Dear Ole' Daddy-O Giveaway Hop: Win Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

Welcome to our Rockin' Giveaway Hop

sponsored by Planet Weidknecht

and Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!!

where you can win your Daddy-O

a fabulous Father's Day Gift!

After you enter to win my fabulous prize,

be sure to hop around to the other participating blogs

and enter to win their prizes too!

For this giveaway hop, I have received a 1 quart jar or Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil to sample, as well as one to giveaway to one lucky reader.

I have been reading about coconut oil on lots of blogs lately.  It seems all the rage.  I'd never heard of it before, nor tried it, and I was quite curious.  When I was given the opportunity to try it out for myself, I was thrilled, but also a little bit leery.   Would I like it?  What would it taste like?  What would I do with it?   This is NUTS!  I don't even LIKE coconut?  Is it going to make all my food taste like coconut?

Obviously, I had a lot of questions running through my head about it, and when it showed up at my door, it took me a few days to take the plunge and actually try it.  I still wasn't really sure how to implement it into my cooking, so I decided to just stick of the obvious approach and substitute it for vegetable oil in a recipe.

The first recipe I tried this with was a pizza dough I was making in my bread machine.  I used the coconut oil in equal measure in place of the vegetable oil the recipe called for, and I closed the lid and hoped for the best.

Quite honestly, the best is what I got!  There was not a difference in taste that I could tell.  The dough was much more pliable and easier to roll out than when I normally make it, and when baked it was lighter and less chewy than normal.   I think we all agreed that these were some of our best homemade pizzas to date.

I have since used it in more of my baking--muffins, dinner rolls, banana bread, and I've been pleased with the results each and every time.

I also tried greasing muffin cups with it instead of using my PAM spray (I'd read a blog post saying that it worked well for that) and I would say that it worked nearly as good as the PAM did, certainly as well as any store brand cooking spray I've tried.

I've barely used 1/4 of mine and I'm still learning of its uses (my friend Pary Moppins has posted some great non-cooking uses for the stuff!)   I'm very excited to be able to give one of you the chance to win a jar of your own!

Here's a little bit about the product:

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America's source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

And here is your chance to win!

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And here are all of the other lovely blogs involved with this giveaway.  Head over to their pages and see what they have to offer!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

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Dishing It Up Recipe Hop: Easter Dishes + Win Tupperware!

Welcome to the April Dishing It Up Recipe Hop  & Giveaway!

 Dishing It Up is brought to you by Dearly Domestic, Deals From MS Do, Eating With Mimi, Happy Lil Homemaker, Mama Does It All, Pary Moppins, Saving Myself Silly, and Thrifty Texas Penny. Over the last year, our hop has grown and changed to make it better for you. Each month, we bring you recipes with a different theme and this month we're focusing on casseroles.

Well, for the rest of the month we will be focusing on casseroles.  This week we are focusing on Easter dishes!

The recipe I'm going to share with you this week can be used as an Easter appetizer, side dish, or even a great way to use up that leftover ham.  Bonus:  It freezes well!

Head over here to see my full recipe for Ham & Broccoli Quiche!

Please visit the other recipes in the linky for more Easter recipe ideas, and if you have your own Easter recipe, please add it to the linky below!




Now about the giveaway....

Last month, we brought you our first giveaway (40lbs. of Zaycon Chicken!) and here we are again! We are excited to be bringing you another giveaway and this month's giveaway is sponsored by Mama's Tupperware. 

One lucky winner will receive the Crystal Wave 8 pc set shown above! The virtually liquid-tight, steam-vent seal makes the CrystalWave® container line ideal for storing, transporting and reheating meals later. This collection includes CrystalWave® Divided Dish, 4¼-cup/1.1 L Bowl, 6¼-cup/1.5 L Bowl, 8½-cup/2 L Bowl plus three exclusive 2½-cup/600 mL Bowls and an exclusive 3-Qt./3 L Bowl. The set is dishwasher safe and is valued over $130!

 This giveaway starts on April 5 at 12:01 AM EST and ends on April 30 at 11:59 PM EST.

 There will be new recipes added each week, so be sure to keep up with us throughout the month and to linkup your own recipes as well!



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Dishing It Up April Giveaway: Win Tupperware!

Welcome to the April Dishing It Up Recipe Hop Giveaway!

 Dishing It Up is brought to you by Dearly Domestic, Deals From MS Do, Eating With Mimi, Happy Lil Homemaker, Mama Does It All, Pary Moppins, Saving Myself Silly, and Thrifty Texas Penny. Over the last year, our hop has grown and changed to make it better for you. Each month, we bring you recipes with a different theme and this month we're focusing on casseroles.

 Earlier this year, we added a website and a Facebook page. Last month, we brought you our first giveaway and here we are again! We are excited to be bringing you another giveaway and this month's giveaway is sponsored by Mama's Tupperware. 

One lucky winner will receive the Crystal Wave 8 pc set shown above! The virtually liquid-tight, steam-vent seal makes the CrystalWave® container line ideal for storing, transporting and reheating meals later. This collection includes CrystalWave® Divided Dish, 4¼-cup/1.1 L Bowl, 6¼-cup/1.5 L Bowl, 8½-cup/2 L Bowl plus three exclusive 2½-cup/600 mL Bowls and an exclusive 3-Qt./3 L Bowl. The set is dishwasher safe and is valued over $130!

 This giveaway starts on April 5 at 12:01 AM EST and ends on April 30 at 11:59 PM EST.

 There will be new recipes added each week, so be sure to keep up with us throughout the month and to linkup your own recipes as well!



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March Into April Giveaway Hop: Win A CopyKids Eat Fruits & Vegetables DVD + A $25 Whole Foods Gift Card!

LOOK:  Prize is Now DVD + $25 To Whole Foods!!!

Welcome to the March Into April Giveaway Hop hosted by Planet Weidknecht and Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!!

There are over 80 bloggers participating in this hop, and each is giving away prizes worth at least $20 on their blogs. After you enter my giveaway, be sure to scroll down past the rafflecopter and hop around to all the blogs on the list below to enter more awesome giveaways!

About The Product:

I was given the opportunity to review a DVD about healthy eating for children from Copy Kids.  The main idea of these videos is that kids love to watch other kids and do what other kids do.  We all know its true!  We've seen it happen a million times.  

Our toddlers imitate (and annoy the heck out of) their older siblings, our school aged children come home doing things that we would rather them not do that they've seen done on the playground, and for sure they act out in pretend play anything and everything they see on TV!

When I first heard about this DVD, I thought it was a brilliant idea!  They have filmed a wide variety of children while they were eating (and enjoying) fruits and vegetables.   You can see a clip from the video here.

My Review:

The children shown in this video are all between the ages of 1 & 4.  My girls are 2 and 5.  My 5 year old actually really loves her healthy foods, but the little one definitely is my more picky eater.

I decided to let her begin watching this while her older sister was at school.  I also decided to ease her into the idea by starting with something that I knew she enjoyed...strawberries!

What are you doing pointing that thing at me?

As the video progresses, each time the shot goes to a different child, their name is spoken.  My daughter was enjoying watching them.  The clips are short, and we watched the strawberry clip 3 times in a row, as she had asked for more strawberries and had not finished them.  By the end, she had learned most of the children's names, had picked out favorites, and became excited, saying their name when they reappeared on the screen.

When her sister got home, I still had some strawberries remaining in the fridge, so I put it back on and let them both watch it while they ate.  The older girl, whom I thought was a bit old for this (it is recommended for ages 6 mo-5 years, and she will be 6 in May) was actually mesmerized by it, too!  She knows how to work the remote, so while I intending to stop with the fruit they were eating (and I had on hand) she actually played a few more fruits and they sat and watched raspberries and bananas while they finished their strawberries.  

The next day she came home, and wanted an apple for a snack, and asked if they could "watch the babies eat the apples" while she ate her apple.  The younger one had eaten some crackers while we waited on the bus, but of course she quickly asked for an apple, also!

The next morning, I took a leap and went for the veggies.  I had some fresh carrots at home, and my 2 year old likes cooked carrots in soups and whatnot, but has never been a fan of raw carrots.  I decided not to give her a carrot when I started the clip, but I intended to hand it to her in the middle and see what happened, so I turned it on and set to work peeling a carrot quietly in the kitchen.

Before I could come over and hand it to her, she was at my feet saying "Can I have a carrot to eat, too?"

Here she is happily munching away.

She ate about half of this whole carrot, which is more raw carrot than she has ever eaten not slathered in ranch dressing, plus it was not long since breakfast, so I think she wasn't very hungry or she might have eaten more.

There are several more fruits and vegetables on the DVD (bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, avocado, blueberries, oranges, etc.) that I am very interested to see how my children respond to them, but I've not had them in the house, and my recent illness prevented a planned shopping trip to get them.  

So far, I've been quite pleased with how they have taken to the idea of eating more produce.  I have been trying to make more homemade "from scratch" foods around here instead of boxed convenience items, as well and include more fresh produce in our menu, so its good to know that I can buy it now and perhaps not have to fight with them quite so much to get them to eat it!  I do plan on playing this before dinner next time we have broccoli. ;)

The Giveaway:

Copy Kids would like to give a copy of this DVD along with a $25 Gift Card To Whole Foods away to one of my readers.  You must enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

The giveaway begins now and will end at Midnight EST on April 2.  At this time, I will choose a winner and email them.  They will have 48 hours to contact me.  I will then send their info over to the sponsor for prize fulfillment.

Don't forget to scroll down below the rafflecopter to see the huge list of other bloggers with prizes up for grabs!

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FunBites Review And Giveaway

I recently came across a new company who was looking for bloggers to review their products.  I was pretty excited about the opportunity because I had just seen this item reviewed with a giveaway on another blog, and I had entered hoping I would win one because I thought my girls would LOVE it!  I was right!

This product is called FunBites, and it really is a very appropriate title.  Their purpose is to cute food into fun bite sized pieces for kids to enjoy.

I was given the choice between the square cutter, and the heart shaped cutter, and having girls, I opted for the hearts.   However, if you notice, inside the hearts are a variety of triangles that can be made into many decidedly non-heart shaped things!


Here's what I made for my girls out of cheese just to try it out.  They were pretty excited about it.

Now I will freely admit that I am NOT the creative one, and I saw the sailboat idea shown in the clip on the website.   But kids...man kids have some imagination!  It wasn't long at all before I heard my 5 year old shouting, "Look, Mommy!  I made a mermaid!"

I would have never come up with that one!

Their new favorite bedtime snack is a simple piece of bread cut with the FunBites!

The product itself impressed me.  When I saw the pictures online, I was expecting to receive a flimsy piece of plastic that would likely break after three uses, but that is not at all what I received.  The plastic is very thick, and it feels very sturdy.  It works much like an apple core, but much easier to use.  It is BPA free and dishwasher safe.

The only issue I had whatsoever is that fresh out of the dishwasher, the top part seemed to shrink up just a bit, and I couldn't get it to slide back into the bottom portion, but after sitting out and cooling for a while, it was back to normal.


You've read my review, now you have a chance to win your own Heart Shaped FunBites!  Enter in the rafflecopter below:



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Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers E-Book Review And Giveaway

I recently came across a blogger opportunity to read and review an e-book called Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers.

At the time, I was gearing up for beginning some container gardening after my failed attempts at in ground gardening in year past (and also hitting a 90% off garden clearance at Target last year where I scored some majorly cheap pots!)

I was actually looking to buy a book of this sort, so I applied for the opportunity, and got a nearly immediate response!  I was very excited to get to reading and learn all I could before I started my gardening.


The Review:


I really enjoyed the way this book was set up.  It separated the plants into annuals and perennials, which is certainly good information to have!  I had a few all mixed up, and was wondering why some died off and confused when others lived on through the winter!

Then, the book takes you through the types of herbs, alphabetically, in each category, and tells you everything you need to know about seeding, transplanting, watering, caring, common pests, harvesting, and storing!

Especially useful was the information about the sizes that the plants would need to grow for a single family, and which plants will do well together in a single container (because they need similar care).  I've had a tendency to just keep moving things to bigger and bigger pots, but not end up using half of what is produced.

Overall, the book was an easy read and easy to understand.  I'm still a novice gardener and can be put off by the big gardening terminology used in some books, but this one was not like that.

I found it very helpful, and I even came to understand that my enormous basil plant from last summer died from leaf rot due to over watering.

I've taken a few steps in my own gardening this week.  I've repotted my rosemary plant into a slightly bigger pot (it was my only remaining living plant), and I've planted just a few herb seeds that I had on hand.

I watered them slightly, and sat the small containers down into the bigger planter just as a holder, and slid it into my sunniest indoor windowsill so it could get some sun and be protected from the rain.   I will keep you all posted how my gardening endeavors go.   I intend to plant some veggies in containers as well!


The Giveaway:


The author of this book has been very generous, and is allowing me to giveaway 10 copies of her e-book which retails for $14.99!


10 winners will be chosen, and will receive a PDF copy of the book by email.

To enter, use the rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Dishing It Up Recipe Hop: Chicken Dishes & Win 40lbs Of Chicken

Welcome to the March Dishing It Up Recipe Hop Giveaway! Dishing It Up is brought to you by Dearly Domestic, Deals From MS Do, Eating With Mimi, Happy Lil Homemaker, Mama Does It All, Pary Moppins, Saving Myself Silly, and Thrifty Texas Penny.

 Over the last year, our hop has grown and we've implemented some changes to make it better for you.  Each month, we bring you recipes with a different theme and this month we're focusing on chicken. Chicken is a very versatile protein to cook with, so we're hoping to have a great variety of recipes linked up!

Earlier this year, we added a website and a Facebook page. This month, we also bring you our first giveaway and hope it's just the first of many! We are so excited to be holding our first giveaway and to be able to feature chicken from Zaycon Foods. One lucky winner will receive a Zaycon Foods account credit to be used on 40 pounds of chicken breasts.  Mama Does It All has had a chance to try these chicken breasts and she thinks they are wonderful!  She received them in order to complete a review and is now a loyal customer. You can read her full review here.

This giveaway starts on March 1 at 12:01 AM EST and ends on March 31 at 11:59 PM EST. There will be new recipes will be added each week, so be sure to keep up with us throughout the month and to linkup your own recipes as well!

This week the recipe I'll be sharing will be Homemade Chicken Strips.  (<--- that's my original post).

Here they are baking in the oven.

I made a big batch of them, as you can read about in the original post.  We enjoyed them as is, in a salad, and we even cooked up some bacon and made our very own Chicken Bacon Ranch Toaster sandwiches, just like you'd get at Sonic!

Mmmmm......

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win 40lbs of Zaycon Chicken:


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Win 40lbs. of Chicken Breasts From Zaycon Foods

Dishing It Up is brought to you by Dearly Domestic, Deals From MS Do, Eating With Mimi, Happy Lil Homemaker, Mama Does It All, Pary Moppins, Saving Myself Silly, and Thrifty Texas Penny.

 Over the last year, our hop has grown and we've implemented some changes to make it better for you.  Each month, we bring you recipes with a different theme and this month we're focusing on chicken. Chicken is a very versatile protein to cook with, so we're hoping to have a great variety of recipes linked up!

Earlier this year, we added a website and a Facebook page. This month, we also bring you our first giveaway and hope it's just the first of many! We are so excited to be holding our first giveaway and to be able to feature chicken from Zaycon Foods. One lucky winner will receive a Zaycon Foods account credit to be used on 40 pounds of chicken breasts.  Mama Does It All has had a chance to try these chicken breasts and she thinks they are wonderful!  She received them in order to complete a review and is now a loyal customer. You can read her full review here.

This giveaway starts on March 1 at 12:01 AM EST and ends on March 31 at 11:59 PM EST.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win 40lbs of Zaycon Chicken:


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Luck Of The Irish Giveaway Hop: Win Dawgs Footwear ($50 Value)

Luck of the Irish Giveaway Hop is hosted by Mama Does It All and Deals from MS DO. Enter to win the Grand Prize Kindle Fire sponsored by zuuzs.com.

(zuuzs is a social shopping site where friends shop, share, and earn together. You can shop at more than 850 stores, share deals & opinions with friends, and control your own cash back rewards with their exclusive Buying Power functionality. It's free to join and have fun with zuuzs! You must be a member to be eligible for the grand prize, but not any of the other prizes hosted on the participating blogs.)

Here is a list of all participating blogs. Each blog has it's own prize to give away valued at $25 minimum (though some are much higher!) Hop around and see what's up for grabs! (Scroll down for my prize).




I was recently given the opportunity to test and review a pair of Dawgs Footwear Spirit Toners.  I am not a big exerciser (chasing a 2 year old counts, right?), but I also know I'm not in the greatest shape.  I've been intrigued by the idea of toning shoes ever since I first heard about them, so when I was asked to select a pair of shoes from their inventory, those leapt right out at me!

When the box arrived at my door, and I lifted it,  my initial reaction was "How can there be shoes in this box??"  It was soooo lightweight!  But indeed, they were in there.

They come in 4 different colors.  The ones I chose were navy and white.  The style was very different than any shoes I've ever worn, and the shape of the bottoms felt strange at first, but it wasn't long before I got used to it.  Plus, I felt like my posture was improved and I was walking taller from the moment I stepped into them.  (They sort of make you roll your steps...I was reminded of my former days on the flag line in the high school marching band! LOL)

I do not normally wear shoes around my house, but I decided that in order to see if these really "toned" I would need to wear them all the time.  And so I did.  I actually almost forgot I had them on most of the time.  They are so light and snug.  They feel like I'm wearing cozy slippers.  They don't weigh my feet down and leave me with that heavy, achy feeling like most shoes.

A few days after I received them, I got to really put them to the test.  It was the 100th day of Kindergarten, and my daughter's class partied all day long!  They had exciting activities planned out from 8am until 3pm!  I showed up at 8am, with toddler.  I did not know how long I would be able to stay on account of said toddler, but she was actually fairly well behaved, and I was able to stay through lunchtime when I had to bring her home for her nap.

I was chasing her around, trading out activities to entertain her, all the while bending over a small table full off 5 year olds reading them stories and helping them color and fingerpaint.  FOR 4 STRAIGHT HOURS!!!   I didn't think much about it at the time, but as I was heading home I thought that for sure my back was going to be killing me (I've got car accident injuries that had been flaring up very badly at the slightest bit of activity).

When I got home and put the little one to bed, I realized that I was extremely tired as well, so I laid down for a little rest on the couch.  When I woke up, I was indeed in quite a lot of pain.  It was not my back hurting, however, it was my thighs!  Then it hit me...I had been TONING my legs for 4 straight hours!  Sheesh!

I know from experience that the best way to relieve sore and overworked muscles is to keep them moving, so I slipped my toners back on.   The pain didn't last long, and I continued wearing them for several weeks.  Then came the true test!  A group of ladies from my church planned a Saturday afternoon outing...to go roller skating!  I love, love, LOVE roller skating, so I could not wait.   I think I've been skating 4 times in the past 10-15 years, but that certainly did not stop me from enjoying myself and acting the fool!  I'm pretty sure we were getting dirty looks from 10 year olds.

I was also pretty sure that I would not be able to move following day, but you know what?  I didn't even hurt very badly!  Could it be that the lack of pain is a sign that my legs are now in better shape?  I do very much want to believe that!

Whether or not I truly am more toned now, I can say for certain that these shoes are incredibly comfy, and the back pain that had been plaguing me for weeks (I was preparing myself for another round of doctor visits and perhaps more cortisone injections) has been barely noticeable.  In fact, the only time it really bothered me was when I spent the entire day catching up on folding laundry!  I've also had a ton more energy than usual.  I even got a few compliments on their cuteness. ;)

Here is your chance to win your own pair of DAWGS Spirit Toners.  Enter in the Rafflecopter form below:



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The Great Swag Swap Giveaway Hop

Welcome to The Great Swag Swap Giveaway Hop hosted by Gypsy Mama Logsand Mama goes BAM. This is a special event to thank you our readers, and is your 2nd chance to get your hands on some of the best swag from some of your favorite bloggers.

The idea behind this hop is that we've all got things lying around our houses that are leftover from blog reviews or product sampling opportunities that didn't get used.

We're doing some early Spring Cleaning to clear out our clutter and pass the goodies along to you!

The event begins at 12:01 AM February 29 & ends 11:59 PM March 7th!!

Here's the list of all participating pages.  Hop around and see what's up for grabs (scroll down for my giveaway):

For my giveaway, I have collected a few items I've had left from some review opportunities I've been involved with through Bzzagent.com and Momsmeet.com.  These are all products that are "green" and "all natural".

Here's what the winner will be getting  (and maybe a few late additions if I uncover any more):

Prize pack Includes:  2 full size all natural Dessert Essence body lotion/creams, 2 sample packs of Seventh generation laundry soap, dish soap, and baby wipes, and 3 sample packs of Smarty Pants gummy vitamins (two children's and 1 adult)

I will ship to any U.S. winner.  To enter, use the rafflecopter form below:

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February Freebies Giveaway Hop: Win $25 Restaurant.com GC & More

Welcome to the February Freebies Giveaway Hop  HOSTED BY PLANET WEIDKNECHT AND GOING CRAZY!! WANNA GO??!!   It is a quick hop, lasting from February 18-21.

Each participating blogger is hosting their own giveaway, with prizes worth at least $20. Be sure to hop through the list below and visit them all to enter to win!

I am sponsoring my own prize for this giveaway: a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate!

Enter my giveaway through the rafflecopter below.

Good luck!

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Enter To Win A Couponizer!

Shopping Used To Be A Chore…But Not Any More!!^TM

Want to know why? Because we coupon!

I love couponing and finding deals for my readers!! I also want to make sure you have a system for organizing your coupons (just like I talked about this morning!) so that you don't get frustrated or overwhelmed. Shopper’s Haul has teamed up with other great bloggers (like me!) to give away a Couponizer Coupon System to one lucky reader. One lucky reader will be able to take couponing to the next level with a system that will help keep you organized!

The Couponizer System Includes:

• The Couponizer (With Elastic Closure Strap)
• Customer Loyalty Card Sleeves (Inside Couponizer)
• Shopping List
• CoupTracker
• Scissors
• CoupStacker-Expandable Coupon Sorting Mat
• Clear Zipped Carrying Bag

To be entered in the giveaway, complete the entries on the Rafflecopter Form below. Entries will be verified and no duplicate entries will be allowed. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end on 2/25 12:01 EST!

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Are You A Coffee Lover? Win A 3 Month's Supply!

I was recently given the opportunity to try out some whole bean coffee from Beyond The Grind.  They sent me one pack of Brazilian Daily Grind, and a very nice travel cup!

I LOVE coffee, so I was very excited about the opportunity to try this out.

When I first opened the bag, I was a bit shocked by the aroma.  It didn't have that nice "ohmygoodnessthat smellslikesweetdeliciouscoffee" aroma.  It actually smelled kinda bitter, so I was halfway expecting the coffee to be not very good.  I was wrong, though!  The coffee had a very good flavor when brewed, and I did not find it bitter at all!

Beyond The Grind wants to give one of you the opportunity to try out their coffees, also.  They are offering one lucky winner a 3 month subscription to their Monthly Grind Club.  The giveaway begins now, and will run through Monday at Midnight.  I will email the winner on Tuesday, and they will have 48 hours to contact me before I select another.


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Dishing It Up Recipe Hop: Freezer Meals

It's a brand new month, so we are kicking off a brand new theme for our Recipe Hop:  Freezer Meals!  

It's getting to be a hectic time of year, so it's always helpful to have some pre-made dishes on hand in the freezer.  Not only can they save you some time and hassle at dinner time, they can save you money, too!

 Here's why:

1.  You always have meals ready to heat and eat, so no more last minute cave-ins to getting fast food or go out to a restaurant when you've had a long day and don't feel like cooking.

2.  When you cook more of something, you buy the ingredients in bulk, which usually gives you a better price.

3.  You can watch the sale ads for great prices on meats.  When you find a good deal stock up!  Cook it in bulk right away, or if you don't have the time, freeze it for later!

4.  If you shop with coupons, and are able to stock up on some cheap or free pantry items, you can choose recipes to cook that contain the ingredients that you already have in your pantry.  Sometimes I find that I do not need to go to the store at all.  I love that!

5.  This is not so much a money saving tip as it is a nice thing to be able to do, but you can easily give a meal to someone in need if you have a freezer of ready made food.  At my church, whenever someone has a baby (and that happens quite a lot in our small congregation =P), we make a sign up to bring them food for a couple of weeks.  Doing freezer cooking has allowed me to be able to take part in that more often.  I love that, too.

For this first week, I'm not going to share a new recipe with you guys.  Instead, I'm going to direct you over to my Freezing Cooking label, which contains all my past freezer cooking posts.   That will give you a basic overview of the different types of things I've tried with my freezer cooking.  I plan to be cooking up some new things soon, so I will have a brand new recipe ready for next week!

I'm also going to share once more my favorite freezer cookbooks with you:

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RedBox Movie Awards Facebook Game & Giveaway!

I was recently given the opportunity to try out RedBox through Smiley360.  My husband had used the kiosks before, but I had personally only returned a movie, so it was a great new experience for me!  They had a surprisingly large number of movies stored in those little machines, many of them new to me!  My favorite thing, though, is that the movies can be returned at any kiosk, so if you are going in a different direction the next day, you can still find a place to drop them off along your route!

RedBox is currently running a promotion on their facebook page where you predict the winners of the SAG Movie Awards, and you have a chance to win as much as 3 YEARS worth of FREE Redbox rentals!

Smiley360 contacted me on behalf of Redbox to help promote this new facebook game, and to help me do that, they have given me 3 FREE Redbox rental codes to give away to my lovely readers!  *Note: As compensation for this post, I have received two rental codes for myself, as well as status points on Smiley360.

This will be a very quick, weekend only giveaway.  It will begin at midnight Friday 1/27, and end at midnight Sunday 1/29  (Eastern Times).

To enter, use the rafflecopter form below.  The only mandatory entry is "liking" Redbox on facebook, but you have to do that in order to play the game and enter the sweepstakes, so don't forget to do that while you're there!  (But be sure to come back and get your other entries ;)

There will be three winners, each will be emailed a free Redbox rental code.  They will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit.

If you would like to become a member of Smiley360 and receive sampling opportunities of your own, sign up here.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Rock N Learn DVD Review and Giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to review a DVD from the children's learning series ROCK N LEARN.  I was sent a complimentary copy of two DVDs (one age appropriate for each of my daughters), so that they could watch them and I could share my thoughts.

Today I want to tell you about the second DVD we watched:  Phonics Easy Readers.

My Review:


When I first received this DVD a few months ago, my 5 year old daughter was just beginning Kindergarten.  She was just beginning to sound out 3 letter words on her own.  I didn't know how hard the DVD would be or how she would do with it, because it is rated for ages 6 and up.  My daughter is in a gifted Kindergarten program, however so I figured she would progress quickly.

The first time she watched it (which was around her first week of school), she got frustrated with it after just a couple of the stories.  When she got frustrated, I stopped it before reaching the end.

The way that the DVD is set up is very nice because there are 4 difficulty levels, with three different stories in each set.  You have to press the play button to get the next story to begin.  The very first couple stories in the easiest group she did ok with the first time through, but they quickly got too hard for her.

Now, when my daughter thinks things are too hard, she doesn't want to try them anymore.  I wanted to finish watching the DVD so that I could do my review in a timely manner, but I decided that it would be best to let her reading improve a bit more, and track her progress so I could give a more fair review.

I shelved the video  for a few weeks, let her learn a little bit more words in Kindergarten, and read a few of the take home books that are set up very similar to those in this DVD.  Then I let her watch it again, and she was able to get into the second set of readers before becoming frustrated.

I repeated this two more times, with about 3 weeks between each.  Each time she was more enthusiastic about reading through the books, and more excited that she had read the sentences all by herself, even yelling "I did it!" each time she got a sentence right.  It got to be a race to finish the sentence before the voice did.

Now she is halfway through Kindergarten, and reading on a mid first grade level (she has progressed very quickly!), but she is still working on that 4th difficulty level.  I think she could probably get through it herself if there were a little bit more time before the voice began on that set.  She turned it off this time with only 2 left to go on the whole DVD--she always has to start from the beginning to she how much progress she has made and how much better she is reading them now, and that is fine by me.  It helps give her the confidence boost that she needs in her reading.  She knows that she is getting better so it makes her more willing to try!

I like the fact that the DVD pauses long enough before saying the words to give her some time to sound them out herself.  I like that each reader focuses on a particular phonics set and most are full of rhyming words, and  I like that there is a large difficulty span that they encompass.

I think that the next time we watch this through, she will probably have it down, but unless a child is reading proficiently already, it will be something that will grow with them for months and help them learn and track their progress as they learn to read.


The Savings:

If anyone would like to purchase one of these videos (they also have CDs) from www.rocknlearn.com, they have also given me a coupon code to share with you.  JQ7711   will get you 25% off of your order!



The Giveaway:


Rock N Learn, as well as sending me a FREE copy to review, would like to send one of my lucky readers a FREE DVD/CD of their choice, as well.  Fill in the rafflecopter below to enter!

Once the winner is chosen, they will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I choose another winner.  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Even though I was given this DVD free to review, all opinions stated above are honest and my own.  I wish you all good luck, and I hope that whoever wins will enjoy theirs as much as we did!

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Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012: Enter to Win $25 to Restaurant.com + Many Other Prizes

Welcome to the Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012. A large group of bloggers have gotten together, and each of us are hosting a giveaway on our site. Each site has a prize valued at $25 minimum, but many are valued much higher!

Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012 is Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012 is being hosted byJyla's Three Of Us Giveaway, J-Man and MillerBug & Generations of Savings.

The Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012 runs from January 20 - January 27.

I am sponsoring my own prize for this giveaway: a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate!

Enter my giveaway through the rafflecopter in this post, and then scroll down the page past it to find the links to the rest of the 55 blogs participating!

Good luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now click around to all the other participating blogs and see what goodies they have up for grabs!

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Bloggers Wanted For Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012

There is a great blogger event that is open for sign ups right now:

Event Details:

*Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012 is Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012 is being host byJyla's Three Of Us Giveaway, J-Man and MillerBug & Generations of Savings. 

*The Blogorama Bonanza Remix 2012 starts January 20 - January 27

*The value of the prize package in total must amount up to $25. You can provide your own giveaway as the total prize giveaway.

*Blogs will be linking with each other for readers to blog hop to blogs and enter to win great prize packages.

*Each blog will have their own theme so prize packages are going to be great.

If you are interested in signing up to participate, please go here for more information.

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Play SuperFans On Facebook. Win up to $500.

 I've been trying to earn a little extra money lately by entering giveaways and and various other methods.  Here is a pretty easy one I've found.  Yesterday I won $10 to Amazon!

You share the app to earn points, and each level you reach gets you another shot at winning.  Whether you win or not, you get an entry for $500.

Click below to get started:

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Lemonhead Superfan?

Brickfish

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Starting The New Year With A Bang Giveaway

Coupons and Freebies in TX and Suburban Coupon Mom have teamed up with 28 other bloggers (I'm one!) to bring you a giveaway for $60 in Amazon money or Paypal Money, the winner gets to pick which they want. The giveaway goes for 48 hours straight with a winner picked on Friday by midnight central time and will be announced on Coupons and Freebies in TX website. (www.ilovemycouponfans.com)

Once the winner is announced they will have 48hours to claim or a new winner is picked. To claim you need to email ilovemycouponfans@yahoo.com as soon as you see your name announced. Good Luck to everyone entering the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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