Marvelous Mom Reviews

7 WINNERS I Love My Mommy Giveaway

2011-05-08T22:47:00.004-05:00

Over at my blog Woven by Words you have a couple days to enter to win from 7 different companies! I'd love for you to head over there to enter! While you're there, take a look at my sidebar for some other giveaways!

A floral arrangement from Bloom Avenue (RV $49.99)
Your choice of T-shirt from Crazy Dog TShirts (RV $16.99) A Camelbak Water Bottle (RV ? it’s a surprise)
An 8x8 Photo Book from Shutterfly (RV $29.99) Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms (RV $14.95)
A verdigris initial necklace from Of The Earth Jewelry (RV $18)

A Warm & Cozy Sock Set by bodycology®’s 6-piece Body Mist Gift Set: Sweet Petals, Coconut Lime, Cherry Blossum, Cucumber Melon, White Gardenia and Brown Sugar Vanilla (RV $10)

What's Happened To Marvelous Mom Reviews

2011-03-14T18:36:00.003-05:00

At the end of last year I really felt overwhelmed by keeping up two blogs. I would've loved to keep my blogs separated, but to bring you the best reviews and fantastic giveaways, companies are REALLY looking at numbers:

how many people are entering giveaways
how many people are stopping by regularly
how many people are unique here
how many people are subscribed
and the list goes on

Because I only offer reviews and giveaways when I have them, I wasn't having a regular stream of people. That meant I wasn't able to get some of the reviews I'd like to share with you, especially if it means a giveaway to my fabulous readers!

So, I'm putting Marvelous Mom Reviews on hiatus. I am moving things over to Woven by Words for right now. To make sure my MMR continues to keep it's url, I'll drop by and post about a giveaway at WbW.

I'd love for you to follow me over there if you aren't already. I do share personal stuff from my life like photos and random goofiness from my life.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me here, subscribed, entered my giveaways and commented on my reviews. I totally dig you all!

Kathi Casey Pilates Giveaway

2011-02-24T15:10:00.002-06:00

For the record, Kathi Casey Pilates kicked my butt…thighs, gut, and hips.

I was sent three Kathi Casey Pilate DVDs. I know I’m not in the greatest of shape, but I figured, for your sake (ahem), that I’d start with the “Get Ready for Pilates” DVD. I thought this would be a breeze and I’d move on to the next DVD. Oh, how silly I really am!This first DVD is 60 minutes long. I made it almost 25 minutes. Yes, I’m in that bad of shape and this is an “easy, beginner program…” This was NOT a good sign for how my Pilates was going to go.

Kathi’s Pilate’s program is for everyone, all age groups. Working through the DVD I saw that was true. She would start out a position and show a different way to do it in case it was too difficult for one reason or another. All I have to say is, “Thank you for the alternate positions! They were used!”I appreciate that Kathi also goes through the video reminding us to keep our shoulders relaxed and our belly buttons in and up. Trying to remember to do them at the same time all the while remembering to keep a count of five breaths in and out, in thru the nose, out thru the mouth, is just too much for me! Her reminders at just the right moments were perfect for me! I had a hard time keeping my shoulders relaxed because of trying too hard.

I have noticed as I do the Pilate’s program that I’m gaining strength, which I’ve have really had. Yes, I might be skinny by some people’s standards, but I have very little muscle tone. My goal is to gain more flexibility and strengthening my body. Watching Kathi bend and stretch like it’s no big deal had me wishing I was already there!By the end of the video, what I could do of it, my legs would be shaking and there were moves I had very little balance for. So, thank goodness I’ve started out with the beginners DVD. I’m looking at the Advanced DVD’s out of the corner of my eye skeptically. The only way I’ll ever make it to those is by getting through this first one! I’ve made it as far as 45 minutes. I’m going to get it done. I’m going to!

*As a side note, I have no clue why there is a black line on my tv because they’re not on my DVD. Maybe it’s how the sun is hitting the tv as the camera took the photo.

Now one person is going to win the tri of DVDs by Kathi Casey!

WINNER: Comment #106. For some reason Blogger isn't allowing me to upload my Random.org photo. I've tried for about a week and it keeps making my editor disappear. If anyone wants proof of the winner, I will be happy to email a photo to you.

Required: Visit Kathi Casey’s website and tell me which product sounds most helpful to you.

Giveaway open to US residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 3/9/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win a 3 DVD set of Kathi Casey Pilates. Great for all ages! @bigguysmama @HealthyBoomer #giveaway http://bit.ly/gpeem5“

Like Woven by Words on Facebook (2 entries, 2 comments)

Like Kathi Casey on Facebook and let her know you’re entering to win her DVDs (2 entries, comment 2x) “I’m entering to win your DVD set from Marvelous Mom Reviews http://bit.ly/gpeem5”

I’d like to thank Kathi for sending me her 3 DVDs for review. The opinions expressed are painfully (in a good way) mine and are never influenced by the company.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-02-23T23:22:00.001-06:00

This will be the last Giveaway Linky here at Marvelous Mom Reviews. I’ll be moving it to my Woven by Words site starting next week. I’m telling you, change is not easy. I’m not wanting to let this blog go!!

Here are my current giveaways:

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion 2/25

$65 CSNstores Gift Certificate 2/26

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know. Also no affiliate links either.

Kidorable Facebook Artwork Contest

2011-02-17T23:31:00.001-06:00

You know that Kidorable Umbrella I am currently giving away? Well, Kidorable has a contest running on Facebook. Here are the details:

Are your children ready to share their art on a bigger stage than the refrigerator door? Let the world admire your little Picasso with Kidorable’s Facebook Artwork Contest. The winner will receive a complete Kidorable ensemble of their choice.

Here’s how it works—your child draws, paints, sculpts, or collages his or her favorite Kidorable theme. Show us your child’s artwork of frogs, ladybugs, pirates, or any other Kidorable style, and you could win the entire collection in his or her favorite style! Have a look here and choose your favorite. Just email a picture to contest@kidorable.com to enter.

*I was not compensated in any way for sharing this information

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-02-16T21:14:00.001-06:00

Here are some of my giveaways:

Life As We Know It DVD & Soundtrack 2 Winners Ends THURSDAY

H&S Candies Box of Chocolates Ends 2/18

Kidorable Umbrella Ends 2/20

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion 2/25

$65 CSNstores Gift Certificate 2/26

Life As We Know It DVD & Soundtrack at Woven by Words Ends THURSDAY

Lady In Waiting by Susan Meissner at Woven by Words Ends 2/20

I want to let you know my Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky will be moving to my Woven by Words blog at the beginning of March.

CSNstores $65 Giveaway

2011-02-14T08:00:00.006-06:00

What better way to show my love on Valentines Day than to do a giveaway from CSNstores?

Last week I wrote about Luggage.com, one of the more than 200 CSNstores! I’m definitely going to have to get more serious about my luggage because I’m planning on going to Bloggy Boot Camp in Chicago this coming August!!Because CSNstores has such a great relationship with bloggers, they have once again offered me the opportunity to giveaway a $65 gift certificate to their site!

Required: Visit CSNstores and tell me which of their stores would be the one you’d like to shop at if you win.

Giveaway open to US & Canadian residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 2/26/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

There may be international shipping charges in the case of Canadian addresses and cannot cover international shipping taxes.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow CSNstores on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “Win a $65 Gift Certificate to CSNstores. Over 200 stores to choose from! #giveaway @csnstores http://bit.ly/gMIXgD“

Like CSNstores on Facebook (1 entry)

Subscribe to the CSNstores blog feed (2 entries, comment 2x)

Enter any of my other giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank CSNstores for contacting me to host a review/giveaway. I have not received any compensation or product for this review.

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Giveaway

2011-02-11T23:05:00.004-06:00

Here in Minnesota our winters suck the moisture out of the air and our skin. Skin MD Natural has been a blessing in disguise. My hands get dry, cracked and rough in this dry weather.

On top of that I work in a hardware store and it’s very dry in there, plus its kind of dusty so I wash my hands multiple times a day. Not very conducive to moisturized hands. This is where Skin MD Natural has come in so wonderfully.

I’ve actually kept the bottle on my desk at home because I use it throughout the day. It’s not a heavy cream. It’s a light, non-greasy shielding lotion. My hands feel silky smooth after I rub it on. Such a change from the scaly feeling I have before I use it!

Once a month I get an extremely small outbreak of eczema. Occasionally I use a prescription because it’s so itchy, so I’ll be happy to try something that’s natural this month to see how well it works.

Here’s what Skin MD Natural says about their Shielding Lotion:

A shielding lotion does the real work to prevent dry skin in two ways.

First, it assists the inner layers of skin to absorb moisture. The humectant (an ingredient that attracts moisture) used in Skin MD Natural is unique to it and has been laboratory tested to be 6 times more effective than any other you will find in common creams.

Second, a shielding lotion enhances the power of the top layer of the skin to resist environmental irritants while protecting the inner natural moisture.

This can be a big benefit for those who cook, wash dishes and garden because Skin MD Natural helps skin retain its natural moisture and oils in the face of all those irritating soaps and chemicals.

The manufacturer's website http://www.skinmdnatural.com/ has hundreds of dermatologist and user reviews including many addressing severe dry skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis. People with sensitive skin -- and those of us who like to live as naturally as possible -- will appreciate that Skin MD Natural is hypoallergenic, free of fragrances, parabens and colorants. It is made with more than 90% natural ingredients and 100% food-grade ingredients that are on the FDA's "most safe" list.

Skin MD Natural and Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 are manufactured in the United States using 100% solar power, free of animal products and animal testing.

You can find Skin MD Natural at these social sites:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

FOR A LIMITED TIME WE ARE OFFERING A SPECIAL 10% DISCOUNT TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS.

1. Go to www.skinmdnatural.com and then to the order page (or just click on the image above)
2. After you have decided what you want from the shopping cart page,
3 Go to the checkout page and in the Coupon code box enter SMDN211.
4. 10% will automatically be deducted from your order. Of course, larger orders still qualify for additional bottles and shipping discounts.

(see details on the shopping cart page)

Skin MD Natural is providing one person a full size bottle of their Shielding Lotion!

Required: Tell me what skin issues you deal with in the winter months.

Giveaway open to US AND Canadian residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 2/25/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Skin MD on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet the giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win a full size bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion from @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/gTCJ43“

Like Skin MD on Facebook & let them know, “I’m hoping to win a bottle of Skin MD Natural from Mimi @ Marvelous Mom Reviews http://bit.ly/gTCJ43“ (2 entries, comment 2x)

Enter any of my other current giveaways on the right sidebar (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Skin MD Natural for my bottle of Shielding Lotion. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

AVONdreamers Ambassadorship Opportunity: I Need Your Help

2011-02-11T16:44:00.001-06:00

If you’ve met me in person, you know I’m not huge in the make-up department. That in and of itself might make you question why I’d want to be part of Avon and their Ambassador Program.

First of all, I like make-up when I have a reason to wear it. I just don’t get the opportunity a lot. Second of all, Avon is so much more than just make-up. Take for example my favorite perfume EVER: Today.I also love their Anew line. I’ve used the Clinical Advanced Wrinkle Corrector for those not so cool wrinkles I have between my eyebrows.

My legs have been happy to have the AVON BASICS Care Deeply with Cocoa Butter Body Lotion with this dry weather. I need some intensive lotion for my hands. I’m thinking MOISTURE THERAPY Intensive Treatment Hand Cream! Now, back to the AVONdreamers Ambassadorship opportunity for me. I’ll be hosting the Ambassadorship over at my other blog Woven by Words!! If I am one of the top 2 with votes I will become an Ambassador and I’ll be able to pass on products I receive to you!! Woo Hoo

Here’s where you come in to play! I need you to nominate me for an AVONdreamers Ambassadorship by asking you to post "I nominate Mimi @ Woven by Words for an AVONdreamers Ambassadorship" on their facebook wall. The two bloggers with the most nominations on March 5 will be named AVONdreamers Ambassadors. To be fair, 1 nomination per person please.

Thank you so much!!

Hasbro: Ji Ga Zo Puzzle

2011-02-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

When I first read about Hasbro’s Ji Ga Zo Puzzle I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to work. Then I got the puzzle and software in the mail and still wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing.

I figured the best thing to do was put the software onto my computer and see what it had to say. After loading the software and still seeing the same directions I just thought, “I’m going to go through the process because I should be able to figure it out as I go.”

Hello. I think the directions are so simple my brain couldn’t comprehend them! LOL I kept looking at the cardboard puzzle boards wondering how I was going to get them into my printer. Clearly I was not understanding how this was supposed to work.In case anyone is as simple minded as me, here’s what Jin Ga Zo is in a nutshell:

“Ji Ga Zo is revolutionizing the puzzle category! This awesome puzzle has 300 pieces that you arrange to create any face — even your own! Start out with any digital image and upload it using the Ji Ga Zo software. The software figures out the placement of each piece and builds a unique icon map. Then, it’s up to you to arrange the pieces according to the icon map and watch your own special image come together! These 300 pieces are specially created with unique colors and shading that let them interlock to create almost any face image you upload. The possibilities are virtually endless and the “face-making” fun goes on and on! CD-ROM includes icon maps for Mona Lisa, a collie dog, a kitten, a panda bear and MR MONOPOLY.”

I chose to do a photo of Doodle since he was home sick today. I thought he might be more interested in doing a puzzle that was all about him.

I laid the paper next to the grid that is sent with the puzzle. We each took 2 colors and started finding each of the pieces that matched the printed paper. The first row took a little while as we got our bearings. From there we started to rock it out.

Doodle says about what he thought of the puzzle, “Good. I like the creativity. It was easy to figure out.”

Buddy says, “Good, I liked it a lot. I thought it was a really cool design and stuff.”

It was so cool as the puzzle began to take shape. It was fun to stand back and look at the photo as it progressed into being something we could see.

I tell you what, this could be one of my favorite puzzles EVER!! I plan on bringing this up to great grams with us this summer with a lot of photos printed out. The two games played at great grams are dominoes and puzzles. Puzzles are a favorite past time with the kids and their grandma and great grandma. For them puzzles are memory makers and what better way to do that than with a personalized photo puzzle!

The one thing that I wish had come with the puzzle was resealable bags for the different colored pieces. Sure, I have my own bags, but I'd have liked to have had them provided in the box.

Be sure to find and friend Hasbro Games on the web:
Facebook
Family Game Night: http://www.facebook.com/familygamenight
Monopoly: http://www.facebook.com/monopoly
Trivial Pursuit: http://www.facebook.com/trivialpursuit
Game Night: http://www.facebook.com/gamenightfun
Cranium: http://www.facebook.com/cranium
Twitter
FamilyGameNight: http://www.twitter.com/familygamenight
Monopoly: http://www.twitter.com/passgomonopoly
Trivial Pursuit: http://www.twitter.com/trivialpursuit_
Cranium: http://www.twitter.com/playcranium

I’d like to thank Hasbro for sending me the Ji Ga Zo puzzle for review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-02-09T23:55:00.001-06:00

Here are some of my giveaways:

Life As We Know It DVD & Soundtrack 2 Winners Ends 2/17

H&S Candies Box of Chocolates Ends 2/18

Kidorable Umbrella Ends 2/20

Life As We Know It DVD & Soundtrack at Woven by Words Ends 2/17

Lady In Waiting by Susan Meissner at Woven by Words Ends 2/17

I want to let you know my Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky will be moving to my Woven by Words blog at the beginning of March.

Looking For Chicago Bloggy Boot Camp Sponsor

2011-02-09T21:44:00.001-06:00

This is the year of Blogging Conferences. There are so many scheduled throughout the year and we all have to pick and choose which ones we can attend if any.

Personally I’d love to attend the Bloggy Boot Camp: Chicago put on by the SITS Girls. It will be in August 2011. Early Bird tickets have already gone on sale and they’re $85 until March 1st.

As a single mom I have very limited income, but Chicago is close enough that I’d be able to drive there and take my kids to my sister-in-laws to stay with them.

If you are a company who is looking for a GREAT blogger to sponsor down at Bloggy Boot Camp, I’m your girl!

Choosing to sponsor me at Bloggy Boot Camp will give you primary real estate at the top of my blog for 6 months. On top of that, I’d be happy to post about the company once a month for those 6 months.

If you’re curious as to what Bloggy Boot Camp is, here’s what they say about it on their website:

“Bloggy Boot Camp is a one day blog and social media conference for women hosted in major cities all around the U.S. In a time when blog conferences are growing more popular, Bloggy Boot Camp remains one of the most convenient, inexpensive and co-operative events around. Everyone, from brand new bloggers to experienced social media mavens, can benefit from this experience.”

This is what I’m hoping to add to my blog before the end of the month:

If you’d like to get in touch with me, email me at mnjesusfreak @ gmail . com Thanks!!

A CSNstores Opportunity!

2011-02-09T15:30:00.002-06:00

We are an occasional travel family. I love road trips, that’s for sure, but our “luggage” leaves a lot to be desired! For the most part we used duffle bags or things we’ve gotten for free. I can’t even tell you what brand any of them are, if there’s even a brand.

And when I say “free” I mean duffle bags from my daughter’s college open house, trips to the state fair, etc. Not something that was sent to me.

My daughter’s on the other hand travel by air more than I do with school competitions or for vacation or mission trips. Lucky girls, but they can have it. I’m pretty much done with air travel. Anxiety attacks are NOT something I’m fond of. I’ll stick to the road.

I have to admit we are a duffle bag kind of family. I say that only because they’re squishable and since I typically have to jam pack my minivan squishability is a necessity. Delsey luggage from the Luggage.com CSNstores has some great selections.

Check out this awesome Delsey Helium Hyperlite 26" Rolling Duffel bag. I like that we’d be able to roll it around making it easier for my boys to help instead of me trying to lug 4-5 bags around on my own.Oh my goodness, my oldest daughter would LOVE the Helium Zip 25” Suiter Trolley in Raspberry Red. That color would send her to the moon!When we do travel, I always make sure we have one bag that has our overnight stuff for each night we are on the road. This makes it so much easier than unloading the large pieces just for a change of clothes.Something like this Helium Fusion Lite 2.0 Personal Bag in Black would work perfectly.I’d like to thank CSNstores for the opportunity to do a giveaway in my next CSNstores post! Keep an eye out for it!!

PowerRangers: Samurai emPower

2011-02-07T20:00:00.001-06:00

The Power Rangers are back! With a new cast, a new look and a new network, Power Rangers: Samurai debuts on Nickelodeon Monday, Feb. 7th at 8pm EST before moving to it's regular spot on Sundays at noon on Nickelodeon.

The world's most successful kids action series is in it's 19th season and has moved from Disney to Nickelodoen and just got a shiny, martial-arts-influenced reboot.

Combining comedy with action-filled storylines, the all-new half-hour series features a new cast of Rangers and never-before-seen villains, as well as high-octane action, martial arts and advanced special effects.

A new generation of heroes is about to explode out of the darkness to battle bad guys everywhere!
The new Rangers, Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Emily and Mike, harness the mystical Samurai Symbols of Power to fight evil with the elements of Fire, Water, Sky, Forest and Earth.

They are not alone in their struggle. An all-knowing mentor and special spirit animals called Zords aid in their attack against the relentless dark forces.

emPOWER Kids

The emPOWER movement will launch along with the new series. emPOWER provides parents and kids the tools they need to work together to grow healthy kids and support healthy communities.

emPOWER inspires participation in schools, online and in local communities to demonstrate the Power Rangers values:

* Standing for What's Right
* Teamwork and Cooperation
* Confidence
* Health and Physical Fitness
* Caring and Friendship

About The Episode:In the action-packed premiere episode, “The Team Unites,” after Mike can’t anticipate an attack like Kevin and Jayden, he grows frustrated and takes a break from training to meet up with old friends. But when a long-armed monster named Rofer attacks, Mike unsuccessfully attempts to fight him alone, and his friends are injured. Jayden and Mentor explain the hard truth that Samurai Rangers must stay away from family and friends in order to protect them from the dangers that are involved with being a Ranger. Inspired, Mike begins to take his role and training as a Samurai Ranger more seriously. With Jayden’s help, Mike uses his training and creativity to anticipate Rofer’s moves and defeats him.

You can find more information like Downloads, Games, Episodes and much more at the Power Rangers emPower website.

Is your school or child participating in the Power Rangers in-school program?

During January and February 2011, Gym Class Kits including Fitness guides and bulletin board messaging are being delivered to more than 4500 participating U.S. elementary schools. The guides include group activities focused on Power Rangers values and physical fitness, designed for Kindergarten – 3rd grade students. Each participating school is entered for a chance to win: a visit from the Samurai Power Rangers and a $10,000 donation to their physical education program.

Every week the emPOWER website will feature a young person who's making a difference in their family, school, or community. Nominated by parents on the emPOWER facebook page, we'll feature the Ranger of the Week's photo and story to inspire kids, parents, and teachers about how kids are making a difference.

Your child can also “Samurai” themselves at the Power Ranger website.

My Review:

I thought the debut of Power Rangers Samurai was a good one. This will be another series that my boys will want to catch each of. Unfortunately it’ll air during church so they’ll have to catch reruns, but we’re used to that on Nickelodeon.

I remember watching many of the other series because my oldest son is 11 and we’ve been watching these for about 5 yrs. As a mom, I have to say the bad guys crack me up. They are the goofiest looking, dopiest, trouble makers since Godzilla movies.

I asked Doodle, 7yo what he thought of the show and he said he liked it. I asked him if he’d watch more of the shows and he said, "Maybe.” He hasn’t explained what he means by “maybe” even though I’ve asked him a couple different ways.

I think Power Ranger shows help kids to learn how to help others, become better people, and to not rely only on themselves. I like the lessons that they teach. It’ll be interesting to get my 11yo’s opinion of the show. He’ll have to watch it next Sunday hopefully.

I am eligible to win a gift card from One2One Network for posting my opinion of the show. I have not been compensated for this review and the opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Chevy Superbowl Ads: Check Out These Videos

2011-02-06T12:03:00.001-06:00

I was so stoked to be able to see these Chevy commercials before the Superbowl and to pass them on to you! Do you have a favorite? I think my boys would like the Transformers commercial while I like the Chevy Cruz for the status updates you can make with OnStar!

I’m participating with BzzAgent in sharing these YouTube Videos. If I’m one of the top 100 Agents to drive traffic to view these I can win a Flip UltraHD! AAHHHH

Thanks in advance for checking them out!

This was originally posted at my Woven by Words blog.

Kidorable Review & Giveaway

2011-02-04T21:37:00.003-06:00

Oh how I wish I still had little girls in my house with the adorable lines from Kidorable! Because I don’t, I thought of some of the families at church who have some adorable little cuties that would love to try out some rain boots!

Thank goodness I had a taker. I showed up at church and asked one of our pastor’s wives if her daughter would be able to fit in them. Oh goodness, sure enough! Little B put the Kidorable Ballerina rain boots on and she loved them!

Seriously, how cute are little girls in anything Ballerina? Well, if you check out the new Kidorable line of Ballerina products you will be thrilled at what your little girl could be sporting.

Now, Kidorable isn’t just about the Ballerina line! Oh no. The have a couple lines for boys as well like their new Space Hero line! Check out a few of their other lines:Here’s your opportunity to win a Kidorable umbrella of your choice.

Required: Visit Kidorable and tell me which line is your favorite.

Giveaway open to US residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 2/20/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Kidorable on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet the giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win an umbrella from Kidorable. Cute line of outerwear for kids & babies @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/f152Vp“

Like Kidorable on Facebook and leave a comment “I’ve entered to win a Kidorable umbrella from Marvelous Mom Reviews http://bit.ly/f152Vp“ (2 entries, comment 2x)

Enter any of my other current giveaways on the right sidebar (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Kidorable for sending me the Ballerina Rainboots that I passed on to my “model”. Kidorable is also providing the giveaway product. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

H&S Candies Heart of Valentines Giveaway

2011-02-04T00:01:00.005-06:00

I’m not sure if you’re like me, but I ♥ chocolate. I’ve had H&S Candies before and they are melt in your mouth delicious! These aren’t tiny pieces of chocolate that you wish would last longer. No, these are chunks of chocolate that make you roll your eyes in delight!

Lucky for you, I have the opportunity to giveaway a box of chocolates thanks to H&S Candies!

Giveaway open to US residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 2/18/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow H&S Candies on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win a box of H&S Candies that are melt in your mouth goodness! @bigguysmama #giveaway http://bit.ly/ezffqe“

Like H&S on Facebook and leave a comment “I’m trying to win a box of chocolates from Marvelous Mom Reviews http://bit.ly/ezffqe“ (2 entries, comment 2x)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank DBA West for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway. I will be receiving a box of chocolates for posting. The opinion expressed is my own and never influenced by the company.

Life As We Know It DVD & Soundtrack Giveaway ~ 2 Winners

2011-02-03T00:13:00.005-06:00

Life As We Know It starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel will be available February 8th. To celebrate the release I’m able to give away a DVD and Soundtrack to the movie to 2 winners!

I only saw 2 movies last year and Life As We Know It was one of them. LP and I went to see it and we laughed out loud during it! Yes, I’m one of those people. If you haven’t heard about the movie here’s an intro:

“This quirky romantic comedy follows Holly (Katherine Heigl) & Messer (Josh Duhamel), two seemingly unsure adults, who become unexpected parents to their best friends’ daughter after a tragic accident. As opposites attract, the two struggle to put aside their differences, learn how to care for their charming adopted daughter Sophie and become a family through these unforeseen circumstances.”

Last week I was able to part of a conference call with Katherine Heigl! How insane is that? It was a great 1/2 hour with her and about 10 other bloggers. You can read more about it at Woven by Words.

I thought I’d share some of the answers to her questions. (Did I mention I’m still shocked I got to do this call? *grin*) Her answers aren’t verbatim because I tried writing everything down and had to drop little words but the meat of how she responded is her completely.

Being in the public eye, how do you maintain your true self?

Katherine: I tend to be too honest. I don’t censor myself well. What you get is me. I need to learn to be more private.

Does being a parent change how you view the roles you'll take or the roles you've played in the past?

Katherine: I want to play roles of women I can admire. I want my daughter to be able to watch my movies.

Do you have date nights?

Katherine: I have a girl that nanny’s but only until a certain time. So, we have date night at home after our daughter goes to bed. We don’t go out as much as we used to. I love going out to dinner.

How do you decompress?

Katherine: Watch Apple TV. I just finished a marathon of Sons of Anarchy. I also watch Gossip Girl, Life Unexpected and Cougar Town. I like to involve myself in other shows.

Now’s your chance to own the DVD and Soundtrack!Required: Tell me which Girls Night In Tips from the widget above you like the most.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Warner Bros Pictures on Twitter (1 entry)

Enter for a chance to win at Woven by Words (1 entry)

Tweet the giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win the Life As We Know It with Katherine Heigl & Josh Duhamel DVD and Soundtrack @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/gFFmfb“

Become a Fan of Life As We Know It on Facebook and leave a status update “I’m entering to win a DVD and Soundtrack from Woven by Words http://bit.ly/gFFmfb“ (2 entries, comment 2x)

I’d like to thank DBA West for the DVD I’ll be receiving as well as the giveaway products. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-02-02T23:17:00.002-06:00

Here are 2 of my giveaways. I have a few more coming up now that I have computer back. Oh I love having it back.

Lovable Labels Friendship Pack + Bonus Ends 2/8

4 Winners Handmade With Love Blog Hop Ends 2/6

Life As We Know It DVD & Soundtrack at Woven by Words Ends 2/17

Life As We Know It DVD & Sound Track 2 Winners Ends 2/17

Gear Up For Super Bowl Sunday With Gorton’s

2011-02-02T16:03:00.001-06:00

Fishify your Football Favorites!

We're celebrating both the Super Bowl and the new USDA recommendation to eat seafood twice a week by giving away a year of Twice-A-Week-Gorton's Seafood package! That's 104 FREE Gorton's Products ~ a $624 Value! Enter below by uploading a photo of your Game Day Seafood dish for a chance to win!

For ideas on what to serve at your pre-game party, check out Gorton's great recipes <http://www.gortons.com/recipes> like Salmon Nachos, Tenders Tacos or Grilled Shrimp Bruschetta.

I have not received any compensation for this post.

Handmade With Love Giveaways

2011-02-02T00:01:00.006-06:00

I’m so excited to be featuring handmade prizes from some great people! I’d love to have you check them out:

Heather from Tiny Bubbles: $20 Gift Certificate to Esty Shop

Dana from The Giggling E: $30 Gift Certificate to Etsy Shop

Amanda from Toggle Bandz: Toggle Bandz w/ free shipping

Daphne from Daph’s Dark Little Corner: Valentines Doll

Here’s what you need to do to enter the Handmade With Love Giveaway:

You enter with the REQUIRED entry below.

You can do as many or none of the extras.

Every comment is entered into the ENTIRE giveaway. You can NOT ask to win a specific gift certificate.

Random.org will choose each of the winners. I will go in order of the listing below and draw for each one individually.

Please visit the other Handmade With Love Blog Hop sites for the cash or gift certificates that they have exclusively set up.

You MUST leave a way to contact you either have it in your profile or leave an email address! I don't have the time to be searching for your information (I'm lucky to know my own information...most of the time).

My Handmade With Love Blog Hop is open to US Residents, 18 yrs and older. Blog Hop runs February 2-6th and ends at 11:59pm PST on February 6th.

Winner has 48 hours to respond or I will draw a new winner. Prizes will be provided by the individual/shop.

REQUIRED

Become a follower either here or at my other blog Woven by Words where my giveaways will be moving to: http://wovenbywords.blogspot.com You can choose!

EXTRAS

Follow on Twitter ONLY ONE of these people:

Me: @bigguysmama

Amanda: @saphire2379

Dana: @thegigglinge

Like on ONLY ONE Facebook:

Toggle Bandz

The Giggling E

Tiny Bubbles

Daph’s Dark Little Corner

Favorite ONLY ONE Etsy Shop Or Follow Blog

Daph’s Dark Little Corner

The Giggling E

Tiny Bubbles

Tweet the following:

“RT Enter to #WIN 4 winners from the Handmade With Love Blog Hop @bigguysmama @saphire2379 @thegigglinge http://bit.ly/f5Ru6U“

Subscribe

Subscribe to Woven by Words.

*I have only received a free Toggle Bandz. I have not received any compensation or product from the other 3 sponsors. I’d like to thank each Sponsor for being part of my blog hop! I am so thankful for your contribution!!

Lovable Labels Review & Giveaway

2011-01-31T21:26:00.003-06:00

Do you find labeling a necessity? With two boys who have a lot of the same things, Lovable Labels comes in handy dandy!! As soon as we got our labels we went straight for the Nintendo DS’s.

Just to let you know, I’ve colored out my boys names so I can do my part in keeping their identities private. The photo below represents the pack Buddy got!

The boys have matching one, cause why would they want ones that don’t look the same? We’ve had issues with mix ups in the past. Now with the boy names on the back there won’t be any mistaking whose is whose.I also have a couple of containers for work that I put a label from each of my boys on: coffee cup and a water bottle. Everyone from our store received the same water bottle and I don’t care to have mine mixed up with anyone else’s.Next my boys have a number of PS2 games that they share, but some of them were given to them as individuals. I can’t keep track of who has which game so we are able to go thru them and I can label them for each boy. Thank goodness. I also like the boys having these labels on them for when they visit cousins or neighbors. With their names smack dab in the middle of them there’s no denying whose they are.You know what’s really cute? I was given 9 little labels that say “I ♥ Blogging”. How cute is that? Guess I’ll have to stick one of those in the middle of the computer screen, although I think the boys know the computer is mine, all mine. *grin*

Now, here’s some info about Lovable Labels: They launched in 2003 and have continued to develop inventive and useful products. Their labels are waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe, washer and dryer safe, sun safe, bleach safe, sunscreen safe, and temperature safe.

My oldest daughter is planning on going to Uganda on a mission trip this summer and because she has medicine allergies she’ll have to wear an ID band. Thank goodness Lovable Labels has Medical wristbands so we can tuck her info inside it and it will stay safe!

Here’s your opportunity to win a Friendship Pack + Friendship Sampler Pack! Ahhhh I know, so exciting! Here’s whatcha gotta do.

Required: Visit Lovable Labels and tell me which set you like.

Giveaway open to Canadian and US residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 2/8/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Tell me which icon you’d like on your labels (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Lovable Labels on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win Friendship Pack + Friendship Sampler Pack from Lovable Labels #giveaway @bigguysmama @mylovablelabels http://bit.ly/fZmQ7U“

Like Lovable Labels on Facebook & leave a comment “Dropping by from Marvelous Mom Reviews” (1 entry)

Start following me at Woven by Words because that’s where my reviews will be moving to! (2 entries, comment 2x)

I’d like to thank Lovable Labels for sending a Friendship Sticker Pack and Buddy pack for my boys. They will also be providing the products for giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

International Spy Museum: Washington D.C. Review

2011-01-30T23:38:00.001-06:00

Every time we go to Virginia to be with my family at Christmas, we make a day trip up to Washington D.C. It’s fun to go by the White House and go through as many Smithsonian Museums as possible.

We hadn’t really gone with Doodle before because he had always been too young to do all that walking around. I mean, we walk a LOT, for hours. It’s always my brother, my girls and Buddy. This year I knew I had a plan and Doodle was going to go with us.

For years I’ve wanted to take the boys to the International Spy Museum but really felt they were too young for it. I also knew that if we did the Spy Museum, we wouldn’t be doing the other Smithsonian Museums. I was ready for something new and thought my boys were going to love this.

I contacted the Spy Museum and they agree to partner with my blog and let us check them out!

My brother, myself and the boys decided to check it out the day after Christmas! I was concerned they’d be pretty busy, but I think a lot of people were nervous to drive into D.C. with the “storm” that was supposed to come. Eh, I’m from Minnesota, I wasn’t worried about it!

At the beginning of the Museum you take on a new identity. That was something I thought was really exciting. Who knew I’d be so taken in by the Spy Museum! I took my new identity very seriously! Well, at least my own. I kept forgetting to call the guys by their new names! LOLThere was so much I didn’t know about spying. The history of it, people who started up organizations for United States spying, etc. It was all so fascinating. You’re able to walk through the evolution of spying technology.

Unfortunately, Doodle wasn’t so fascinated by it as I was. Buddy thought it was interesting enough. My brother and I wanted to take our time going through the Museum. We were able to distract Doodle with a few interactive parts, but not long into it he started wondering how long we were going to be there.

Let me just say, for the record, that I think if you have a young child the same age as my Doodle, 7, and they’re really into spying, then I think this would be a great experience. Personally, I think I wanted my boys to be excited about being there as I thought they’d be. Oh well, I tried. I also think that if we would’ve done some spy research before we went to D.C. the boys would’ve been more connected with it. I wanted to surprise them. Ah well.My brother and I really like the experience. I learned so much walking through the museum, sometimes at my bored 7yo’s pace, so there’s more I’d love to go back and learn.

One thing I thought would’ve been cool as we were walking through this elaborate museum would’ve been to interact with people pretending to be spies and see if they could get information from us. You know, come up to us and ask us our name, where we were from, etc. How cool would that have been?

We met up with the girls, along with my brother’s girlfriend, who had all gone to the Holocaust Museum. Here was their interpretation of what they thought we did at the International Spy Museum.If I do have the opportunity to go back, I’m going to do some of the grown-up activities!! I would love to do the:

Spy In The City ~ You get a GPS to follow throughout the city. The museum sends you information to follow and complete a mission! This would actually be fun for the whole family.

Operation Spy ~ A one-hour spy adventure to find a trigger for a missing nuclear trigger.

Spy At Night ~ You do Operation Spy, there’s trivia, a Cipher Wheel, special guests on specified nights, and at the end of the night is food and drinks.

Spy City Tour ~ You prepare for an interactive mission and take part in an undercover operation! You’ll also learn about disguises from CIA Chiefs of Disguise!

You can follow the International Spy Museum on:

Twitter

Facebook

If you’re going to be in D.C. during Valentine’s Day, check out the Love A Spy opportunity?

Dinner for two at Zola plus champagne toast
Admission to Spy at Night (clandestine cocktails and conversation)
Admission to the Spy Museum’s permanent exhibit

I’d like to thank the International Spy Museum for the 2 free tickets we received for a tour. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Toggle Bandz: Handmade With Love Blog Hop Introduction

2011-01-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

How much do you love little girls in headbands? I know when my girlies were little I loved playing with their hair. Of couse waaaay back then there weren’t creative ideas like Toggle Bandz.

Here’s what Amanda says about her product:

“Toggle Bandz were created by myself (stay at home military wife) having had found frustrations in market headbands and hair accessories. My 5 yr old daughter has thin fine hair and they would slip or roll right off her head. So I developed Toggle Bandz adjustable headbands. I make them all sizes,widths,colors and themes, Custom orders are always welcome.”

Facebook

Toggle Bandz: http://www.togglebandz.weebly.com

*New Toggle Bandz added frequently so remember to check back!! Referral Perks. Spread the word about Toggle Bandz for every 10 people you get to order you get a free Toggle Bandz of your choice*

I’m so excited to share about these headbands because I thought they were such a great idea! Of couse, my girls are grown up and I can only ask my boys to do so much. =)

So, off I headed to church to see if one of my friend’s daughter’s would be willing to wear it for me and then they would be able to keep it. Thankfully we have some great parents who bear with me and my blogging. tee hee hee

Little H was so cute after we got the headband on her. You could tell she knew adorable she was. It was really easy to slide the toggle up to the right point so that it fit her head. I got my photos and off she went happy as a clam with her adorable new headband!

So here’s how adorable the Toggle Bandz are:

I want to thank Amanda for sending me the Toggle Bandz for review and for being able to pass it on to this adorable little girl. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

The Giggling E: Handmade With Love Blog Hop Introduction

2011-01-27T07:54:00.001-06:00

Business Name: The Giggling E, handcrafted items for you and your little one!

Featured Products: Diva Diaper Bags, doll diaper bags, quilted doll quilts, one-of-kind embroidery designs, aprons, knitted items, custom/personalized orders and soon to come boutique custom children clothing!

Etsy Shop: www.thegigglinge.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gigglinge
Twitter: The Giggling E

I began the Giggling E by joining together the two things I loved the most – my children and my passion to create. With the birth of my son, Ellison, I discovered an abundance of items that could be purchase from a store for my little one. However, I quickly concluded that there is so much more I can make with my own two hands that will make life with children much more enjoyable and, at the same time, teach my children the gratification from the act of making. Also, knowing many other new moms, I found that there was a shared desire to have products for our children with a special personal touch.

With the encouragement of those wonderful mom friends, I began making products and selling them through Etsy. The company name is a tribute to our son’s vivacious character – our ever-giggling Ellison. The fun has multiplied with our daughter, Madison, who also inspires me to keep dreaming of new things. My giggling bundles of joy have continually inspired my creations and I am delighted to share them through my shop.

I have not received any compensation or products from The Giggling E. This is an informational post for the upcoming Handmade With Love Blog Hop.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-01-26T22:29:00.001-06:00

Can’t believe I was pretty much without a computer last week! I had my 10yr old computer hooked up, but it was a lot like using a dial-up computer. I was able to get thru more pages and look thru emails faster on my Droid2 than with the computer. Sigh…I’m back on track now and ready for some Linky Lovin’!

Here are 2 of my giveaways. I have a few more coming up now that I have computer back. Oh I love having it back.

Dora Talking Digital Camera 1/27

Gorton's Seafood Giveaway 5 Winners 1/31

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know.

Family Traveling In the US

2011-01-26T14:07:00.002-06:00

My kids and I love to travel by car…well minivan to be more specific. We have driven from WA to MN where our new home was to be. After we moved here, we did a LOT more traveling.

We have done huge road trips with extended family to Florida twice. We all loaded up in various vehicles and drove straight thru from Chicago to Orlando. All the adults would just rotate driving and sleeping.

Wondering how we managed to stay awake for 24 hours of non-stop driving? Books on CD! Oh, and coffee, lots of coffee. We did stop for necessities, but we had movies galore for the kids to watch and cousins to play with. Yes, we swapped the cousins as well. One time Grandma and Grandpa drove down to Florida, too, so they had a motorhome for the kids to stretch in on the way home.

My boys even got to travel to Canada this past Summer with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents! I’m tellin’ ya, we are a traveling family. The above photo is a photo Buddy snapped on their way up in the awesome full size traveling van that is loaded! Hello, that’s the way to go! *grin*

As a family we’ve also driven to VA from MN about 5 times. It’s always an adventurous drive. My oldest daughter and I drove, with my boys and dog tagging along this past December and absolutely loved the trip! Whenever we visit my family we take a drive up to Washington D.C. and go to as many of the Smithsonian Museums as possible. We try to add something new every year. This year we did the Spy Museum! I thought it rocked.

Now, if I could create the ideal traveling getaway, I would take the summer and drive from one end of the US and back. I would start in June and finish in August. I’d want to visit places like Gettysburg, the Kentucky Derby, the Alamo, the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic, and so on.

I’ve been to most states, except I’ve never been to New England. I’d probably want to go there as it got closer to the end of August. Can you imagine how beautiful it would be?

My 19 yo daughter has probably visited more states than most of the kids in Minnesota because they just don’t do a lot of traveling here like we do by car. She can boast having driven in: Michigan, Illinois, South Dakota, Wyoming, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana. Of course we can’t forget MN where we currently live.

I’d have to say we love driving as a family. There are always such amazing sites to see, but usually our driving consists of getting somehwere so we don’t get to take it all in like a tourist. That’s what I’d like to do on a summer long getaway. Take our time, soak in our beautiful country, and learn more about the history around us.

If you could take a trip driving around the US, where would you want to go and why?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here .”

Tiny Bubbles: Handmade With Love Blog Hop Introduction

2011-01-26T00:49:00.001-06:00

I met Heather from Tiny Bubbles when she stopped by my mom’s house during Christmas with her little boys. 6 degrees of separation here. Her brother lived with my parents for a couple years and he’s my brother’s best friend. I’m getting ready for this Handmade With Love blog hop and here’s Heather with a gift for my mom from her Etsy shop!! AHHHH

She brought my mom a neck wrap that she had made. It was so soft and beautifully made! I knew as soon as I held it I was going to:

1) Buy one for my aunt for Christmas

2) Ask her to be part of the blog hop

I put in my special order last week (computer issues and all) and the neck wrap I ordered for my aunt is on it’s way!! So, here’s a little bit about her neck wraps and back wraps:

“Each neck wrap measures approximately 6 inches by 20 inches and has two chambers which contain a mixture of rice and organic flax seed. Each back wrap measures approximately 9 inches by 17 inches and has three chambers. One side of this wrap features your fabric of choice, the other side is a soft fleece.

Microwave this wrap for 1 - 2 minutes to desired temperature to create a wonderfully relaxing moist heat. Or store in your freezer to use as an ice pack.”

This one above & below is my aunts!!

Heather also makes Binder Bags (hello couponers!)

“This trendy bag is actually a convenient way to cover and carry your binder in style. Made with study cotton fabrics, these bags are great for class, coupons, photo albums, wedding planners and more!

Each bag features a transparent pencil bag sewn-in for easy access, as well as a pocket big enough to hold standard sized paper. (Pencil bag color may vary from picture).

Sides have velcro closures and cover should easily fit either a 1 1/2 inch or 2 inch binder. (Please indicate in comments if a larger size is needed).

Hooded Bath Towels With Hand Mitts

Tiny Toes Shoes, Burp Cloth and Skirt Set

“Dress your little girl in this elegant skirt and shoe set made from Pottery Barn's Penelope Collection fabric and she'll receive endless compliments!

This skirt features an elastic waistband along with a ribbon tie which can be worn either to the side or in back. Fits about 3 months up to 18 months.

Shoes pictured are size 6-12 month, but custom sizing is available upon request. (Custom shoes will vary slightly from shoes pictured due to design in fabric. Please allow 1-2 weeks for custom orders).

Burp cloth is made with a Gerber prefold diaper, and is trimmed using pink ribbon with tiny white polka dots.
Skirt, burp cloth and shoes are machine washable on delicate cycle. Air dry or tumble dry low.”

Tiny Toes Shoes

Facebook

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/TinyBubbles

I have not received any compensation or product from this review. I purchased the product mentioned above. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company or person I work with.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-01-19T21:41:00.003-06:00

Hurray...a few of my current giveaways:

Bob Evans Fit From the Farm Meal 1/21

Dora Talking Digital Camera 1/27

Gorton's Seafood Giveaway 5 Winners 1/31

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know.

Gorton’s Seafood Contest AND Giveaway 5 Winners

2011-01-17T15:20:00.004-06:00

Back again to talk about Gorton’s again. The boys and I had the Potato Crunch Fillets last week. Buddy ate two, Doodle ate one and I had the one they left me. =) It was a yummy mix of potato and fish. Here are a few Gorton’s packages we currently have in the freezer that I personally purchased in the last couple weeks.Gorton's Seafood January Grilled Facebook Giveaway!

One thousand (1000) FREE grilled product coupons will be given out in four (4) Drawings of two-hundred fifty coupons (250) on: January 10, 2011; January 17, 2011; January 24, 2011; January 31, 2011. One (1) Grand Prize: Xbox 360 Console with Kinect (Retail Value $300.00) to be drawn on January 31, 2011.

Now I get to giveaway 2 coupons each to 5 winners! So worth the win! Yes, I can say this from lots of personal experience.

Required: Visit Gortons and tell me which variety you’d like to try the most!

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 1/31/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

"Follow" Gorton's on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win 5 winners will win 2 coupons each for Gortons Seafood!! Delish @bigguysmama @gortonsseafood http://bit.ly/gpevW7“

Go to http://www.gortons.com/ and sign up for our fun e-newsletter! (1 entry)

Do tell... which recipe is your favorite Gorton's recipe? (1 entry)

"Like" Gorton's on Facebook! (1 entry)

Tell Gorton's who sent you with a Facebook Wall comment: “Mimi at Marvelous Mom Reviews http://marvelousmomreviews.blogspot.com/” (2 entries, comment 2x)

I’d like to thank Gorton’s for sending coupons for me to purchase more Seafood and for providing the giveaway coupons. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Dora the Explorer Digital Camera & Giveaway

2011-01-13T14:50:00.002-06:00

I was sent a really cute Dora the Explorer Talking Digital Camera and I allowed Doodle to try it out! He’s a pretty big shutter bug and didn’t have a problem with the fact it’s a Dora camera.

I was surprised at how light weight it was. Not sure why I always expect cameras to be heavy. Probably because I’m comparing it to my full sized camera.

How does the Dora Camera work? Well, I thought this had a lot of features for the little crowd. Here are the options you can flip through:

Continuous Shot Mode

3 Shot Mode

Delete All

Delete Last Photo

Photo Resolution

Compression

Frequency

Now if you look through that list you realize this is definitely a hands on parent activity. I can’t think of any 4yr olds who will choose from that list on their own and know what they’re doing with the camera.

I found it easy to set it on Continuous Shot Mode and leave it there. With the way Doodle was running around with the Dora Camera there should’ve been an “active” mode!

Next comes the fun Digital Software that comes with the Dora Digital Camera. The software has photo editing options and games for the kids to play. You can also email photos, print them or watch a slide show.

Now, I have to admit, many of Doodles photos are blurry because he takes his photos while running around. And I don’t mean that in a random way, I mean he’s actually running in most of the photos he took! But I was able to snap one of him. =)

Now for details on the giveaway:

*Sakar isn’t providing a camera for giveaway, which is fine, so I’ll be giving away our review camera. It was only used once by myself and my son and all photos have been deleted. I cut the packaging on the side and you can’t tell it’s been open other than the slice. If no one is interested, I will take away the giveaway offer, no problem. =)

Required: If you win this camera, who would be the shutterbug using it?

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 1/27/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win a Dora Talking Digital Camera #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/hd0hR4“

Like MMR on Facebook sidebar (1 entry)

Enter any of my current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Sakar for sending this review item. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Shameless Promotion: Vote 4 My Son?

2011-01-13T08:53:00.001-06:00

I love entering contests where I get to share with the world how adorable my kids are. I know, I’m a bit biased, but what are you going to do?

Disney’s Family.com website is having a photo contest in which I’ve entered Doodle. If his photo has the most votes for the Disney Junior: Be Part Of The Magic photo contest his photo will be part of the Disney Junior premier week, February 15.

Since kids have to be 2-7 Doodle is getting in under the wire as a 7 year old! CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Here’s the photo I entered:There’s a month of voting and I’d love to keep Doodle at the top. If you’d like a reminder to vote, please let me know and I’ll send you a reminder. If you could “Like” him on the page of his photo that’d be helpful as well.

I’d like to thank you ahead of time for voting for my little guy and for forgiving my self promotion of him. =)

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-01-12T22:52:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of my current giveaways:

Purex Free Softener 3 Winners 1/17

Bob Evans Fit From the Farm Meal 1/21

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know.

CoverGirl 50th Anniversary & Opportunities

2011-01-07T17:38:00.001-06:00

CoverGirl is celebrating their 50th Anniversary and want you to join in the fun!

Celebrating 50 beautiful years

The next generation of COVERGIRL… is you! Visit the MyCOVERGIRL tab to celebrate and let friends and this iconic beauty brand know just what it is that makes you an easy, breezy, beautiful COVERGIRL. As part of the fun, they’ll be offering samples, fun quizzes, sweet rewards, monthly and quarterly prizes and amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Go ahead, invite your friends to the party and rock your COVERGIRL all year long!

I joined, even though I’m not a huge make-up wearer. They are currently giving away their LashBlast Volume Mascara to the first 1000 CoverGirls. After you join, you have to go back and watch the “commercial” they create with your information. For me it cracked me up as I’d never be selected as a CoverGirl! LOL

I am BzzAgent and participating in this campaign.

Bob Evans Review & Giveaway

2011-01-07T17:15:00.002-06:00

Living in Minnesota I don’t always get to visit yummy restaurants such as Bob Evans. The only time we get to go is when we drive out of state and visit my mom in Virginia.

I was sent a great kit from Bob Evans to learn more about their Fit from the Farm meals. I’ll fess up, my favorite item at Bob Evans is their Smiley Face Potatoes from the kids menu. Guilty pleasure.

I suggested to my folks while we were visiting them if we could go out to dinner at Bob Evans. They were more than happy to go because they like Bob Evans. We got there around 7:30pm with 7 of us in tow.

The waitress seemed a bit frazzled. Maybe it was because we’d just gotten done with the holiday weekend, I don’t know. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast from the Fit from the Farm ^® menu. The rest of the family decided to go with their usual choices.Oh my goodness, this was a de-lish meal! I ate every single morsel. The chicken had a wonderful seasoning on it so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything without a gravy or sauce to go with it. I had a huge serving of broccoli that I scarfed and I ate the entire potato, skin and all. My plate was clean when I finished. I would absolutely order that meal again.Doodle unfortunately didn’t get exactly what he ordered. He got the pancakes with chocolate chips but they just piled the chips on top and then flipped them to burn them to the pancake. Kind of a bummer so I sent them back.

My brother M asked for an omelet (can’t remember which one) but it didn’t come at all like it was described. He was embarrassed by the attention being focused on him so he just kept asking us to leave it alone.Dessert came and M wanted to get something so my boys chimed in. Unfortunately, the waitress came back with desserts only for my boys and not my brother.

On to our drive home. I decided that instead of actually eating at the restaurant, we’d use their Carry Out option. So, I used my Droid2 to look up a location about an hour ahead of our drive. I called when we were about 10 minutes from the restaurant.

I have to tell you, Tommy was such a kind and helpful guy. I had no idea where I was going and he got us to his restaurant without issue.

This time I decided to order the Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta. I love all three of those items and combined together sounded delicious!All of our food came up at different times so by the time I left some of the food was cold. My pasta came without the chicken. They said they had given me catsup and syrup (for my kids) but that wasn’t in the bags. Thankfully I know better than to drive away without checking so I had to run back inside a couple of times to get the needed items.

That being said, the service at this restaurant was phenomenal and the food, at least mine, was scrumptious and again I ate every single bite.

No photo because we were on the road and I didn’t know where my camera was. Sorry.

Here’s your opportunity to win a FREE Fit From the Farm Meal Of Your Choice.

Required: Visit Bob Evans and tell me which Fit From the Farm menu item sounds yummy. (you can also look under the Lunch & Dinner links on the left side for more options)

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 1/21/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Bob Evans on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) "RT #Win a Free Fit from the Farm meal of your choice from Bob Evans #giveaway @bobevansfarms @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/iguOrm“

Like MMR on Facebook sidebar (1 entry)

Like Bob Evans on Facebook (1 entry)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Blog Friendly PR for connecting me with Bob Evans. I was provided 3 free meals, one of which I am passing on to you. It expires on 2/28/11 so be sure to use it ASAP! The opinion expressed is mine and never influenced by the company.

Two Blogs Or One? That Is The Question

2011-01-07T00:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, so since March of last year I’ve had two blogs. This one and Woven by Words.

Why have I had two blogs? Because I figured people would prefer to not read my personal stuff, mostly at the time my Christian book reviews, along with my product reviews. I had the bright idea to create a second site specifically for giveaways.

Now I’m struggling wondering if I made the right choice. I have to keep up both sites, which might not seem to be that big of a deal to the average Jane, but for me it’s just not that easy. I’m distracted by both sites and feel like I get nothing accomplished.

Ugh, if I combine both sites anyone who wants to read just my reviews and giveaways will have to deal with my personal stuff and Christian diatribe (which I don’t know the last time I went on and on about my faith).

Then, the biggest issue (which has multiple parts) is doing away with my Marvelous Mom Reviews site. Sigh…This is such a quandary. Has anyone combined or separated their blogs and have an opinion for me?

I could really use some advice.

Who knows, maybe a year from now I’ll still have two blogs and wondering what I should do. You need to know I’m wishy washy and have a hard time making decisions. Welcome to my life!

*posted originally on Woven by Words with a few edits to fit MMR

Handmade With Love Winter Giveaway Upcoming Blog Hop

2011-01-05T23:06:00.001-06:00

Alrighty people! Remember at the beginning of December that fabulous Holiday blog hop I was part of with Simply Stacie and her posse? Well, they’re at it again. This time they’re doing a blog hop featuring products that have been handmade.

I’ve decided to join in, but I don’t really know anyone who does homemade anything, especially online.

That’s where I need your help! Do you make homemade products? Do you know someone who is looking for some expos

ure for their items? Know anyone on Etsy I could contact?

If you would like to be featured or know someone who would, make sure you leave a comment letting me know how to contact you.

The blog hop will be February 2nd and ends February 6th. So make sure you keep an eye out for the post! I hope to have some great products to giveaway!

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2011-01-05T22:26:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple of my current giveaways:

Purex Free Softener 3 Winners 1/17

$50 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate 1/6
To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know.

Exergen Temporal Scanner Contest

2011-01-05T14:22:00.003-06:00

New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy* return this Thursday! That means more chances to win an Exergen TemporalScanner!

If you missed spotting the scanner in the last new episode of Grey’s Anatomy, don’t worry! BONUS – For every new episode which doesn’t show the professional model (shown below) of the Exergen TemporalScanner, 5 subsequent thermometer prizes will be added to the next new airing. Once a new episode featuring the TemporalScanner runs, prizes will be re-set to 5 once again. That means 10 people will win a home model if the thermometer is shown this Thursday.

If you can be one of the first ten people to “Spot the Scanner” in this week’s episode and email your name, address, time and the specific doctor who was using it, you could win! Don’t worry if the scanner doesn’t appear in every new episode, the contest runs throughout the rest of the season!

Email: SpotTheScanner@Exergen.com
For official contest rules please visit: http://exergen.com/spotthescanner/

*this contest is not affiliated with or sponsored by ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy
I did not recieve any compensation for this post.

I’m a Purex Insider & 3 Winners!

2011-01-04T00:42:00.002-06:00

I was in Virginia, or heading in that direction when I found out I’d become one of the newest Purex Insiders! I was excited, but I was bummed because I knew my Starter Kit was going to show up to my house while I was gone.

So, the day after we got home it was time to get the suitcases full of laundry done. I did mine first because I had to work and the boys had clean clothing. I decided to use the new Purex Complete Crystals Softener.

I had this adorable little bottle that was also sent to the editors as O Magazine, Real Simple, Family Circle and other publications! AHHH And it was in my grubby little hands! I opened that bottle and it was a heavenly fragrance.

I was so excited to see how my laundry did with these new Crystals. I’ve only known softener that either goes in your dryer or you have to add at some point in the wash cycle (totally not for me!). With Purex Complete Crystals, you add them right away in the washer!When I was switching the my hand washables I smelled the clothing. That is, I smelled each piece of clothing as I put it in the dryer or laid it out to dry. I think someone would’ve thought I was nuts, but they smelled so good! Then after I took them out of the dryer they still smelled so fresh and my sweaters were SO soft. Not even kidding. And yes, I smelled each one as I took them out.

I am so excited to use these crystals with my towels because they won’t take away the absorbency that I so adore! Apparently traditional liquid fabric softener coats towels and prevents them from absorbing moisture from the body and dishes! Who knew?!

I can’t wait to go and get a full size bottle. I’m going to head to the store and smell each of the bottles to see if I want the same fragrance or a new one!

Ok, now for your chance to win…Required: Tell me how you soften your clothing currently

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 1/17/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) "RT #Win a Free bottle of NEW Purex Complete Crystals Softener. 3 Winners! @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/eLqiqB“

Like MMR on Facebook sidebar (1 entry)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Purex for providing the product samples and giveaway coupons. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Our Stay at Hampton Inn ~ Unsponsored

2011-01-01T20:43:00.001-06:00

My trip out to VA was three days with 3 kids and 1 dog. I called Hilton to find out which of their properties in OH would take us with a dog.

Many of the places that accepted dogs wanted a $50 non-refundable deposit (OUCH!) or only took dogs under 25 pounds. I have a Border Collie mix and he’s more like 50 pounds, especially with the meds he’s on.

The gal from Hilton gave me the number of the Hampton Inn in Newcomerstown, OH. She said they accepted dogs but didn’t have any information about the rest. I gave them a call and reached Marilyn. She was so nice and helpful! She found a discount that fit my family and they took Rugby: no deposit and no size limit!I called while we were driving to make sure our room was still available and the gal I talked to wanted to make sure we were still stopping. Trust me, after the day we’d had we were stopping!

They were just off the freeway. When we arrived we were greeted well taken care of. Marilyn had set us up on the ground floor right next to the pool. She knew what questions to ask and how to help us feel at home. I was also happy to find out they provided breakfast the next morning.

We got to our room and I was so excited to see the comfy beds. I felt like I was getting into bed in a guest room at someone’s house, not at a hotel. The comforter…oh the comforter! You know how people are known for stealing robes from hotels? If it weren’t illegal I would’ve walked with that cozy comforter! LOL

My boys wanted to hit the pool immediately. So they changed and off we went. They had it to themselves. Buddy, 11, got into the pool and immediately said, “This is the best pool I’ve ever been in! You know how it takes me a long time to get into the pool? This is the best temperature ever!” How’s that for a review? Both my boys loved playing in the pool in the middle of winter!

Another perk about where our room was situated was the proximity to the outside. Rugby had a hard time going potty on our trip so Baby and I took him out numerous times. Finally at 4am he woke me up because he was ready to go. As we came around the back of the building there were 3 HUGE deer that took off! It was so cool.

Breakfast in the morning was spectacular! Oh my goodness, they’ve cornered the market with their topped bagels! It was a fully loaded breakfast with everything you can imagine.

There was a couple there I met who had been staying there for like 10 days because their house and burned down! It was their last day there and were going to temporary housing. They had gotten to know the people at the hotel and you could tell that they’d been well taken care of. They had their dog with them as well.

I want to thank the staff and anyone involved in our stay at the Hampton Inn in Newcomerstown, OH. It was probably the best hotel stay I’ve ever had!

This review is unsponsored. I paid for the room myself and was NOT compensated in any way.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2010-12-29T22:37:00.003-06:00

Alrighty, so we're on the road. We've made it to my sister-in-law's just outside of Chicago. Hence us just getting my linky up.

Make sure you check out my 3 current giveaways and link up your own below.

Heart & Soul Candies Ends 12/30

Orient Automatic Watch Ends 1/4

$50 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate 1/6

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know.

Oceanhouse Media Apps

2010-12-28T10:38:00.006-06:00

I was sent a really timely opportunity to review a couple of apps for my Droid2.

Oceanhouse Media turns children's books into apps! It was timely because the two books I was able to review were:

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

and

The Cat in the Hat

There are 3 options when "reading" the story.

It can auto play and just go thru the story
Read it to you
Read it yourself

The graphics are perfect. There are instructions on how to interact with each of the pages. You can touch objects on the page and the app will tell you what they are: "grinch", "tree", "Who-ville", etc. The sound effects are really good, too.

Also, if you leave the application for any reason, when you go back to read it again, you have the option of resuming where you left off or starting over. When you "turn" the pages, you actually hear swishing of the page.

You can stay up-t0-date with Oceanhouse Media's releases by signing up for their newsletter, following on Twitter, and liking them on Facebook.

Oceanhouse Media has over 140 apps, including 7 Christmas titles for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Androids. Some titles you can choose from:

Tacky the Penguin
The Berenstain Bears
Spookley the Square Pumpkin
Little Critter

Here's a link to view their current FREE apps!

I'd like to thank Oceanhouse Media for the opportunity to temporarily review the apps on my Droid2. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Green Giant vs Santa YouTube Video

2010-12-28T10:36:00.001-06:00

Wanted to thank the team at MyBlogSpark for sharing this video.

Have a very Happy New Year!

Supercharge Your Gift Card & Cash Too From Hasbro: Free Toys

2010-12-25T16:00:00.005-06:00

Just because the holiday season will soon be over, it doesn't mean the spirit of holiday giving has to end, too! Thanks to Hasbro, the cheer will last a little longer with the "Supercharge Your Gift Card and Cash Too" program.

With "Supercharge Your Gift Card and Cash Too," Hasbro is rewarding consumers who spend $20 or more in gift cards (or cash) on select Hasbro toys and games with one of more than twenty FREE Hasbro toys and games valued at $10 or more. The promotion begins on 12/25/10 and runs through 1/31/11. No matter what your kids are into, they're sure to love receiving a little something extra from one of these popular Hasbro brands:

- BEYBLADE

- FurReal Friends

- G.I. Joe

- Hasbro Card Games

- Iron Man 2

- Littlest Pet Shop

- My Little Pony

- NERF

- Spider-Man

- STAR WARS

- Strawberry Shortcake

- Tonka

- Tonka CHUCK & Friends

- Transformers

- Weebles

MISSING: Big Time Rush Order For My Son!!

2010-12-24T08:38:00.003-06:00

Nine days ago my mom went to the "official" Big Time Rush website to order a package for my youngest son. My 7 yo watched their YouTube videos over and over while he wrote down all the words to their songs. Then he proceeded to sing them, over and over and over. He loves Big Time Rush.

When my mom was looking for ideas it just popped into my head that this would be one of the things he'd LOVE. She went to Amazon where they had the Big Time Rush CD for $6.99. Somehow she was redirected to the "official" website. I think she thought she found the mother load when she saw a package that has:

The Debut CD
Limited Edition Poster
Exclusive 'BTR' Funny Bandz
BTR Slap Bracelet
BTR Logo Youth T-Shirt (100% Cotton) - Sizing Info
Instant MP3 Download of "Til I Forget About You"

The price was pretty good so she purchased it.

Last night she realized the package hadn't arrived yet and went through her emails to see what was up. That's where she realized she hadn't received her tracking number yet. She tried sending them an email and nothing was working.

Finally I did a bit of snooping and I was able to send them an email. This morning this is what I learned from their response:

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. As per the information available, your order is currently backordered. The order will be shipped to you once it is available in our Warehouse. If you wish to cancel the order, please get back to us."

backordered? BACKORDERED?

Does it list that it's backordered on the site so my mom knows not to purchase it? NO!
Did she get an email stating that this order is backordered? NO!

Not until I emailed them to find out where the heck her Christmas gift is for my son do they care to inform us that he won't be opening anything from them for Christmas. It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't at their house this year for Christmas!

From everything I can tell, this site is an affiliate of Sony Music.

I've contacted the "official" BTR website AND Sony Music to let them know how upset, read pissed off, I am at how this transaction has transpired. I asked them how long it will be before these orders ship and that my expectation is that they ship it to our home address so that my mom doesn't have to pay for more shipping because of their negligence.

If this is how an "official" website is run, then we should all be concerned! I hope no one else has ordered anything from this site and are expecting a gift for their child that they won't be receiving any time soon!

Tiny Prints $50 Gift Card Giveaway

2010-12-22T23:01:00.009-06:00

I absolutely adore personalized cards. Ok, not just cards, but pretty much anything. Tiny Prints has got a fantastic selection of cards, calendars, stationary, planners, and the list goes on, that you can personalize! What a great way to start out the New Year!
The great part about being able to giveaway a $50 gift card is that even though I didn't receive product from Tiny Prints to review, the day before I received this offer I had gotten a Christmas card from a friend at church who had purchased her cards through Tiny Prints.

Here's what Tiny Prints has to say about their site:

Tiny Prints provides stylish, modern and unique stationery from photo cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards and business cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side the Holidays will be a cinch! They offer adorable Thanksgiving Cards, Christmas Cards, Hanukkah Cards, and even New Years Cards. All fully customizable and personalizable.

I loved multiple things about the card I received. The first thing I noticed was the heavy, card stock they used for their card. I also liked the numerous photos included on and in the card. Then they were able to personalize it for each family member.

Now, I have to warn you, don't say I didn't. Tiny Prints may become habit forming. I'm telling you, you're going to go to their site and like this card, oh and then like this card, but wait then there's this card. You see where I'm going with this right?

I'm already thinking about what I can do for Christmas next year. I have 4 kids and it's important for them all to have equal time so I think this would be a great one where I could include 3 photos of each kid:

Seriously, the possibilities with Tiny Prints is endless!!

I really quickly wanted to point out a wonderful feature that Tiny Prints worked on. This year celebrities such as Courtney Cox and Reese Witherspoon created holiday cards to support EBMRF, which is a genetic disorder I just learned about this past week on a show entitled, My Skin Is Killing Me. I was riveted to the television because there was a precious little boy who was living with this condition and being treated in MN at the Mayo Clinic.

Now the fun begins for someone who'd like to win the $50 gift card to Tiny Prints.

Required: Visit Tiny Prints and tell me what your favorite card is!

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 1/6/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Tiny Prints on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) "RT #Win a $50 gift card to @tinyprints 2 make personalized cards, calendars, planners & more! #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/h2UUG7"

Like Tiny Prints on Facebook (1 entry)

Like MMR on Facebook sidebar (1 entry)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I'd like to thank Tiny Prints for contacting me to host a giveaway. My review is based on a card I received not in association with this giveaway and from viewing their site. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2010-12-22T22:24:00.002-06:00

First of all, sorry that I didn't get my Linky up last week! Getting ready to leave for out of town had my brain in a tailspin!

For today, I'm hoping I can do my linky without my Windows Live Writer. Using someone else's computer and not having the same programs is a bit foreign and I don't like it. Still wishing I had a laptop! Dell, HP you are welcome to contact me any ol' time to do a review on a laptop or netbook. Call me.

Anyhow, right now I only have a couple of giveaways to offer because I can't get my act together enough to do them well while on the road.

Heart & Soul Candies Ends 12/30

Orient Automatic Watch Ends 1/4

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know.

Wordless Wednesday: Out To Dinner With Grandpa

2010-12-21T21:26:00.008-06:00

We finally made it to my parents in VA! We met my mom and dad at a pizzaria a couple towns over from their house. It was so nice to see them. We had a hysterical time! Baby and I pretty much laughed the entire time. Here are my boys with their grandpa!

Make sure to check out these other fabulous WW participants: Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House, 5 Minutes for Mom and My Organized Chaos!

STOP!
I accidentally posted my WW on this site and it should've been at my Woven by Words site!! SORRY

Bloggers Your Help Is Needed! Help Teens with Bipolar and Depression

2010-12-21T18:33:00.002-06:00

This information comes from Robyn at Robyn's World Online. She said we were able to copy and paste from her site and since I'm at my mom's (just got here a couple hours ago) I'm only going to add a quick piece of personal information:

My 17 yr old daughter has ADD-Inattentive (just like good ol' mom) and has depression. She has dealt with this pretty much all her life and it's been a real test of faith. Here's more about what Robyn wanted to share including her own family information:

I am putting a call for help out to all of my blogging friends for you to please make a quick blog post (copy and paste whatever you want from mine even). Many of you already know that my son has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and anxiety - we’ve had this diagnoses for over 10 years now (Taylor is now 16). Over the years the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation has been a wonderful resource for me in so many different ways for information and support. Honestly, the information I have gotten at bpkids.org over the years has been so incredibly helpful for me and my family and I know it’s that way for other families also.

Right now CABF is in the running for a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Everything campaign. They have to come in 1st or 2nd in order to get the grant money (as of today they have slipped to 3rd). So, I am asking ALL MY BLOGGING BUDDIES - Please, please, please take a moment to post on your blog about CABF and how to vote for your readers and share on Facebook and share on Twitter and just share any way you can so they can get some more votes and win! Below is a sample post you can use - take any or all of it - whatever works for you and your blog.

There are over 5 million U.S. youth who live with depression or bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, a very small percentage receive treatment. The Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF) is hoping to win a $250,000 grant from The Pepsi Refresh Project during December to raise public awareness and help more youth and their families who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder.

Youth depression and bipolar is seldom discussed. It affects 7% of all children in the U.S., yet only a small fraction receive treatment. We plan to launch an outreach campaign to inform parents about the symptoms of mood disorders and how to find help. The outreach will be accomplished via:

-Detailed Communication Plan

-Online ads

-Bi-weekly webinars

-Weekly podcasts

-Daily social networking

-150,000 brochures & 3 mailings to psychiatrists

Experienced CABF staff members will coordinate the webinars, podcasts and volunteer training. Our trained volunteer corps of 100+ around the US are ready to assist new families and youth who reach out to us in crisis. CABF has the capacity to refresh the lives of so many more youth!

DAILY VOTING METHODS
The Pepsi Refresh voting allows you to vote daily in EACH of these ways for CABF, plus you can vote for 9 other organizations each day also to spread the love!

Vote for CABF daily on the Refresh Everything site
You will need to log in daily for this vote - but it is very quick

Vote daily on Facebook
Please consider hitting the Share This button after you vote which will post it to your own Facebook wall and hopefully inspire others to vote

Text 104174 to PEPSI (73774)
This is a super simply method! You will receive 1 response each time you vote, but I haven’t had any other texts related to this - no spam.

NEW! There is an iPhone app now to vote daily
If you have an iPhone please download the app and vote daily too!

BONUS FOR YOU - WIN AN iPAD
That’s right, CABF is going to give away THREE iPADs if they win! You just have to sign up for their daily email reminders about voting in order to be entered. Super simple!

Thank you all so much for your continued support and votes for this cause. It is very near and dear to my heart! xoxoxo

Do you have a cause that is also participating in this program trying to get a grant? Please share in the comments so we can vote for them as well!

Orient Automatic Watch Giveaway

2010-12-21T17:08:00.009-06:00

I know that everyone has products they love to buy. Watches are one that I think I could never have enough of. One brand I would love to own would be an Orient Watch. They are so sleek and stylish. Personally I think they are gorgeous.

First let me introduce you to the gorgeous CDBAA001B Orient Metro Watch from the Urban collection. You have the choice of 4 different faces and 3 different bands. My personal favorite is the one with the white face and brown band. It has what they call the semi-skeleton that allows you to see the inner workings of the watch. Very cool.

Then there's the CDH00001W Orient Automatic Watch from the Executive collection. One of the cool features of the CDH0001W is that you can set it for dual time zones! So, if you or someone you know is a traveler, this would be excellent! This watch features the skeleton caseback so you can see the inner workings from the back.Now you've had a chance to drool over the gorgeous Orient Watches. Now it's your chance to own one of these beauties. Orient Watches is offering 1 commenter their choice of watch:

Women's:
BNQ1X003H - Red face
BNQ1X003F - Green face
BNQ1X003J - Blue face
BNQ1P001M - Pink Face

Men's:
CEM5J006U - Khaki Face

Required: Visit Orient Watch and tell me which watch you would love if money were no object.

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 1/4/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

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Follow Orient Watch on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) "RT #Win your choice of Orient Watch listed in my post (RV $135). A great way to start 2011! #giveaways @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/eIemdG"

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I want to thank Branding Brand for connecting me with Orient Watch. I received no compensation or product for this giveaway. My opinions expressed are from visiting the website and not from personal experience.

Eversave & Toys for Tots & Free Shipping

2010-12-17T22:53:00.001-06:00

'Tis the season to give! So we are excited to tell you that Eversave is donating 5% of the proceeds from today's National Online Save, ScoutCollection.com, to Toys for Tots!

To get some buzz going so that we can raise a lot of money, Eversave is also offering a $3 promo code to your readers! Anyone who uses the promo code TOYS at checkout will save an extra $3 off this Save only. With this code, your readers will pay just $22 for $50 worth of kid-friendly, organic apparel from ScoutCollection.com. This code is valid through Saturday (12/18). Plus they get free shipping!

Thanks for helping Eversave promote this fantastic charity! Toys for Tots, a program run by the United Sates Marine Corps Reserve, gives toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy gifts for the holidays. The Eversave team is so passionate about this charity that all of our employees are donating toys as well.

Hasbro’s Gift To You For The Holidays

2010-12-16T22:04:00.001-06:00

Holiday time is the perfect time of year to break out the party games so we wanted to be sure to share with you a very special offer. While supplies last, Hasbro's Facebook page for adult party games, Game Night Fun, is offering FREE booster cards for two crowd pleasing games: TABOO and THE GAME OF THINGS... These cards feature custom content that spotlight news and events of 2010.

Be sure to snatch up your 2010 booster cards today!

Redeem this offer by visiting: www.facebook.com/gamenightfun and look for the Special Offer tab.

SWAGG Mobile App Review & Stand Up To Cancer Donations

2010-12-16T21:57:00.001-06:00

I’ve never done an App review before for my fabulous Droid2, so I was very interested in trying SWAGG out.

SWAGG is available for Androids and Apple mobile devices. It was easy to download onto my phone.

Since my Droid2 is only a few months old I still have a bit of a learning curve with mobile apps. So far I’ve only really downloaded games for my boys to play.So, what is SWAGG?

SWAGG allows consumers to import more than 250 brands of gift cards and rewards cards and, unlike plastic cards, SWAGG permits consumers to view available balance and reward information on most of these cards. Additionally, consumers can use their mobile device to give, get and even exchange SWAGG GIFTS from participating merchant partners such as American Apparel Inc., The Wet Seal Inc., Crocs Inc., 1-800-Flowers.com and Arden B. Through SWAGG, consumers can access the offers that matter most to them, connecting users with more than 3,000 retailers. Retailers benefit by acquiring new customers, increasing in-store business and retaining existing customers.

Here’s the chance for you to help Stand Up To Cancer, a wonderful cause!

DOWNLOAD FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Every download through the month of December = $1 donation from SWAGG to Stand Up 2 Cancer.

Now for my review. I tried navigating through the app and had kind of a hard time. I think once there’s money in your SWAGG account it’s easier to find your way through the tabs.

So what can you do with the SWAGG app? You can add any Rewards Cards you have stuffed in your purse or wallet. Instead of going to a store to get a Gift Card, you can give SWAGG to someone (in the United States) on their phone.

SWAGG and I started off on the wrong foot. Let’s just say I was a “test case” for SWAGG, who started up just before Thanksgiving.That’s what I’m here for people. *grin*

As you can imagine, any company just starting out, especially with mobile apps, is going to run into a few glitches that need to be fixed.

What was my glitch? I went to American Eagle, which is one of the companies SWAGG works with. While there I transferred my $20 SWAGG to an American Eagle card. The awesome manager at the AE store was a huge help in this.

Unfortunately the credit card kept being declined. Thankfully, SWAGG has their 877 number available in the app (below the card in fact) so we called them. Unfortunately, the rep wasn’t able to help us and I walked away without a purchase.

I was told they’d call within 24 hours, but I didn’t hear from them so I called back. At first the gal couldn’t find any of my information and said the supervisor would be calling me back, which she did. The supervisor went through all the information she found and called me back knowing exactly what was going on with my case.

I tell you what, when you have good customer service, it makes everything else seem insignificant! Amy was phenomenal and really worked through this with me. When we get to VA I’m going to an American Eagle there to try the card again.

If I remember I’ll come back and give an update! =)

I think the idea of SWAGG is fantastic. The idea of using an app instead of carrying around a bunch of gift card I think is a great one. It can be used online or in stores they work with.

I know that with time, SWAGG is going to be a major factor in taking the place of gift cards. I think they’re on the road to something good and I will be more than happy to use SWAGG instead of gift cards from now on!

I’d like to thank Mom Bloggers Club for the opportunity to work with SWAGG. I was given $20 to use for the review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

H&S Candies Sampler Giveaway

2010-12-16T15:38:00.002-06:00

I had never heard of H&S Chocolate before. When it comes to reviewing chocolate, for your benefit of course, I’m a willing participant.

I was excited about being involved in this review because the company is faith based!

Heart and Soul Candies was founded on the premise that any pursuit that pushes the ceiling of excellence will earn the right to be heard. That is why Heart and Soul founder, Bill McGee, has been intent on developing a chocolate that rivals the various gourmet brands on the market, while also, intent on taking a unique position of delivering this excellent chocolate in creative packaging that conveys a scripture-based message worthy of being heard by all.

For my family the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I realize our society has us focused on gift giving and the commercialism of the day. Of course, we give gifts as well. I’m not saying we don’t. Most years it seems as though we’re getting further and further away from the Truth.

I love that by sharing the Heart & Soul Chocolate you can share the Message with those in your life, especially during the Christmas season!

I tried out the Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate. They are definitely melt in your mouth! I love their heart shaped and the fact that they’re such a thick piece of chocolate. They certainly don’t scrimp on quality.

If you are looking for a yummy stocking stuffer or a delicious gift, I would suggest trying out Heart & Soul Chocolates.The outer wrappers say things such as:

“Grace and Peace to you from God the Father” 1 Corinthians 1:3

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us” 1 John 4:16

Their products can be found in Walmart, Ingles Markets , Family Christian Stores, Berean Christian Stores, and LifeWay Christian Stores nationwide.

Now one winner gets to try out some samples from H&S Chocolate.

Required: Visit Heart & Soul and tell me which chocolate sounds the yummiest.

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 12/30 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

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I’d like to thank DBA West for connecting me with Heart & Soul Chocolate. I was provided chocolate samples from H&S and they will be providing the giveaway product. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Logitech Gift Guide

2010-12-16T13:08:00.001-06:00

1. Aiming to keep loved ones connected, major steps in delivering on our vision of bringing HD video communication to everyone and anyone is full force this holiday season with the new HD Webcam C510. Hint: it's also the HD webcam that can fold up...perfect for stocking stuffers :)

2. Another great stocking stuffer, Logitech's Color Collection. Choose mice, keyboards, and speakers to give those hanging socks a bit of techy edge.

3. Need great gifts for music lovers? The Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S715i and a series of cool colored ear buds from Ultimate Ears (Ultimate Ears 100) will satisfy any listener's expectations.

4. Next, for those innovative and environmentally savvy family and friends, you've got to see how Logitech's newest Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 (yep, SOLAR!) will steal the spotlight -- and steal it efficiently, I might add.

5. The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard K800 is another perfect holiday gift... it lights up in fun colors just like your holiday decorations!

6. Finally, give the gift of comfort with the Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N550. The comfy design is great for around-the-home laptop use, gives off rich sound from its stereo speakers, and is just right for compact laptops and netbooks (and one of my personal favs I must say).I have loved the keyboard and mouse. There’s no set up with either item. You plug this tiny little USB in and off you go! It’s so awesome!

When I first used the mouse I had to really get used to it because this baby was zipping across the screen. I’m totally used to it now. My old, and I do mean old, plug in Logitech mouse was ready to be retired.

I absolutely love the swirl design on the mouse and keyboard. They just add that POP to make it stand out. And as always you know you can trust the Logitech team to create a quality product.

I’d like to thank Logitech for sending the Keyboard and Mouse products for review. The opinion expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Zippo Outdoor Line Review

2010-12-15T08:43:00.001-06:00

Ok, raise your hand if you thought of lighter when you read the word “Zippo”. Zippo is synonymous with lighters to me.

Well, who knew Zippo has an outdoor line as well? Makes sense when you think about it. In the great outdoors you need heat for warmth and cooking. What better company to trust than Zippo.

So what might you find in the Zippo Outdoor Line? Check it out (click on images to learn more):

Let’s just say, I’m not an “outdoorsy” kind of girl in the winter. I go out to shovel and snowblow, but that’s about it. LOL I mean, I’m in Minne”snow”ta people.

The night of our snow storm I got these Zippo Hand Warmers ready to go and went out to do some shoveling and to take the trampoline down. Yes, it’s late in the season to take the trampoline down, but I’m a procrastinator.Filling the first one up proved to be a challenge for some reason. I got the lighter fluid all over the place. It wouldn’t light so I grabbed the 2nd hand warmer. This one filled up MUCH better and lit right away. I went back to the first lighter and finished filling it up and got that baby lit up too!I tried putting them in my mittens, but these hand warmers are HUGE! That wasn’t going to work so I stuck them in my pockets. After taking the trampoline mat off I ran it into the garage and stuck my hands in my pockets. Oh, the bliss in the middle of winter. I had happy, warm hands! I ran back and took of the springs and then started shoveling my sidewalk. I kept taking breaks to stick my hands in my pockets.

For the record, I wish I could just tape these up and down my body because then I could enjoy the snow in ways I never have! LOL

I came in and showed Doodle these Zippo hand warmers and he kept one of them holding it on his face. He did say they stunk, and they do smell like lighter fluid. I couldn’t care less. My hands were warm. As I’m sitting here talking to you, I have one sitting between my feet keeping them warm. Why waste it since it’ll be warm for the next 8 hours or so?

You can find Zippo:

Facebook

Twitter

I’d like to thank Zippo for sending my 2 Hand Warmers for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Paperspring StickyStock Calendar Giveaway & Discounts

2010-12-14T23:57:00.001-06:00

Paperspring is offering 10% off all Holiday Cards plus FREE 2 day shipping on orders of $50 or more now until December 20. Use code HOL10 to save 10% on any order and select Two Day Shipping during checkout to receive Free 2 day shipping on orders of $50 or more.

Ok, ready for a quick giveaway?

Paperspring is offering one of their innovative and exclusive items to one person!

StickyStock “solves the problem of having to tape up or use thumbtacks to post up a family or office calendar. StickyStock sticks to anything, even drywall, cabinets and stainless steel fridges. And StickyStock leaves no residue, much like a post-it. You can also write on the calendars with a pen or dry erase marker.”

Required: Visit Paperspring and tell me which month you like the most and WHY (RV $19.95).

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 12/19 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

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I’d like to thank Paperspring.com for offering one of my readers the chance to win this cool StickyStock Calendar. I have not received any compensation for posting this giveaway.

Warmly Yours Towel Warmer Review

2010-12-14T22:44:00.001-06:00

If I could’ve built my bathroom around the Warmly Yours Towel Warmer, I would’ve done it! I would’ve gotten the hardwired one and lived in bathroom bliss!

If you are looking for a last minute gift, oh man, go for this baby! Yah, women may say they don’t want electronics for a gift, but this sweet item will make the woman in your life happy, happy, happy!

Now, personally I have an issue with it because I have ADD and keep forgetting to turn this bad boy on! Ugh! My son asked for me to turn it on for him the other day because he’s so excited to try it out, but he was just getting in the shower and he wouldn’t be able to feel the true effects. Yah, he has ADD, too.

I actually wish there was an internal timer that turned it off after 1/2 an hour or so. I say that just as a safety device. The one that is hardwired, I believe, has a timing device.

I figure if they can put an automatic shut off in a curling iron, they can put one in a mechanism this large.

In my humble opinion, the lack of an automatic shut off really has nothing to do with how fantastic the Warmly Yours works and how much I loved it. Getting out of the shower to a warm towel this morning is absolutely dreamy!!

Oh and did I mention that Warmly Yours has other amazing products as well. Those of us in frigid MN will get a lot of use out of products such as:

Floor Heating (Tile, Carpet, Hardware, Showers, etc)
Snow Melting (Driveways, Patios, Roof/Gutters, etc)
Comfort (Towel Warmer, Mirror Defoggers, and Area Warmers)

I’d like to thank Pitch It To Me for connecting me with Warmly Yours! Warmly Yours provided my product for review and the opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

FashiontoFigure.com Giveaway

2010-12-11T16:52:00.002-06:00

I was really happy when FashiontoFigure.com contacted me and asked me to do a giveaway. No, I’m not full figured, but I’m 5’8 and have a hard time finding clothes, especially pants that fit me in length and shirts that fit the length of my arms.

I do have several friends who are full figured ladies and I know they have a hard time finding fashionable clothing in their sizes. I think that’s ridiculous since the everyday size woman is in double digits. Well FashiontoFigure is for women sized: 12-26!Of course I had to go check out their website to see if they had fashionable clothing for the everyday full size woman and they definitely do!I am a jean girl and for me if a clothing company doesn’t carry a decent line of jeans then I probably won’t give them a second look. That’s just me. Well, I loved the style of jeans FashiontoFigure.com offers.FashiontoFigure’s mission is “Making people's lives better through the ultimate full-fashion shopping experience.” Shopping should be an experience, not a depressing drag!Here’s 1 commenter’s chance to win the 3 items pictured above (Bolero, Jeans, and Skirt)!

Winner from Random.org is #62. I don't have my desktop with me at my moms so I don't have a program to be able to copy the Random.org winner info. I hope that you will trust that I did use Random.org and it chose the winner. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Required: Check out their Holiday Lookbook and tell me which item you would love for the holidays.

Giveaway open to US Continental Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 12/20 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

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I’d like to thank FashiontoFigure for contacting me. I didn’t receive any product or compensation for this post. FashiontoFigure will be providing the giveaway products.

Centrum Holiday Contest

2010-12-10T14:29:00.002-06:00

This holiday season, the makers of Centrum® multivitamins and Molly Shannon are in search of “America’s Most Amazingly Energized Woman” and they want your help!

In celebration of women who live life and love to the fullest by staying healthy and energized, even during the busiest time of the year, Centrum® is kicking off a new contest.

Visit LoveFeelingHealthy.com to nominate yourself or someone special in your life. Tell them your secret to maintaining healthy energy levels so you can enjoy the great things the holiday season brings – including friends and family time, giving gifts, hosting parties, and so much more!

Also available on LoveFeelingHealthy.com are tips from Molly Shannon so be sure to check back to learn how to get the most joy out of the holidays by living to the fullest!

Participants are asked to submit 300 words or less that explains how you (or who you nominate) does it all. Nominations are being accepted until January 3, 2011 (12pm EST). Contest open to US residents only.

Five finalists will be selected and then, from January 17-31, 2011, the public can cast their votes for who should be coined “America’s Most Amazingly Energized Woman.”

PRIZING

Grand Prize: $3,000 XPERIENCE DAYS Gift Certificate.
Four (4) Runner-Up Prizes: $400 XPERIENCE DAYS Gift Certificate

XPERIENCE DAYS offers thousands of unique gift experiences nationwide

Sweepstakes Rules & Regulations Here.

Achieve better health during the holiday season! Download a $3 coupon for Centrum® Women’s or Centrum® Men’s.

I am a member of One2One Network and this post is part of a member project where I am eligible to win prizing. I make no claims about Centrum as a product or it's effectiveness.

Insect Shield Giveaway

2010-12-10T01:21:00.002-06:00

Looking to get something for the Outdoors person in your life you might want to think about the Insect Shield line of products.

I received a set of Insect Shield bandanas. Of course, I’m in Minnesota and keeping the bugs, especially the mosquitoes away is a yearly battle.

Thankfully, I won’t be needing these again until next Spring/Summer! But when those stinkin’ bugs show up again, I’ll be prepared!

Insect Shield “converts clothing and gear into long-lasting, effective and convenient insect protection”. The use a man-made version of a natural repellent.

Insect Shield protects against:

flies

chiggers

midges

ants

mosquitoes

ticks

fleas

One of the great features of Insect Shield is that lasts through 70 launderings! Think of all the times you don’t have spray yourself with bug spray over the summer by wearing these products! And they’re EPA-registered.

Here’s your opportunity to win 2 packs that contain a bandana, mouse pad, sticky note pad, and there’s even an educational video all in a mesh bag! Required: Visit Insect Shield and tell me which article of clothing you’d like to wear of theirs.

Extra Entries:

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Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win 2 @insect_shield bandanas for the outdoorsy person in your life! Keep those pests away! #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/gPgIr4“

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Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Blog Friendly PR for connecting me with Insect Shield! Insect Shield provided me with the product and giveaway items. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

LifeDiscipler Electronic Bible Verse Reminder

2010-12-08T23:33:00.001-06:00

I received the LifeDiscipler and thought it was a pretty cool gadget. Do you need scripture to encourage you or are you curious about a topic from the Bible? That’s what this electronic device is here for.

It is already set up with topics to choose from and scriptures to fit them. That makes it easy to navigate through the LifeDiscipler.

It’s really light weight and fits in the palm of your hand. The navigation button, similar to an iPod is easy to use. You can search by topics alphabetically. I also like that when a new verse has been added I will be notified by an alarm.

The creator of the LifeDiscipler wanted to make sure this product is affordable and the one issue I have with it is one area he specifically decided to cut back on: the display screen. At night or in the shade it’s hard to read and you have to tilt it so that it catches the light enough to make it readable. I think if the font were more bold it might be easier to read. There is the option of having the size of the text larger, but that hasn’t really helped me.

If you have someone who loves scripture and would love to have this handy little gadget for a stocking stuffer, check out the LifeDiscipler.

Are you looking to do a fundraiser? This would be a neat, and new idea instead of all the old, same ol’ same ol’ stuff!

LifeDiscipler is offering 20% off using the coupon code “GROW20” through December 30, 2010. This would be a nice stocking stuffer!

44 Life Subjects, 1500 Verses, 3 Time Intervals

Verses from 5 modern translations (NIV, TNIV, NKJV, NLT, CEV) - Approx 300 each
Polycarbonate display lens - durable and scratch resistant
LCD display - conserves battery life for longer use
Simple 5 button control - easy intuitive navigation (you don’t have to be an electronics wiz!)
Attachment loop - for clipping to purse, backpack, keys, etc.
Audible alarm - 3 settings to fit your need
Runs on 1 button cell battery (watch battery)
Approx. size, 2”x3.25”x.5”

I’d like to thank BuzzBlogger for my LifeDiscipler for review! The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the company.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2010-12-08T21:37:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog last week and entered all my giveaways! The following is a list of my current giveaways at MMR:

Perricone $150 Gift Certificate 12/11

Glee Make Your Own Candy Kit 12/11

Brugo Mug 12/14

Grilling4All: Slider or Crème Brulee Kit 2 Winners 12/14

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate 3 Winners 12/15

Aurora Gifts Your Choice 12/16

I also want to apologize that there haven’t been more reviews posted! I’ve had major computer issues since Thanksgiving so I’m completely behind! I hope to have the computer fixed this weekend…or so. =)

Aurora Gifts Giveaway: Christmas Gathering & Gift Guide Day 17

2010-12-06T23:46:00.002-06:00

Are you looking for that “extra” little gift for the young child in your life? I know there’s always a couple of big gifts and then you get down to the stocking stuffers and extra fun gifts for the kids to open.

When Doodle grabbed the Paws Puppets, the first thing he did was make a play for them! I figured they’d become the means for “clawing” his brother and attacking him, but he really used his imagination. Then he actually wrote a play that he hasn’t finished quite yet for the Paws Puppets!

My favorite Aurora Gift we got to review was the Cheeky Charlie. He’s simply adorable and so soft. It’s the soft part that gets me. Doodle likes throwing him in the air. I’m not sure why, maybe that’s what monkey’s do, but we both dig Cheeky Charlie.

I would highly suggest Aurora Gifts. They have a fantastic selection of high quality plush toys. So without further ado here’s a great selection of ideas:

Aurora - “Retro” YooHoo & Friends™

Aurora’s international toy phenomenon YooHoo & Friends™ aims to please kids and collectors with the release of uber-hip YooHoo & Friends dressed in 60s, 70s and 80s retro styles. The collection is fashioned after some of the most famous pop culture icons of those decades (think Elvis, Madonna, Travolta from Saturday Night Fever etc.). The medium sized, five inch “retro” YooHoo & Friends are available in seven styles including 70s Love, Punk Rocker, Pop Singer, Vegas, Flash Dancer, British Rocker and Disco Dancer. The larger, eight inch versions include Punk Rocker, 70s Love, Flash Dancer and Pop Singer. Both sizes make sounds when squeezed (MSRP: medium-$8.99, large-$14.99). YooHoo & Friends™ created the corresponding interactive website www.yoohoofriends.com, so kids and their parents can learn more about the animals (many endangered) and their natural habitats. Membership is free. On the site, visitors can play scores of games, download desktop backgrounds and coloring sheets, send e-cards, raise their own YooHoo & Friends character and much more. YooHoo & Friends is on Facebook (http://facebook.com/yoohoofanpage) and Twitter: @yoohoofriends. The brand is geared towards ages 5 years old to tweens, but can skew beyond that group (i.e.: collectors). Shop Aurora and YooHoo & Friends online at http://shop.auroragift.com/.

Aurora – Dreamy Eyes™

Dreamy Eyes™ feature loveable expressions, big eyes and appealing cuddle material that just melts in your hands. 13brand new styles include tiger, pony, pig, cow, lion, elephant, monkey, giraffe, cat, pug, Chihuahua, frog and lamb (10”, bean filled; MSRP: $12.99). Perfect for ages two and up! Visit Aurora online at www.auroragift.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/auroraworld. Shop Aurora online at http://shop.auroragift.com/.

Aurora – Paws Puppets

Get your “Grrrrrr” on with Aurora’s all new Paws Puppets. Nicely stuffed with velboa plush, ‘Paws’ are not your traditional sleeve puppet. The soft claws (not hard plastic) complement the paw pad detailing. The 100 percent soft puppets are available in six styles including White Tiger, Leopard, Black Panther, Bengal Tiger, Polar Bear and Lion (MSRP: $12.99).Aurora’s Paws Puppets are also great products for schools or sports teams with animal mascots. Ages three and up. Visit Aurora online at www.auroragift.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/auroraworld. Shop Aurora online at http://shop.auroragift.com/.

Aurora - Fancy Pals™ - The Original Toy Pet Carriers

One of Aurora’s best selling lines, Fancy Pals, features the original Pet Carriers -- a purse and plush animal in one. The plush animals are interchangeable – kids have fun mixing and trading the animals to other carriers. Three new styles include “Sweet…Sweet…Sweet,” a pink poodle in a heart shaped bag with the word “sweet” embroidered on the side; “I Heart U,” a purple kitten and fancy pink bag embroidered with “I © U”; and “Love” (pictured) featuring an adorable black and white puppy in a flashy pink bag embroidered with shiny hearts and the word “love” (carriers vary from six to eight inches in size, depending on style; MSRP: $12). Visit Aurora online at www.auroragift.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/auroraworld. Shop Aurora online at http://shop.auroragift.com/.

Aurora - Cheeky Charlie™ & Carmen™

Retailers know Aurora’s go-to monkeys with personality, lovable smiles and signature banana in the tail, Cheeky Charlie™& Carmen™, fly off store shelves. Three newer styles in the line include Cheeky Charlie “Rock Star” which features Charlie with a Mohawk, sporting a guitar and t-shirt (14.5 inches). Cheeky Charlie Surfer (14.5 inches) in a visor and board shorts is ready to hit the beach with his surfboard. Cheeky Charlie Zoo Keeper (14.5 inches), Wrangler Cheeky Charlie (pictured, 14.5 inches) and Carmen “BFF” (pictured, 14.5 inches) are some other top items in the line. Each monkey’s Velcro hands make “hanging out” easy! Ages three and up. All “14.5 inch” Cheeky Charlie & Carmen styles retail with a suggested price of $17. Visit Aurora online at www.auroragift.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/auroraworld. Shop Aurora online at http://shop.auroragift.com/.

Here’s your opportunity to win one of the gifts listed above of your choice!! There isn’t a guarantee it’ll get there by Christmas so I want to make sure the winner is aware of that!

Required: Visit Aurora Gifts and let me know what other plush you’d like for the holidays!

Extra Entries:

5 Extra entries if you grabbed my button and commented on the required post (5 entries, comment 5x)

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Yoohoo Friends on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win Your choice of Aurora Plush Toy from my Holiday giveaway. Fun last minute ideas #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/fZBoBz“

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Tellem Worldwide for providing the products for review & giveaway in this post. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Holiday Gift Blog Hop Winners

2010-12-06T16:40:00.001-06:00

I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who stopped by and followed Marvelous Mom Reviews and entered the giveaway! I hope to be bringing you more fantastic reviews and giveaways!

I am still trying to get my emails out to the winners. It’s taking about 5 minutes or more for each email because of my computer issues that I’ve had since Thanksgiving. Very frustrating and I apologize.

Before I announce the winners, I wanted to make sure you knew about the other giveaways that are going to be ending shortly:

$50 Sears Gift Card 12/6

77kids $50 Gift Card 12/6

CEIVAshare Frame & Plan 12/6

Misikko Hair Care Products 12/6

Perricone $150 Gift Certificate 12/11

Glee Make Your Own Candy Kit 12/11

Brugo Mug 12/14

Grilling4All: Slider or Crème Brulee Kit 2 Winners 12/14

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate 3 Winners 12/15

Drum Roll Please…

For some odd reason Random.org liked picking from the 300’s. I am slowly but surely getting in touch with the winners. If I don’t hear back within 48 hours I will be redrawing.

Again, thank you to everyone who dropped by and entered! Have a fabulous holiday season!

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Giveaway 3 Winners!

2010-12-03T22:18:00.002-06:00

Green & Black is a brand new name to me when it comes to chocolates. Who knew I was missing something so scrumptious?!

I was sent 3 different varieties to try:

Milk Chocolate

Milk Chocolate with Peanuts

Dark Chocolate

Green & Black’s is the only global organic and Fair Trade Certified Chocolate brand. To receive the distinction of Fair Trade Certification, companies must commit to establishing fair pricing labor conditions; engage in direct trade; work only with democratic and transparent organizations; and support community development and environmental sustainability.

From the cocoa beans to the roasted almonds, Green & Black’s believes that using high-quality fair trade, organic ingredients results in a better and more intensely flavored chocolate experience. Today, you can enjoy 13 different bars, hot chocolate, and baking chocolate and have the assurance that you’re making a responsible purchase – for the earth, for you, and for the farming communities that helped make this product possible.

Additional information about Fair Trade USA can be found by visiting http://www.transfairusa.org/.

Do you ever get something and you want to hide it from someone? Like your kids? Too bad I opened the package up with my boys around. There was no way I was going to get to do this review on my own. Dang!

The Dark 70% was waaaay to Dark for us. I’m not even a “light” Dark chocolate eater! LOL My mom and dad on the other hand…they’d eat this candy in one sitting. Not for me, or the boys, but it’s going into my parents stockings for Christmas.

Next came the Milk Chocolate. Hello and come to mama. I let the boys have a sample, a square, cause that’s the kind of nice mom I am. They loved it! So did I. Oh my goodness, that was some good chocolate. Who knew Milk Chocolate could be so good?

Finally I tried the Milk Chocolate with Peanuts. Such a shame that my boys don’t like peanuts. I ate the entire thing. Shameless I know, but I couldn’t help myself. This was seriously good chocolate!

I’m holding out for Milk Chocolate with Caramel. Ooooo my girls would love that, too! Hint, Hint Green & Black’s.

When you visit Green & Black’s website and check out their bars, one thing you’ll notice when you hover your mouse over the bars is the intensity of the cocoa. It’ll give you a good idea of which one might fit your taste buds!

3 people have the chance to win 2 bars each! Can you taste the chocolate already?

Required: Visit Green & Black’s and tell me which other flavor (not listed) that you’d like to try. Make sure to click the arrow to see all the choices!

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT 3 ppl will #Win 2 bars of Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate! #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/fvmjjj“

“Like” Green & Black’s on Facebook (1 entry)

“Like” MMR on Facebook (1 entry)

Enter the Green & Black’s Global Ambassador campaign (2 entries, comment 2x)

Tell me one Fact about Chocolate (1 entry)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

My thanks to Blog Friendly PR for connecting me with Green & Black’s. I’d like to thank Green & Black’s for my sample & giveaway product. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Old Navy $50 OFF $100 Ten Winners!

2010-12-02T15:19:00.002-06:00

Ok gang, ready for a quick chance to win one of 10 coupons for $50 off $100? This giveaway will only run for TWO days because the coupons are only good until December 9, 2010.

Women's Long-Sleeve Roll-Up Shirts

If any friends you know need a quick-pick, versatile shirt, wrap up a roll-up shirt for them this holiday season. Women’s Long-Sleeve Roll-Up shirts will look great under the tree and on her! And they’re perfect for holiday budgets. $14, reg. $24.50. 12/3 – 12/9. In-store only. (Or maybe you just keep them for yourself.)

See Old Navy’s Women’s Long-Sleeve Roll-Up shirts at Facebook.com/OldNavy under the “Weekly Ad” tab. When you’re at Facebook click “Barker’s Bones” and dig up this week’s highest-value, unlimited coupon: $10 off $50. Play once a week to score super savings. Happy digging!

Required: Tell me How do you stick to your holiday budget – besides saving at Old Navy?

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 12/3 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet today & tomorrow (1 entry each) “RT #Win TWO day #giveaway to 10 ppl $50 OFF $100 @OldNavy @bigguysmama This is a Quick Giveaway http://bit.ly/ebSNVD“

Like Old Navy on Facebook (2 entries, comment 2x)

Enter my Hallmark Recordable Storybook Giveaway at my other site (2 entries)

I have not received any compensation or product for sharing this information with you. Giveaway is provided by M80 and Old Navy.

Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

2010-12-02T01:03:00.001-06:00

Ok, the insanity has begun! I know there are SO MANY people following me on Twitter thru my Holiday Giveaway Blog Hop. I will follow you back! You just have to give me time. I have an OLD computer and it takes me a while to get thru my emails!

Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop: 5 Winners 12/5

Christmas Gathering & Gift Guide:

Cradle Rock Lullabies CD 12//4

2 Winners Legacy Family Tree Software 12/4

CEIVAshare Frame & Plan 12/6

Misikko Products 12/6

Glee Make Your Own Candy Kit 12/11

Brugo Mug 12/14

Grilling4All Slider or Creme Brulee Kit 2 Winners 12/14

Marvelous Mom Reviews General Giveaways

$25 Walmart Gift Card & Dinner Pack 12/4

“Flipped” DVD 12/4

$50 Sears Gift Card 12/6

77kids $50 Gift Card 12/6

$150 Perricone Gift Certificate 12/11

Woven by Words (My personal site)

“Flipped” DVD 12/4

Hallmark Recordable Storybook 2 Winners 12/4

Grilling4All Giveaway | 2 Winners: Christmas Gathering & Gift Guide Day 16

2010-12-02T00:00:00.002-06:00

Earlier this year we got satellite tv back again! Hurray. Steven Raichlen of Primal Grill was grilling on his own show and I was fascinated. Who knew grilling could grab my attention. Raichlen made grilling look interesting and there seemed to be a science to it, not just slapping some ground beef on the grill.

Grilling is a year round activity here in Minnesota. I know it’s hard for some to believe with how cold it gets here in the winter. I’m tellin' ya now, the grills at the store I work in sell even in February!

It still boggles my mind all the ways he could create meals on a grill! A GRILL! Let me just say for the record, if I could afford it, I would have a serious addiction to Raichlen grilling gadgets. And I’m not a big griller like my boys would like me to be.

So guess what…I got gadgets!! Can you believe I’ve never had a slider? NEVER. Unfortunately the weekend we were supposed to grill we got our first snowfall. The next weekend was an ice storm. Finally this past weekend we headed to MB’s to have sliders for dinner! KB got the grill going and I made the slider patties. Earlier in the day I had put the Slider Spice (which is really strong I might add) into the raw meat. The ease of creating the patties was delightful. Took them out of the press and put them into the Slider Grill Basket.

We sat down for dinner and we all dug in! They were such great guinea pigs and were pretty happy to participate in helping me review these products!Buddy thought it was spicy, a little too spicy. We all agreed that there was a VERY strong spice that stood out above the rest but couldn’t put our finger on it. I think I went a bit overboard with the spices. Next time I’ll use less. All in all, it was a resounding success!

I was also sent the Creme Brulee Grill Kit. Friends, I thought the heavens had opened up and God smiled on me! Creme Brulee is a dessert that leaves me speechless.

When I was getting ready to prepare this to take to MB’s I realized I had all the products, but had missed that it needed to set for THREE hours. Really, I need to start reading instructions all the way through!

So, I made it and left it in the fridge for later. Later came around 11pm when I was craving a snack. Come to mama! I put the Salamander on my glass top stove. I wasn’t starting up the grill at that time of night!

I went a bit overboard and really singed the Dessert Barbeque Rub! LOL That yummy, crispy crust and the creme inside, it was a grilled version of my very favorite Creme Brulee. It was a wonderful dessert and hit the spot.

If I’ve made you hungry for some grillin’ here’s your chance to win one of the two items I was able to review! Dang you’re lucky! There will be two winners. One will win the Slider Set (Press, Basket, and Spice) and one will win the Creme Brulee Set and Spice.

Required: Tell me which Cool Tool the griller in your family would love.

Extra Entries:

5 Extra entries if you grabbed my button and commented on the required post (5 entries, comment 5x)

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win a Slider Grilling Set or Creme Brulee Grilling Set from Grilling4All #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/fYMwmK“

Like Grilling4All on Facebook (1 entry)

Enter my Hallmark Recordable Storybook Giveaway at my other site (2 entries)

I’d like to thank Grilling4All for my product & giveaways products! Blog Friendly PR connected me with Grilling4All. The opinions expressed are my own!

Holiday Gift Giveaway Blog Hop

2010-11-30T23:59:00.003-06:00

I am so excited to offer 5 people the opportunity to win ONE of these gift certificates as there are five gift certificates.

Here’s how the Holiday Blog Hop going to work (thanks for dropping by):

You enter with the REQUIRED entry below.

You can do as many or none of the extras.

Every comment is entered into the ENTIRE giveaway. You can NOT ask to win a specific gift certificate.

Random.org will choose each of the winners. I will go in order of the listing below and draw for each one individually.

Please visit the other Holiday Blog Hop sites for the cash or gift certificates that they have exclusively set up.

Giveaways

$150 Gift Certificate to

Naturalizer Shoes.

$100 Gift Certificate to Tea

$65 Gift Certificate to CSN.com
$25 Gift Certificate to Jasmere.com

$10 Gift Certificate to Beecology

Required Entry

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews

You MUST leave a way to contact you either have it in your profile or leave an email address! I don't have the time to be searching for your information (I'm lucky to know my own information...most of the time).

My Holiday Gift Giveaway Blog Hop is open to US Residents, 18 yrs and older. Blog Hop runs Dec 1-5, 2010 and ends at 11:59pm PST on December 5th.

Winner has 48 hours to respond or I will draw a new winner. Gift Certificates or Check Out Codes will be provided by the company, aside from Naturalizer Shoes which I will provide.

5 Extra Entries

Subscribe to MMR

Follow me on Twitter

Visit ONE of the companies and tell me about a product you like

Follow ONE of the companies on Twitter

*Tea is not on Twitter

Like ONE of the companies on Facebook

*Tea

I would like to thank CSN.com, Jasmere.com, Beecology, Tea, and Naturalizer for the Giveaway gift certificates. I received samples from Beecology and Tea only. There are no opinions included with this post.

Giveaways Ending Tonight & 1 New Giveaway

2010-11-30T18:18:00.001-06:00

The first set of giveaways from Christmas Gathering & Gift Guide will close tonight at 11:59pm PST.

Here’s a list of the giveaways in case you haven’t entered to win yet:

Crest Pro-Health FOR ME Kit

Bridgewater Holiday Diffuser

Hasbro Games & Bonus Gifts

Wilton Gingerbread Kits

Tama-Town & Gotchi Figure

Ornaments With Love

Over at my other site Woven by Words I have 2 Hallmark Recordable Storybooks of your choice to giveaway! These books are so awesome!

National Geographic Kids Atlas of My World

2010-11-29T00:07:00.001-06:00

Are you looking for a gift for a child that’s personalized and not like the gifts all the other kids are receiving? Check out the National Geographic Kids Atlas of My World!

These are so cool! It was fun to go play with the sample book that allows you to get an idea of what the book will be like. You can go check it out and see for yourself. Here’s what you can get in this book:

48 pages, hardcover

Over 200 full-color photographs and maps

Custom printed with your child's photo and details

There you can upload your child's/children's photos, see & choose from several different personalization options (ranging from where the child/children go to school, information about their pet, things they love/enjoy & more), write your dedication and then see what the final product would look like!

I’ve been given discount codes to pass on to you from NatGeo:

50% Discount plus free shipping on Nov 29 & 30 & Dec 1 with "personalized" Marvelous Mom Reviews blog discount code: mmr50gift
25% Discount plus free shipping on Dec 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 with "personalized" Marvelous Mom Reviews discount code: gift25mmr

So make sure when you are checking out to use those awesome codes!

You can also find NatGeo on

Twitter

Facebook

*By sharing this information with you I am eligible to win a Savings Bonds and my own personalized atlas. I have not received any compensation or product for sharing this information.

Tea Collection: Blog Hop Sponsor

2010-11-28T23:00:00.001-06:00

We’re just a few days away from the Holiday Blog Hop hosted by Simply Stacie.

One of my sponsors is Tea. They have luxurious clothing for children. It’s so wonderful to come across a company who not only makes fantastic lines for children, but also have a larger goal when it comes to how they create their lines. Learn more about their Inspiration!

“Before we sold our first sweater, we had our inspiration: for little citizens of the world. We want to bring the beauty found in cultures around the world into the lives and homes of families in our own backyard. We believe that if the foreign is familiar – it is no longer foreign. It helps us remember that we all more alike than we are different."

Buddy was sent a Back Roads Pullover about which they say “We loved experimenting with the bold striping we discovered on an everyday pair of Hungarian hand-knit socks”. Poor kid had the sun in his eyes, but he liked modeling his new sweater!

Doodle received the Village Plaid shirt. I just want to snuggle against him it’s so cozy! Tea’s clothing tag says, “We were charmed by the cozy hand-woven plaid blankets we found in the Hungarian countryside.” To go along with it he also received the Long Sleve Solid Henley in prune. Man he looks like such a little outdoorsman!

For the record, if anyone needs models, my boys have no problem in front of a camera! Doodle posed how he wanted and told me when to take the photo! Buddy did the poses above against the tree! If you are looking to do some cyber shopping check out their sales going on thru Tuesday!

As a side note, Tea has a gorgeous collection of clothing for women as well! They offer free shipping on orders over $150!

Tea is generously offering a $100 gift certificate to one winner!

I’d like to thank Tea for the shirts for review and for providing the gift certificates for the Blog Hop!

Naturalizer Shoes Blog Hop Sponsor

2010-11-28T20:55:00.001-06:00

I actually won a $150 gift certificate from Naturalizer Shoes at a Twitter party. I am, in turn, giving it to someone who enters the Blog Hop!

I’ve never actually owned a pair of Naturalizer Shoes and hope that one day I will! I think if I had the money, my closet would be lined with Naturalizer Shoes!

They have great selections for all seasons! Check out these gorgeous Bernice boots that would be perfect here in MN:

Attending any get togethers over the holidays? How about a beautiful pair of Lennox Red Shiny dress shoes? Of course, Naturalizer doesn’t stop at shoes! Oh no, they’ve got a fantastic selection of handbags as well! This one’s the Rocker! Be sure to check out their other selections as well!

Beecology.com Blog Hop Sponsor

2010-11-28T18:58:00.001-06:00

I received a few sample collections of Beecology to review and have to say my favorite so far has been their All Natural Peppermint Body Wash. Especially for this time of year it smells heavenly.

I love that this is a family operation and they take what they put into their products seriously. Beecology also gives back through their charity web site, SweetYear.org They “will give 10 percent (of net profit from all sales) to environmental and social causes.”About Beecology:

Beecology Natural Skincare and Hair Products

About six years ago I agreed to let a co-worker put a beehive on my family farm. I didn't plan to be responsible for it, but when life events kept him from tending to it, I became a beekeeper.

I found bee science and culture fascinating, and I soon began researching bees and attending workshops at The Ohio State University agricultural campus. Beyond enjoying the science, I found that tending the bees gave me time to reflect. It became a cathartic activity.

I also came to realize how connected the bees' world is to ours - any changes in our environment affect their environment as well. I began to think about the foods we eat, the chemicals we use, and the impact these factors have on bees and on us. That's when the idea hit me: I wanted to make natural skincare and hair products using honey, beeswax, and other ingredients that are good for us and our world.

This is the philosophy behind Beecology. Today my family and I produce a full line of natural products - lip balm, soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion - that help our customers keep their skin and hair healthy the natural way.

But being a good corporate citizen isn't just about using the Earth's products wisely. So in addition to drawing from the world to make our natural skincare and hair products, we give back through our charitable arm, SweetYear.org. We invite you to join us in making a difference.

David Rzepka, on behalf of the Rzepka family

I’ll be giving away a $10 gift certificate to Beecology.com.

Jasmere.com Blog Hop Sponsor

2010-11-28T15:14:00.001-06:00

About Jasmere.com:

Jasmere features high-end merchandise from the nation's top web merchants.
Our sales begin and end at noon each weekday. Some items have limited supply, and once it's gone, it's gone.
Prices always start at 50% off or better.
As more people buy, the price gets lower. We won't charge your credit card until the sale ends, and everyone pays the day's lowest price.
Refer your friends, and earn $10 jasmere credit for each one that becomes a customer.
Find us on Facebook, where we offer a prize every single weekday.
Spread the word, and we'll all save more!

Some examples of the the companies they’ve worked with are:

‘love bottle’: reusable glass bottles
Ruva Cards
Kids Konserve
dolma jewelry
My Lucky Wish
Sweetteeth

They will be offering a $25 gift card to Jasmere.com!

Holiday Blog Hop Giveaway Starts December 1-5th

2010-11-28T14:34:00.001-06:00

Ok everyone! I know I have some great new followers and people who have been following since I started back in March.I wanted to give you all a heads up about 5 gift certificates that I’ll be giving away starting at midnight on December 1st.Here’s how it’s going to work. I’m going to have a single post listing all 5 companies that are working with me. You will have ONE required entry. Then there are 5 extra entries, that’s it.In the extras you will have the opportunity to follow ONLY 1 company via Twitter and 1 company via Facebook. You are more than welcome to follow all of them, but only one comment for each will qualify. You get to choose.The giveaways will end at 11:59pm PST on December 5th. From there Random.org will choose 5 winners in order of the listed gift certificates. For example, if Beecology is my first offered gift certificate, then the person’s name I draw first will win that gift certificate.There is no guarantee that you’ll win the exact one you want, you just have the opportunity, and what a fun and fantastic opportunity!

I’ll be highlighting these companies today and tomorrow so be sure to check them out! I did a post about CSNstores.com already so make sure to read that one, too.

GLEE Make Your Own Candy Kits Giveaway: Christmas Gathering & Gift Guide Day 15

2010-11-28T00:23:00.002-06:00

I’ve heard of GLEE Gum before but had no idea that they had a fun selection of Make Your Own Candy Kits!

Now, I know this was an activity for my boys so I thought the Chocolate Kit would fit me our family the best.

Doodle helped me out with the Chocolate Kit from beginning to almost the end. I wanted him to read the history of chocolate with me and test the cacao bean. Oh, that was so gross, but it was funny to watch his reaction. We did it to his brother & friend. tee hee hee

Then we set about mixing the ingredients. Pretty quick and simple. The part that took the longest was the mixing. Let me warn you that when it says it could take 15 minutes of continuous stirring, they mean it!!

I sat at the computer stirring and stirring thinking I was off my rocker to believe the instructions, but guess what? They’re right! Go figure. It HAS to hit the right temperature. I believe it was 92 degrees.

Then we set about putting it into the individual candy wrappers. We I filled up nearly all the wrappers ~~since I was abandoned by Doodle for a movie~~. Then they were stuck in the fridge to hardened.

I was a bit cynical as to how it would taste. I mean, come on, it’s out of a box. I was supremely surprised at how fantastic these chocolates have tasted. They seem to be more on the dark chocolate side, but not so much that I won’t eat it. Trust me, I don’t willingly eat dark chocolate.

Now, about the photo, there should be a LOT more candies on the plate. As in spilling off the plate there were so many, but I forgot to take a photo by the time they hardened. I’ve been eating them here and there (or all the time depending on who you ask).

The Make Your Own Chocolate Kit cuts the mustard with me!

This would make a fantastic family activity, especially since a parent should be around to oversee the project. Here’s your chance to win one! And in case you want to purchase your own, they’re having Free Shipping on all orders of $50 or more!

Required: Tell me which Glee Candy Kit you would like to win for your family.

Extra Entries:

5 Extra entries if you grabbed my button and commented on the required post (5 entries, comment 5x)

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow Glee on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win your choice of a Glee Candy Making Kit. Kits R from scratch & learn exciting information #giveaway @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/eXJkDo“

Like Glee on Facebook (1 entry)

Like MMR on Facebook (1 entry)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Blog Friendly PR for connecting me with Glee, and to Glee for sending my review product and providing the giveaway! The opinions expressed are my own.

Perricone: Best Anti Wrinkle Cream $150 Giveaway | US & Canada

2010-11-27T17:16:00.004-06:00

When taking care of your skin and fighting aging, one of the first products to check out is Perricone.

Being a lady in her 40’s I am on the search for the best anti wrinkle cream, albeit a bit late, to tackle my wrinkles. I wasn’t proactive at keeping wrinkles at bay so now I have to go to trusted products to help me reduce the appearance of my current ones.

Thankfully Perricone has the products we need to help keep our skin healthy and diminish lines and wrinkles. If you have been wondering what is the best anti wrinkle cream, I’d say to start with Perricone.

I decided to try the Concentrated Restorative Treatment. It contains Vitamin C Ester and DMAE. These products help “minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and skin discoloration.” I have all three issues and am hoping this product helps it all out! DMAE “helps to firm and lift the appearance of skin.

I have been using it at night and I can tell how soft my skin is throughout the day. I haven’t used it long enough to notice the difference in the discoloration on my forehead or the wrinkles around my mouth and eyes.

If you like to take care of your skin and keep it healthy, now’s your chance to win up to $150 to PerriconeMD.com

Required: Share which Perricone (linked above) product valued at $150 or less you want or need and why.

Giveaway open to US & Canadian Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 12/11 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Follow Marvelous Mom Reviews (1 entry)

Subscribe to MMR (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow my Networked Blogs sidebar (1 entry)

Follow Perricone on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win $150 to Perricone and treat yourself to healthy skin care products #giveaways @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/gnWlKB“

Like Perricone on Facebook (1 entry)

Like MMR on Facebook sidebar (1 entry)

Take the Skin Quiz and tell me something about your suggested skin care regimen (2 entries)

Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)

I’d like to thank Blog Friendly PR for connecting me with Perricone. Perricone provided the review & giveaway product. The opinions expressed are my own.

Toys For Tots & Growing Tree Toys Black Friday

2010-11-27T14:20:00.001-06:00

ON FACEBOOK: EACH “LIKE” = $1 FOR TOYS FOR TOTS!
The holiday season is fast approaching, and we are celebrating with a special collaboration with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Throughout the month of November, for each “Like” we receive on our Facebook page we will donate $1 to Toys for Tots!

We have supported our local Toys for Tots for years, but this program is the first that we are incorporating Facebook to help the cause.

“We agree that it’s important for all kids to feel included during the holidays. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation has been making kids feel special at Christmastime for over 60 years. We’re proud to be a part of that tradition,” says Managing Partner Kim Emigh.

BLACK FRIDAY & WEEKEND DEAL
In the past, we have solely promoted our Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend deals through our email updates. This year, we’d love to extend it to you!

From Black Friday through Sunday, every 100th order placed on our site will be FREE! That’s right, if you are lucky enough to win we will contact you and refund you for your entire order! But on top of that, we are going to share a 15% off discount that you can share with your readers! This discount too will only be valid Friday through Sunday. Just enter code MBBTVL at checkout! Please Note: We are ONLY sending this code out through the Blog Network!

Paperspring Sales Black Friday

2010-11-25T13:24:00.001-06:00

Paperspring

1 day only 30% site wide sale + free shipping on any order. Offer expires 11:59PM (PT) on 11/26.