Smockity Reviews and Giveaways

Cool contest I found to win free groceries for a year

2010-01-15T16:56:00.001-08:00

Hey, I just entered this contest on Cozi.com to win free groceries for a year. All you have to do is put in your email address.

Even if you don’t enter, please click the link to help me win. (I get an extra entry for telling you.) Thanks!

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Old El Paso Winner

2010-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Kim is the winner of the Old El Paso giveaway!

Congratulations, Kim! Please, contact me with you mailing information and I will make sure you get your prize package!

Joy Berry Books

2009-12-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

Are you familiar with the Joy Berry book series?

I love these little books! Each one talks about behaviors that are not nice and gives examples of what the behavior looks like.

The books also explain how the naughty behavior makes others feel and why we should not act that way.

I was recently sent a set of these to review and I couldn't be more pleased with them. I read them aloud, and since each one came with its own CD, the kids have listened to them while following along in the books over and over again.

I think these would make a great birthday gift or excellent addition to any bookshelf, and there is a special going on right now which offers you bargain prices!

Use coupon code TMA12341 to receive the special price of $25.

Use coupon code HMBG1231 to receive the special price of $99.

If you click on the blue boxes to place your order, I will get credit and will be most grateful and appreciative!

This promotion only lasts until January 31, so hurry!

Bible in 90 Days Winner

2009-12-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

We have a winner for the Bible in 90 Days Bible and participant's guide.

Congratulations Keowdie! Email me your mailing address, and you'll get those materials before the new year.

For the rest of you who would like to participate, no problem! Amy at Mom's Toolbox has posted this printable reading schedule for anyone who would like to follow along in your own Bible.

Thanks to all of you who are participating. I'm looking forward to going through this challenge with you!

Old El Paso Giveaway

2009-12-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

Old El Paso chiles are what gives this family favorite, Mexican Mess, its kick. This is a great recipe for a crowd because everyone assembles their own and adds as many or as few toppings as they like.

If you would like to try this recipe, make sure to print out this coupon and get 55 cents off one can of Old El Paso chiles!

Now, for the fun giveaway! Old El Paso and Blog Spark have provided a “Tackle the Taste” gift pack that includes two free cans of Green Chiles, as well as a football-shaped ceramic serving platter, two sets of football-themed plates, cocktail napkins, and a themed table runner for me to keep and one to giveaway!

Cool, huh?

To win this gift pack, simply leave a comment telling how you would use the green chiles to spice up your favorite recipe.

I will draw a winner after Christmas and before the new year. Be sure to leave a way for me contact you if you win.

The Bible in 90 Days Guest Post

2009-12-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

The following is from Amy at Mom's Toolbox, who has graciously written a guest post detailing The Bible in 90 Days program.

Have you ever thought about reading the Bible... the whole thing, from start to finish?

I thought about it for years, and even attempted a few times on my own, before I discovered Bible in 90 Days, joined a group at my church and read the whole thing without stopping, cover to cover.
I was so blown away by the experience that I offered to facilitate it at my next church and have since facilitated several more times, trained facilitators and now plan to host an online community via my blog, MomsToolbox.

If you have ever considered reading the whole Bible, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you join me January 1- March 31, 2010, as I read and blog through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, bit by bit, in order, every day.

If you would like to join our online community, here’s what you’ll need to do:
·   Plan to set aside about an hour each day from January 1- March 31 for an incredibly enriching experience.
·   Get your hands on a Bible in 90 Days Bible from www.biblein90days.org, or your local Christian bookstore.
·   Consider also purchasing the Bible in 90 Days Participant’s Guide which offers weekly questions for you ponder to gain more insight from your reading. (I’ll be using these questions for our weekly Twitter meet-ups.)
·   Consider purchasing the Bible in 90 Days Essential Bible Companion, which offers a snapshot of information to help you make it through each week’s reading without getting distracted by researching on the internet.
·   Bookmark my site, www.MomsToolbox.com, and plan to visit January 1- March 31 after you have completed each day’s reading to see what I learned and report in that you have read for the day.
·   Follow me on Twitter (@MomsToolbox) and plan to be on Twitter every Monday night of the program from 9-10 CST (much like a study meeting—just online!) when we can ask and answer each other’s questions. Use and look for the #B90Days hashtag for our group discussion.

I would bet some of you are asking “Why this particular Bible?” Here’s why:

The official Bible in 90 Days Bible is an NIV Bible, so it is an easy-to-read direct translation. This edition has large type, minimal footnotes and indicates where you should start and stop reading each day. Sure, you could accomplish this goal using your own Bible, but the statistics point to a huge success ratio for those using this official Bible... and not so much success for those who choose to use a different one. And don’t you want to succeed this time?

Although we won’t be meeting in person, my prayer is that via almost-daily online communication on my blog, as well as on Twitter we can still hold each other accountable, helping each other to accomplish our goal to read every word of the Bible attentively in 90 days.

I’d love to encourage you in this endeavor. It has been life-changing for me.

I cannot express how much reading the bible in 90 days has helped me with every study I have participated in and every sermon I have heard since then. I now know the context of the stories. I know where to find them... and I can clearly see how they are related. And to read about Christ and the fulfillment of countless prophesies just after you’ve read about those prophesies is amazing!

If you’re up for the challenge, I’m up for encouraging you every step of the way.

Pray about it. Think about it… And click on over to MomsToolbox.com to let me know if you’d like to join in the challenge and to learn more. But do it soon so you’ll be ready to start 2010 in His Word… all of it!

Hope to see you there!

** If you still have questions, plan to follow me on Twitter and join me for our first Twitter chat this Monday, December 21 from 9-10 CST. I’ll be there ready to chat about the program and would love to answer any questions you may have.

The Bible in 90 Days

2009-12-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

Are you willing to join me in an adventure?

I am about to embark upon a difficult, but rewarding journey that I have tried, but never completed before.

I have been invited by Mom's Toolbox to participate, along with a group of bloggers, in The Bible in 90 Days program.

Each of the bloggers participating is committed to sticking with the program, which involves reading 12 pages a day (approximately 1 hour), praying for those involved, and giving away one Bible in 90 Days Bible and participant's guide to make the journey a little easier.

The Bible one reader will win is an NIV Thinline Bible with large print and clearly marked guidelines showing how much to read on which date.

If you would like to win the Bible and participant's guide, simply leave a comment on this post. I'll be drawing a winner on Saturday and Amy at Mom's Toolbox will need the winner's address by Monday so you will be able to get your materials by the new year.

Let the adventure begin!

Business Card Winners

2009-09-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

The two winners of the 500 Uprinting business cards are

Alison

and

Jennifer

Congratulations! Uprinting will be contacting you soon.

$200 Visa Card Winner

2009-09-05T07:06:00.001-07:00

The winner of the $200 Visa gift card is Leigh! Congratulations, Leigh. I'll send your email on and you will be contacted soon.

Custom Postcard Winners

2009-09-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

The winners for the custom postcards are:

#7 Cathy

and

#8 Cheryl

Uprinting will be contacting you to send your prize.

500 Free Business Cards

2009-09-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email from Uprinting offering another giveaway!

It turns out they took a poll on Twitter asking which product people would most like to win in a giveaway. The most popular answer was business cards, so they have agreed to give away 500 business cards to 2 of my readers!

(2) PRIZE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE

500 Business Cards

Choose size: 2x3.5”, 2x3”, 2x2";

Choose paper: 14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated

Choose Color: (4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside

Shipping must be paid by Winner. Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY.

If you win, you can choose between 3 different business card sizes. There are also some nifty die cut business cards!

Enter by leaving a comment on how you might use the prize if you win.

I will select 2 winners, by random number generator, on September 10, 2009.

Custom Postcards Giveaway

2009-08-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

*Have you entered to win my $200 Visa gift card?
Digital Room has offered to give two of my readers a set of 200 custom postcards!

You can personalize these to be custom greeting cards, custom postcards for invitations, thank you cards, announcements, holiday greetings, or anything else you can dream up.

(2) PRIZE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE

200 Custom Postcards (choose your size: 4x6, 4.25x6, 5x7"); 14pt gloss or matte, 13 pt uncoated

Full Color on both sides (4/4)

Shipping must be paid by Winner. Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY.

To enter, leave a comment about how you might use your custom postcards.

I will draw a winner on September 3, 2009.

Lines of Communication (and a $200 Visa gift card)

2009-08-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint.

When BlogHer contacted me to offer one of my readers a $200 Visa gift card, I was tickled pink to be able to offer such a fantastic prize!

It turns out they are dying to know how parents keep the lines of communication open with their kids as they gain more independence and freedom in their teen years.

And it turns out that I am in that situation, right here, right now, because my two oldest, a 14 year old girl and a 12 year old boy have more opportunities than ever before to attend all manner of activities with the youth group at church.

It seems there is an activity for every night of the week, and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with providing those activities, but we choose to be very selective in which activities we allow.

Which brings me to the first way we keep communication flowing at our house:

Spend time together. We eat dinner together, all 9 of us, at our dining room table, with the television OFF most nights without fail. We try not to let anything interfere with this routine and our children know how important this time together is to us.

Spend time together - alone. My golf pro husband takes one of the children (age 9 and up) with him each time he goes out of town to play in a golf tournament. They get to spend 3 days together with no one competing for the attention of the other. I also try to do this on a smaller scale. Whenever I can, I will take only one of the kids with me for something as simple as a bank run, or a special event like a Pampered Chef party or a baby shower .

Listen and share. I like to listen to my kids tell me stories about what happened at church camp or at homeschool co-op or in Bible class. In turn, these stories almost always lead to them asking me if those things ever happened to me when I was a kid. They love to hear about the time I saved my lunch money every day for a week in third grade so I could skip the bus, walk to the candy store, and eat all the candy I could buy before I got home to pretend that I had ridden the bus like a good little girl. Their favorite part is how I got into BIG trouble when my mother got wind of the whole scheme.

And NOW is your chance to win a $200 Visa gift card.

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me how you keep the lines of communication open with your kids as they grow older and gain more freedom - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. (Check out below how to be entered more than once.)

The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) August 10, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) September 4, 2009.. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on Twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 and over.
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official Rules

Check out how other BlogHer Reviewers keep lines of communication open with their growing kids - you've got 8 other chances to win a $200 Visa gift card!

Find more info for keeping in touch with your kids here.