CSNstores $65 Giveaway

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.

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

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:


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

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

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
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

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.

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.

A CSNstores Opportunity!

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

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.