Eucerin Calming Creme and Body Wash Review & Giveaway

Eucerin Calming Creme Daily Moisturizer


Relieve dry, itchy skin with a daily creme specifically formulated to keep itchy skin calm and moisturize.

This gentle, non-greasy formula combines calming oatmeal and natural emollients for softer, healthier, more comfortable skin.

•Dermatologist recommended
•Helps heal dry skin associated with atopic dermatitis and eczema
•Oatmeal and natural emollient rich formula helps soothe dry, itchy skin
•Appropriate for children over two years of age
•Free of fragrances and dyes

My Thoughts:
My son's Doctor recommended that he use Eucerin Creme to help with his dry skin. This daily creme works great! It really moisturizes his skin and leaves it feeling softer for quite along while. It soothes his skin and leaves it feeling much better. I have used this too and I love how it makes my skin feel. It leaves it soft without leaving it greasy.

Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil

Relieving dry, itchy skin begins in the shower with a unique body wash that gently cleanses without stripping and drying the skin.

This unique body wash formulation combines soap-free cleansing with omega oils and other natural liquids to nourish and soothe.

•Dermatologist recommended
•Gently cleanses while maintaining skin’s essential moisture
•Omega oils and other natural lipids soothe and moisturize
•Mild lather rinses clean with no residue
•Fragrance, soap, and dye-free


My Thoughts:
This product cleans well even though it doesn't have much of a lather, like other body washes. I really like how this makes my skin feel soft without leaving it greasy. The only thing is, I'm not thrilled about the smell of this. It is mild but really has an odd scent unlike most fruity body washes I generally use.



14 0z. Eucerin Calming Creme can be purchased online or at Walgreens and/or local stores for $11.99
8.4 oz Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil sells for $7.99


Or Win it!!! One of my lucky readers will get a 14 oz Eucerin Calming Creme and 8.4 oz Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil.

MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please visit www.EucerinUs.com and leave me a comment telling me another product you would like to try.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■ Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Blog about this contest: Add a link to this post (5 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on April 14th at 11:59 pm Est. The winners will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.

**Disclosure: I received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thoughts and opinion.**

I Keep My Family Happy by Spending Time With Them

I love Spending Time with my Family!!! Sometimes, with our busy schedules, we don't always get as much quality time with each other, but we always try.

Luckily, my family enjoys many activities that we all can do together. Right now,we are starting BaseBall Season. My husband coaches our children's ball teams and loves spending time outside playing ball together. He helps them improve their skills and they love playing baseball and spending time with Daddy! This usually is their special time together.

I get to have the special time with my daughter at cheerleading practice every Sunday. Since I'm the Tumbling and Cheer Coach, I get to spend some fun time with her too. We enjoy having our girl talk on the car ride there and back. My son and I get to spend quality time reading together every night and doing homework. We also enjoy just talking about what happened in school that day. Usually he tells me more about his friends and fun activities they did, rather than what he learned that day.

In the Summer, we spend even more time together. We love going to Camp, Boating, WaterSkiing and Fishing. We have the best times!!! I'm usually the Boat Driver while Daddy is the WaterSkiing Coach. He loves to Waterski himself. Last Summer the kids had the best time while all three of them waterskied at the same time. It was pretty Cool and of course super funny when Daddy fell first! ( He blames that on me driving too fast and while he was on trick skis.) We also enjoy swimming together with our Dogs in the lake too. Then we love to cook dinner together and having snacks and roasting marshmellows by the campfire are the best.

Don't forget Vacation Time. We love go to amusement parks and have special fun days. We enjoy singing in the car on the way there and talking about all the fun things we want to do. We love going new places and trying new things, it's even better doing it all together.

When its Fall, the kids love to go Goose and Duck Hunting with Daddy too. I don't usually go though. But no worries... I get to spend lots of time with the kids.
We love to go for walks and bike riding too.

In the Winter while the weather outside is cold, we like to stay in and have a Family Game Night. We enjoy playing board games as well as playing the Wii and Dancing. No matter how much time, we get to have fun together, my kids are pretty lucky and are very happy kids.

It's easy to have fun and spend time with my family. I love them all and I'm pretty lucky!! It doesn't matter how much time we get together or what activity we are doing- we just love spending the time together!! I hope that never changes.



I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

The Portable Pediatrician Review

THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN
Everything You Need to Know About Your Child's Health

By William M.D., Martha Sears R.N., Robert MD, James Sears, M.D., Peter Sears M.D.




Imagine you are up at three o'clock in the morning with a sick child. Wouldn't it be nice to have expert advice readily at hand to help get you through the night? Encyclopedic in scope, THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN features timely and practical information on every childhood illness and emergency, including when to call the doctor, what reassuring signs can help you know your child is okay, how to treat your child at home, and much more-all in a convenient A-to-Z format. Among the scores of topics covered: teething; sprains and broken bones; nosebleeds; measles; ear infections; choking; rashes; colic; headaches; eating disorders; fever; hip pain; warts; allergies; obesity; seizures; Asperger's Syndrome; bronchitis; masturbation; sunburns; pneumonia; speech delay; lice; vomiting; asthma; heart defects; blisters; sleep problems; and more.

The Searses guide parents and caregivers from a child's infancy through the teen years, teaching them what to expect at regular checkups as well as how to boost a child's well-being, devise a family health plan, work effectively with their pediatrician, and more. Distinguished by the Searses' trademark comprehensiveness, reliability, and accessible, comforting one, this book is a must-have for all families who want to keep their children healthy and happy.

My Thoughts:
The Drs. Sears are back with this great new guide to childcare. No more guessing on your child's health. You'll have answers to most of your questions right here in this book. The Portable Pediatrician is easy to read and very helpful. This is a book to keep close by. Throughout the book,each pediatric problem and illness is written in a parent-helpful way that will teach you how to be watchful. This book will enable you to solve many common problems and also tell you when to enlist help from your own doctor. The topics have been arranged alphabetically according to the most common name to make it easy to find and they are very organized. I love this book and only wish I had it sooner, while my children were babies. Although, this is very helpful for children of all ages. This book would make a great gift!!


The Portable Pediatrician can be purchsed for $21.99 by the Hatchette Book Group


*Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from the Hatchette Book Group for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thoughts and opinion.*

21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart~ Book Review & Giveaway~

21-DAY WEIGHT LOSS KICKSTART

Boost Metabolism, Lower Cholesterol, and Dramatically Improve Your Health

By Author: Neal Barnard,MD a clinical researcher and health advocate. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and president of the nonprofit Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. He has been the principal investigator or coinvestigator on several clinical trials investigating the effects of diet on health

For years, Dr. Neal D. Barnard has been at the forefront of cutting-edge research on what it really takes to lose weight and restore the body to optimal health. Now, with his proven, successful program, in just three short weeks you'll get fast results-drop pounds, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve blood sugar, and more. With Dr. Barnard's advice on how to easily start a plant-based diet, you'll learn the secrets to reprogramming your body quickly:

Appetite reduction: Strategically choose the right foods to naturally and easily tame your appetite.
Metabolism boost: Adjust eating patterns to burn calories faster for about three hours after each meal.
Cardio protection: Discover the powerful foods that can help reduce cholesterol nearly as much as drugs do in just weeks.

Whether you are one of the millions who are anxious to get a jumpstart on weight loss or who already know about the benefits of a plant-based diet but have no idea how or where to start, this book is the kickstart you've been waiting for. Complete with more than sixty recipes, daily meal plans for the 21-day program, tips for grocery shopping, and more, this book will teach you how to make the best food choices and get your body on the fast track to better health.

My Thoughts:
This book has some different weight loss tips than I'm used to. This book is not about cutting calories and exercise, what I thought was the key to weight loss.
It will teach you about what foods will ramp up your appetite control and help your metabolism. It also wants you to cut out meat and dairy products and eat more plant based foods. For me this is tough. I like to eat fruits and veggies but also like meat and dairy products. This does have sample food list and many recipes, Some I like and others I would never eat or try. This book was interesting and I got some great tips and advice from this, but its not a program that I could follow unless I made some changes.

This book can be purchased from the Hatchette Book Group for $25.99.

Or Win it!!! The Hatchette Book Group has offered two of my lucky readers a copy of the 21- Day Weight Loss Kickstart.

MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please leave me a comment telling me a weight loss tip or your weight loss goal.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■ Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Blog about this contest: Add a link to this post (5 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on April 13th at 11:59 pm Est. The winners will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.
*Winners will be subject to the one copy per househould rule,which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests ,you will only receive one copy of the title(or set in case of grouped giveaways)in the mail from the Hatchette Book Group.*

**Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from the Hatchette Book Group for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thoughts and opinion.**

TheraBreath Review & Giveaway

Got Bad Breath? Even though, You have been brushing your teeth and using mouthwash-and you still have bad breath? What's up with that?... Now put an end to it by using TheraBreath Oral Care Products!!!

Brush with TheraBreath toothpaste twice a day by just placing a bead of this toothpaste on your toothbrush and brush thoroughly. Be sure to brush all over - the inside of your cheeks, roof of your mouth, and back of your tongue. TheraBreath Toothpaste is designed to control the anaerobic bacteria that causes bad breath. This formula is also great for gum health and nothing is more powerful at fighting cavities.

This toothpaste is alittle different from others I have used. You don't need to use water with this toothpaste and it doesn't foam like most. It has a slight minty flavor and really works great! I noticed having much fresher breath and whiter teeth since using this toothpaste. Also, alittle bit of this toothpaste goes along way.


Stop your bad breath and end chronic halitosis by using TheraBreath Oral Rinse after brushing with TheraBreath Toothpaste. This amazing rinse uses the odor-obliterating power of OXYD-8 for treating bad breath, stopping halitosis and eliminating sour, bitter and metallic tastes in your mouth.

Use 1-2 capfuls and gargle thoroughly. Try to let the oral rinse reach as far back in your throat as possible without gagging. Gargle for at least 30 seconds, or as long as you can. With a new capful of rinse, swish rinse completely around your entire mouth for at least another 45 seconds.
This Oral rinse is alot milder tasting and does not have that burning feeling like some mouth wash and rinses have. But, This product works Great!!! Since using these products, I have way more confidence and don't worry about having bad breath anymore.

Do you have Dry Mouth? or Just want to re-freshen your breath? Then try these!!
Eat a lozenge whenever your mouth feels dry or you experience an unpleasant flavor. Three or four a day should keep your mouth fresh, moist, and free of bad breath.


TheraBreath Mouth Wetting Lozenges are unlike any breath mint you have ever tried. They work in three distinct stages to make sure your mouth is fresh, moist, and healthy. This three stage approach is not only unique, but incredibly effective at controlling bad breath odor.
Stage 1 uses a pleasant citrus mint formula to quickly eliminate any unpleasant flavors or odors in your mouth.
Stage 2 uses the power of Zinc, Oxygen, and Xylitol - clinical strength active ingredients -to attack the germs that cause bad breath.
Stage 3 introduces their proprietary salivary agent to eliminate dry mouth and stimulate your body to produce saliva, a powerful germ fighting agent.
I love these mints. They have a good taste and really help you get rid of that dry mouth feeling. These mints are individually wrapped for convienance and easily will fit in your pockets or purse.

So... Now I know you want these great products!!!

TheraBreath Toothpaste and Oral Rinse sells for $10.50 each and can be bought online, at Walgreens and Walmart.

TheraBreath Mouth Wetting Lozenges sell for $13.00 for 100 individual wrapped mints.

Or Win it!!! Two of my lucky readers will each get a tube of TheraBreath Toothpaste and a bottle of TheraBreath Oral Rinse.


MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please Visit www.TheraBreath.com and check out all their great products. Please leave me a comment telling me another item you would like to try.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Add @TheraBreath to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Like TheraBreath on facebook (2 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to USA only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on April 12th at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.


Disclosure: I received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thougths and opinion.*

Tshirt Printing.net Review

I received this silk-screen printed unisex T-shirt with the mascot monkey printed on the front in size XL. So, this my husband is reviewing. I really love the cute little monkey on this tshirt. The quality of the shirts are very nice. This screen print is bright in color and the design/text are very clear. This tshirt is made well and isn't super thin. My husband has worn and washed this shirt a few times and the screen print hasn't worn off and still looks nice. He said that this tshirt is comfortable too.

Tshirtprinting.net has a huge selection of garments and colours. They have screen print shirts for men, women and children. So, if you are looking for a custom printed tshirt- check them out!!

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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Smartfish ErgoMotion Laser Mouse Review & Giveaway

Giveaway now Closed. Congrats to TannaWings!!!
Since my my old desktop died, it's been hard adjusting to using my new laptop. The hardest thing for me was using the built in mouse. I couldn't figure out how to do simple commands and it was really getting frustrating!!! Then my sister told me that she uses a mouse with her laptop to make things much easier. So, I tried using a mouse with my laptop and it made things alot easier!!! But all the mouses are not the same.



Smartfish Technologies Whirl Desktop Laser Mouse is Awesome!!! This mouse is so easy to use and maneuver and is very comfortable! First of all, just turn it over for easy battery installation as it uses 2 AA batteries. I love that on the bottom of this mouse is the transceiver and a pocket for storage. This is such a great feature!! This way you will always know were the transceiver is, when it's not in the USB port to connect. Also there is an on/off button to use to help save on the batteries. The ErgoMotion is the best feature!!



This mouse will rock,swivel and/or pivot with your movement so your hand and wrist are never in a fixed position creating the most comfortable and healthy mousing experience. The lateral pivot,right and left wrist rotation provides freedom to move. The pivot base not only provides a natural side to side motion but simultaneously moves back and forward so your wrist is never confined, allowing your palm to guide the mouse while your fingers stay relaxed for clicking.


So... I guess you know that I love this mouse!! You can purchase one here for $49.99.

Or Win it!!! One of my lucky readers with win the Smartfish ErgoMotion Laser Mouse.


MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please Visit Smartfish Technologies and leave me a comment telling me which feature is your favorite or another product you would like to try.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Add @GetSmartfish to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Like Smartfish Technologies on facebook (2 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to USA only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on April 6th at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.


Disclosure: I received this mouse free for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thougths and opinion.*

Winner Announcements

Drum Roll Please...

The Winner of the St. Patrick's Day Green Giveaway is...sohamolina

The Winners of the Book: Lastingness are...Diana and Marjorie

Tater95...is the Restaurant.com Winner

Maureen... is the winner of the Preat Neat Book

The EyeBuyDirect GC Winner is Peg42

Congrats to all the Winners!!!

Stay Tuned for some more great giveaways going on!!!

Mamavation Monday

This Week is off to a good start!! Last week wasn't so great but I did not really try at all. So, I'm forgetting about it and moving forward. I am getting back on track!! Spring is here and summer will be right around the corner. So- I have no time to waste. I'm getting my motivation back and I am eating healthy and going to exercise more to tone up and look great before my birthday in June.

This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn.

Question: Are you a sweet or savory snacker? What do you look for in a healthy snack?

Answer: Both... It depends on my mood! I try to eat Fruits or Nuts for my snacks. When I'm craving Chocolate then I like to eat a Fudgesicle to curb that caraving without all the calories.

Zippies (Pals That Hang Around) Review & Giveaway

Identify your stuff with Zippies, pals that hang around.


Keep your child safe with Zippies, a security id tag. With 10 characters in the series, each character is animal like with a funny face and each is brightly colored. Personalize yours by writing your name and number on the back.


I'm sure you can find many ways to use these. My children have these on their backpacks and water bottles and you can hang them on just about anything. These are made very well, rubber with a clip fastener that can attach easily. These are a great way to label your water bottle to avoid germ sharing. My son loves them and even my tween daughter thinks they are cool. They have taken them to school to share with their friends. Definitely a fun way to label your stuff.

Check out this Video:


Ok... so, I know you want these!!! These would make great Easter gifts and party favors. You can purchase them for $4.98 each or the set for $39.99.

Or Win it!!! One of my lucky reader will get 5 Zippies.

MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please Visit Zippies and leave me a comment telling me which character is your favorite.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Add @Zippiesfun to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Like Zippies on facebook (2 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to USA only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on April 1st at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.


Disclosure: I received Zippies free for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thougths and opinion.*

Mr. Funny Pants ~Book Review and Giveaway~

MR. FUNNY PANTS
By Michael Showalter


About the Book:
I was at my wit's end. I'd had enough of this job, this life, and my relationship had broken up. Should I eat chocolate, or go to India, or fall in love? Then I had a revelation: Why not do all three, in that order? And so it was that I embarked on a journey that was segmented into three parts and was then made into a major motion picture. Later, I woke up on an airplane with a hole in my face and a really bad hangover. I was ushered brusquely off the plane by my parents who took me to a rehab where I tested positive for coke, classic coke, special k (the drug), Special K (the cereal), mushrooms, pepperoni, and Restless Leg Syndrome. It was there that I first began painting with my feet.

But rewind...the year was 1914. I was just a young German soldier serving in the trenches while simultaneously trying to destroy an evil ring with some help from an elf, a troll, and a giant sorcerer, all while cooking every recipe out of a Julia Child cookbook. What I'm trying to say is that there was a secret code hidden in a painting and I was looking for it with this girl who had a tattoo of a dragon! Let me clarify, it was the 1930s and a bunch of us were migrating out of Oklahoma, and I was this teenage wizard/CIA operative, okay? And, um then I floated off into the meta-verse as a ball of invisible energy that had no outer edge...


Ugh, okay. None of this is true. I'm just kind of a normal guy from New Jersey who moved to New York, got into comedy, wrote this book about trying to write this book, and then moved to Alaska, became the mayor of a small town, spent $30,000 on underwear, and now I'm going to rule the world!!!

About the Author:
Michael Showalter is the star/creator of Michael & Michael Have Issues, The State, Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, Stella, Die Hard* and Die Hard 2: Die Harder**. He lives in Brooklyn with his lady and a bunch of cats.

Learn more about Michael Showalter here.


I thought that this book was pretty funny. Some people may not, if you don't have a sense of humor or don't like hearing bad language, then you might not like this book as much. This is a quick read and even if you are not familiar with this comedian,you will get some insight in his life and get some good laughs from this book. The humor in this book is about everyday life and I was cracking up reading this.


You can Purchase Mr. Funny Pants here.


Or Win it!!! The Hatchette Book Group has offered two of my lucky readers a copy of the book Mr. Funny Pants.

MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please leave me a comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■ Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Blog about this contest: Add a link to this post (5 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on March 31st at 11:59 pm Est. The winners will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.
*Winners will be subject to the one copy per househould rule,which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests ,you will only receive one copy of the title(or set in case of grouped giveaways)in the mail from the Hatchette Book Group.*

**Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from the Hatchette Book Group for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thoughts and opinion.**

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving- Please Be Safe this St. Patrick's Day !!

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow... and it’s not the luck of the Irish that will keep the roads safe... It’s planning ahead for a safe and sober way home!



For many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular night out for drinking Green Beer and celebrating with friends and family. Unfortunately, some of these people might also be driving home from their festivities and therefore, the night out has also become potentially dangerous.


On St. Patrick’s Day 2009, 37 percent of the drivers and motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or above, according to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).


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

• Plan ahead and designate a sober driver before you leave for your event.

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



Even if you will not be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day, keep in mind that in 2009, 1,119 occupants of other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers, so pay attention to others on the road. And remember, you don’t have to be "falling down drunk" to be too impaired to drive safely. Even a few drinks can impair driving...and a buzzed driving crash has the same consequences as a drunk driving crash.



NHTSA needs your help in keeping the roads safe for everyone this St. Patrick’s Day by spreading the word that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please consider posting the attached poster to your blog or even your Facebook wall. And please follow Buzzed Driving on Facebook and Twitter for more information.



Remember: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving. Don't rely on dumb luck this St. Patrick's Day. Plan ahead and ask your loved ones to do the same.

*Disclosure: As a member of Global Influence, I'm sharing this important message with my readers to remind them that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Drinking in hopes to keep us all safe. *

Dreaming about Remodeling

I'm sitting here, Wishing I would win the Lottery! So many wishes, I have for our house. We are thinking about remodeling the kitchen but we need to save some money first!! That's going to cost too much. Right now, we just ordered a new front door and we are going to put new ceramic tile down and paint the entrance. Then I'm going to paint the living room and hallway. I haven't really made up my mind on what color I want to paint it though. Right now, it's light blue and white sponged painted but I'm thinking of going solid again, just not sure what color. We have tan colored furniture now, so I have alot of options- I think I need to get some paint swatches and decide. I'm hoping to get this all done before the kids have spring break in April.
But, right now we do most of our entertaining downstairs. My husband just finished the basement and we have a nice party room. We've held a few big parties and it works out really nice. We have lots of lighting, we went with Recessed Lighting and it's always bright downstairs. It really drove me nuts, when it dark and gloomy in there before. The only downfall is we still need to finish and put a bathroom in down there still. But, right now, I can live with people having to go upstairs to use one of the other bathrooms. Although, a shower downstairs for washing the dogs would be nice. I guess... I better keep dreaming!

Mamavation Monday

I'm really disappointed in myself. This week I have been busy and slacked off and didn't exercise as much as I wanted too. Also, I didn't eat bad things, I think that I didn't eat enough and I need to start back to eating every 2 or 3 hours. I find that helps to boost my metabolism. Why wouldn't I eat more? I gotta find the Time for Exercise and eating healthy!


This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Fit Studio.

This weeks Question: What time of day works best for you to be active? How do you make sure you stick to those planned workouts?

Answer: For me usually the Mornings work the best for me. I like to weigh in and start my morning routine by hula hooping on the Wiifit then do my other exercises. Sometimes I have a hard time sticking to this routine. If I don't get my workout in first thing- then I find it hard to get it in during the day.
My problem is Motivation! I need to get myself back into this game for good.




*Disclosure:This post is sponsored by SEARS FitStudio and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation and sponsored by Sears

Pretty Neat: The Buttoned-Up way to get Organized & Let go of Perfection- Book Giveaway

Giveaway closed. Congrats to Maureen!


Are you Organized? I will have to admit that I am not!!! That said- I used to be more organized in the past but have been slacking lately and it really has been bugging me.

No Worries though... I found this great book, Pretty Neat by Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch and it offers surprisingly simple methods and tips to help you get more organized. This book covers all faucets of clutter control and has many tips for conquering your "to-do lists" all around our busy family schedules. This teaches us how to zero in on our priorities and eliminate excuses. Most importantly, Pretty Neat insists that we need to stop holding ourselves to impossibly high standards, and focus instead on defining our own realistic organizational goals.

This book has been helpful to me!! You can purchase this book for $14.95

Or Win it!!! One of my lucky readers will win their own copy of Pretty Neat:The Buttoned-Up way to get Organized & Let go of Perfection.


MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Share the area of your home or life that has become the biggest source of organizational stress.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)


This giveaway is open to USA only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on March 21st at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.


*Disclosure: I received this book for free for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thougths and opinion.*

Lucky to Have Friends like You!! Get Free DVD Rentals from Redbox

We love to watch movies!! Renting them from RedBox is pretty simple. What's better than paying $1 for movies... is getting free movies!

Lucky for you, redbox, America’s destination for movie rentals, is giving everyone the chance to score free movie credits now through St. Patrick’s Day, during the Lucky to Have Friends Like You promotion. Rental credits are valid for ten (10) days after they’ve been deposited into your account.



Just Follow these simple steps!!

■ Sign-up for a redbox online account at www.redbox.com/luckymoms
◦Why? By signing up for an online account, you can see what movies are currently in redbox kiosks near you and reserve your picks to guarantee they’ll still be waiting for you when you get there (until 9 p.m. the next day).
■ Redbox will email you a personal web address link
■ Share the link with your friends
■ Every time someone reserves a movie online through your personal web address, you’ll receive a credit in your online account for a free one-night DVD rental
■ If it is your friend’s first time reserving online, they’ll also receive a credit for a free one night rental
■ Spread the luck! Email it, post it to Facebook, Tweet about it


*If anyone wants to rent one through me, here's my link:
http://redbox.tellapal.com/a/clk/JYNCl



*Disclosure: I am writing this post to enter a giveaway for free redbox movies and movie snack packs as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

SpellQuizzer Review

Since my son has been in 1st grade, he always has a spelling test weekly. As the time goes on, the words get harder and getting my son to study spelling can sometimes be a struggle.
SpellQuizzer is a spelling software that can help make studing spelling easier and much more fun.




This Spelling Software is pretty simple to use. You can master your spelling list quickly with this program. You can use the sample lists or create your own. For us, my son or I can put in his weekly spelling words. I type them in and then say the word to be recorded. Then he can take the test and check his answers. If you spell the word wrong then you can try to spell it correctly for a second time. This really is pretty easy. It's simple enough that my son can do this himself. I have found that using this spelling program, he seems to have more interest and fun spelling.

You can purchase SpellQuizzer for $29.95, which is a great deal. Not so sure about this... No Worries, You can download a free trial.



*Disclosure: This is a MamaBuzz review, check out what the others are saying and enter for your chance to win a free spellquizzer software. I received a software license for SpellQuizzer, free of charge, from Dan Hite, for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thoughts and opinion.

Winner Announcement

Drum Roll Please...

The Winner of My Reading Tutor Nintendo DS Game is ... Justicecw

Kim, Traciet and Kygirl ... are the winners of the Purex Crystal softener

The Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You Book Winners are ... PoCoKat, Lexigurl and BookMarc Blogpants

David is the Winner of the Robby Wash Laundry Ball

Congrats to all my winners and Thank You to everyone for entering.

Please Continue to stop by... I have some great giveaways going on and more to come!

EyeBuyDirect Review & Giveaway

Giveaway Closed. Congrats to Peg42!



Buying Eyeglasses is not my favorite thing to do. I have a hard time deciding which eyeglasses to get. I usually try on a few pairs and go back and forth trying to decide which ones I like the best. I want my eyeglasses to feel comfortable and look fashionable but I'm not very good at making this decision even when trying them on. So, how would I ever pick out a pair of eyeglasses without trying them on?

No Worries... EyeBuyDirect.com helps make this decision much easier. They have suggestions on which eyeglasses will be best for you, based on the shape of your face and skin tone. They even offer the interactive feature Eye-Try enabling customers to upload their picture and superimpose frames onto their face. This imaging tool allows users to not only ‘virtually try-on’ their favorite glasses but also to receive feedback from fellow users, friends and family about the suitability of certain frames.
So... after you've picked out a pair of eyeglasses, don't worry if you don't like how they fit or look. EyeBuyDirect.com wants you be satisfied. If you are not completely satisfied with your eyewear, you can return the product within 7 days and receive a full refund (shipping costs not included) or a new pair, it's that easy.

I received a pair of eyeglasses for review. The ordering process was easy and my eyeglasses arrived pretty fast. They came in a nice case with a cleaning cloth. I was very much satisfied with my eyeglasses. I picked a pair similar in size to my old ones and they look and fit great. I couldn't have asked for more. Their prices are so good and so is the quality of the eyeglasses.

Right now... EyeBuyDirect.com has a great sale going on. They have Buy one get one Free right now, but hurry this sale ends next week.

Or Win it!! One of my lucky readers will get a $30 Gift Voucher at EyeBuyDirect.com (Exclusion of designer eyewear and sunglasses.)


MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Visit www.eyebuydirect.com and “Like” your favorite frame, please leave me a comment with your favorite ones.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Add @EyeBuyDirect to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Like EyeBuyDirect.com of facebook (2 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to USA and Canada only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on March 21st at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.


Disclosure: I received a free pair of eyeglasses for the purpose of this review. This is my honest thougths and opinion.*

Mamavation Monday

Today has been so busy. Finally my internet is back to working. Yeah!!

So, I'm getting back on track. I have lost those couple of pounds that I gained back, but I shouldn't have gained them to begin with. Anyways... I'm headed on the right path. Spring then Summer is going to be here and I am going to look great for my Birthday in June. So- for that to happen, I'm going to be moving and eating healthy.

Today's Mamavation Carnival is sponsored by Earth Footwear, and I would love a pair to help me in toning up.

This week's Question is : What are your strategies to fit everything into your busy life? Any areas you need to work on?

My answers: I'm still work on this. I need to make more time fitting everything into me day. I have to make the time to get everything I want and need to get done. I guess I need some more orginaztional skills too. But, I'm working on that.



Disclosure:This post is sponsored by Earth Footwear and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

Quick Tips to Green Over your St. Patrick's Day & Giveaway

Giveaway now closed. Congrats to sohamolina!

Thanks to the Supermarket Guru, Phil Lempert and ConAgra Foods, I'm helping to share some tips on how to “Green Over” your St. Patrick’s Day meals. From Leprechaun Cereal to Patrick’s Pudding, Phil Lempert provides great insight on how to spruce up your St. Patty's Day grub from morning until night, the quick and easy way!


YOUR GREEN-OVER TOOL – Head to your local supermarket and buy a one ounce package of liquid green food coloring. McCormick has a special “Green” one-ounce package that is recommended. Remember – a little coloring goes a long way so just using one or two drops may be enough for each of the “green recipe ideas” that follow. Also, lighter foods (like bread, milk, popcorn and pasta) the better and brighter the color green becomes.


Start by adding a dash of color! It's easy being green when you add this food color to your favorite treats especially for St. Patrick's Day.


BREAKFAST

~Lucky Leprechaun Cereal: Serve up a portion of Lucky Charms cereal and add a couple drops of green food coloring to the milk to get those Leprechauns started (both the milk in the glass and in cereal)!

~Green Morning: For the adults in the family, add 2 or 3 drops of coloring to Egg Beaters to whip up a green omelet, and load the insides with green peppers, broccoli and scallions. If you are really adventurous, bake your own green bread by just dropping two drops in the bread mix. Also, try adding a couple drops to whipped cream cheese – stir thoroughly and serve on toast or a bagel.

~Green No No’s: Forget about adding the green milk to your coffee; this will just result in a cup that looks like a cross between mold and moss.


LUNCH

~Pack It Up Green: Load up your children’s lunch boxes with lots of green – everything from celery sticks, green juice (try coloring a light colored apple juice), and green cheese (a light colored cheese is recommended here as well).

~Shamrock that Sandwich: Put a slice of Swiss, mozzarella, white colored cheddar or Monterey jack on top of ham or other sandwich meats. If you prefer vegetarian, try Light Life Smart Deli Turkey, Bologna or Ham varieties. Before you close up the sandwich, take a clean new paint brush and add a few drops of food coloring in a saucer. Paint a shamrock, smiley face, or even your child’s name on the top of the cheese. Let it dry, then leave the top slice of the bread off and saran wrap the sandwich for a surprise when they open their lunch box!

~Patrick’s Pudding: For a fun and colorful afterschool snack, drizzle 1 or 2 drops of green food coloring over Snack Packs Vanilla pudding. For those with an extra sweet tooth, add a touch of Reddi Whip with a handful of green sprinkles.


DINNER

~Pasta Verde: It’s all about the pasta! After you cook your spaghetti, rigatoni or even ravioli, rinse the cooked pasta and then BEFORE you add any oil or other sauce, add 3 or 4 drops of food coloring to the pot and mix in with the pasta. For the best visual, put the sauce (of course pesto will be the truest to the celebration) on the plate first, and lay the green pasta on top. Add some green veggies for extra flavor.

~Shamrock Your Sides/A Green Alternative: If pasta isn’t your thing, how’s chicken or fish? Drizzle 1 drop over your meal. For sides, add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring to mashed potatoes, white rice or a light colored sauce.


These are just a few!!! Be creative and add some Green to your St. Patrick's Day!
I love to make shamrock sugar cookies and green popcorn for my kids for a great snack too.


In honor of St. Patricks's Day one of my lucky readers is going to win a prize pack containing Two McCormick Green Food Coloring and one package of Snack Pack French Vanilla Pudding.

MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Please leave me a comment telling me how you are going to celebrate St.Patrick's Day or leave me a green tip.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■ Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)


This giveaway is open to US residents only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on March 17th at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.

*Disclosure: I will be receiving the same giveaway package as one of my readers for sharing this information. *

Purex Crystals Competition ... Win!!!

As a member of the Purex insiders, I'm in a competition and could win a prize.
And if I win... Then Someone who click on this link: http://www.purex.com/MXTQEPZOXYOMU785AXODMQMFIYLHZ and leaves me a comment saying so, will Win too. The prize is going to depend on how much I win, but I am going to Share.

Thanks for your help!!! This contest ends on 3/13 at midnight pacific time.









can drive the most traffic to the Crystals web page on Purex.com.

Social Deal Map (Review) & $25 Restaurant.com Giveaway

Giveaway now closed. Congrats to Tater95!
Looking for a Deal? I always love finding a great deal!!! SocialDealMap.com is a great site that is so easy to navigate. You will want to check it out!!!

Everyone loves a Bargain and/or a Great Deal. Now, you can easily find online bargains and deals by doing a simple search. When it comes to local services such as restaurants, Child Care Service, Movies, Museums, show tickets, Gyms, etc. 90% of the time without planning, people are paying full price. As the emerging of group buy sites, such as groupon, local deals start to come out. But do you know there are hundreds groupon-type websites on the internet? Checking one by one is simply impossible. While Social Deal Map makes it easy to find all such types of deals.

Social Deal Map aggregates deals from numerous group buy websites and these deals are hand picked and displayed on a map. These deals are added and updated everyday, or even every few hours. The map is very similar to a google map and indeed it is made by google map. Instead of showing you driving directions, It pinpoints all local deals available. You can move, zoom the map or search a specific location and check out what is available nearby. Most of the deals are a savings of 50% off or more. After checking these deals out, you would not want to pay full price for a restaurant bill again.

You can check out the deals, by either looking at the info bubble that shows up on the map, or, if you prefer, you can check the left hand side, which contains all deals within the map. You can flip the page by clicking on the arrows, or you can zoom in the map to specific place to reduce the number of pages on the left hand side. If you prefer the pure text version of group buy deals, you can simply go to the bottom of the page and select the state which you are located in and then find the city. You would come to the regular page of deal aggregation site, browser all deals within or near your city.

This is really useful for people who commute or travel around. It is so easy to browse by the map and find out what is available on your way or near your destination. This would be very useful to help cut your expenses especially when vacationing by using this to help find discounts on your hotel and restaurants.

Why pay full price again? With this easy to use site, you won't have too!!!

Want to save some money on dinner? Win it!!!

One of my lucky readers will win a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate.

MANDATORY/REQUIRED ENTRY:
Visit SocialDealMap.com and leave me a comment telling me what you like about this site.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But in addition you can:

■Subscribe via e-mail (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via Google friend Connect (1 extra entry)
■Follow me via NetworkedBlog (1 extra entry)
■Add @Shawnmh to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■Add @SocialDealMap to your Twitter -Leave me your twitter ID (1 extra entries)
■ Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this contest page (Leave me the link)(1 extra entry/this may be done daily)
■Add my button to your site AND/OR add me to your blog roll.(1 entry for each)
■Follow SocialDealMap on facebook (2 extra entries)
■Blog about this contest: Add a link to this post (5 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.(Please make sure if you are anonymous you leave your email address with your comments.)
This giveaway will end on March 14th at 11:59 pm Est. The winner will be notified and have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.

*Disclosure: I'm helping to share a great site with my readers, hoping to save you money and time. I did not receive anything in return. This is my honest thoughts and opinion.*