Shopping Trip

It has been a while since I have posted a coupon trip. Actually it has been a while since I have made a coupon shopping trip. Mostly because I don't get coupons locally and I haven't done any trading. I didn't do a lot, but for $5.35 I got about $40 worth of groceries.

This week Albertson's was doubling up to 50 cents (so most coupons were worth $1). And they had a lot on sale for $1.

My haul:
3 bags of Cheetos (67 cents each!)
3 boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes
2 bags of Green Giant veggies
5 bottles of NesQuik milk
10 Reese's PB eggs
2 Noodle Bowls
2 Zataran's rice dishes

Not a bad haul for 5 bucks!
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Feeling Lucky Lately!

I hadn't been entering very many sweepstakes and contests for a while, but I recently have started up when I can. I stopped, not because I wasn't winning stuff, but because I was spending too much time on it. Now, when I can, I enter a few (or a few dozen) depending on the amount of time I have. For the most part, I have only been entering blog contests. I choose them because they are easy to enter, and the chances are higher. If there are a lot of entries (posts) I don't bother to enter unless I really want the prize. And, the other difference is I don't enter unless it is something I could really use.

WOW! I just finished assembling this post. Prior to January, my last Win email was in September. Since January, I have won more than a dozen prizes! Over $500 + a prize worth over $1500! That puts my 3 month total at over $2000!

Since January, I have won:

A $15 iTumes gift card (ARV $15) from A Frugal Mind
A summer tote bag (ARV $17) from Simply Bags (via Twitter)
Jillian Michaels Ultimatum for Wii (ARV $40) from Viewpoints.com (via Twitter)

84 Ritter Sport Mini Chocolate bars (ARV $60) from Sweet Deals 4 Moms

4 tubes of Palmer's Cocoa Lip Butters (ARV $12) from ChocolateBytes

Romantic assortment (ARV $80) from MommyMandy
Prima Princessa Swan Lake DVD (ARV $20) from MuseReviews

An assortment of gifts from Christian Mom Business Resource

• $10 GC to Barefoot Books (ARV $10)
• Core4 Shaker Bottle full of "CHEAT" samples (ARV ?)
• ALS chart from PCS (laminated) (ARV $5)
• Package of Starbucks Coffee beans from The Boy's Store
• Handmade key chain from Peacock Pottery

A bunch of coupons from Honoring the King
Takeout Menu Organizer (ARV $20) from What's That Buzz?

Tiny Tongs (ARV $8) from Simple (plus host sent me her set too!)

Backseat Drawing Jr (ARV $25)) from Life with 5 Monkies

Journal Buddies for Boys (ARV $17) from Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife

$35 Jiffy Lube GC + $100 coupon book (ARV $35) from Happy Healthy Families





My biggest win (ever) was A queen size Serene mattress from NaturaWorld (ARV $1650)


For promoting various contests on my blog, I also won:
NLT Life Application Bible (ARV $50)

$50 Lands End gift card (ARV $50)
Case of Cottonelle Toilet Paper (ARV $20)

Real Food Project

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay and actress/mom Lori Loughlin have teamed up with Hellmann's® and Best Foods® Mayonnaise to unveil the Real Food Project on Hellmanns.com, a comprehensive online resource offering tips and ideas on how to create real meals made with Real Food.

Because videos are great for multi-tasking moms, The Real Food Project features a series of entertaining how-to tutorials, hosted by Bobby Flay, to give us tools and techniques to prepare great-tasting, at-home meals for our families. Just by visiting www.Hellmanns.com, you can access a wide range of recipes, including sandwiches, entrees and side dishes, all designed to please picky palates. There are even chances to win great prizes like a kitchen essentials bundle, Bobby Flay Grill It and Hellmann's® and Best Foods® products by playing the "Wheel of Real" instant win game and entering the Real Food Sweepstakes.

What are you waiting for? Head over to Hellmanns.com to stock up on tips and great tasting recipes.

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann's® prize package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.

Winners! SafetyTats and Zippity Doos

Thanks for participating! I have one more contest still going (RandomLine Game), and several new contests that will be posted in the next couple of weeks.

The winners.....

SafetyTats:

1. lilyk #7
2. Sara @ Embracing Destiny #1

Zippity Doos

1. dispatcher_kristy

Watch your email, and send your contact info by Monday, March 29th.

Where Do We Go? by James F. Weinsier

I had the opportunity to review Where Do We Go? by James F. Weinsier and illustrated by Cliff Beaman ($12.95, Wondrous Publications, softbound).

James F. Weinsier's child-friendly, non-secular exploration of death compatibly blends with any religious, spiritual or nondenominational framework, opening a pathway for parents, caregivers and other adults to approach the subject of death within any given belief system, while giving children the comfort they desperately need. Where Do We Go? helps them find the answers to the mystery of death within their own hearts.

When I first read the quote above, I was a little concerned. How could a book be compatible with "any religious" framework and still work for my belief system? I believe in a Creator God who has prepared Heaven for His children when they die. How could a book that answers questions about death work for my child and someone from another (or no) faith? The answer is...it doesn't. I mean, the book doesn't answer the questions. The author poses the questions with the intention of beginning a dialogue. The answers you give your child depend on your personal belief system.

My kids and I really enjoyed the questions. The questions range from the weather to every day life, "will we age there?" and "how will we get there?" It was fun to discuss the possiblities of where our pets would be and if balloons would float away or stay and dance around us.

The pictures are delightful. The expressions on faces and the attention to detail are impressive. The use of color is incredible.

The only thing I didn't like--and this is a personal preference--is the font used. The font used on the cover is used throughout the book. I don't mind it for the cover art, but it was a bit "fanciful" for me when I was reading. Another consideration is my 6 year old early reader had a little trouble making out the words with all the curly ques.

Overall, we enjoyed the book. I am sure we will revisit it many times. My oldest son had to learn about death at an early age (he lost 2 grandparents when he was 13 months old). My other two kids have not been touched by death yet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in New York City in 1945, James Weinsier was raised on Long Island. He received an Associates Degree in Applied Sciences from Nassau Community College in 1964, followed by service in the U. S. Navy. Upon completing his tour of duty, he resumed his education at the University of Miami, graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. He is now retired and lives with his wife, in Fernandina Beach, FL.

Weinsier first grappled with writing in 1996, when in anticipation of his daughter's 21st birthday, he decided to give her something unique and straight from his heart. The result was a 100-page journal of special memories he and his daughter shared written in poetic verse. The manuscript was so well-received by his daughter that he published a 70-page book of thoughts for his father, Here…and Afterthoughts, and gave it to him for his 90th birthday. James continued to write, and three years after his first published work was released More…Thoughts was completed. This book contains 199 pages of sentiments commonly shared between parents and their children. James presented it to his father on his 93rd birthday-shortly before his passing.

In 2006, James experienced the devastating losses of three family members: his father, a son and grandson, Isaac Randolph, who died in a neonatal infant care unit from complications of necrotizing enterocolitis (an intestinal disorder) 10 days after his premature birth. In response to the pertinent questions from his other young grandchildren about what happens to us after we die, James wrote a children's book, Where Do We Go?, which was published in 2008.

"Wondrous" events took place a couple of weeks after the book's publication, which was two years after Isaac's death. On the exact month and day of Isaac's death and only a few minutes from the exact time of his death on that date, Weinsier's daughter gave birth to her second child, James Walter. Baby James was premature and followed his brother's path into the NIC Unit. Fortunately, his issues were not catastrophic, and on his 10th day of life, James W. was strong enough to go to his family's home in Kansas; while on the 10th day after Isaac's birth, he had passed away. Both boys went "home" on the 10th day...

This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by: Wondrus Publications for this review.

Rattlesnakes, oh my!

As promised, I have pictures from the Rattlesnake Museum. We got two free tickets when we bought 2 free tickets by using Tropicana Juicy Rewards.

First, we were greeted by signs such as:

Countless numbers of people have visited the Rattlesnake Museum and gone on to live normal lives.

and

We love tourists at the Rattlesnake Museum (they taste just like chicken)

Then we paid $11. (One adult and one child were free).

As promised, we saw snakes. This one was striking the glass, but I couldn't time the picture right.

There were 3 (count 'em! 3) rattlesnakes in this cage.

But the Rattlesnake Museum is not just devoted to more Rattlesnakes (more live varieties than several large zoos combined, according to their website). They also feature other creatures that strike fear in a (wo)man's heart. Such as tarantulas (bel0w) and scorpions.

Alas, there were a few creatures that didn't cause goosebumps and hair raising, such as the turtles and Gila (hee-la) Monsters.

There was also a collection of various items with snake or reptile themes including: a rattlesnake slot machine and a statue of "Blind Justice" stepping on a snake. And a collection of beverages (mostly beers) with names like "Gator"; "Cobra"; and "SnakeBite".

But I found my peaceful spot in the midst of the scary stuff. A Precious Moments figurine with a boy and girl and a turtle. Awww....serenity!

Overall, we enjoyed the visit. Munchie got a little creeped out a times and wanted to leave. Chewie had a blast! But he is into all that science stuff! If you are ever in Old Town Albuquerque, it is worth a visit to the Rattlesnake Museum.

Blockbuster Express

Don't you just love renting DVDs? We have a huge DVD collection (that we own) but we also like to rent DVDs. We have tried local stores, mail order, and the box vending machines. By far, my favorite is the box vending machines.No memberships. No expensive plans for months when you just don't have time to watch movies. And easy to rent and return. We don't have a Blockbuster Express in our town (yet) but they are offering a great introduction savings.

As a busy Mom, I know that there isn't always time to even rent a DVD. Taking the whole family down to your local movie rental store can end up being an hour long ordeal. By the time you get home you're too tired to even watch the movie and what seemed like a great idea ended up being quite a chore. Luckily, I've found the perfect solution!

Moms, here is your newest secret weapon: BLOCKBUSTER Express™ kiosks. They make renting DVDs fast, easy, and affordable! You can rent DVDs online for only $1 per night atblockbusterexpress.com and you don't even need a membership to do it.

Through the rent online feature at blockbusterexpress.com, you can create a favorites list, browse available movies at your preferred kiosk, complete the rental of up to three movies at once online and then pick up the DVDs from the kiosk at your convenience. Now you can spend less time renting and more time enjoying your DVDs with your family.

Start planning your next movie night tonight! BLOCKBUSTER Express has offered a special Rent One Get One Free coupon code for MomSelect members, and I get to share with all of my friends, family and followers. The coupon code is 555G13B.

When you rent a movie at the regular price using the code in the banner above, you'll receive the first night's rental on the second movie FREE. This offer expires on 3/31 so make sure to take advantage of it soon and encourage your friends to do the same!

Lands End Twitter Party

My friends at Mom Select asked me to tell you about this great Twitter party!

Join Lands' End and representatives from the Islands Of The Bahamas and iexplore.com for a Twitter Event to celebrate the Lands' End's Bahamas Adventure to Harbour Island promotion at The Hub www.landsend.com/thehub. The site features engaging content focusing on travel through the summer as well as the chance to win a trip for four to the pink-sand beaches of Harbour Island.

Be a part of this exciting Twitter Event and tweet with representatives from Lands' End, the Islands Of The Bahamas and iexplore.com. The event will feature more than 25 fun giveaways ranging from Lands' End luggage, beach towels, travel kits, beach bags and gift cards.

Lands' End Harbour Island Twitter Event

Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #landsend

Join the fun and follow:
@LEprMichele, @LEprMolly, @LEprLibby, @VisitTheBahamas,
@iexplore and @iexplore_Amanda

2 Giveaways ending tomorrow

and there is still time to vote (you can vote daily!)

Top Mommy Blog

I have managed to climb up from 1200+ to around #183 in the past couple of weeks. And I am #12 in the Working Mom category. But your vote could help me climb higher! :)

Click on the link (or the brown button on the right hand side) and then click on the Vote on the next screen.

There are two giveaways ending tomorrow:

** Zippity Doos

** SafetyTat

And one ends next monday.

* RandomLine game

Chosen by Ginger Garrett

Once again, my friend Ginger has done an excellent job of weaving the historical facts with creative storytelling to share Esther's story.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Ginger Garrett

and the book:

Chosen

David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Focusing on ancient women’s history, critically acclaimed author Ginger Garrett creates novels and nonfiction resources that explore the lives of historical women. In addition to her writing, Garrett is a frequent radio and television guest. A native Texan, she now resides in Georgia with her husband and three children.


Visit the author's website.

Chosen, by Ginger Garrett from David C. Cook on Vimeo.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434768015
ISBN-13: 978-1434768018

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Prologue

Fourth Day of the Month of Av

Year 3414 after Creation

If you have opened this, you are the chosen one.

For this book has been sealed in the tomb of the ancients of Persia, never to be opened, I pray, until G-d1 has put His finger on a new woman of destiny, a woman who will rise up and change her nation. But we will not talk of your circumstances, and the many reasons this book may have fallen into your hands. There are no mistakes with prayer. You have indeed been called. If this sounds too strange, if you must look around your room and question whether G-d’s finger has perhaps slipped, if you are not a woman with the means to change a nation, then join me on a journey. You must return with me now to a place without hope, a nation that had lost sight of G-d, a girl with nothing to offer, and no one to give it to.

I must introduce myself first as I truly am: an exiled Jew, and an orphan. My given name was Hadassah, but the oppression of exile has stripped that too from me: I am now called Esther,2 so that I may blend in with my captors. My people, the Hebrew nation, had been sent out of our homeland after a bitter defeat in battle. We were allowed to settle in the kingdom of Persia, but we were not allowed to truly prosper there. We blended in, our lives preserved, but our heritage and customs were forced underground. Our hearts, once set only on returning to Jerusalem, were set out to wither in the heat

of the Arabian sun. My cousin Mordecai rescued me when I was orphaned and we lived in the capital city of Susa, under the reign of King Xerxes.3 Mordecai had a small flock of sheep that I helped tend, and we sold their fleece in the market. If times were good, we would sell a lamb for someone’s celebration. It was always for others to celebrate. We merely survived. But Mordecai was kind and good, and I was not forced into dishonor like the other orphans I had once known. This is how my story begins, and I give you these details not for sympathy, but so you will know that I am a girl well acquainted with bitter reality. I am not given to the freedom in flights of fantasy. But how can I explain to you the setting of my story? It is most certainly far removed from your experience. For I suspect that in the future, women will know freedom. And freedom is not an easy thing to forget, even if only to entertain an orphan’s story.

But you must forget now. I was born into a world, and into this story, where even the bravest women were faceless specters. Once married, they could venture out of their homes only with veils and escorts. No one yet had freed our souls. Passion and pleasure, like freedom, were the domain of men, and even young girls knew the wishes of their hearts would always be subject to a man’s desire for wealth. A man named Pericles summed up my time so well in his famed oration: “The greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether they are praising you or criticizing you.” Our role was clear: We were to be objects of passion, to receive a man’s attention mutely, and to respond only with children for the estate. Even the most powerful woman of our time, the beautiful Queen Vashti, was powerless. That was my future as a girl and I dared not lift my eyes above its horizon. That is how I enter this story. But give me your hand and let us walk back now, past the crumbling walls of history, to this world forgotten but a time yet remembered. Let me tell you the story of a girl unspared, plunged into heartache and chaos, who would save a nation. My name is Esther, and I will be queen.

1 Out of respect for God, Jews write the name of God without the vowels, believing that the name of God is too holy to be written out completely by a human. God is referred to as either “G-d” or “YHVH.”

2 The name Esther is related to the Persian name of Ishtar, a pagan goddess of the stars.

3 Esther refers to the king by his Persian name. In the Hebrew texts of antiquity, he is also referred to as Ahasuerus.


1

Eleventh Day of Shevat

Third Year of the Reign of Xerxes

Year 3394 after Creation


Was it today that I became fully awake, or have I only now begun to dream? Today Cyrus saw me in the marketplace haggling gently with my favorite shopkeeper, Shethana, over the price of a fleece. Shethana makes the loveliest rugs—I think they are even more lovely than the ones imported from the East—and her husband is known for his skill in crafting metals of all kinds. When I turned fifteen last year, he fashioned for me a necklace with several links in the center, painted various shades of blue. He says it is an art practiced in Egypt, this inlaying of colors into metal shapes. I feel so exotic with it on and wear it almost daily. I know it is as close to adventure as Mordecai will ever allow.

But as Shethana and I haggled over the fleece, both of us smiling because she knew I would as soon give it to her, Cyrus walked by eating a flatbread he had purchased from another vendor. He grimaced when he took a bite—I think he might have gotten a very strong taste of shallot—and I laughed. He laughed back, wiping his eyes with his jacket and fanning his mouth, and then, oh then, his gaze held my eyes for a moment. Everything in my body seemed to come alive suddenly and I felt afraid, for my legs couldn’t stand as straight and steady and I couldn’t get my mouth to work. Shethana noticed right away and didn’t conceal her grin as she glanced between Cyrus and me. I should have doubled the price of her fleece right then!

Cyrus turned to walk away, and I tried to focus again on my transaction. I could not meet Shethana’s eyes now—I didn’t want to be questioned about men and marriage, for everyone knows I have no dowry. To dream of winning Cyrus would be as foolish as to run my own heart straight through. I cannot dream, for it will surely crush me. And yet I can’t stop this warm flood that sweeps over me when he is near.

I haven’t told you the best part—when Shethana bought her fleece and left, I allowed myself to close my eyes for a moment in the heat of the day, and when I opened them again, there was a little stack of flatbread in my booth. I looked in every direction but could see no one. Taking a bite, I had to spit it out and started laughing. Cyrus was right—the vendor used many bitter shallots. The flatbread was a disaster.

©2010 Cook Communications Ministries. Chosen by Ginger Garrett. Used with permission. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.

2 New Contests from New Living Translation

My contact at Tyndale House, Adam Sabados, asked me to tell you about a couple of contests and giveaways starting tomorrow! (March 17th).

First:

The New Living Translation Break Through to Clarity Bible Contest and Giveaway

Visit www.facebook.com/NewLivingTranslation and click on the tab that says “Sweepstakes”

Fill out a simple form, take a quick Bible clarity survey, invite your friends to join and you’ll be entered to win one of our exciting prizes.

With each fan number milestone a new prize will be given away.

Grand Prize

Apple iPad 64G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the fifth milestone
Retail Value: $829.00

2nd Prize

32G iPod Touch and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the fourth milestone
Retail Value: $300.00

3rd Prize

Kindle DX and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the third milestone
Retail Value: $489.00

4th Prize

Apple iPad 16G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the New Living Translation Fan Page hits the second milestone
Retail Value: $499.00

5th Prize

Apple iPad 32G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the first milestone
Retail Value: $599.00

Prize Eligibility

Only persons residing in United States who are at least 18 years of age can enter.

Sweepstakes Starts

March 17, 2010 @ 10:24 am (PDT)

Sweepstakes Ends

April 30, 2010 @ 10:24 am (PDT)

I want to win the iPad!

Second:

Visit http://biblecontest.newlivingtranslation.com/index.php for a chance to win a trip for two to Hawaii!

Here’s the details:

Choose one of six passages of Scripture from the New Living Translation and consider:
How do these verses encourage you to know God better?
What is God teaching you in this passage?
How does this passage apply to your life?

Submit your answer and you’ll be entered to win.

Just for signing up: Everybody Wins! Win a Free .mp3 download from the NLT’s new Red Letters Project. It’s the dynamic, new presentation of the sung and narrated words of the Gospel of Matthew. You win the download just for entering! Or choose to download the NLT Philippians Bible Study, complete with the Book of Philippians in the NLT.

Every day, one person will win the best-selling Life Application Study Bible!

The grand prize: One person will win a fantastic trip for two to the crystal clear waters of the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore in beautiful Hawaii.

Your invited to leave you're comments

Okay. Raise your hand if you cringed when you read the title of my post. You didn't see anything amiss? Take a second to reread. Go ahead. I will wait.

I had a high school teacher who drilled into us the importance of correct spelling and correct word usage.

These mistakes drive me nuts!

This sign was from our local super center. "Your invited". Um... Your invited friend came to the party?

Let's review:
your means possessive (like my or his)
you're is contraction for you are (like I'm)

While we are at it...
Hear (uses your ear)
Here (is spelled like there)

And..
There (like here)
They're (contraction of they are)
Their (possessive like her)

Lesson over. Any questions?

Vote for me! (Please!)

Would take a moment to click on the link above (or on the side bar). You can vote once each day. I have climbed from #900 to about #394 this week. I wonder how high I can climb?

Hurry Up! Game review and giveaway

When is the last time you sat down to play a game with your kids? Did it require batteries? Did it make noise? Was imagination optional? RandomLine offers an award winning selection of games and activities that are imagination, rather than battery powered.

RandomLine, Inc. was created in 2002 by a dad who loves to play, John Kiely. His goal is to offer products that encourage children to be creative and use their imagination. No Noise. No Batteries. Simply Imagination is RandomLine’s motto.

While sitting in New Jersey traffic during his hour commute to and from work, he had the idea to create a game based on doodling. He created a prototype of his first game called SQUIGGLE®. Kiely decided to use his12 years of consumer product & packaging development experience and expertise in industrial design to start his own company.

After attending the 2003 American International Toy Fair in New York with his new product, he established his first big customer, Wizards of the Coast. Since then,RandomLine has successfully created and launched a line of games and activity pads that can be found in over 1500 toy stores, gift shops, museums, zoos and aquariums, as well as Canada and Europe.

RandomLine has won a few of awards!

I chose to review the Hurry Up! dice game. It comes in a compact box (it will be easy to find a home for it!) with a simple score pad, a 30 second time, 6 dice (5 black and 1 blue), and 6 task cards.

While the box says ages 8 and up, broke the rules and played with my 4 year old (Munchie)

and my 12 year old (Chewie).

The game is rather simple to learn. You read the first task (roll 3 pairs) and do it in 30 seconds. Easy enough. Or not! Some plays ended long before the timer ran out. Other plays were no even close. The challenges (and the points) got bigger as the game progressed. Coming into the final round, I was 2 points behind Chewie. (Munchie gave up and joined Crunchy playing with Leogs after round 2.) The final round was to roll all 6 dice and total less than 20--oh yeah...one of the dice had to have a 6. Just under the buzzer, I rolled a 19. That gave me the game. (See the proof below!)

The game went rather quickly (up to 30 seconds for each player x 6 rounds x 2 1/2 players). But I can see some great ways to use our imagination and create new rounds. We can come up with ways to make it easier for the younger 2 (4 and 6) or more challenging for the older one (12) and adults. Next time, I think we might even make up some new challenges on index cards to extend the game.

Overall, I think this will be a great game to add to our family game night. Want to play?

Buy one:

RandomLine games are available at national retailers (such at ToysRUs and Barnes and Noble) as well as many smaller stores and online sites (like Drugstore.com).

To win your choice of Hurry up! or any On-The-Go Activity Pad enter:

Visit RandomLine and leave a relevant comment (i.e. something you learned, an interesting game, an idea for a game they haven't made, your favorite game night tip, etc.)

Extra entries (leave a comment for each entry):

* Sign up to receive the RandomLine newsletter.
* Follow my blog on Google connect, Networked Blogs, through a reader, or subscribe to my feed (1 entry each)
* Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
* Tweet the giveaway (1 time per day) (See easy link below)
* Enter contest on a giveaway linky (1 for each linky)
* Join Swagbucks (with this link)
* Become a Facebook fan of RandomLine and leave a comment of their fan page.
* Follow RandomLine on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.

* Vote for me Top Mommy Blogs - Mom Blog Directory

Open to US. Ends March 29th.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of Hurry Up! in order to evaluate this game. I received not other compensation, and opinions expressed were my own.

Tropicana Juicy Rewards

Have you heard about Tropicana Juicy Rewards?
Find 20.000 ways to save on everything from golf and workout gear to water parks and zoo admissions.
One carton saves you up to $15, three can save you up to $45.

I was thrilled to be selected to be a part of the The Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program. So, what is the Tropicana Juicy Rewards program? When you buy Tropicana Orange Juice, you earn points. These points can be used to earn discounts on various products, services and activities.

When you register, enter the code: MOMCE-NTRAL* and you will get an extra bonus point!

The Tropicana Juicy Rewards site is easy to navigate. You can search by state, city, or zip code (and you can select how from from your search--up to 50 miles--you want to look.) Some of the rewards are BOGO (buy one get one free) or half off.

Unfortunately, there are not redemption options here in Roswell, but I hope that changes soon. I did, however, find some great deals in Albuquerque. Albuquerque is 3 hours away, but we will be going up ever month for Crunchy's doctor appointments. There are also some online products we can order. I did check out my old neighborhood (Modesto, CA) and found a TON of deals!

When we go to Albuquerque for Crunchy's next appointment, we are taking the boys too. (It is during Spring break). Some of the activities we are going to enjoy are:

This will be a 2 for 1 admission (adults $8, kids $7, Munchie will be free. We will save $15) for 2 points.


Okay, "enjoy" might be the wrong word for this one, but we will get 2 complementary admissions when we buy 2 ($5 adult, $3 kids, so we will we save $8) for 1 point.


For just 1 point, we will get one free admissi0n to Tinkertown Museum when we buy one. (Adults $3, Kids $1--we save $4)
I will let you all know how it goes!

* To get your bonus point:?
1. Go to www.tropicana.com
?2. Set-up your Tropicana Juicy Rewards account (just take a minute!)?
3. Visit the "Enter Codes" page within the site and get started with MOMCE-NTRAL
*This one-time use code is valid for new accounts ONLY. Must be entered within 6 hours of creating your account.

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.

St. Patrick's Day Safety

I am proud of my Scottish and Irish heritage. I have always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day. I always wore green (even though, as a Protestant, I should have worn orange--not green!) My Daddy used to celebrate "International Irish History Week" for the first half of March. (Yeah, I know it is more than a week!) He went to every thrift store in the area and bought every piece of green clothing he could find. It didn't matter what shade of green, he would just layer them all.

We always had (and still have) corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick's Day. There are my great traditions associated with Saint Patrick's Day. For many, those traditions including drinking. If you are going to drink next Wednesday (or any day for that matter) please plan ahead.

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and it's not the luck of the Irish that will keep the roads safe. It's planning now for a safe and sober way home.

Are you headed out with friends after work this Wednesday to celebrate the holiday? No? Well when you and your family are on the road headed to choir practice, a t-ball game, or coming home from school, you may be sharing the road with those returning from a fun St. Patrick's Day event. It's time to spread the word about the dangers of buzzed driving and to remind people that Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving, and the best way to stay safe is to plan ahead.

Let's remind everyone about the importance of remembering to:

• Designate a sober driver before you leave for your event.
• Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi. Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.

Even if you will not be celebrating this St. Patrick's Day, keep in mind that in 2008, 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers. And for those who don't plan on over-indulging--a buzzed driving crash looks the same as a drunk driving crash.

Global Influence is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council as they continue their efforts with the Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving PSA campaign. Buzzed drivers drink and drive, but do not consider themselves a hazard on the roadway because they have had only a few drinks. The campaign hopes to educate people that consuming even a few drinks can impair driving and that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

We need your help in keeping the roads safe for everyone this St. Patrick's Day by spreading the word that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please watch this important video about the financial and personal repercussions of getting a DUI.

Remember: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving. Plan ahead and ask your loved ones to do the same. For more information, visit Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving on Facebook and Twitter.

Ragu Recipes for a Good Start

At church, we just finished up a 4 week series on healthy families. One of the important ingredients of a healthy family is spending quality time together--actually talking to each other. It is during those times that we can encourage our kids to work hard, promote their imaginations, and held them grow into happy, well adjusted people. Meeting around the dinner table is a great way to make it fit in your schedule.

Ragu offers hundreds of nutritious, convenient, delicious, and affordable meal ideas for busy families (doesn't that include all of us?) It's easy to help the kids get their veggies since all Ragu red sauces contain more than a full serving of veggies in every half cup. Ragu understands our hectic lifestyles and wants to help us feed our families quality meals at a great value.

Now, Ragú® is teaming up with actress and mom Molly Ringwald to promote the Recipe for a Good Start Contest asking moms to share their recipes for a good start for a chance to win a $5,000 college scholarship. By visiting www.recipeforagoodstart.com, you'll have a chance to submit your recipe for a good start in life and your original Ragú® recipe that has the family running to the dinner table! Three first prize winners will be awarded a family trip to New York City where they will compete in a nationally televised Ragú® Recipe Challenge for the chance to win the ultimate prize of a $5,000 college scholarship.

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Ragú® family package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.