Identity Discovery

Monday Memories

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday Memories. Last Monday I gave you two kits to download and today you have a single kit. This kit is available only today. Tomorrow the link will point to a different kit. This is because (as I have come to understand) that the links are updated Mondays and I just happened to pick Monday to be the day I hand them out. I haven't quite decided how to handle this. What is probably going to happen is that I have a Monday Memories post every other week instead of each week. That single post will have all three kits just because I want to make sure everyone has ample time to download the kit. Maybe the opposite Mondays of the kits will be a project I come up with for those kits. This will make things easier on me by giving me two weeks to put something together. Now that I am getting more things to review for my blog, I find I have little time to scrapbook much. I like this idea...Now that I have talked it out, that will be the plan. Also a reminder, no more Share the Memories Giveaways on Saturdays (unless I get something really special to share).

So here's today's preview for the kit:

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

HERE's your download link for Kit 1 and HERE's your download link for kit 2. Have fun creating!

As always, here is the list of new freebies on MyMemories.com. Remember that this list is for kits used in the My Memories Suite Software. If you do not have the software, you can purchase it using the code STMMMS15347 at checkout and you will get $10 off your final purchase of the software only. I recommend you copy and paste the code just to make sure you don't put it in incorrectly! Please use the code if you buy the software because it tells them that I referred you!

I received one or more of the products mentioned (my original My Memories Suite Software) above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sign Up for Our 2012 “Werewolves” Reading Challenge

2012-02-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

I love werewolves. It started with the Alpha and Omega series with Patricia Briggs. After I read those, I moved to the Mercy Thompson Series. I realize that Mercy Thompson isn't a werewolf, but her neighbor Adam is the leader of her local pack. The werewolves of his pack end up in every book. Ever since, I have looked for werewolf books and loved most of them. Since I read any werewolf books I can get a hold of, I am joining the Werewolves Reading Challenge for 2012. As part of the agreement for this, I have to have a page for you to sign up too! I took most of this from the original post at Read All Over Reviews, which you can see HERE.

How to Sign Up

If you have a blog, you will need to create a sign-up entry on your blog and link that below in the comments to participate.
If you do not have a blog, you are welcome to link your GoodReads, LibraryThing or Shelfari account in the comments (if you make a shelf/tag specifically for this event [e.g., Werewolves-Challenge-2012], please link directly to that so everyone can see what books you’ve chosen to read). Reviews posted on retail websites will not count.
Those with no online presence – be it blog or other – can still participate by commenting below with a message like “Hi, I don’t have a blog or account but I’ll be reading along with you guys!”. However, you will not be eligible for the grand prize since you have no venue to post your review.

Rules

The challenge runs from March 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012. Only books read (and reviewed, if you choose to do so) during this period will count.
At a minimum, you must read at least five books in order to complete the challenge.
Fiction and nonfiction can be read.
Your fiction book choices can be contemporary or historical, but they must absolutely deal with werewolves – and not in a peripheral sense, but in the lead storyline.
No other varieties of shifters, please; wolves only.

Grand Prize

A winner will be chosen at random from the link-up post (this will be a separate post – do not link reviews below please) once the Challenge is over and receive a mystery Werewolf book!

JOIN AT THIS LINK

Something Sunday: John Carter in Theaters March 9th

2012-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Website and Mobile site: disney.com/johncarter
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/JohnCarterMovie
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Genre:	Action-Adventure
Rating:	PG-13
Release Date:	March 9, 2012
Running Time:	131 minutes

Cast:	Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, Polly Walker, Daryl Sabara, with Thomas Haden Church and Willem Dafoe
Director:	Andrew Stanton
Producers:	Jim Morris, Lindsey Collins, Colin Wilson
Screenplay by:	Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon
Based on the story “A Princess of Mars” by:	Edgar Rice Burroughs

From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”—a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Notes:

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in Chicago and is best known for writing and creating Tarzan—still one of the most successful and iconic fictional creations of all time. “John Carter” is based on Burroughs’ first novel, “A Princess of Mars.”
Academy Award®–winning director/writer Andrew Stanton directed and co-wrote the screenplay for “WALL•E,” which earned the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award® for Best Animated Feature of 2008. He was Oscar® nominated for the screenplay. He made his directorial debut with “Finding Nemo,” garnering an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003. He was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar nomination in 1996 for his contribution to “Toy Story,” and went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on subsequent Pixar films “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo” and “WALL•E.”
The award-winning below-the-line team includes Production Designer Nathan Crowley, Oscar®- nominated for both “Dark Knight” and “The Prestige,” and Costume Designer Mayes Rubeo, whose work is showcased in “Avatar” and “Apocalypto.”
Michael Chabon, who won the Pulitzer Prize in Literature for his novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” is a co-writer on the screenplay.
Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino has received numerous accolades for his work on previous Disney•Pixar films “Up” (Oscar® winner, Best Original Score; BAFTA winner, Best Music; Golden Globe® winner, Best Original Score for a Motion Picture; GRAMMY® Award winner, Best Score Soundtrack Album), “Ratatouille” (GRAMMY Award winner, Best Score Soundtrack Album; Annie Award winner, Best Music in an Animated Feature Production; Oscar nomination, Best Original Score) and “The Incredibles” (Annie Award winner, Best Music in an Animated Feature Production; GRAMMY nomination, Best Score Soundtrack Album).

BeeSavy Getting National Attention on Fox Business

2012-02-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

BeeSavy Getting National Attention on Fox Business

If you follow this blog regularly, you know I've been telling you about an innovative new cash back site called BeeSavy for a few months now. Well, it looks like the mainstream media is catching on as BeeSavy was just featured in an article on Fox Business. You can read the Fox article here. And remember, you heard it here first!

If you’re not using BeeSavy yet for all of your online shopping, you’re missing out on valuable cash back. Even better, BeeSavy is the only cash back site that lets you actually earn money every time your friends shop online! Start earning money today by signing up at BeeSavy.com. And remember to refer your friends before they refer you!

Tim Burton's next Movie Frankenweenie

2012-02-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Website and Mobile site: disney.com/frankenweenie
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/FrankenweenieMovie
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Genre:	Animated comedy
Rating:	TBD
U.S. Release date:	October 5, 2012
Running time:

Voice Cast:	Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell
Director:	Tim Burton
Producers:	Tim Burton, Allison Abbate
Executive Producer:	Don Hahn
Screenplay by:	John August
Based on an original idea by:	Tim Burton

From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, “Frankenweenie” will be filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience.

In Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences.

NOTES:

When Tim Burton originally conceived the idea for “Frankenweenie,” he envisioned it as a full-length, stop-motion animated film. Due to budget constraints, he instead directed it as a live-action short, released in 1984.
“Frankenweenie” follows in the footsteps of Tim Burton’s other stop-motion animated films “Corpse Bride” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”—both of which were nominated for Academy Awards®.
Over 200 puppets and sets were created for the film.
The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (“Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands”), Catherine O’Hara (“Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”), Martin Short (“Mars Attacks!”) and Martin Landau (“Ed Wood,” Sleepy Hollow”).
Several of the character names—Victor, Elsa Van Helsing, Edgar “E” Gore and Mr. Burgemeister— were inspired by classic horror films.

Winners!

2012-02-24T19:50:00.001-05:00

Custom Wholesale Keychain - 02/20/2012

Sue Bunting for liking Identity Discovery on Facebook

CrindelStar Story Card - 02/23/2012

Tim Lintz for following @gigidelugo on Twitter

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Lego KidsFest is coming to Cincinnati!

2012-02-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

LEGO KidsFest is coming to Cincinnati, March 23-25, 2012! LEGO KidsFest brings all of the creative hands-on, minds-on fun of LEGO building and experiences together in one activity- and entertainment-packed family event for children of all ages and builders of all skills and interests.

Feature Friday: HootSuite

2012-02-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Are you a social media junkie? Do you have a blog and run giveaways? Do you find that you just don't have enough time to post to all you social media in a day? Well I know that ALL of that describes me. I want to tell you about a website that I use to help me out when I need to post to twitter and Facebook at the same time. When I set up a giveaway, I like to tweet about the giveaway at least three times a day to try to make sure people see my tweets at different times of the day. I also like to have it automatically post to Facebook towards the middle/end of the giveaway. Well I cannot be on my computer all the time to do this. The answer: HootSuite. With the free account of HootSuite you can connect to four different social media. I am connected to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and LinkedIn. You can also connect (instead of the four I am connected to) to Ping.fm, WordPress, MySpace, and Mixi. After you have set up your connections, you can set up timed posts that will go up at the scheduled time in the future (or at the current time) and the post can go to multiple social media at the SAME time. The only downside is that with the free account, you have to set up each and every post one at a time. It can be time consuming, but if you are like me, you will do all your giveaway tweets at one time and then forget about them until the giveaway is over. If you PAY for an account, you can schedule a single tweet or post to go live at multiple times. One and done. Fast and simple. I am trying to convince myself to shell out the money just to save myself time. However, since this blog doesn't actually make me any money, it is hard for me to justify it.

You can also add other media to your dashboard by visiting their App Directory. The only one in the list that I would find useful is YouTube, but I already am connected to 4 social networks...I wonder if the apps count towards your limit? Woo! It doesn't count against me. So now I have 5 networks connected.

I am sure after you look at the list, you will think "Where's Google Plus?" Well they are negotiating with Google to add it, but right now it appears to be in beta with only the paid members. I think you might even have to be a business owner to get it.

I just wanted to share a little about this wonderful site. It can make your blogging like and social media connections a little simpler!

Thumbnail Thursday

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

My family. A LONG time ago. =)

Wordy Wednesday: Fearless

2012-02-22T09:39:00.001-05:00

Title: Fearless
Series: King Series
Author: Tawdra Kandle
Publisher: Amazon; 1 edition (December 9, 2011)
Format: ARC [eBook]

Description: Tasmyn Vaughn didn't expect much when her dad’s job moved them to a small town in Florida; it was just another new school. But there is more to King than meets the eye, and soon Tasmyn’s ability to hear other’s thoughts is the least of her worries. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood rituals, she discovers the town’s secrets aren’t just bizarre, they’re deadly.

Review:I will tell you that I struggled at first to get into the book, but that is not because of the story. It was a HUGE shift from the book I read before it. That being said, it was a wonderful story. Tasmyn is the main character, a junior in high school. She's been moved around a lot due to her father's job (no she's not a military brat) and she has struggled to have anything that resembled a friendship due to both her gift and moving around. She has learned to tune out the thoughts of others. What I mean by that is that she hears people's thoughts as if they are talking to her. This means that like someone who really is talking to her, she has to concentrate not to hear those thoughts. What this means is that she appears aloof and uncaring of what others are actually saying to her because she is actually focusing on their spoken words instead of thoughts. It's a catch 22. People think she isn't listening to what they say because she has to concentrate so much on exactly what they are saying. It results in very little friendships until she moves to King, Florida. This town is full of old mysterious history which actually is a good thing for Tasmyn. She fits in without even knowing that she does.

One of the aspects of the story that I really liked was that Tasmyn falls in love for the first time with Michael. Michael has a family history of the male line falling in love with a girl and never falling out. They love only one and really don't pay attention to girls until they meet that one. Love at first sight is their curse/blessing depending on how you want to see it. Luckily Tasmyn falls in love right back. Like teenagers, they move fast and admit their feelings very quickly. However, unlike most teenagers, they do not consummate their love. I really liked how Tawdra Kandle (author) hints at what they could be doing, but then makes a point that they actually are not doing it. Both Michael and Tasmyn avoid situations where they could get themselves in trouble and both respect each other enough to not jump into a physical relationship too quickly. Now-a-days teenagers get physically involved very early (I was one of them) and it can have devastating results. I feel like this story gave a really good positive example for how a loving teenage relationship can be without that physical intimacy. I applaud Tawdra's ability to write a paranorml romance without the steamy scenes since her story is one a teenager is likely to want to read.

So if you are interested in reading a light paranormal romance, this is definitely a good book for you. I say light paranormal just because there aren't any vampires, werewolves, or other shape shifters. That's not to say that there won't be further along in the King Series, but this book does not contain them. It is strictly an empath and witchcraft. This is definitely a great book for your teenagers if they are into the paranormal.

Interview with Tawdra:

Where did your inspiration for “Fearless” come from? Like most books, I think, inspiration came from many bits and pieces. Tasmyn's lifelong ability to hear minds came at least partly from a rueful joke between my sister and me, about how it seemed our babies could 'hear' us think about them in the middle of the night and thus wake up. That prompted me to wonder what that would look like: raising a child with this unique a gift would definitely be a challenge. Tasmyn's family history of moving all the time is reminiscent of my own childhood. And when I was in school, I certainly knew my share of unpleasant girls, though none whom were witches. . as far as I know!
Why did you call it “Fearless” when it seemed like most of the characters were pretty scared most of the book? I mean that even in the simplest form of Tasmyn and Michael falling out of love. I had already written most of the book without a title (earliest drafts were just called "Tasmyn") when Taylor Swift's album Fearless was released. I heard the title track, and it reminded me of Tas and Michael. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the series as a whole is about Tasmyn's movement away from her fear-driven life toward freedom. The first book chronicles just her opening, baby steps in this direction, so yes, there is still a lot of fear. . .although Tas choosing to trust Michael and accept him, his family and friends into her world is a huge leap for her. As for Michael and Tas being afraid of falling out of love, what Tasmyn worries about is Michael changing his mind, and that is something that will be explored in the third book.
Do you believe in love at first sight or destiny? What about witchcraft and other supernaturals? I do think that love at first sight happens. I don't know that I believe in destiny so much as I think there is a plan in our lives. I also absolutely believe that some people possess what we might call supernatural gifts; we know we're only using a tiny portion of our brains, and who knows what abilities lie there? I think witchcraft probably goes on, even in our modern world, but I wonder how much of it is simply a connection with nature and how much is a true quest for power. I'm not a witch, but without doubt there is more under the sun that is dreamed of in our little worlds!
Is Tasmyn really an anomaly or does she have someone else in her family tree with special abilities? That is something that will be explored a little more in Breathless. She is not related to a King first family, as far as I know.
My parents met in high school and were married before my mom graduated. I used to believe that I was meant to be the same way and tried to make a relationship work way past its expiration. What made you decide that Michael’s family would be blessed to fall in love once and it be for real? This was something that began as a small plot point and then developed more than I expected. I needed to move the relationship between Tas and Michael to a fairly intense place pretty quickly. A lot has to happen in Fearless, and if I had allowed their love to develop more 'naturally', the book would have been even longer than it is. I actually considered dropping this family trait idea during some late edits, but I realized this family expectation was an integral part of Michael's character. Interestingly, it's one of the things readers comment about frequently. I think people love the idea of a soul mate. Also, one of the themes of the King series is that gifts come in many different forms. This little quirk in Michael's family might not be as startling as what Tasmyn can do, but in its own way, it's still a supernatural gift.
I loved that you did not include “real” physical intimacy in the story. Too many girls give in too early (I was one) and I feel like your story encourages teenagers not to jump the gun. What made you decide not to include it? Well, it would have been very out of character for Tasmyn to jump into anything like that, no matter how intense her feelings for Michael. I also believe that a physical relationship should not outpace the emotional intimacy between two people, and that's reflected in these books. Michael will address that more fully in the fourth book!
Will Tasmyn and Michael get married? I rather expected him to propose and was surprised when he didn’t. No proposal! There will be talk about a future marriage; Michael clearly wants Tasmyn to know that he plans to be with her forever. But no weddings in this series. . .although there will be something at the very end of the fourth book that I think will answer any questions about their distant future. Unlike--ahem!--some other series, there is no pressing imperative for these two to jump the gun and get married before they're ready.
Where did you get the name Tasmyn? I am an unusual name junkie and I really like that name a lot. I might be tempted to use it one day if I ever have a girl. ;) I began the story with her name as Tamsyn, but it just wasn't ringing. I switched the letters and liked it better, and then later, when I learned the meaning of the name, I realized how perfect it actually is for this character and this story! I like it, too. If you ever do you use it , be sure and let me know!
I realize that the next book “Breathless” will be out soonish, care to give a brief idea of what we should expect? Sure! Breathless picks up at the beginning of Tasmyn's senior year, so almost a year has passed. Michael goes away to college, which is very hard on her. We'll get better acquainted with Ms. Lacusta. . .Cara's dad becomes suspicious about Tasmyn's abilities. . and there is an interesting new character whose view on supernatural powers gives Tas an alternate perspective. How Breathless ends sets up the third book, which, I must say, might be my favorite one. Stay tuned and keep reading!

You can purchase "Fearless" from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/FEARLESS-King-Series-ebook/dp/B006KHWEKQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329921487&sr=1-1.

Heat Up Your Valentine's Day Winner

2012-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

BeeSavy Heat Up Your Valentine’s Day Winner Announced!

Congratulations to Cathy from Surrey, British Columbia! She was the winner of the Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet in our Heat Up Your Valentine’s Day Giveaway. We will be announcing our next giveaway very soon right here so please check back often!

Awaken Book Tour Starting today! #awaken

2012-02-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Awaken(The Patronus)

Lucy Donovan was supposed to have a weekend of fun in the sun, celebrating her upcoming graduation from college. In a split second, everything changed. A drunk driver ended Lucy’s mortal life.

Lucy opens her eyes to a world she never imagined possible and a newdestiny: as a Patronus, a guardian of spirits. Adjusting to her new role and abilities while negotiating this confusing realm will test her limits and push her further than she ever dreamed she would go. From wayward spirits who don’t want her help to soul stealing vampires, and even a stuck-up British royal, Lucy must brave them all to save one spirit she can’t bear to lose.

Further complicating her confusing life is an inexplicable yet growing connection she feels to a member of her team, Max, whose mysterious behavior leaves her both confused and intrigued.

Waking up dead was just the beginning of her problems. Lucy’s death is about to become the greatest adventure of her life.

Buy it - Kindle,Paperback, Nook,and Smashwords

Author Sarah M Ross is working with Promotional Book Tours to bring you an incredible Prize pack. She is offering up

For 25 entries in the contest sign up for her newsletter to learn about new books coming out and contests.

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Monday Memories

2012-02-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday Memories. Due to the very limited number of entries I got on the last giveaway, there will no longer be a giveaway for a digital scrapbook kit. Instead, I am making all three kits available to all my readers! There will be two available today and only one next week. This weeks kits are focused on photo CARDS, i.e. 4x6 cards. Being that Valentine's Day is over, I am not entirely certain what you will want to use these kits for. They are actually perfect for Valentine's Cards, so if you want to send some late ones, this is perfect for you!
So here's today's preview for the first kit:

Here's the preview for kit 2:

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

HERE's your download link for Kit 1 and HERE's your download link for kit 2. Have fun creating!

Children's Advil Coupon

2012-02-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

Calling all moms!

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This coupon has been made available to you by Children's Advil through MyBlogSpark.com

Something Sunday: Babies

2012-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine announced that she is pregnant with her second baby yesterday. She was so worried that it would take a long time for her to get pregnant again, but was blessed with it only taking two months. Pretty good huh? I am very happy for her, but also can't help feeling sad/jealous. With the two ectopic pregnancies last year, we have been waiting to try again. We believe, and the doctor agrees, that my body needs time to heal from them. I need to heal emotionally as well. My friend's announcement just shows me that I am not completely healed emotionally from my trauma since I was sad just thinking about not having another baby. I can't help it so please don't criticize me. I have been trying to ignore my feelings about what happened. I was so very depressed immediately after the last one and I didn't know how to get out of it. I focused my energy on my family and taking care of my son Drake. I have been ignoring myself mostly. It seemed to be ok. Most days I am not exactly happy, but at least not sad. Then I had days where I was just angry and days where I am truly happy. It's an emotional roller coaster that I just want off of. These feelings being brought to the surface again have led me to think that I need to actually change something.

If you read my review about the book Fit Moms For Life, you know that I really want to lose weight. You also know that the book talks about getting your mind thinking that you can and should be doing something for yourself in order to be able to do anything. Well I am going to take these feelings I have been having and turn it into my motivation for exercising. I am starting the exercise program tomorrow morning. The book recommends have a mantra you say to yourself daily and even while you work out. Mine is going to be "No more babies until I lose weight" so that I have a reason to want to lose weight. It also will hopefully give me a reason to feel like I shouldn't rush getting pregnant again (thus risking another disappointment). I will believe that when I lose weight and start feeling better about myself, a baby will be able to survive whatever it is that has made me lose the last two. I just have to start this program and be consistent with it in order for it to work. This means Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays are strength training. Tuesdays and Thursdays are burst training. I don't have time on Saturdays to do anything because we visit with my mother-in-law and my husband works at his game store. Sundays I am normally exhausted after staying the night at my mother-in-law's house. I have a very tough time sleeping in her bed. If I have any energy when I get home on Sunday, the plan will be to do burst training because I don't think it's a good idea to do strength training two days in a row. Plus I can do the burst training without my son getting in the way. I put the "baby jail" around my elliptical machine to keep him away. During the weekdays, I am going to get up when my husband gets up for work to exercise before Drake wakes up so Drake isn't a problem those days. Sunday is the only issue.

This is my plan. I hope it works. I got on the scale this morning and weighed (yes I am going to tell you) 192.8 lbs. I am the happiest when I weigh 165 lbs. I don't know if I will ever be able to get that low again, but I intend to try. I am going measure myself later on so I can judge how much I am "slimming down" because the past has shown me that sometimes your actual weight doesn't change for a while even though you are shrinking. I think I will take measurements every other week. I know that there won't be a lot of change in two weeks, but if I even see a little something, it will help motivate me! There you have it!

No babies until I lose weight

Ninjas attack!

2012-02-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

This blog has been attacked by ninjas today!

Tots and Me Baby Shower Event

2012-02-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

Tots and Me is having a Baby Shower Celebration Event to celebrate the birth of their son. The celebration doesn't start until March 1st, but she is giving you a heads up on who is sponsoring the event and will be posting reviews soon! Here is a peak at the sponsors:

Taylor Joelle
My Baby Clothes
Undercover Mama
Woombie
Bamboobies
Picky Sticky
Wubbanub
Exederm
Miracle Blanket
My Day Registry
Swaddle Designs

If you are a fellow blogger and would like to get in on some extra entries for the giveaway or to get your blog in the rafflecopters, POST ABOUT THE EVENT! Here is exactly what she had to say:

"I would love to get the news out far and wide about my Baby Shower Celebration Event. I am looking for bloggers who are willing to share my button on their sidebar during the duration of the event, starting this weekend which is when I am scheduling the write ups of the products/sites to start going live. I realize this is short notice, so if you are able to get the button on your blog by Feb 25th I am offering 10 extra entries to every one of my giveaways! If you can post the button by the beginning of the giveaway event on March 1st I am offering 5 extra entries to every one of my giveaways!

In addition, I am looking for bloggers who are willing to post about my Baby Shower Celebration on their blog. All I ask is that the post be up before March 1st and mention that this is a Baby Shower Celebration in honor of the birth of our son. Mention that I am showering my readers with reviews and giveaways of products for babies and mommies. In exchange for this post I am offering a Facebook, Twitter or Google+ follow link on two of my Rafflecopter forms.

If you are interested in helping me celebrate our baby boy's birth in either of these ways, just leave a comment below with your name and email address. The button code is below. Please leave a link to your blog or blog post where you posted. If you have any questions, you can email me at: kewkew34@yahoo.com" ~ Tots And Me

The Secret World Of Arrietty Opens TODAY

2012-02-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Cast Members: Amy Poehler, Bridgit Mendler and Carol Burnett in Los Angeles to promote the film.

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY
DISNEY
Disney.com/Arrietty

Genre: Animation/Adventure
Rating: G
Release Date: February 17, 2012

Voice Cast: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, David Henrie, Moises Arias
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Screenplay by : Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa
Based on “The Borrowers” by: Mary Norton
Director – English Language
Version: Gary Rydstrom
Executive Producers –
English Language Version: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
English Language Screenplay by:Karey Kirkpatrick

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom. The film hits theaters Feb. 17, 2012 (today!).

Notes:

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most influential and admired filmmakers working in animation today and is a major figure in the Japanese cinematic landscape. His films have inspired moviegoers and colleagues around the world, from Pixar's John Lasseter to fantasist Guillermo del Toro to Chinese director Tsui Hark, and consistently top the box office in his native Japan.
Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a top animator at Studio Ghibli, was responsible for the animation in a signature scene in “Ponyo,” in which Ponyo runs atop ocean waves.
English language voice talent director Gary Rydstrom is a seven-time Academy Award winning sound designer/mixer (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”). He joined Pixar Animation Studios as an animation film director in 2003. His directorial debut for the studio was the Academy Award®-nominated short film “Lifted,” and he directed the short film “Hawaiian Vacation,” which was released with “Cars 2” in June 2011.
Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are highly successful producing partners whose films, separately and together, include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “E.T.,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” the Indiana Jones films and the Jurassic Park films. In total, Kennedy and Marshall have earned 11 Oscar® nominations.
English language screenplay writer Karey Kirkpatrick’s credits include “Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Over the Hedge,” which he also directed (with Tim Johnson).

Feature Friday: DragonVale

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

"DragonVale is a simulation video game created by Backflip Studios for the iOS platform. It can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and played on the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. It was released in September 2011 and uses the freemium business model. Although the game is free to play, players can use their iTunes account to make in-game purchases of game currency to help speed up the evolution of their dragon park.

DragonVale uses Apple, Inc.’s Game Center online multiplayer social gaming network to allow players to add friends, compete for high scores, exchange gem gifts in-game and visit other dragon parks. Players may also choose to connect with Facebook so that friends on Facebook with the DragonVale application will be identified as DragonVale friends." ~ DragonVale Wiki

My Thoughts: I am addicted to this game. There's no logic or puzzles involved. It's kind of like Farmville on facebook. You are just breeding Dragons instead of planting crops. You can't just breed each one successfully on the first try though. There are percentages that work against you. For instance, there is a rainbow dragon that is supper rare. It's something like 1 out of 1000 chance to get it. Some people have gotten this dragon on the first try. others like me have been trying for months. The reason I like this game is because the dragons are soooooo cute!

The images above are just babies, but some of the adult are cute too. They come out with dragons that are only available during certain holidays/seasons. So for people like me with the "gotta collect them all" attitude, you work really hard during those weeks to breed those seasonal dragons. Above is a picture of the reindeer dragon which was only available this last December. I thankfully did get it. Here is the one for Valentine's Day that I have also already gotten.

Cute huh? Well there seriously isn't much to the game. So if you like dragons and like to have something to kill time occasionally, you should check it out. Here is the link for itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dragonvale/id440045374?mt=8 and here's their official website: http://www.backflipstudios.com/.

Thumbnail Thursday

2012-02-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

I know Drake is in this picture, my focus is on the cat. This was the last picture ever taken of my Diablo kitty. He had kidney disease and I had to have him put to sleep. We couldn't afford to do all the liquid transfusions and I couldn't stand to watch him suffer. He was losing control of his bowels and he didn't even realize it. For the health of my son and for Diablo's comfort, I took that terrible step. I miss him so much. He was 11 years old and had spent that whole time minus about 12 weeks with me.

Expert Talks Fit Moms for Life Review

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

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

Expert Talks Fit Moms for Life

Description: Fit Moms for Life: How to Have Endless Energy to Outplay your Kids ~ (http://fitmomsforlife.com) chronicles the successes of 31 mothers who used Dustin’s fitness and weight loss program with stellar successes. Armed with personal stories with before and after photos, Dustin takes the reader through the five pillars of fitness: Mindset, Nutrition, Strength Training, Burst Training, and Environment. Ultimately leading to the end goal: Staying Fit for Life.

Fit Moms for Life is perfect for Mothers (and women in general) who want a fitness program that works. Dustin Maher says:

Traditional Cardio Doesn’t Lose Fat
You Can’t Work Out to Compensate for Poor Eating
See Results 9 Times Faster With Burst Training
Learn ONE Exercise That Shrinks a Waistline WITHOUT diet changes
Burn Fat While You Sleep
A Healthy Environment Equals A More Fit Family

About the Author: Dustin’s inspiration to help moms comes from his nurturing upbringing and continued close relationship with his own mom. Dustin has helped thousands of women get in amazing shape all over the US and the world. He has been on TV close to 100 times and has been in many magazines, newspapers, radio shows, has over 250 YouTube videos, and over 450 articles and videos on his website. His website Alexa ranking around 300K and he has an email list of 7000K. Dustin is also hosting his own Fit Moms for Life talk radio show at http://webtalkradio.net/shows/fit-moms-for-life. To learn more, please checkout Dustin’s website at www.DustinMaherFit

Review: Alright. I am the first to say that I need to change. I really do. I love to eat. I especially love sweets. Lots of people tell me that I look fine and I shouldn't worry, but they used to tell me that I looked great. It's a big step down in my opinion. Great to fine. I want to look great again. This is why I signed up to do this review. I got the book about two weeks ago, but I have not yet started anything in it. There are 5 areas that Fit Moms For Life says you have to change in order to change yourself. The first is changing your mindset. In other words, THINK POSITIVE. This is perhaps the hardest part for me. You have to believe that you not only deserve to take the time to lose weight and get healthy, but that you CAN actually do it. I have spent a lot of time telling myself that it is useless. I have come to believe that there really is nothing to be done to change how I am right now. I don't have the time to exercise and change. This is my first challenge and what I am currently working on. Dustin talks about things you can do to try to change your mindset and I am really thinking bout trying some of them. It's hard to undo something you've done to yourself for years.

The second change to take place has to do with nutrition. This I don't think is something i am going to adopt. I understand his logic in thinking that 5-6 meals a day is better for you. I agree with that. I understand incorporating more nuts, fruits, and vegetables, but I don't do organic. Don't think that I have a problem with that. Organic is healthy, but it also costs at least twice as much as non-organic. We buy groceries weekly and I can't buy the food we need for under $100 going organic. It just can't be done in my budget. Dustin says that you do not HAVE to incorporate every part of his book in order to see change. However, he believes that you will get the best results and more long lasting ones. I just can't adopt this one.

Third is strength training. I LOVE this. My husband and I both have always felt that strength training is the way to go in order to get long term weight loss. My husband has been able to go lift twice at least twice a week for the last couple of years, but I can honestly say he needs to do more. He isn't gaining weight even with our poor eating habits. If he could do it it more often, he would lose weight. I, on the other hand, have no way to lift weights. We can't afford a second gym membership since I would have to go to a different gym than he does and I have no baby sitter. So I have to get some dumbbells to do it at home. I have to wait until we can afford the dumbbells or find a suitable alternative before I can start the strength training. This is something that I intend to start as soon I have the weights. Dustin provides a handful of exercises in the book to help you get started, but you will need a set of weights (not a whole bench press set) and a stress ball in order to do them. That will start as soon as possible though.

Fourth is burst training. This is like cardio on steroids for a minute at a time. I have an elliptical machine that I intend to try to do this on. My son lets me do cardio occasionally, so I plan to get this started soon. You are probably thinking I am full of excuses for not doing it yet, but I really want to start all the exercise at once. That way I can just get in a routine and not break from it. I am not one of those people that eases into exercising. I just need to jump in.

Finally, you have to change your environment. This can be really hard for some people. It won't be for me. This requires you to be around people who support your efforts and reduce your time with people who will deter you from your goals. The only people I am really around consistently is my parents and my mother-in-law. My mom struggles with weight like I do, so she will support me. My mother-in-law is fanatical about getting in her exercises and not eating much of anything ever. There will be no problems with my environment out side of home. The only issue I have is getting all the exercise in while still getting a good night of sleep and taking care of my son. It's something that I just have to deal with though no matter what program I am taking part in.

What does all this mean? I think that Fit Moms For Life can work. It especially will for someone who can afford to pay the money to change their diets and to get a gym membership. Many of the amazing stories of people it worked for are people who could go to the Boot Camp classes recommended. If you can do that, then I think in the 6 weeks they want you to test out the program, you will see results. I need to get the right tools to do this at home and then I plan to write a post on how my results are going.

Buy It: You can buy the book, Fit Moms For Life at amazon or Dustin's Website http://dustinmaherfitness.com/.

Win it! You also have a chance to win a copy right here! If you want to wait long enough to get started changing your life, then enter to win the book in the rafflecopter form below. Open to US/Canada only. Be sure to read all instructions carefully!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Last Day! Heat up your Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Last day to enter!Welcome to a new shopping experience! BeeSavy is designed to help you shop by category, store and coupons. It shows you on the home page your groupon deal of the day and various sales you might find interesting. They are trying to get their name more well known and are offering a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner just for signing up for their site. When you sign up, you get a referral code and get paid based on the number of referrals you send their way (as long as people use your referral code). You get 40% referral cash back from direct referrals and 10% from your referrals' referrals. You also get paid to shop! Cash back for all the shopping you do through their site.

This giveaway is being hosted on several blogs and all the entrants will be combined for one final giveaway winner. The winner might not necessarily be from this blog, so when it is over, I will have a winner post and it might not display the winner in the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CrindelStar Review and Giveaway

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

CrindelStar ~ Where the Universe Dreams

This is a really unique idea. Each card provides you with a code to download the story and song of CrindelStar and Maria. Maria is a little girl who is suffering from peer pressure to give up in her belief that Unicorns exist. CrindelStar is the unicorn that Maria meets that inspires her to not let others dictate what she should believe. This is a give-give story though. In their meeting Maria saves CrindelStar in return for CrindelStar could not come to Maria in her true unicorn form. Maria has to help CrindelStar rediscover herself. There are other messages in the story that help to boost ones self esteem, which I found worked in very nicely. One such thing that is worked that gave me goose bumps is that if you believe in something, it is real. It doesn't mean it is real to everyone else or that you even see it. With maria and CrindelStar, it was that unicorns became real because Maria believed in them. Without Maria's belief, they do not exist. That is basically going in the line of believing in things even though you don't ever see them. It's an idea of faith. You can have faith without ever having proof. This works for pretty much all religions as well as other things. The whole "if a trees falls in the woods but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" idea.

I loved that this story incorporated magic into the mix because we want Drake to be imaginative and creative. I believe that children should believe in magic until science shows them the truth. You probably want to know why I feel that way. I think that magic helps children to keep their innocence. Everything is new an exciting because they don't understand it. We can call that magic and that one world holds this wonderful happy meaning to them. As they get bigger, they learn (probably through school) how things really work. They learn this when they are ready to handle it. I don't want my kids to lose that childhood innocence too early, so I choose to have things be magical in Drake's life. It makes things more fun for me too.

There is only one thing that I would like to see added to this. I would like to have the ability to have a read-a-long book for the story. Drake loves to listen to stories and loves to watch Windows Media players psychedelic screens, but I think it would have been more beneficial if he had a book to look at with the story. Now I know he is too young to understand the meaning (only 17 months today), but I like to have him hear stories now so that the ideas will hopefully sink in as he grows. He will accept not giving in to peer pressure (hopefully) because he heard this story early and often and will believe that giving in to peer pressure just isn't something you do. Presenting a child with morals and lessons early so they accept them as fact is supposed to help the parent out later on. I just hope it works. It's something I have only read about from random sources, so I don't know how true it is.

What else makes this card so unique? Well each card has wildflower seeds embedded into the paper. On the card is the instructions necessary to PLANT YOUR CARD and grow those wildflowers. So this card is better than recyclable because it never needs to be processed through a recycling plant. Skip the middle man! Plant the card and see wildflowers grow! When this spring comes around, I intend to play my card right under my bedroom window. We have some really nice bushes that died last spring from all the rain we got. Last spring we almost had a the most rain ever recorded in the month of April for the Cincinnati area, which means a lot of plants drowned last year. Hopefully that won't repeat because I really want to see these wild flowers. I think they will be a beautiful addition to the house and increase the "curb appeal" for selling it. When I have them blooming, I intend to write something up with pictures.

Buy it: You can buy your own CrindelStar card by visiting http://crindelstar.wordpress.com/

Win a card! You have a chance to win one of these magical cards right here, right now! The winner will receive 1 CrindelStar’s Story 7 Song cards. (Don’t forget you can plant the cards and grow wildflowers) You MUST complete the mandatory entry for all other entries to count. In your blog post comment, leave the email address you use in the rafflecopter form to help me link your comment to your entries. Also, when you "like" CrindelStar on Facebook, you must leave a comment on CrindelStar's facebook page not in the extra info section of the rafflecopter form. The extra info section is for a link to your facebook comment. Help me out by doing this correctly! It makes checking your entries go faster which means a faster winner announcement and the winner getting their product faster!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. (http://momblogsociety.com)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Memories

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday Memories. Here's another Valentine's Day themed digital scrapbook kit. I made a February Calendar with the Quick Page in the kit. Both quick pages look perfect for a calendar. I used a photo from my son's first Valentine's Day and with his first valentine. He still has that Gorilla and we are currently looking for more of him because he was not made for the abuse he's taken.

So here's today's preview first:

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

HERE's your download link. Have fun creating!

Something Sunday: A Second House Showing

2012-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

WE HAVE A SECOND HOUSE SHOWING!

You are probably thinking that this is our first time having a second showing. It isn't. We had two back in October/November that resulted in a contract on the house that the buyers backed out of. This one just feels different somehow. I think it is because the first showing with these people was this past Friday! Meaning they looked at the house and are coming back two days later! To me that says they are pretty interested. We had a couple that almost put in a contract a couple weeks ago, but they only looked at the house once. I have no idea why they back out after telling our Realtor they were interested. This one just feels right somehow. I am actually excited about it. I haven't been excited about a showing in a while. I have just felt like it was a waste of my time lately and that I have been using up all my energy cleaning when I could be playing with my son. I feel really good about this one. I think this could be it! Everyone pray for us because this could be the end of a 3 and a half year adventure!

More winners!

2012-02-11T00:00:00.002-05:00

Congratulations!

The winner of the Valentine's Day Hop Giveaway (i.e. Lovable Labels Friendship pack) was Denise Reynolds for liking Identity Discovery on Facebook!

The winner of the Share the Memories Digital Scrapbook Kit was Kelly Leto for liking Identity Discovery on Facebook!

Wholesale Keychains Giveaway

2012-02-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

I wrote a review about Wholesale Keychains last Tuesday. For the giveaway, one lucky reader will get one of the keychains that I was given to review. You will have to tell me which one you want though! If you missed the review then, that means you need to go look at it in order to figure out which keychain you want! http://identitydiscovery.blogspot.com/2012/02/wholesale-keychains-review.html

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature Friday: Secret World of Arrietty Clips

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Disney has released some new video clips about their upcoming movie "The Secret World of Arrietty." If you didn't already know, this movie is based on a series of books called "The Borrowers" which you can find HERE.

The Secret World of Arrietty - Film Clip "Captured"

The Secret World of Arrietty - Film Clip "That Wasn't So Hard"

The Secret World of Arrietty - Film Clip "What Are Borrowers?"

The Secret World of Arrietty - Film Clip "What Do They Call you?"

The Secret World of Arrietty - Film Clip "Young Beans"

The Secret World of Arrietty - "Summertime" music video (:90 seconds)

Thumbnail Thursday

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

My Mom and Dad

We have Winners!

2012-02-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

Rather than doing a long in depth post about each event that just ended, I am just doing one short post. It has been a rough day for me, but I definitely want to express my thanks to EVERYONE that entered the SmartBones, All For Love, and Crazy Cupid Love giveaways! I was extremely surprised with the tun outs of each event and I am so happy to have done them. You are all fantastic! So without further ado, here are our winners:

SmartBones (2 winners)

Anastacia Russell for boosting my blog
Katie Tulloss for tweeting about the giveaway

All For Love Giveaway Hop with the prize being a $25 gift card to Bath and Body Works

Ruth Mayer Hill for her comment on what she would buy

Crazy Cupid Love Giveaway Hop with the prize being a $50 gift code to EdenFatasys

Emilie Jozwiak for the simple entry

Congratulations!

Wholesale Keychains Review

2012-02-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

While going through the blogger opportunities on Mom Blog Society, another blogger expressed that Wholesale Keychains was looking for reviewers. I love new keychains and gadgets, so I took the time to go looking through their website to see if I was interested in doing the review. I found SEVERAL awesome keychains that I was interested in and rather found it hard to decide which ones I was more interested in. They have the following types of keychains (which can be purchased individually or wholesale):

"This is the place where car lovers can celebrate their dream machines by taking a little piece with them wherever they go. We sell automotive keychains for all major automotive companies such as BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Infiniti, Dodge, Jeep, Buick, and Cadillac to name a few. Whether it is an SUV, a truck or a luxury car, we have it all.

Look at the wide range of selections that will transport you into “automobile heaven”. For fans of these vehicles, there is no better place to be. Browse through our selections from the comfort of your living room, coffee mug in your hand. All it takes is one click to get that little piece of accessory that is a surefire way to start a conversation, anywhere.

We sell in bulk or individual items to suit all of your needs. There are many styles to choose from and we offer the highest quality materials made in the U.S.A. These come into different materials, from serious steel to fun leather. It goes with any and every outfit.

Not satisfied unless you make your mark on it? Order our special engravings, tell us what you want written and we will engrave and send it your way. Whether it’s a message for a loved one or for yourself or a corporate function, these words will remain in their hearts forever.

Car lovers like to take a little piece of their automotive fantasies with them at all times in a portable, stylish fashion that allows them to dream a little. Whether you are the proud owner of a Mustang, and want to bring a symbol of it with you at all times, or you suffer from a mild case of car envy, carrying around a BMW keychain or a Mercedes Keychain could make the dream feel more tangible. Wholesale Keychains sells Officially Licensed Keychains." ~Wholesale Keychains Website

My Review:
I chose two keychains to review that I thought would accomplish two goals that I have had. One was a keychain that my son couldn't damage and would still hold my keys. The other was to be able to have pictures of my little family hanging from my review mirror. To accomplish my first objective, I chose the Metal Valet Promotional Keychain. This looked very sturdy and large on the website. I have keys for three cars and two houses that I keep with me at all times. No, I don't own three cars and two houses. We have two cars and the third key is my mom's car. We have one house and the other house keys are for my mother-in-law's house since we stay at her house every Saturday night. I actually have two keys to her house for different locks. I have some other random keys that I just don't want to lose. I needed a keyring that would hold all of these. Well to be honest, it wasn't as big as I had hoped and while I can put keys on both ends, I don't know if I want to. Here's a picture of what I received.

The keychain is fantastic. Very high quality. Very sturdy. It will definitely be able to withstand my son's abuse. I am sure I will end up putting my keys on it, but I might have to take my nonessential keys and put them on something else. As you can see in the pictures, this keychain can also have engravings on it. It can have 3 lines with a max of nine characters. I chose to put "Property of Phaedra Seabolt" on it just in case I ever lose them. The engraving is very light, but very nicely done.

The second keychain that I received was a Digital Photo Keychain. I got it in red because that is my favorite color. It is very nice. It isn't something I will ever let my son handle because he will probably scratch the screen or he could accidentally delete the photos off of it. It has a 1.5 inch 128x128 LCD display, 8 MB internal memory which can store up to 99 pictures, USB cable, and manual. I will say that you do need to look at the manual to figure out how to put pictures on it. It doesn't connect to the computer just by plugging it in. You have to follow some steps every time you want to access it. It also has to install it's own software before you can put your pictures on it. The other thing is that you have to select each picture individually because it crops the photos to fit the screen without stretching them. You can move the square around and select which part of the picture you want to see, but you can't zoom. After you select all of the pictures you want, you have to download them to the keychain. Thankfully, if you forget to hit the download button, the software will give you a warning. I know because I didn't hit the button at first and it told me that I hadn't saved the photos to the keychain yet. Thank goodness because I didn't want to have to do it again! A little time consuming, but the quality is definitely worth it. I haven't hung it in the truck yet, but that will be happening soon. I love it. I can even set up a time for it to auto shut off or leave it running all the time. Definitely a nice keychain.

Stay tuned because on Saturday you will have a chance to win one of these keychains! Your choice!

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

Sign Up For The Savory Summer Giveaway Event

2012-02-06T15:18:00.000-05:00

Seeking Bloggers

Bloggers, ready to join us? Read on to learn more about this delicious event!

Blogger Requirements

You must have a family-friendly blog (if it's safe for an 8-year-old to read and look at, it's family-friendly).
**IMPORTANT** This event is FREE to participate in, but you must write a post seeking bloggers to participate in this event (we'll ask for the link to this post in the sign-up form). Be sure to use at least one of the buttons or banners in your post and link back to this post.
Post one of the Savory Summer buttons or banners (each image's size can be tweaked to fit your blog; ask if you need help) on your sidebar or above the fold on your blog.
You are responsible for providing a giveaway prize worth a minimum of $25 that is food or food-related (PLEASE, nothing for animals and NO Restaurant.com gift certificates; also, if you have any doubt about a particular item being a good prize, please ask one of your hostesses via email or on the Facebook group). You can obtain sponsors or provide a prize out of pocket–we just ask that it be a minimum of $25.
You are allowed to have a maximum of TWO prizes/prize packs so long as each is worth the $25 minimum.
Join the Facebook group (link is in the sign-up form; we also ask for your Facebook name so non-participants can't join the group).

Banners and Buttons

If you're participating in this event, or even if you're not but would like to spread the word, you can access all of the Savory Summer banners and buttons HERE.

Time Details

Savory Summer is scheduled to begin on May 16, 2012, at 12:01 AM EST, and end on May 30, 2012, at 11:59 PM EST.

Join Us

Interested in joining us for this tasteful event? We'd love to have you! Be sure you read and abide by the "Requirements" section above then fill out the form below (click on the giant "Sign Up Here" link).

Sign Up Here

For future reminders about events hosted on MeasuringFlower.com (including Savory Summer, Spa for Ma, Tablet Time, etc.), sign up for TJ's FREE Bloggers {Weekly or Less} e-Newsletter.

Monday Memories

2012-02-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday Memories. The kit for today has a definite Valentine's Day feel to it because of the color scheme. Actually next week's will too for that mater. Perfect for the upcoming holiday. Last week I said I was going to use the kit in a demonstration for making cards. Ironically, the kits came to me with tutorials on making cards this week. So rather than duplicating all of someone else's hard work, I will share that with you here. However this tutorial is NOT using the kit available today. This tutorial is using the kit that I am giving away. See the list of Current giveaways if you want to win the kit talked about in the tutorial.

So here's today's preview first:

Using the Card .PNG
By Barbara EastwickWouldn’t it be great to just print out fast and easy Valentine’s Cards for your child’s class? And what if it was just as easy to personalize them? For just pennies, you can make these!

All you need is a card .png file and MyMemories Suite Software! Just open the software and choose to “Design Your Own”

Choose “Portrait Album” and “8 1/2 x 11 inches” and click “OK”

The “Trim Area” reminder will pop up, and it is letting you know about the “printable area” of your project. You can click your workspace to 75% to see exactly how your page will line up.

To get started, we’ll need to import the .png file. Click on Photos

Add:

And then find your .png file on your Hard Drive where you have it located:

Bring it up on into your workspace and stretch it to fit inside the printable area.

Next, add the image you wish to insert into the photo box (white rectangle) area. I’m using a cartoon my daughter made of herself and our dog. Again, you’ll click: Photo – Add

and then size the image above the white block to fit the space

From here you’ll want to move the card .png file to the top, this will ensure the proper spacing of your photo (or image) inside the photobox. Click on the card .png to highlight it and then right click to see the arrangement menu. Choose “Bring to Front”

Now let’s add some text to personalize. Click on the “Word Art Designer” and “Add” (the Wa button).

This will bring up the words Word Art onto your project. Just change the text to what you’d like it to be. For this example I typed “Best Friends” and chose “Scrap Casual” for my font. I also toggled the “Enable Fill” selection. Then I made “Solid Color” my fill choice. I ensured black was the color being selected

Then I clicked “Enable Shape” and chose the rounded Headline arc.

I moved the Word Art I just created to place where I wanted to see it inside the heart. Now to print it, I’ll either click “Share Album” ---- “Print” or in this case, I’ll save it as a printable .jpg file and then print later. Click “Share Album” ---- “Export Pages”

I always save the album I’m working on so I can edit and reuse later. When it asks “Do you want to save your changes to this album” – I choose “yes”

The default for the Photo Export Wizard seems perfect for this, so I’ll leave them as they are and click “Finish

This file now exists as a .jpg that you can print at a later time, or have printed at your favorite print source.

Or you can directly print from the menu by choosing Print from the Share Album menu. Select the project you wish to print (there’s only the one here in this example), set the printing parameters and click “Print”

If you wish, you can set them up on a page with 2 aligned side by side and print out 2 at the same time! Fast, easy Valentine’s Day card in a snap

You can get all of this tutorial in a nice PDF file HERE.

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

Download your free kit here!I received one or more of the products mentioned (my original My Memories Suite Software) above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Holy Cannoli! We have Winners!

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

The wonderful winners of the ebook "Holy Cannoli! Chick-E Gets a Job" by Mona Schmitt are:

Ronalee Duncan for following me on twitter
Kristina for for following ChickE_Tweets on twitter
Andrea for leaving a blog post comment (on the giveaway post)
Mandie O'Steen Stevens for leaving a blog post comment (on the giveaway post)
CraftyMomof3 for leaving a blog post comment (on the giveaway post)
Linette for leaving a blog post comment (on the giveaway post)
Laura O in AK for leaving a blog post comment (on the giveaway post)
Adelina Rosa for leaving a blog post comment (on the giveaway post)
[Person's Name] for [Entry method]
[Person's Name] for [Entry method]

Smiley360.com

2012-02-04T22:32:00.000-05:00

I joined smiley360.com as an entry for the All For Love Giveaway Hop (one particular blog had this not all of them). It looks like a place where I might be able to get products to review. I probably won't be able to give things away through them, but if you like to try out new products too, you can sign up. It's free.

By clicking this link, you send me a Smile =) http://smiley360.com/393329.cfm

Share the Memories Kit 3 Giveaway

2012-02-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

You don't have to have the My Memories Suite to use it, though I recommend you purchase it. You can get $10 off your purchase of the digital scrapbook software package by entering the code STMMMS15347 at checkout. Copy and paste the code to make sure there aren't any typos.

Now what is the giveaway for? I am giving away a Share The Memories Digital Scrapbook kit made available to me from My Memories to one lucky person. Below is a preview of what you will get when you win.

Also don't miss the freebie that My Memories is offering through their facebook page. A new freebie every Friday!

In order for any of your entries to count for the giveaway, you must complete the mandatory entry first. No mandatory entry means you cannot win. Also, in order to speed up verifying entries, I will be requiring a comment on the sponsors Facebook page. This will allow me to see that you actually liked the page without needing to ask someone else to check on it for me. I have no problem waiting for entries to be validated, but I get so excited about announcing the winner that I just don't really want to wait! I hope you can understand that! So tell MyMemories that Identity Discovery sent you to them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned (my original My Memories Suite Software) above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Giveaway Saturday

2012-02-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Normally I would have a giveaway going up today, but I have to admit that I have too many going on right now as it is. If you are interested in entering a giveaway, you should look at my list of Current Giveaways.

Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway! Win an iPad2 or Kindle Fire - 01/09-02/08

Heat Up Your Valentine's Day! Win a Kindle Fire - 01/16-02/14

SmartBones Dog Bones (2 winners) - 01/28-02/07

Wag'n Rover Respond'r Kit (US Only)- 01/31-02/14

All For Love Valentine's Event! Win $25 Bath and Body Works GC - 02/01-02/07

Crazy Cupid Love Giveaway Hop! Win $50 EdenFantasys Code - 02/01-02/07

$100 Amazon Facebook Hop - 02/01-02/15

Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop! Lovable Labels Friendship Pack - 02/02-02/09

Feature Friday: Avengers Global Fan Chat Wrap Up

2012-02-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

Global Fan Chat - Transcription

The Avengers @AvengersThe #Avengers Global Fan Chat is about to begin! Get your questions ready for Joss Whedon, @twhiddleston, @clarkgregg and @samuelljackson!

The Avengers
Don’t forget: Immediately following our #Avengers fan chat, we’ll show you a tease of our Super Bowl XLVI commercial. It’s almost time!

The Avengers
Use #Avengers to ask your questions and direct to one of the participants. Use “For JW” if you have a question for Joss!

The Avengers
Here we go, @SamuelLJackson, @twhiddleston, @clarkgregg! Here's Joss! Send through your #Avengers questions!

Samuel L. Jackson
Here a mughuqqa is at da @Avengers twitter rest!

Question:
For @SamuelLJackson , do we get to see some cool interaction with you and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) a few times??

Answer:
all the time, but it's sorta contentious.

Question:
To Mr. Whedon, how many #Avengers comics did you read as reference for this movie?

Answer:
"I had already read them all."

Question:
@twhiddleston @SamuelLJackson What was your biggest challenge in playing Loki and Fury in the #Avengers?

Answer:
SamuelLJackson
losing the weight to fit my costume & keep it off.

@clarkgreggCG with the Whedon Wizard at @avengers tweet chat

Clark Gregg
Very diff dynamic in IM, Thor and Avengers, diff heroes, more layers to Coulson's world/powers revealed

Question:
For JW: Is the movie's plot going to reference any classic Avengers stories or be a more "ulitmate-ized" story?

Answer:
"It's a combo platter: classic, Ultimate, plus a little "Richie Rich" & "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Question:
For JW, was there an Avenger you wanted to put in the movie but couldn't make it work for whatever reason be it budget or time? #Avengers

Answer:
"I'm a fan of the Wasp. She's goofy and sting-y."

Question:
@twhiddleston Were the stunts more difficult this time around in The Avengers as opposed to Thor & how'd u prepare for them?

Answer:
More stunts. More training. Day in, day out. Running, jumping, flying, twisting. We worked like athletes. It was really fun.

Question:
@SamuelLJackson How much of your portrayal is based on comics Nick Fury and how much of Nick Fury is based on you?

Answer:
there's a lot of Nick Fury in me already.

Question:
@twhiddleston @SamuelLJackson What was your biggest challenge in playing Loki and Fury in the #Avengers ?

Answer:
The biggest challenge was magnifying his menace without losing touch of his emotional truth. Keeping his chaos honest!

Question:
@SamuelLJackson Will we get to see any background on Fury?

Answer:
not yet.

Question:
For JW: what about the Spiderman cameo in #Avengers?

Answer:
"There is no Spider-Man cameo. But the Avengers do turn off the dark."

"Coulson's the fan dubbed chuck norris of @avengers" due respect, but Coulson crush walker tex ranger...w/ a bag of flour

Question:
@SamuelLJackson did the eyepatch throw off your depth perception?

Answer:
not at all, there was a new memory factor involved.

Question:
@twhiddleston You’ve said that in you listened to Prodigy for Loki. What did you listen to this time to get rdy for the #Avengers?

Answer:
"Archangel", by a band called Burial. And not a little of Hans Zimmer's soundtrack compositions.In all honesty, yes. Sometimes you wake up feeling warm and sunny, but the scene requires hatefulness and spite.

Question:
@twhiddleston what kind of relationship do you have with other actors on the set of "The Avengers"?

Answer:
Nothing but love... It wasn't called Group Hug for nothing!

You have to reach deeper. And stay aware of the fact that the emotions are true, but they're not mine.

Question:
@SamuelLJackson are we going to see you kick some ass?! Maybe @twhiddleston ass?

Answer:
Fo Sho!

Question:
For JW: Most Difficult and Best things about filming (part) of The #Avengers in NYC?

Answer:
JW: "Who gets the last bagel."

Question:
@clarkgregg @SamuelLJackson @twhiddleston funniest moment on Avengers set?:-)#Avengers

Answer:
Getting the giggles when the Hulk smashed. Joss got the giggles too. I was hopeless.

Question:
@twhiddleston Might we see a more mischievous (rather than mostly just evil) Loki in the #Avengers ?

Answer:
ENTIRELY. More mischievous. More evil. More hubristic. More delusional. More damaged. More badass.

Question:
For @SamuelLJackson Who's your favorite Avenger?#Avengers

Answer:
Black Widow is my pick!

Question:
For JW: Everyone always asks what the hardest part of directing the movie was. What was the easiest? #Avengers

Answer:
JW: "Controlling the meat puppets...I mean, actors."

Question:
@clarkgregg @twhiddleston @SamuelLJackson Care to share the best of the #Avengers bloopers with us? ;)

Answer:
JW: "Not when @SamuelLJackson says them."

Question:
@SamuelLJackson How much of your own stunts did you do? How did you prepare for all the physical work? #avengers

Answer:
As much as the insurance company allowed. I prepped by working out a bit?

Question:
My question is for Clark Gregg. What do you like most about playing Agent Phil Coulson #Avengers

Answer:
Every single part of it.

Question:
For JW what was ur first reaction to getting the chance to direct the #Avengers

Answer:
JW: "What moron would take a job that hard? Show me this moron, so that I may mock him."

Question:
For JW Any big lessons learned from filming/one thing you wish you could do over? Also, Clark Gregg/Joss Whedon TV series? Please? #avengers

Answer:
Great idea. Asking him now. Joss????

Question:
#ForJW: will the female characters, esp. Black Widow, remind the boys how strong they are, and how?

Answer:
JW: "The females will spend their time whimpering and baking and being befuddled by math." #sarcasm

Question:
Has the ante been upped on Easter Eggs? And if so, how attentive will movie goers have to be to stop them? #Avengers

Answer:
"There will be actual dyed eggs. Try to find them all!"

Question:
For @clarkgregg: Agent Coulson is one of my favorite characters! In the #Avengers do we get to see a lot more of him in action?

Answer:
Oh hell yes...

Question:
JW: can we expect some bromance Between captain america and iron man?

Answer:
"Not as long as there's two of them and only one bagel. Heroes need carbs."

Question:
@Avengers Clark Gregg: Love your Character... Are you going to see more action in the Avengers?

Answer:
Everybody sees more action in the avengers, hell, the audience even has to fight bad guys

Question:
JW- Can you enjoy #Avengers without seeing all the other films? @Avengers

Answer:
"You don't need to see any @Marvel movies to enjoy #Avengers! But you need to see Steel Magnolias, like, six times."

Question:
@SamuelLJackson, who was your first favorite superhero? #Avengers

Answer:
The Flash

Question:
@twhiddleston in Thor Loki was looking for Odin's attention and approval, now is he looking for revenge? #avengers

Answer:
He doesn't want revenge so much as identity. Belonging. Purpose. Self-esteem. Through delusional dreams.

Question:
@ SamuelLJackson Eye patch did not interfere during the filming? # Avengers

Answer:
Not a bit. Makes me feel cool!

Tom Hiddleston
The most badass tweets on twitter come from one place: @godofbadassery. Yes I am talking to myself.

Question:
For JW: How long did it take to shoot the movie?

Answer:
"I started when I was 12 and should be done by May 3rd at 11:59 pm."

Question:
@clarkgregg Will we see you with flour bags again?

Answer:
Coulson never kills with the same cooking ingredient twice

The Avengers
JW: "Heading back to editing. You are all now my very best friends."

Question:
@SamuelLJackson @clarkgregg @twhiddleston What do you consider your character's theme song for The #Avengers?

Answer:
Born Free/ Hendrix.

Question:
Who was the jokester on the set? There is always one on every movie shoot. #Avengers

Answer:
JW: "I had the jokester put down on day 3."

Question:
@twhiddleston Loki's costume looks great, but so terribly intricate. How long did it usually take getting everything on? #Avengers

Answer:
About forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on how energetic I am feeling. Kudos to Bob Moore Jnr.

Question:
@twhiddleston Loki's costume looks great, but so terribly intricate. How long did it usually take getting everything on? #Avengers

Answer:
@xoxogossipthor Bob Moore Jnr. from the costume department. Dressing was a two man job. But we had a great playlist & we laughed a lot.

Question:
For Clark Gregg. What do u like best about Coulson?

Answer:
the bulletproof dolce suits

Clark Gregg @clarkgregg
CG with the Whedon Wizard at @avengers tweet chat

Question:
@Avengers JW: I'm assuming #Avengers will be a masterpiece of wit and sarcasm. Which character got the most snark? @clarkgregg perhaps?

Answer:
That's a toss up, an awful lot of Avenger-snark to go around...

Question:
For @SamuelLJackson Nick Fury or Mace Windu?

Answer:
Jedi or mortal? You be the judge!

Question:
@twhiddleston what did you do to get into character for #Avengers ?

Answer:
Learn lines. Run five miles a day. Get dressed and go through the works. Turn up on set. And play.

Here's a photo of @twhiddleston tweeting away for the #Avengers fan chat!

Samuel L. Jackson @SamuelLJackson
Here a mughuqqa is at da @Avengers twitter rest!

Question:
@avengers @SamuelLJackson @twhiddleston @clarkgregg Feels like every question has already been asked...so how was catering on set?

Answer:
JW: "I stayed away from catering. But it smelled good from far away."

Question:
@clarkgregg -- does that mean that he's moving on to vegetable oil and paprika?

Answer:
@ramdonomo I'm sorry. I cannot disclose SHIELD approved lethal ingredients.

Question:
@clarkgregg @Avengers Funniest experience with a fan?

Answer:
May have signed some large boobs at NYCC

Samuel L. Jackson @SamuelLJacksonNick Fury OUT MAVENGERFUQQAS!

Question:
@Avengers @twhiddleston Scariest moment on set? Any injuries?

Answer:
twhiddleston
I smashed my elbow when facing down the great green incarnation of rage. I guess the Hulk really does smash.
The Avengers
Joss is back to editing #Avengers. @SamuelLJackson @clarkgregg & @twhiddleston are wrapping up. Super Bowl XLVI commercial tease coming!

Question:
@twhiddleston Who was the funnest #Avenger to fight?

Answer:
Brother-to-brother is intense. Hemsworth is a giant, but we trust each other implicitly as actors...

Question:
Shakespeare quote to describe Loki?

Answer:
"O beware my lord of jealousy, it is the green eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on" (Othello)

Question:
@twhiddleston Who was the funnest #Avenger to fight?

Answer:
#Avengers which means we can really commit to the physicality of the choreography, and imbue it with emotion.

Question:
@ Clarkgregg, please tell me what happend Can With The wasp? thank you.

Answer:
Coulson and Wasp broke up. It was very painful.

Question:
@twhiddleston Five years ago, would you have believed that you would play the most badass villain in superhero movie history?

Answer:
Bless you. And no!
Question:
@twhiddleston Shakespeare quote to describe Loki?

Answer:
"Stand up for bastards!" (King Lear)

Question:
@clarkgregg Where does Coulson buy his suits? #Avengers

Answer:
@Reggicidal assembling late night in the ABQ

Question:
@clarkgregg Will you have an action figure released? If not, are you jealous. #Avengers

Answer:
No coulson action figure, very jealous

Clark Gregg
@clarkgregg Where does Coulson buy his suits?#Avengers - Dolce has a SHIELD outlet

@twhiddleston @samuelljackson @clarkgregg Have you ever wanted to wear Iron Man suit ?#avengers -- wearing it now

Question:
@twhiddleston Will we see you pole dancing again in #Avengers? just like we did in Thor:)

Answer:
Ahem... (clears throat)... er... well... I don't think so. Joss?

Clark Gregg
Meeting some skrull friends for lunch. Thanks for the all the support! Coulson out!

The Avengers
Thanks for assembling in the #Avengers Global Fan Chat! Here's a sneak peek at our exclusive Super Bowl XLVI commercial

Tom Hiddleston
By the way... IN THE END, IT WILL BE EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF.

January Twitter Blast Winner!

2012-02-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Entry #193621 - Bernice M.

Thumbnail Thursday

2012-02-02T00:00:00.002-05:00

This is me approximately at 6 months old. I think it is neat to consider how I look compared to my son at this age..

Fun In The Sun Blog Hop Signups

2012-02-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

Fun In The Sun is being hosted by Life Happens With Kids and A Single Country Gal and Her Cat. Which will run from June 3rd – June 9th.

Rules: Please post the button ASAP Giveaway Item Must be Family Friendly Summer oriented (anything you might do during the summer–sun screens, sand toys, summer themed books, summer crafting kits… etc..) We will email you up to 1 week before with all the codes that you will need for your blog post.

You can check out the other blogs participating by visiting the hosts at Life Happens With Kids or A Single Country Gal and Her Cat.

Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop is Here!

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Mama to 4 Blessings and Chubby Cheeks Thinksare teaming up to bring you the Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop! With 73 bloggers participating there will be a lot of great Valentine's giveaways! This is the perfect way to get something nice for yourself, your kids, or that someone special in your life. Valentine's Day is another great holiday of giving so we are all going to have a giveaway of at least $25 in prizes per winner and that is just the minimum. Some blogs will have more!

Enter to win a Lovable Labels Friendship Pack and Sampler ($25 value)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner of Cook'n Recipe Organizer

2012-02-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Berendina Dykema for tweeting about the giveaway!

The winner has already been contacted and confirmed. She will be getting her free Cook'n Recipe Organizer software shortly! Thanks to everyone that entered the giveaway. We had 213 valid entries for it. I do want to say that many people need to read the instructions on the entries a little better. I had several twitter followers that I could not validate because you didn't leave your twitter name. I also had people who did not leave a LINK to their facebook comments, but rather put the comment in the entry. Read the instructions carefully and I don't just mean for my giveaways. Do it when you enter any giveaway.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. (http://momblogsociety.com)

All for Love Valentine's Event Giveaway 50+ blogs!

2012-02-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

It's that special time of year where everyone is feeling sappy and like spoiling their special person or people in their lives. Yes, Valentine's day is just around the corner. I joined a special blog hop back in December if you remember advertising this blog hop and what my prize would be. Do you remember what it is? I am giving away a $25 giftcard to Bath and Body Works! Feel like splurging on yourself? Want to get something luxurious for someone special? Well win my giftcard and you can either give it to someone else or use it yourself! Use it to buy yourself or someone else a special gift for this special day.

I am covering this giveaway prize, so don't contact Bath and Body Works. They are not helping me in any way. I put the option to "like" their facebook page just as a courtesy to them. One of the entries requires you to leave a comment on their Facebook page. That is simply to help me verify the entries because I cannot contact them to verify the entries. You must leave that comment or else I cannot count the entry. Have fun looking at all the fabulous prizes! Hope you win something good! The Linky list is below the rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

$100 Amazon Facebook Blast Giveaway

2012-02-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

What is a Facebook Blast? Bloggers have gotten together to give you $100 Amazon code and all you have to do is like us on Facebook! This Facebook Blast is hosted by Sason and Pobi and the prize will be coming from her (not me). You can find us all listed in the rafflecopter form below! Good luck!

If you are a blogger and want to join in the next event, sign up here.

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Crazy Cupid Love Giveaway Hop

2012-02-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Crazy Cupid Love Giveaway Hop! The theme for this hop other than Valentine's Day is SIMPLE! Each hosting blog has a giveaway for at least a $10 value and only two entries! One entry is a simple name and email address entry. The other one is the blog's choice, but should be simple.

My giveaway for this hop is a $50 code to EdenFantasys. I have been writing review posts for them since December 2011 and in return I get codes to try out more products for review. I am giving my code from the last review to one lucky reader! There are many things that you can try out from their site in honor of Valentine's Day. Splurge on yourself or buy something for someone else. Check out their Beauty and Body section for great products in the following categories: Bath and Body, Massage, Makeup, Skincare, and Fragrance and Pheromones.

Check out my previous reviews to help you decide what to buy!
EdenFantasys for Christmas?
Happy New Year with EdenFantasys EdenFantasys Definitely for Valentine's Day

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UPDATE MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE ON TWITTER!

2012-01-31T00:00:00.002-05:00

Just announced! Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) joins Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), and Director Joss Whedon in our Global Fan Chat today! Assemble at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT!

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY opens in theaters everywhere on February 17th!

2012-01-31T00:00:00.001-05:00

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

Genre:	Animation/Adventure
Rating:	TBD
Release Date:	February 17, 2012
Voice Cast:	Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, David Henrie, Moises Arias
Director:	Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Producer:	Toshio Suzuki
Screenplay by :	Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa
Based on “The Borrowers” by:	Mary Norton
Director – English Language
Version:	Gary Rydstrom
Executive Producers –
English Language Version:	Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
English Language Screenplay by:	Karey Kirkpatrick

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom. The film hits theaters Feb. 17, 2012.

Notes:

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most influential and admired filmmakers working in animation today and is a major figure in the Japanese cinematic landscape. His films have inspired moviegoers and colleagues around the world, from Pixar's John Lasseter to fantasist Guillermo del Toro to Chinese director Tsui Hark, and consistently top the box office in his native Japan.
Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a top animator at Studio Ghibli, was responsible for the animation in a signature scene in “Ponyo,” in which Ponyo runs atop ocean waves.
English language voice talent director Gary Rydstrom is a seven-time Academy Award winning sound designer/mixer (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”). He joined Pixar Animation Studios as an animation film director in 2003. His directorial debut for the studio was the Academy Award®-nominated short film “Lifted,” and he directed the short film “Hawaiian Vacation,” which was released with “Cars 2” in June 2011.
Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are highly successful producing partners whose films, separately and together, include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “E.T.,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” the Indiana Jones films and the Jurassic Park films. In total, Kennedy and Marshall have earned 11 Oscar® nominations.
English language screenplay writer Karey Kilpatrick’s credits include “Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Over the Hedge,” which he also directed (with Tim Johnson).

Download an activity sheet for the kids! It includes 5 coloring pages and activities. You can download it HERE.

Find The Secret Worlf Of Arrietty on Facebook.

Wag'n Rover Respond'r Emergency Kit Review and Giveaway

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

When I signed up to review the SmartBones dog bones through Mom Blog Society, I was also given the opportunity to review The Wag'n Rover Respond'r Emergency Kit. This is an emergency kit for your animals. Not for you, but rather for the emergency responders to any crisis you may have. Things happen. Things that are out of your control can be devastating to you and your family. This kit is something that can help emergency crews know that you have animals in your home or your vehicle and what those responders can do to help locate/take care of them. It really has everything you can think you might need. Here's what comes in the kit:

1 Mobile Emergency Pocket Folder
1 RR™ Vehicle Alert Decals
2 RR™ Home Alert Decals
2 RR™ Animal Transport Forms
1 Wag’N Pet Passport® (for 1 dog)
1 CD-ROM with Interactive Documentation
Useful Pet Forms:

Pet Owner Information Form
Emergency Contact Form
Pet Profile Form
Printable Emergency Wallet Card
Printable Lost Pet Poster
Printable Stolen Pet Poster

SPECIAL BONUS: Receive a FREE PET FIRST AID BANDANA with every RoverRespond'R Kit!

Sorry about the glare on a couple of the pictures. These are all pictures of what came in the kit. I printed the pages after I typed in my pet's information. Since I have 2 dogs and 2 cats, I just filled in the pet information page 4 different times. I have a snake too...So I guess I need to fill it out for her too. I didn't think of that until just now. All the documents come on the disk. You put in the cd and it opens up a page telling you how to use this kit. There are links to the documents you need to fill out. Those pages open up in a web browser and basically are using Adobe Acrobat to run. You just type in the information about your animal, which includes things like name, what they eat, how often they eat, how often do they need walks, medication, emergency contacts, vet information, and microchip information. I am terrible in that I don't know my pet's microchip information, but next time we see the vet, I will get that to fill in the forms. This way there is no mistaking your dog or cat when the rescue crews are there to help.

Once you have your forms all filled out, you fold them and put them in the nice glove box sized folder provided in the kit. You put this in the glove box of your car and put a sticker in the window of the car to show the crews where your pets information can be found. What I really like about this is that the only way you lose your emergency forms from whatever disaster has happened is if your car blows up. If that happens, your pets as well as yourself are probably gone so the information really isn't needed in that situation. Morbid thought, but the truth. Otherwise, if your house catches on fire, the emergency documents won't also catch on fire and be useless. They are safe in your car where crews can get them and still go into your home to find your pets. Two stickers are provided in the kit as well for you to put some place in your home. These ask you to write the number of dogs, cats, and other critters on them so that crews see it and then know to look for your emergency kit outside. I would recommend they get put in windows.

Now the kit only came with one passport. If you need more than one, you can purchase them individually. The passport has you pets medical records in it. It would include shot records, license information, vet information, and medications. I filled it out for Fenris because he is our escape artist. If anything were to happen to our home or we got into a car accident with him in the vehicle, he will run. He will see the wide open area and just keep going and going. Now he does tend to swing back round, but who knows how long it will take him to decide to do that AND he might not be done running when he does it either. He just stops by to say, "Look at me!" I figure he needs the passport more than anyone else. When we can afford to buy passports for everyone else, we will get them. Did I mention that you can put your pet's photo in the passport and on the emergency forms? I think that is really awesome since it will give emergency crews an idea of what your pet looks like. The kit even came with Missing Posters that you put your contact information on and a picture of your pet as well. If something happens and your pet gets away, you don't have to try to figure out how to make the posters necessary to find them.

Buy it! The Wag'n Rover Respond'r Kit really is something that every pet owner should have. You just never know when something will happen and it is better to be safe than sorry (a personal motto of mine). If you are interested in buying a Wag'n Rover Respond'r Kit you can get it at http://wagnpetsafety.com/rover_respondr.html. You can get the additional passport at http://www.wagnpetsafety.com/pet_passports.html.

Want to win one? With this review, I have been authorized to give one Wag'n Rover Respond'r Kit away to one lucky reader. This is a $35 value. You will get everything I listed above in the kit (which means only one passport). This has been provided by Fetching Communications and Mom Blog Society. All you have to do is enter through the rafflecopter form below. Open to US only.

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Monday Memories

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday Memories. If you tried to win last week's giveaway, you then saw a kit that was very similar to this one. What does that mean? Everyone's a winner! This is not the same my memories kit that I gave away, but close enough that any ideas you may have had are still good! As always, these kits can be used in any software and do not have to be for scrapbooking. Although call me crazy, but I can't really see any other applications for it other than web design. Maybe you could use them for brochures or posters. I use a lot of my scrapbook stuff to make cards...I think that will be next week's demo project. Cards are awesome uses for scrapbook supplies because you are able to provide friends and family with a beautiful handmade card that they will dread ever throwing away. That's NOT what I did with today's page. Stay tuned for a card next week though.

So here's today's preview:

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

Here's your download link. Have fun creating!

Because I Tried It Birthday Chronicle Review and Giveaway

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Do you have a baby book that you forgot to fill out all the "On the Day You Were Born" stuff? The hospital delivered a newspaper to me everyday while I waited to go home with Drake, but I wasn't even thinking about his baby book at that time. If I had, I would have held onto the newspaper to put what was going on that day in the book and perhaps even put the paper in plastic. Kids always find it interesting to know what happened the day they were born. I often wonder if my birth brought some significant change to the world that fateful day. Of course, I know it didn't, but it always makes you feel good and important if something did happen. I feel bad that I hadn't saved that paper for my son, so when I saw the opportunity to review The Birthday Chronicle by Because I Tried It, I jumped on it. I wanted to get some kind of keepsake paper for his baby book.

Because I Tried It offers a wide variety of personalized products, A Gift Anytime as they call them. They offer such gifts as letters from Santa; the Easter bunny; and the tooth fairy, a hand print keepsake, and the origin or meaning of your name. Their gifts are shipped (or emailed) as quickly as possible. I ordered my Birthday Chronicle somewhere between 4 and 8 PM (can't remember exactly when) and I got an email with the PDF of it at 9:39 PM THE SAME DAY. That's fast. They take pride in getting your order fulfilled as quickly as possible. You can place orders for last minute gifts and they promise you will have them in 48 hours via email. I firmly believe they will handle all orders as wonderfully as they did mine. I want to also say that I am very happy with my product as well. It has all the information that I needed for Drake's Baby Book and some extra. I was able to tell them a custom headline, but you can have a default headline if you don't want to think up something for it. It has the top movie, actor and actress, top ten music hits, major events of the day, and even celebrity births. The graphics on it are very clean (not pixelated, or blurry). It even says what the weather was like that day. I am VERY pleased. It is a single page that prints on standard 8.5 x 11" paper and can be framed if I want to. It's going in Drake's scrapbook, so no framing needed for me.

As a follower of Because I Tried It, you will also be notified of special freebies that they offer once a month. They don't always post the freebie on every social network site, so if you really want to get it, you should follow them everywhere. They can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and through their Newsletter. I am following through all three because I don't want to miss getting my freebie!

Buy It: You can buy a Birthday Chronicle or other personalized product from Because I Tried It's website: http://www.becauseitriedit.com.

Win It: You can enter to win a free Birthday Chronicle (2 winners) right here. This would make a great "Welcome Home Baby" present or late baby shower git. It would even make a wonderful birthday present. This is going to be a part of my Spring Buzz Giveaway Hop Package. My prize has to be a total of $25, so stay tuned for what the rest of my package will be. This is just the first item in the list!

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.

“MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS” ASSEMBLE ON TWITTER

2012-01-28T14:16:00.001-05:00

“MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS” ASSEMBLE ON TWITTER

MARVEL STUDIOS SPONSORS GLOBAL TWITTER CHAT WITH DIRECTOR AND CAST FOR FANS AROUND THE WORLD

PARTICIPANTS GET TEASE OF “MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS”
30-SECOND SUPER BOWL SPOT AND CHANCE TO WIN PRIZES BURBANK, CALIF. (January 27, 2012)–Marvel Studios announced today that they will be sponsoring a Global Twitter Chat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11 a.m. (PST) with cast members and the director of their highly anticipated action-adventure “Marvel’s The Avengers,” opening in theaters on May 4, 2012. The 30-minute live tweeting event features writer/director Joss Whedon and cast members Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg.

Fans around the world will be able to participate in the Q&A on Twitter by using the @Avengers handle and the #Avengers hashtag. Participating fans will have the opportunity to see a 10-second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl spot that will air during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5 on NBC. They will also have a chance to answer “Avengers” trivia for a chance to win “Avengers” prize packs.

International fans will be able to submit questions for the talent in their native language through a global translation tool provided by Ortsbo.com. The chat will be moderated by Marvel’s @Agent_M.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, NickFury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert DowneyJr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, JeremyRenner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Follow @Avengers on Twitter for more details.

SmartBones Review and Giveaway

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

SmartBones is a special kind of dog chew (or dog bone if you prefer) that has all the benefits of normal dog chews without on big ingredient. There's no rawhide. Instead it is made of chicken and vitamins. It helps to promote dental health as well. I know that when I buy dog treats of any kind I always look for the ones that promote dental health. I know that a lot of people believe that dry dog food is enough to help your dog's teeth and gums, but I am not so confident.

This unique bone was made available for me to review through Mom Blog Society and I decided that I would really give it a good testing. I requested bones to test with my two dogs and my parent's 3 dogs. We have a chow/collie mix named Ursula and a pure Siberian Husky name Fenris. The husky I will say has issues with his digestive system. We were really curious if he would get gas/gas bubbles like he does with other treats (rawhide or not). My parents have a pure black lab named Amigo who will eat anything that remotely smells like food, a pure golden retriever name Mon Ami, and a Newfoundland/chow mix name Kimosabe. It's a wide variety of pure and mixed breed dogs. I feel like if these dogs liked these treats, then probably any dog would.

First a little about about SmartBones.

SmartBones are 99.2% digestible, which is higher than the digestibility of premium dog foods (85% digestibility).
Chicken, vegetables and other healthy ingredients dogs will love are used in making SmartBones.
SmartBones are the first treats of their kind to be enhanced with vitamins and minerals.
SmartBones are safer for dogs than regular rawhide treats, which may cause intestinal blockages.
SmartBones are environmentally friendly, whereas a toxic chemical process is needed to create consumable rawhide for treats.
Nine out of 10 dogs prefer SmartBones over rawhide treats.
SmartBones are available in Peanut Butter and Chicken Flavors. There is also a Dental variety with additional teeth health benefits.
Four different sizes of SmartBones are available, based on a dog’s weight:

Small Dog (5-10 lbs)	Mini SmartBones
Small – Medium Dogs (11-25 lbs)	Small SmartBones
Medium Dogs (26-50 lbs)	Medium SmartBones
Large Dogs (over 50 lbs)	Large SmartBones

SmartBones are available nationwide and at www.SmartBones.com

**Official Press Release**

Pet Owners Looking for Rawhide-Snack Alternative Find Answer with SmartBones“Smart” chew treat is fortified with vitamins, minerals to keep dogs healthy

NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 11, 2011) – If ‘Fido’ is one of the more than 20 million dogs craving a chew treat not made with rawhide, there’s a palate-pleasing, healthy alternative now available.

SmartBones, by PetMatrix, are chew treats made with chicken, vegetables and other healthy ingredients. These rawhide-free treats are perfect for the four-to-five out of 10 consumers who prefer not to feed their dogs rawhide.

“Chew treats are an important part of every healthy dog’s diet,” said PetMatrix Chief Science Officer Martin Glinsky, Ph.D. “Eating kibble alone doesn’t thoroughly exercise a dog’s mouth and can cause teeth to become disused and plaque-ridden. This ultimately may lead to additional health problems.”

And, since keeping pets healthy is paramount, SmartBones contain a special vegetable layer that is fortified with vitamins and minerals to help supplement daily nutritional requirements. In fact, these treats are the first of their kind to be fortified and offer more nutritional benefits than standard chew treats. This is because rawhide treats are made with animal byproducts that offer “zero” nutritional value, Dr. Glinsky said.

“Even though rawhide is a form of protein, all proteins aren’t equal,” Dr. Glinsky said. “Rawhide is an extremely low-quality form of protein, not the type that animals need for nutrition.”

In addition to health benefits, SmartBones are easier on a dog’s digestive system compared to rawhide treats. SmartBones are 99.2 percent digestible, whereas even the highest-quality dog foods are only 85 percent digestible.

“The actual digestibility of rawhide treats is questionable,” Dr. Glinsky said. “There are many reports of certain breeds of dogs swallowing rawhide treats whole, or in large pieces, which cause intestinal blockages and other severe health problems.”

Further aiding a dog’s digestion, SmartBones are available in four different sizes based on a pet’s weight: Mini SmartBones (5-10 lbs.), Small SmartBones (11-25 lbs.), Medium SmartBones (26-50 lbs.) and Large SmartBones (over 50 lbs.). All four sizes are available in Chicken and Peanut Butter flavors. There is also a special Dental variety offering additional ingredients to assist with oral health.

SmartBones are available in stores nationwide, and additional information may be found at www.SmartBones.com or by calling 877.336.DOGS (3647).

About PetMatrix
PetMatrix, the creator of SmartBones, was founded in 2008 and has offices in New York, Arizona and Hawaii. The company’s founders have extensive pet industry experience, which they use to create healthy products that improve the lives of pets around the world. For more information, please visit www.SmartBones.com.

My Dog's Reaction
When I got my review bones, I immediately gave one to each of my dogs. Ursula (the creamy colored one) freaked out. She took the bone from my hands and ran around the house with it trying to decide the best place to lay down and eat. In other words, she was trying to find a place away from my son. She went in circles for like 5 minutes before she just sat in the living room eating it and ignoring Drake. Fenris was a little more reluctant to get eating at first. He has a sensitive stomach and even though he will eat anything that my son drops, he doesn't always eat the treats we give him. He laid down on the floor and smelled it for a few minutes before he decided that it was safe. Once both dogs were comfortable, it took a record time of 30 minutes for them both to completely eat the bones. I will say that that is a first! Bones this size normally get half ate and the other half buried in the couch or in our bed for later. They wouldn't let these bones out of their site once they got started eating. Drake even was climbing on top of Fenris while he was eating. Fenris would not budge. he barely took the time to growl. A few hours later, both dogs seem to be gas-free and content. Fenris gets really bad gas bubbles from eating random things (we can never tell what will bother him on any given day). These bones did nothing to him though! Score! The only downside is that they ate them so quickly. VERY HAPPY DOGS!

Tune in next week for another review (but not giveaway) of my parents' dogs since I was not able to get out to their house this week.

Would you like to try SmartBones with your dog? Of course you can purchase them at their website SmartBones.com or you can enter to win a bag (specifically for the size dog you have) right here! I am allowed to have 2 lucky readers win these wonderful bones for your very lucky dog!

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Whole Grain First Coupon

2012-01-27T11:45:00.001-05:00

The Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient. Now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient, with the same great taste. You will see whole grain as the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of "The Doctors," identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting products with whole grain as the first ingredient. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words "whole" or "whole grain" are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here´s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

People really want to make healthy eating decisions, but there are a lot of messages vying for their attention in the supermarket. This can be especially true when it comes to determining which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day´s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.
Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.
Don´t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don´t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

Tune into "The Doctors" on January 13th when the experts will discuss the importance of whole grain. Plus, check out Dr. Travis Stork in this brief video on how to find whole grain.

To help make it easier to find whole grain products, General Mills developed "Fast Lane for Whole Grain," an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.

In connection with healthier lifestyles, a diet rich in whole grain has been linked to healthier body weights, and it may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Make a commitment to incorporate more whole grain into your family´s diets by starting their day with a bowl of cereal with the white check, including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®. For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the "Fast Lane for Whole Grain" sweepstakes visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.

MyBlogSpark has made a coupon available to my readers to support the Whole Grain First Initiative. Go to HERE to download a printable coupon for $1.75 off the purchase of any (2) cereals with the white check today!

Share the Memories Kit #2 Winner

2012-01-27T11:26:00.000-05:00

After a very impressive number of entries, I am very happy to be able to announce the winner of the first Share the Memories Digital Scrapbook Kit. This kit is designed to be used with the My Memories Suite software, but CAN be used in any software application and for any purpose. If you did not win this giveaway, there will be another kit available starting on Saturday in two weeks (not tomorrow)! Here is a preview of what the winner is getting:

Congratulations Jaime Rohdy for tweeting about the giveaway!

The winner has been emailed with the kit already. These giveaways are so easy to get that I am just sending them out instead of waiting for verification emails. I will do this with every Share the Memories giveaway.

Don't forget to download today's Friday Freebie on the MyMemories Facebook Page!

I received one or more of the products mentioned (my original My Memories Suite Software) above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Feature Friday: Holy Cannoli! Chick-E Gets a Job Book Review

2012-01-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

I am a member of several sites that I check on a semi-regular basis for products to review. One such site is Bloggerdise. I only sign up for it about a week ago and promptly searched through almost every advertisement for product testers they had. I emailed a lot of people, but the first one I contacted was Mona from Chick-E Limited. You see, Mona has a short story/novel about a girl named Chick-E. What jumped out at me about this story is that Chick-E is getting a job with Mama Romano's restaurant. You might be thinking, "Ok. What's so special about that?" Well Romano is my maiden name. I just HAD to read this book since my maiden name is in it. I just thought that was so cool. Since the story is also geared towards children and has a good moral to the story, I thought it would be great to add to my collection for when Drake is old enough to understand. I feel like it will have more meaning to him since he is growing up knowing the Romano side of our family. Sounds pretty neat huh? Maybe the moral will stick with him because of it.

It is a very short read if you are used to reading 500 or more pages like I am. It took me about 15 minutes, but it was a really good 15 minutes. Chick-E decides on her walk home from school that she would like to get a job. She determines that it must be when she sees the Help Wanted sign at Mama Romano's restaurant. She immediately applies and gets the job. The rest of the story talks about how much of a disaster her first day of waitressing is and how she handles a bad situation. She learns that you can't be good at everything you do, but you must learn to make the best of a bad situation. She shows real strength in believing in herself and creativity in problem solving. It is a wonderful read for early adolescents (could be read as early as 6 or 7 depending on your child). I am actually looking forward to seeing how other books in the series go. I think it will make a wonderful addition to our bookshelf for the future.

Would you like to read this wonderful story? You can buy it on Smashwords or you can find it on Amazon. You can also check out the Chick-E website to see their clothing and jewelry line. Find Chick-E on Facebook and Twitter as well!

OR you can win a code to download it from Smashwords right here. This is being generously provide by the author Mona Schmitt. Enter using the rafflecopter form below.

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All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I was provided with a copy of the book from the author for the purpose of this review, but there was no other compensation.

Thumbnail Thursday

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

As the third picture in my thumbnail Thursday series, I have a picture of my husband holding our son Drake for the first time. I love this picture. I love this picture. My husband was actually happy to be a father right at this point. I also think he was pretty happy to just have the delivery over with. After 17.5 hours from the start, he really couldn't stand to see me in so much pain and worrying about what we thought was the inevitable c-section. We were told 3 times that we would have to do a c-section and in the end, I did it naturally. What a blessing.

Coupon: $1.10 off 3 Pillsbury Products

2012-01-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

I have a coupon for you to download courtesy of MyBlogSpark.com to get $1.10 off THREE any size/variety Refrigerated Pillsbury® Grands!® Biscuits, Crescent Dinner Rolls, Ready To Bake!" Cookies, Sweet Rolls OR Grands!® Sweet Rolls.

Download your $1.10 off when you buy THREE any size/variety Refrigerated Pillsbury® Grands!® Biscuits, Crescent Dinner Rolls, Ready To Bake!" Cookies, Sweet Rolls OR Grands!® Sweet Rolls.

Finding Nemo 3D Official Trailer

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Do you love Disney movies? I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I was collecting them on DVD until I couldn't afford to keep doing it. I stopped buying them when they started coming out on BluRay. Now I just buy them when I am splurging, but I still WANT them all. Well Finding Nemo is coming out in 3D and I have been able to get my hands on the official trailer for it! At this time, I want to share it with YOU!

Academy Award®-winning Best Animated Feature “Finding Nemo” returns to the big screen for the first time ever in thrilling Disney Digital 3D™. In this stunning underwater adventure, with memorable characters, humor and heartfelt emotion, “Finding Nemo” follows the comedic and momentous journey of an overly protective clownfish named Marlin (voice by Albert Brooks) and his son Nemo (voice by Alexander Gould)––who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from his ocean home and dumped into a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful Pacific regal blue tang, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son––who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home.

Coming out September 14, 2012. How cool is that? It's coming out on my son's 2nd Birthday! This animated comedy and adventure movie is rated G and stars voice actors Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Joe Ranft, Geoffrey Rush, Andrew Stanton, and Elizabeth Perkins. • At the time of its release, “Finding Nemo” was the highest grossing G-rated movie of all time and in 2008, The American Film Institute named “Finding Nemo” among the top 10 greatest animated films ever made.

Pixar Animation Studios’ classic “Finding Nemo” returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™, introducing a new generation of family audiences to Nemo (voice by Alexander Gould), Marlin (voice by Albert Brooks) and Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres, winner of an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for this role).

Lovable Labels Review

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! I am so happy that I FINALLY got a chance to check out Lovable Labels. Over a year ago I heard about this company and I entered a zillion giveaways trying to win some. I just really wanted to check them out, but didn't have the extra money to spend on something that we didn't really NEED. Well now that I am writing reviews, I have the chance to take a look at these wonderful labels. I got my free Friendship Pack and sample in the mail on January 20th. I was really surprised when it came because I actually thought I had missed my chance again. Imagine the surprise when I open the envelope and it even includes instructions to do a giveaway as well! Woo hoo again! Well let me show you what I got in the mail so you can see why I am so excited.

You can see that I was very anxious to try them out since a couple pictures have labels missing. I started using them right away! I put an 'I love Blogging" label on my laptop. I put a Star label on my iPod (so that we can tell mine from my hubby's), and I put a big blue one on my water bottle.

Alright, enough showing off with pictures. Let me tell you a little bit about Lovable Labels. It all was started by a mom that had to label all her son's belongings for daycare. Many daycares are this way. You label every single item the child brings in in order to not get things mixed up. It helps to prevent the spread of germs as well. This particular mom insisted on finding a label that was durable and tough as well as personalized. Lovable Labels was then created. Label that can withstand the abuse a child will put them through. Labels that are also unique and beautiful. Labels that have more than just a child's name. They are "waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe, washer and dryer safe, sun safe, bleach safe, sunscreen safe, and temperature safe" (quoted from the paperwork in my review kit because there is no other way to say it).

You can tell right away when you pull a label off the paper that these are different from other labels. The backs with the sticky show that there are rivets in the sticky which I assume are to help keep them on whatever you put them on. They aren't just made of paper with a plastic seal. They are very high quality. Not likely to rip or tear at all. They also can be removed after you put them on something. I accidentally put the sticker on my laptop crooked and it came right back up so I could replace it. Now it is on there pretty good, but I think that if I really wanted to, I could remove it. I also don't think it would rip in the process or leave a sticky residue. No sticky residue is great for the electronics I have ALREADY put the labels on. Now the friendship pack is not designed to be put on any kind of clothing or fabrics. There are special tags/labels for that. You can find them here.

Now let me show where the bulk of my labels are going to be put:

Since my son isn't in daycare and we really only go three places where there tend not to e any more children around, I don't need to put the labels on his belongings...yet. So I am tackling the family DVD collection. Those might actually go with us to grandparents's houses and I don't want them to think they own them by accident. I also don't want them to get lended, from a grandparent, to another member of the family and then never see them again. This means I need to label them as being ours. I am going to go through all the children's videos and use my labels on them. I believe that Lovable Labels will withstand the weekly travel on our DVDs so that we get to keep them in our possession and still keep my son entertained wherever we go!

Let's now take a look at some of the other uses for Lovable Labels. These are images from Lovable Labels. Tried and true uses right here!

Lovable Labels has generously supplied me with a pack of "Friendship Pack" for one lucky winner! Thanks, Lovable Labels! This will be available as a giveaway in the Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop. You will be able to enter to win this on February 2nd-9th! Just in time for Valentine's Day.

Monday Memories

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday Memories. I have decided that I really like my title for this series now since not only is it about the Share the Memories program from My Memories, but I also get to show off photos I have taken. I.e. I am showing off my memories. I think that is pretty awesome. I hope all of you that are actually reading my Monday posts have been paying attention to other days as well because I originally wasn't going to have a giveaway for a Share the Memories kit going on right now, BUT I DO! This week we have a second kit available to one lucky reader and next week we will take a break. Hopefully that will not change again! This means that after you get today's free kit at the bottom of this post, you should go enter to win the kit I am giving away.

So here's today's preview:

I think that this kit is a bit unusual. The other kits have had two quick pages that are basically the same colors to go next to each other. This kit has two different colored pages. Both are equally wonderful, but I just found it odd. I decided that for my demo of using this kit that I really should demonstrate both pages. I just used the quick pages and some other embellishments built into the My Memories suite software, so if you see something on my pages that you don't get in the kit, that's why. You will need the entire software package to get everything. Keep in mind though that this kit does not require the software to be used. You can use these pages in any application because they are just graphics. As I have the last two Mondays, I will also list what you get in the kit here. I will probably do that every Monday for any new readers I get from week to week.

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

Here's your download link. Have fun creating!

Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Yes yes...I am joining a third Valentine's Day giveaway hop. I am really trying to get this blog out there for people to see and I have been told that Blog Hops are the best way to do it! I found a third hop that had no sign up fee and ends before Valentine's Day so that hopefully the prize can get to the winner in time FOR Valentine's Day. The sign up list is still up, so you can join too if you want. I am going to be giving away a Lovable Labels Friendship Pack as my prize!

Here's the details!

Nicole at Mama to 4 Blessings and Kim at Chubby Cheeks Thinks are teaming up to bring you Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop!

Valentine's Day Giveaway is an opportunity for bloggers to share a giveaway on several other blogger's blogs. How? When you join the Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop your name is added to a linky on all the other bloggers giveaway posts that participate. What a great way to promote your giveaway and increase your traffic!Plus it's FREE! We are not asking for any money for you to sign up BUT we do have a few guidelines that are quick and simple!1) Each blogger that signs up promotes ONE giveaway $25.00 or more.2) Participants must use Rafflecopter in there giveaway3) The Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop button (see above) must be visible on your blog home page AFTER you link up below, buttons must be visible on your main blog page.4) This event will last for 1 full week (7 days) and will run from February 2 - February 9. Your giveaway post for this event should either be your 1st post during the event or possibly make an area on your blog directing your readers (besides the event button) back to your giveaway event post.5) When you link up your blog here please make sure you include your e-mail address so Nicole can e-mail you the linky and event button prior to the event.6) Join Nicole's Bloggin' Social Facebook Group pages for updates for the event including the linky for the giveaway post. E-mails will not be sent out to participants - all event details will be done through this group.7) Mama to 4 Blessings will provide the linky, button graphics and opening post for your giveaway.If you are willing to commit and follow the few guidelines please link up your blog HERE. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nicole HERE or leave her a message on this post or Facebook. She will try to get back to you in a timely manner.Thank you!

BeeSavy Webinars to help you BeeSavy!

2012-01-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

Free BeeSavy Tips & Tricks!

Are you one of the thousands of people already saving and earning with BeeSavy? If not, click here to join for free now! Once you've joined, BeeSavy wants to make sure that you are getting the most out of their free shopping site. To help new users get started, they are holding FREE training sessions this week! The sessions should last about 30 mins each and each class is the same so there is no neeed to attend more than once. Topics to be covered include how to shop with BeeSavy and tips for growing your referral cash back as quickly and easily as possible. Each session is limited to 100 people so be sure to register as soon as possible!

Webinar Schedule:

Tuesday January 24th 7:00PM-7:30PM EST: Resister Here

Tuesday January 24th 9:00PM-9:30PM EST: Resister Here

Thursday January 26th 7:00PM-7:30PM EST: Resister Here

Thursday January 26th 9:00PM-9:30PM EST: Resister Here

Spring Buzz Giveaway Hop

2012-01-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

I have started looking for products to review and giveaway for the end of February and early March. In the process of looking, I also found a giveaway hop for March that I am going to sign up for. It's the Spring Buzz Giveaway Hop! This hop is being organized by Just Married with Coupons and Sweep Tight, both of which are some of the first blogs I started following. The grand prize of this giveaway hop is being sponsored by BeeSavy, of which I currently have a giveaway by them running. Check out the "Heat Up Your Valentine's Day" giveaway for more information about BeeSavy.

When is it? March 21-27

What are the prizes? A minimum value of $25 from each participating blog. It CAN and probably WILL BE more for some blogs.

How many prizes? Who knows? It can be as many prizes as the blog wants to offer as long as the total value is $25 or more.

Can I sponsor my own giveaway? ABSOLUTELY! I am doing that for the All For Love Valentine's Day Event. You can do it for this one too!

What is required to be a part of this hop? Other than a $25 giveaway, you MUST include the Spring Buzz button in your giveaway post. You will also need to include the linky (which will be given to you closer to the actual hop dates). Also tell your readers about the hosts and grand prize (a few sentences will be provided to you just for that).

What do I have to do to join? Well, have a giveaway. =P Also, there is a $5 listing fee which can be waived by blogging about the event ahead of time and linking it back to our hosting website HERE. That's what I am doing right now! If you would rather pay the fee, go to the hosting site where you can find a form to fill out.

But WAIT! There's more!

There's a referral prize. If you are signed up for BeeSavy, then you know that it has a referral system where you make money when people who signed up from your referral purchases something through their site. You make money when you buy stuff too. In order to qualify for the referral prize, you MUST BE A MEMBER OF BeeSavy. So what is the prize? Well the top 2 people who refer the most participants in the giveaway hop will each get $25 through Paypal or in Gift Cards.

Secondly, the top 5 referrers for entrants into the grand prize (entrants will be given the chance to state who referred them in the grand prize giveaway) will be awarded $25 from Paypal or in Gift Cards.

Want to join the giveaway hop with me? You can list your site at the linky on THIS PAGE. Good luck and have fun!

My Memories Kit 2 Giveaway

2012-01-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

Last week I did my first digital kit giveaway and found out that I have them scheduled on the wrong weeks. Therefore, we are having two giveaways back to back and next week we will skip. If you missed it (the last giveaway), you have the opportunity to try for a different one now. I thought that this really said Saint Patrick's day to me. Therefore I looked at my pictures from March last year and use them in my demo. You don't have to have the My Memories Suite to use it, though I recommend you purchase it. You can get $10 off your purchase of the digital scrapbook software package by entering the code STMMMS15347 at checkout. Copy and paste the code to make sure there aren't any typos.

Now what is the giveaway for? It is the fourth Share The Memories kit that has been made available to me through the affiliate program. I am giving it away to one lucky person. Below is a preview of what you will get when you win.

**Note not all items in my sample picture are included in the Kit. Missing items are found in the actual My Memories Suite software.**

Also don't miss the freebie that My Memories is offering through their facebook page. A new freebie every Friday!

In order for any of your entries to count for the giveaway, you must complete the mandatory entry first. No mandatory entry means you cannot win. Also, in order to speed up verifying entries, I will be requiring a comment on the sponsors Facebook page. This will allow me to see that you actually liked the page without needing to ask someone else to check on it for me. I have no problem waiting for entries to be validated, but I get so excited about announcing the winner that I just don't really want to wait! I hope you can understand that! So tell MyMemories that Identity Discovery sent you to them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned (my original My Memories Suite Software) above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Feature Friday

2012-01-20T14:00:00.001-05:00

Well this is a little late in the day for today, but my Feature Friday's focus is on my new banner. I am trying to come up with my very own template. I made my banner myself. I am sure you are wondering what on earth Dragons, a castle, and roses have to do with Identity Discovery, so I am going to tell you. Almost everything in my banner is symbolic of something that has a very important meaning or impact on me. I will start with the simple (less emotional items first).

The clouds around "Identity Discovery" represent how ones identity changes. Clouds don't stay in one shape or color. They sometimes even disappear. Identities change over time. Sometimes we even lose ourselves and have to figure out who we are again.

The adult red dragon is my husband. He is always represented by dragons for just about anything he does and red is his favorite color. He is half of my world and is why he takes up so much of the banner.

The baby orange dragon is my son. Obviously he is a baby and that's why I chose a small dragon. He is orange because my son's favorite color is orange. Yes at 16 months he has a favorite color. He is the other half of my world, but I couldn't exactly have my banner focus on just the two dragons.

Now for the more emotional part of my banner. The castle represents my heart. The drawbridge is down (or open) to my husband and son. That is how my heart is. It is open for them. I did not put the dragons inside a castle because I cannot hold them inside of me and never let them out into the world. They are always in my heart and my heart will always be open to them, but I have to share them with the world too.

The large rose above the drawbridge represents me. Yes my heart is bigger than I am most of the time. I put others in front of me most of the time. Blogging and scrapbooking are the only things that are mine, but I will stop doing both if someone I love needs me.

The two rose buds around the gate represent the two babies I did not get to have. I had two ectopic pregnancies last year and was unable to save those babies. They will always remain close to my heart though. I will always wonder how life would have been different if I could have carried even one of those kids. They are rose buds instead of being in bloom since they were never able to grow.

There you have it! My banner. Now I gotta get the rest of this design in order...

Share the Memories Kit 1 Winner

2012-01-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

After a very impressive number of entries, I am very happy to be able to announce the winner of the first Share the Memories Digital Scrapbook Kit. This kit is designed to be used with the My Memories Suite software, but CAN be used in any software application and for any purpose. I am very happy with how this turned out and for anyone who did not win this giveaway, there will be another kit available starting this coming Saturday (i.e. tomorrow)! You saw that right! After this coming Saturday, the Share the Memories giveaways will be limited to every OTHER Saturday. Here is a preview of what the winner is getting:

Congratulations Eli Carver for following @kainshottie on Twitter

The winner has been emailed with the kit already. These giveaways are so easy to get that I am just sending them out instead of waiting for verification emails. I will do this with every Share the Memories giveaway. Now, want to see what is being given away this Saturday? Here's a preview!

Don't forget to download today's Friday Freebie on the MyMemories Facebook Page!

Cook'n Software Review and Giveaway

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this review, you have probably heard of the Cook'n software program and you are trying to find out more about it. I had seen it on a few blogs before I was presented with the opportunity to review it myself. Thanks to Mom Blog Society, I received a full copy of the Cook'n Recipe Organizer and have been playing around with it all week. I have to say that I am very impressed with it. If you have any kind of programming background, you can see that it is a very nicely laid out database program that allows you to create your own organization as well as use their own existing structure. This is of course the PRIMARY reason most people are interested in Cook'n. I know that's why I was. Let me give you a simple idea of how most of my recipes look:

This is just the first handful of recipes I grabbed. I am a very organized person, but recipes seem to be the one area where I collect faster than I can write them down in my book. In comes the Cook'n recipe software. I am working on putting all of my recipes into this application and eliminating the stacks of paper. I have put in quite a few, but it is still a little time consuming (only because I have too many).

It is pretty amazing though how simple it really is to do this. You can add recipes to the existing DVO.com cookbook if you really want to only have one cookbook, but if not, you can create multiple cookbooks. If you collect cookbooks (like me or my mom), you can create a separate book for each one. That way if you refer to your recipes by the cookbook it is in, you can still find that exact recipe in that exact cookbook. One thing that I did not see if you could do, but would be really cool, is if you own a cookbook and have a camera, maybe scan the barcode and import all the recipes in that cookbook. That would be pretty cool...Maybe someone will be able to tell me if that is possible or not.

Otherwise, with the Cookbook Library selected, you just hit the little plus button on the Cook'n Bookshelf sidebar and put in a new cookbook.

After you have your cookbook, there are a couple of ways for you to add new chapters. First select your cookbook in the sidebar, and hit the same plus on the Cook'n Bookshelf sidebar. Second, right click on the name of your cookbook, and choose New Chapter. Name the chapters after chapters in your paper cookbooks or give them names that make more sense to you. You can give each chapter a description if you want. You can add all the chapters right away or add them as you need them.

The part that requires the most work is adding a recipe, but that's only because you have to put in more than a name. ;-P You can add recipes in the same way as chapters. Select the chapter you want to put the recipe in and hit the green plus on top of the Cook'n Bookshelf sidebar or right click on the chapter and select "New Recipe." You have a third option as well. At the top of the screen is a button that says "New Recipe." You can click the button at the top at any time without worrying what cookbook or chapter you have selected because when the new recipe opens, you can select the cookbook you want to put the recipe in and the chapter.

Putting in the recipe is simple. You simple click in the first box under Qty for quantity and put in the quantity of your first ingredient. You just hit tab or use your mouse/arrow keys to move to the next field. In many circumstances, what you want to put in is already stored in the software. If you want to put in a measurement of cup, type the letter "c" and the measurements starting with "c" appear. Keep typing until the one you want is at the top of the list or use your mouse to select it. Hit tab to move on. This is the same with ingredients. Lots of ingredients are pre-stored. Many of my appetizer recipes called for cream cheese. That was in there. One of the neat things about ingredients is how you can pull up even two word or three word names of ingredients with very little typing. I can type "cr ch" to get cream cheese. Once you get the first few letters of the first word you can hit space to get to the second word. The first word is not forgotten but remains as all words starting with "cr" in my situation. It just starts looking at the second word for words starting with "ch." Pretty neat! That is one feature I have NEVER seen before in any software. It makes putting in information VERY simple. Another really neat feature is if your ingredient is not in the list, you can type it all out and it will ask if you want to add the ingredient to the list for future recipes. I hit "Quick add" every time (unless I misspelled the ingredient) so that I do not have to type it in every time. If your ingredient has to be from a particular brand, you can add that as well in the brand column. I had a little difficulty with this though. I would "Quick Add" a brand for one line and then the brand would not be available for other ingredients. I think this is ingredient specific, but I tried to add Ritz crackers on two different recipes and I had to add the brand Ritz both times. I have a feeling I am doing something wrong there though.

There is one more item that I am absolutely thrilled about with this software before I get to the giveaway. It has the option to "Capture" recipes from the web. While you are in the software, you can do a search from their home screen and it will pull up website listings with recipes matching your search (just like a search engine). I am always in the mood for good butter cream icing. LOVE IT! Of course that's why I need the elliptical machine I reviewed last week. ;-P I type in what I want and hit enter. Then I get my list of sites that I have to click on until I find the recipe I want to put in my cookbook.

Image 1:

Image 2:

Image 3:

Image 4:

After I find a good recipe, I simply hit the nice "Capture" button at the top of the screen. The software does all the work sifting through all the other junk on the page (as you can see in the third image in the series above) to get to the recipe (seen in the image directly above this text)information.

The result looks like this:

Pretty awesome huh? Well Let's leave this review to say that this software is pretty great. Do you have a blog that you list recipes on? Well you can even search for that blog's name and try to capture those recipes too! No copy and paste. No retyping. Awesome.

You can also join the Cook'n Club for other special values and freebies ($9.95 a month). Want to know what you get for joining the club? Here's a detailed list.

Free Cook'n Download (a $39 value!)
Cook'n Forum
Recipe Exchange
HomeCook'n Weekly Newsletter
HomeCook'n Monthly Archive
5 Day Meal Plans
Free Product Give-Away
Priority Tech Support

Buy Cook'n Recipe Organizer - You can purchase this software at http://www.dvo.com. You can also purchase cookbooks to add into the software through http://www.dvo.com/cookbooks.php. As a bonus to my readers, I am able to offer you a 50% discount code when you purchase the software. At check out just enter the code mb-identity (I recommend you copy and paste the code so you avoid typos).

Want to win a copy of this great software for yourself? Of course you do! You wouldn't have read this entire review if you didn't want it. So here's your chance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REMEMBER, you can get 50% off your purchase of the Cook'n software when you use the code mb-identity

I selected this post to be featured on www.topmommyblogs.org. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. (http://momblogsociety.com)

Thumbnail Thursday

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is my husband on our wedding day. Last week I showed you my favorite picture of me from my wedding, so this week I want to show you what he wore. He didn't actually wear the helmet down the aisle, but he wore all the rest of it. A true knight in shining armor!

EdenFantasys Definitely For Valentine's Day

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have had the chance to write two reviews for EdenFantasys so far. One for Christmas and one for the New Year. However I find this one the most appropriate. Valentine's Day is definitely known for the giving of bath products, lingerie, candy, and other adult indulgences.

After my last review, I purchased the Pomegranate Venus aromatic bath salts. I have to say I am VERY happy with them. They almost smell a little rosy which is really the scent that I prefer. It smelled wonderful and the bath I got to take truly made me relax. It isn't too often that I get a bath that really leaves me relaxed. Normally it is just a short escape and I get out feeling like I was never in there. After this bath, I even ended up sitting up all night with my son from his ear infection. I don't know if I would have survived the night without losing my patience if I hadn't had that bath.

Let me focus on some of their new bath products for a minute. They have a handful of new items just in time for Valentine's Day! EdenFantasys is now providing a shampoo and conditioner set called Terme trio hair care set – sensual kit. This kit is designed to clean and moisturize your hair. It even includes a body powder for afterwards to help keep you feeling clean and fresh. A bath for two using this kit might be a nice way to spend Valentine's Day.
	Add into that wonderful bath a new Fresh fiore creamy body wash – bath and shower gel. Get your hair clean with the kit and your body with a full luxurious creamy foaming body wash. To quote the product description, "Infused with botanical extracts, vitamin B5, vitamin E & hydrolyzed wheat protein for sensationally soft skin. Delicately scented with isolina fragrance."
Finish off your bath with Dolce dreams body lotion – body moisturizer. If you live anywhere in the north where this time of year is cold and dry, you will definitely be needing a lotion afterwards. Moisturize your skin to keep it soft, supple, and smooth. The lotion is infused with meadowfoam seed o.il, shea butter, aloe vera & vitamin E to help your skin get fully hydrated and healthy.

These three products are the ones that I am the most interested in, but there are a few other new products available as well. You can view these products at the following links.

Let me end this post with saying that the compensation I will be getting for this review is going to be going towards a Valentine's Day giveaway! I will be giving one lucky person everything I earn from this review in the Crazy Cupid Love Giveaway Hop. It is a simple two entry giveaway that will be being held from February 1st to the 7th. This is in hopes that I can pick the giveaway, give them the code, and they can get their products in time FOR Valentine's Day. Comeback here on February 1st to enter the giveaway! I promise the code will be for at LEAST $50.

EdenFantasys, an online sex toys store, compensated me for this post, but all opinions are my own.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Animated Books Review

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

I will be honest, I had never heard of Howard B. Wigglebottom until I saw a blogger opportunity on Mom Blog Society. I wasn't going to sign up to do a review for them because the book they want reviewed is ages 4-6 and my son is only 16 months. However, @HBWigglebottom decided to follow me on twitter and requested me to look into their animated/online series. I think that right there is pretty cool. Thank you Howard B. Wigglebottom because you are the first company that asked me to do something without me filling out an application. Yay! As a result, I also applied to review their newest hardcover book. It is possible that another review will come along.

Howard B. Wigglebottom is part of The We Do Listen Foundation. They are focused on helping children to learn valuable life lessons such as listening and problem solving. Everything they make available is educational and based on empowering children to feel good about themselves and learn better communication skills. The team is made up of writers, artists, designers, educators, therapists, parents, and teachers. With a team like that, they can't really go wrong in the learning department.

There are eight books currently available and a ninth on the way. Each book has a bunny main character named Howard B. Wigglebottom. Each animation has a narrator reading through the book as the characters actually move on the pages. There are different voices for different characters and dialog boxes that occasionally appear next to the characters as they talk. This give the child something to focus on as the words are being said so they can follow along. It shows the page numbers at the bottom of the screen which I feel will help the kids to know that it is a real book they are looking at.

I want to focus a bit on the animated book series that they have available on their site. I watched Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen and found it to be a really cute and very educative story. I liked how it showed what happened when Howard didn't listen and that eventually he would be punished for it (as well as normal cause and effect). One of the things I liked the best about the book was that at the end it does not make claims that Howard has learned his lesson for ever. No one can listen all of the time and it does address that. I think that is wonderful. Lessons are learned, but sometimes it takes more than a single day for a lesson to stick. It is realistic.

Like any good education resource, the website offers posters for the lessons that can be learned from their stories. All teachers need posters for their classrooms in order to reinforce their daily lessons. I downloaded two of the posters for Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen. They are cute, entertaining, and a valuable resource.

With each poster and book is an animate lesson. Obviously the lesson for this book is on listening. You can access the lesson here. The lesson uses images from the book and asks the child to pick the picture that represents the appropriate action for the lesson. When the correct image has been picked, a green check mark appears below the image and you hear clapping. Kids love encouragement and clapping is one of the first expressions of congratulations they learn. It goes along with helping them to learn to be confident and happy with their actions. If the wrong picture is clicked, a red circle with a line through it appears with the word incorrect. You hear a cow moo as the sound for the wrong answer. That makes choosing the wrong answer a little less displeasing since it is an animal sound that the child can associate with the animal later on instead of always thinking it is a bad sound. When the lesson is done, there is no statement of how many questions were right or wrong. This is good for some kids. I know that when I was in school, that probably would have driven me crazy. I was one of the kids that needed a score. This method will hopefully help kids to learn not to be so dependent on what their scores are because I will tell you causes a lot of unnecessary stress for kids. You can't change it if that is how your child is, but hopefully you can alleviate some of the stress with lessons like these.

What else is available on the site? There are songs and games available to play. The songs are fun, happy songs to sing along with and also reinforce lessons. They encourage kids to be themselves and not scared to dance. The words to the songs are displayed on the screen to help them sing along. Some of the songs are available to download. The games are designed to help with skills necessary in school and with memory. Each game has been designed to help children learn and develop a healthy sense of being. They are very simple games, but can be played over and over again. There are coloring pages available for you to print that are from each of the books. If you want to let you kids color on the computer (or don't have a printer), you can do so through the website. Using the mouse, you can select a color and then the area the color is to be applied to where it will automatically be filled in. Some kids have issues with coloring outside the lines, this gives the satisfaction of coloring without that issue. Finally, you can create your own book and color it. You get to type in your own words and print the book at the end for coloring.

I think this company is going to be one to keep my on. It has very good ideas and materials to help children be happier and healthier individuals. If your kids are old enough to be learning the lessons like better listening, dealing with bullies, and about too much isn't always a good thing, you should check out Howard B. Wigglebottom at The We Do Listen Organization.

Heat Up Your Valentine's Day!

2012-01-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to a new shopping experience! BeeSavy is designed to help you shop by category, store and coupons. It shows you on the home page your groupon deal of the day and various sales you might find interesting. They are trying to get their name more well known and are offering a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner just for signing up for their site. When you sign up, you get a referral code and get paid based on the number of referrals you send their way (as long as people use your referral code). You get 40% referral cash back from direct referrals and 10% from your referrals' referrals. You also get paid to shop! Cash back for all the shopping you do through their site.

Monday Memories

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Here is this week's Share the Memories Freebie! This package is perfect for a little girl. So much so that I dedicated my demo page to my niece Amberlee. Of course in my demo picture there are some added embellishments that are not included in this kit. The Scroll Flourish is included in the My Memories Suite and the word art for her name as well.

Just to recap what you will be getting in this download:

These are compressed files and do not install automatically.
Each package consists of .png files.
They can be used in ANY software that supports .png files.
Includes 2 Quick Pages and all of the papers and elements used in creating them.
The papers (different from Quick Pages) are in .jpg format.
Quick pages are added to a project like you would add Pictures in the My Memories software. Use them like layers.
Quick pages are designed as a two page layout to be used side by side.
The files can even be used for customizing your blog or webpage.

Remember that you do not HAVE to have the My Memories software to win the kit or use it. However, YOU SHOULD BUY IT! =P It's a really neat application and has lots of ways it can be used. The embellishments in the software can even be used in other software applications by simply navigating to the proper folder. This means that anything that comes with the software can also be used on your webpage, one photo cards, or any other project you might want them for. It's a good investment. Also, if you think that you aren't very good at making scrapbooks, here's the easy way to do them. Use scrapbooking software and let the templates help you design it.

If you are interested in buying the digital scrapbook software, use the code STMMMS15347 at checkout, you will get $10 off your final purchase of the software only. I recommend you copy and paste the code just to make sure ou don't put it in incorrectly! Please use the code if you buy the software because it tells them that I referred you!

This coming Saturday there will not be a My Memories giveaway seeing as I have on currently going on. If you wish to enter the giveaway, click on THIS LINK. Ok ok...So you want the kit now don't ya? Here is the preview picture. Click on it and it will take you to the download site.

Check out the MyMemories facebook page for an exclusive free kit to download! GO HERE!< Also, after they reach 10,000 fans, they are giving away an iPad2! So SHARE SHARE SHARE!

Here are this week's new Free Kits:

Candy Fairway Pack
Autumn Memories
A Beautiful Wedding Day
Industrious - Quick Pages 2
Angel Love Cluster
Tell Your Story
Daisy May
Memory in Progress

$100 Amazon Twitter Blast Giveaway

2012-01-15T09:19:00.001-05:00

What is a Twitter Blast? You the blogger can join for $1 with one account – Twitter. Then Kobiso will provide the prize-$100 Amazon card.

The first one of these events was a HUGE success for me. My twitter followers doubled, at the least! I highly recommend joining the next one if you are able to.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save $1 on Yoplait Frozen Smoothie

2012-01-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

I am a member of MyBlogSpark.com. Up to this point I have mostly filled out surveys, but here is my first opportunity to share something with you! I have a coupon for you to download and get $1.00 when you buy ONE any flavor Yoplait® Frozen Smoothie. I have been told that they have a new flavor called Chocolate Banana. Yummmmm! It sounds right up my son's alley too! I think I might have to get it for him to try.

Download your $1.00 when you buy ONE any flavor Yoplait® Frozen Smoothie coupon HERE!

*This coupon offer is not valid in the following states: including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Baby Website Complaint!!

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have a HUGE complaint about baby websites. I mean places like Gerber, Enfamil, Baby Center, etc. I signed up for a bunch of these sites when I was pregnant with my son because of the neat emails they sent to me telling me about his weekly growth and development. You have to have an account with each one to get the emails and I have updated those accounts when I found out I was having a boy. The first five months of pregnancy, I didn't mind they changing of the sex being referred to in the baby's development since it was unknown what gender I was having. However, after I updated my profiles to say that I was having a boy (or had a boy after he was born), why can't their emails say "HE" in them? How hard is it really for them to look at my account, pull one value, and change it in their newsletters? Well not too hard since their emails are all html anyway and probably being generated from a database anyway! I have a computer science degree. I know how that it can be time consuming to generate emails and such, but once that main part is generated you should be able to have a gender variable in there that pulls from my database information since they have to pull my email address from the database anyway! I hate all the emails I get now saying "SHE" all the time. Most of them say "she" and don't even bother to use "he" hardly ever. Come on people! In the age where everything is customizable to each person, can we PLEASE make these customized for a simple appropriate gender? I hate reading "she" when I have a boy. If I read what is in the email to other people, I have to change it to say he because I hate people thinking that I would have rather had a girl than a boy. I love my son to death and I don't want to accidentally say she when talking about him. Am I alone in this complaint?

Amazon Facebook Blast Event Sign Up

2012-01-14T14:34:00.001-05:00

Joining into the Twitter Blast last year was so successful, that I am joining in the Facebook Blast! You can too! Get your Facebook Page numbers increased and get a chance to win $100 Amazon cord. You the blogger can join for $1.50 with one account – Facebook.

Then Sason and Pobi will provide the prize-$100 Amazon code.

What do you need to do to join?

Post about the event with the button linking back to this post. (Right click save the image)
Send a paypal payment to jennifer@makobiscribe.com with your email address. After payment is received, she will send you the form to fill out. This way she won’t have to track payments at the end of the event.
You will get the instructions once you send payment.
Instructions on posting to your Facebook page can be found here
Then schedule the giveaway post to go live on Feb 1 at 9:00 am EST to Feb 15 12:01 pm EST
You can post on every blog you have, one post per Facebook account.
She will email you on the 30th to remind you.

That's it! Sign up your blog today! I just did. =P

My Memories Kit Giveaway

2012-01-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

You have now seen one of the free kits available to you from My Memories in the past Monday Memories post. If you missed it, you can view it here. The kit is still available for download and you don't have to have the My Memories Suite to use it, though I recommend you purchase it. You can get $10 off your purchase of the digital scrapbook software package by entering the code STMMMS15347 at checkout. Copy and paste the code to make sure there aren't any typos.

Now what is the giveaway for? It is the second Share The Memories kit that has been made available to me through the affiliate program. I am giving it away to one lucky person. Below is a preview of what you will get when you win.

**Note not all items in my sample picture are included in the Kit. Missing items are found in the actual My Memories Suite software.**

In order for any of your entries to count for the giveaway, you must complete the mandatory entry first. No mandatory entry means you cannot win. Also, in order to speed up verifying entries, I will be requiring a comment on the sponsors Facebook page. This will allow me to see that you actually liked the page without needing to ask someone else to check on it for me. I have no problem waiting for entries to be validated, but I get so excited about announcing the winner that I just don't really want to wait! I hope you can understand that! So tell MyMemories that Identity Discovery sent you to them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned (my original My Memories Suite Software) above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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