Giveaways!

Giveaways around the Galaxy 2/2

Sears Good Deal Alert -Rotary Tool Kit

**CLOSED**Giveaway: Revamp your Junk Drawer with Rubbermaid

Here's the Skinny from The Divine Miss Mommy

Monday Giveaway Round-Up

Review: General Mills Cereal

Giveaway Round-up 01-14-10

Winner! OXO-Staples Giveaway

Giveaway-Go-Round

Winner: BJ's Wholesale Club

GIVEAWAY: OXO - STAPLES

StyleGuidance 12 Day of Christmas

**CLOSED**GIVEAWAY: BJ'S Wholesale Club

HP TouchSmart looks really smart

Winner! Original Scrapbox

**CLOSED**GIVEAWAY: The Original Scrapbox 12 Blogs of Christmas

There were survivors on the Titanic..right?

ShoeMall Rocks your Socks Off this Holiday!

Aquaphor gives you more

Giveaway Round-Up 11/25/09

Giveaway Round-Up 11/2/09

6 Week Post-Op Update: Cervical Disc Fusion Surgery

Giveaway Goodies around the Blogosphere

CLOSEDTassimo T20 Single-Serve Brewer by Bosch: Review and Giveaway

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: Yoplait Splitz Prize Package

CLOSEDGiveaway: Freschetta FlatBread Pizza

CLOSEDGiveaway: Rubbermaid Modular Canisters

CLOSEDGiveaway: Yoplait YoPlus

CLOSEDGiveaway: Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

CLOSEDGiveaway: Zevro Solutions for Modern Living

CLOSEDGiveaway: Revamp your Junk Drawer with Rubbermaid

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: BJ'S Wholesale Club

CLOSEDGIVEAWAY: The Original Scrapbox 12 Blogs of Christmas

CLOSEDGiveaway with a Twist: The Original Scrapbox

CLOSEDFiber One Yogurt - Review & Giveaway