MAM Rock a Bye Baby Party!!

I was privileged to be chosen as a host for the MAM Rock a Bye Baby Party from Child's Play Party. Child's Play Party is similar to House Party where you apply to host certain parties and the hosting company (in this case, MAM) gives the host free products to share with their friends! This was by far the best party I have ever received and such perfect timing since I am now less than 2 weeks away from my due date! The party pack included all MAM products which are all BPA free by the way.

Prior to this party, I only knew that MAM made pacifiers, but I was excited to find out that they also make toothbrushes, bottles, oral care mitts for baby's gums, coolers and so much more. I think everyone's favorite was the little bunny oral care glove for babies.

It was a blast and all of my guests were SO thrilled to receive so many great products for their babies or brand new babies being born very soon (I know a lot of pregnant women right now!). Everyone also got coupons for more Mam products. Mam was very generous, I must say.

if you are interested in learning more about any of these products, you can go to mambaby.com or LIKE Mam USA on Facebook or check out their blog at http://blog.mambaby.com.

Cherie and her son Levi with some of the fun products!

Thanks again to Mam and Child's Play Party for picking me to host!! Such fun!

Book Review: Life Without Limits



Life without Limits by Nick Vujicic was pretty inspirational to say the least. The subtitle of his book is "inspiration for a ridiculously good life." This is a story of a boy who was born with no arms and no legs, but who believes that God has a purpose for his life and he has lived it out. I was looking forward to a type of biography, but instead it was more thematic with inspirational type speaking blurbs throughout the book. It was still good, but wish it would have been more an account of his childhood to present day; his good days and bad days and how he overcame such amazing diversity. All in all, definitely a good read that is sure to inspire you and make you realize how good you really have it.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: My Foolish Heart

My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren was, sad to say, a letdown. I had read one book by her prior and didn't love it, but I thought the cover of this one and the storyline sounded cute so I gave it a chance. Don't waste your time. I was bored and struggling to get through it. There were some moments that were cute, but all in all, not so much. If you like fluffy romance stories without the typical secular romance garbage then it would be an absolute hit. I guess I am more into drama and suspense though!

As a quick synopsis, the main character experienced a terrible tragedy which caused her to be homebound. She somehow ends up being a radio talk show host for people who need love advice, "Miss Foolish Heart" even though she had never really been in a relationship. The big question that lingers throughout the whole story is, will she ever be able to step foot out of her house and will she ever find true love? Both of which are answered at the end...never fear. :)

I received this book from Tyndale House as part of the Tyndale Blog Network for free in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Unleashed: Release the Untamed Faith Within

I had never heard of Erwin McManus before...that is until we MET him in a Vietnamese restaurant in Georgia. Wow, that is a weird statement. A Vietnamese restaurant in Georgia. Anyway, my husband and some friends of ours were at an awesome conference in Atlanta last year and we were on a break to eat lunch. We walked to this nearby restaurant and were waiting for our food when this very eclectic L.A. looking guy walked in with his posse. I didn't think much of him until my husband whispered (loudly!), I think that's Erwin McManus...and proceeded to look up a picture of him on his iPhone to confirm his suspicion. He was right and we ended up getting a picture with the poor guy. LOL. He was very nice and accommodating though. Well, when I saw that one of his books was available for review, I definitely wanted to check it out.

Erwin McManus is a native of El Salvador. He currently lives and pastors a church called Mosaic in L.A. (I was so right about that part!). This book is called Unleased: Release the Untamed Faith Within. This book was originally titled The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within. Sounds kind of...barbaric! What you come to find out is that the barbarians love to live and live to love and that we need to be more like them; more about passion, intimacy, sacrifice and passion when it comes to our faith and our relationship with God. This book comes in at only 148 pages, but it is chock full of encouragement to adopt the barbarian way of fearlessness and live for Christ out LOUD. I would say it was worth it.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Kung Fu Panda giveaway winner!

Drum roll please...and the winner is Jess Howard! Congratulations Jess!! Your prize pack will be mailed to you in a couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Giveaway: Kung Fu Panda DVD and more!

I know, I have been ridiculously MIA lately here on my blog!! I promise I am going to do better...starting with a giveaway! What better way to make a comeback??

In honor of the new movie Kung Fu Panda 2 (which was so cute by the way!), General Mills and Dreamworks through BlogSpark have provided me with a prize pack to give away. Woohoo! One winner will receive one box of a participating Big G cereal, a Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toy and the original Kung Fu Panda movie (valued at over $25).

To enter:
1.) Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment stating that you did so. If you are already a follower, just comment and let me know!
2.) Share this post on Facebook or Twitter and comment to let me know you did it.
3.) Subscribe to my email updates (top righthand corner of the blog) and comment to let me know you did it.

Three separate comments will give you three separate chances to win!

I am closing the giveaway Wednesday night at midnight. I will pick a winner Thursday morning. Have fun!!

Winners: Purex with Zout!

And the winners are....(chosen by random.org-random number generator) comments number 2 and number 11. Mindi and Kerry L.!!! Congratulations girls! I will contact you for your addresses. Thanks for participating. :)

Giveaway: Purex Complete with Zout

 Purex has provided another great giveaway for my readers! I have TWO free bottles of Purex Complete with Zout detergent to give away. The value of each of these coupons is $7.50!

Purex Complete wth Zout is the newest Purex detergent. It combines the Purex detergent that we all know and love with Zout, a pretreater to get more stains out of clothes.

The great news is, it works in ALL types of washing machines, whether it is front loader or top loader.

There are three easy ways to enter:

1. Become a follower of my blog (on the left hand side) and leave a comment stating that you did this. If you already follow me, leave a comment to tell me that.

2. Repost this on Facebook and/or Twitter (use the handy dandy buttons under this post to do this very easily). Leave a comment stating that you did this.

3. Subscribe to my email updated (very top right hand side) so you never miss a deal! Leave a comment stating that you did this. If you already subscribe, leave a comment to tell me that.

This giveaway will close on Sunday evening at midnight. I will post the winner on Monday morning!!!

Scholastic: Up to FIVE free books

Your kids can complete math and reading worksheets to earn up to FIVE free books from Scholastic!! I love books and I love free stuff so this is perfect for us.

This is for ages 5 to 12. I already have Reagan started on his worksheets and he is loving it. :)

Coloring contest: 2-8 year olds...$1000 savings bond!

My father-in-law forwarded this adorable coloring contest to me and I got my kids right on it! Just go HERE to register and they will email you the pages to color with all the information on how to enter. The contest is sponsored by MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), a group that I was very actively involved in since my oldest was in utero! The contest is for 2-8 year olds. My kids are pretty codependent colorers so I printed an extra sheet out and I colored one at the table with them while they were hard at work on theirs. :) 50 minutes later. Yes, 50 minutes! We were finished and had them in the envelope, stamped and ready to go!

Three $1000 US Savings bonds will be awarded in the three different age groups (2-4, 5-6 and 7-8), so why not try for it?!? The great thing too is that no matter whether you win or not, each child will get FREE access to the new Charlie Church Mouse Bible Adventures online game for 30 days (releases in September 2011).

Huggies: $3 coupon!

We haven't seen a high value Huggies coupon like this one in a while. $3 off! Print it while you can!

In addition, you can get ANOTHER $3 Huggies coupon simply by sharing it with three friends (via Facebook, email or Twitter). Just go HERE for more details. Remember each of these coupons can be printed twice so this makes for four $3 Huggies coupons. I am already stocking up on diapers for my baby due in October!

Swagbucks: Help Japan

Swagbucks (my favorite search engine) is accepting Swagbucks donations for aid relief in Japan. They will be collecting swagbucks til April 8th.

Also, if you are new to Swagbucks, you can sign up now and get an additional 50 Swagbucks when you use code HelpJapan at sign up. This code is valid through 4/8/2011 at 11 a.m. PDT.


If you want to learn more about Swagbucks, click the label "swagbucks" at the end of this post.

Bath and Body Works: FREE lotion

Try Bath and Body Works' new Country Chic lotion for free. No purchase necessary. Today and tomorrow only (March 25-26). Print out the coupon and bring it in to get your free lotion!

Dollar General: $5/25 coupon (can use at Publix!)

Dollar General has a $5/25 printable coupon available to be used only tomorrow, March 26, 2011. Don't forget, you can print two! Publix accepts competitor coupons so use this one at Publix if you don't have anything to get at Dollar General.

FREE Angry Birds Rio App for Android

Get the Angry Birds Rio game app instantly for your Android device FREE!

I have this game for my iPhone and it's so much fun! I even *gasp* paid for it. Not sure what the difference is with the Rio version, but since it's FREE, it can't be half bad :)

It's listed as "for a limited time only", so hurry and DOWNLOAD IT now!

Guest Contributor: Denise

Vocalpoint: FREE pint of International Delight creamer

Log in or sign up for Vocalpoint and enter your zip code to see if you qualify for a FREE pint of International Delight Breve Creme Coffee Creamer. Does it get any better??

Blockbuster Express: Free rental codes

From today until March 27th, you can use the promo code GHO7UU to get a free rental. You can use the code multiple times if you use it with different debit or credit cards. You can also use the code WEEKEND to get a Buy Two Get One rental.

Find a kiosk near you.

Pampers Gifts to Grow: Free 10 points

Add 10 free points to your Pampers Gifts to Grow account with this code:

T9PDXPKKGA3M4GK (Expires March 22, 2011).

$2/1 Revlon beauty tool coupon=free Revlon beauty tools!

Use this $2/1 Revlon beauty tool coupon to score some free Revlon beauty tools! I believe this will make for some free emery boards at Publix as well as other stores.

This coupon is on the Target website, but is a manufacturer's coupon that can be used at any store. Find it under the "beauty" category and you can print it twice.

Parents magazine: 7 free issues

Sign up for 7 free issues of Parents magazine! This magazine often has great coupons enclosed as well.

Book Review: Divine Appointments

The book Divine Appointments was kind of a disappointment. I had never heard of the author, Charlene Ann Baumbich, before, but the cover looked interesting and kind of cute. Well, I wasn't thoroughly impressed. Maybe she is just starting out and maybe someone else would like the book, but I thought it was kind of juvenile and at times, boring. There were some cute parts in it, but overall, not one I would personally recommend to anyone . I don't like giving a poor review, but her underdevelopment of characters and rabbit trails left far too much to be desired. I wouldn't write her off completely, but I would like to read another one of her titles to see if this one was just kind of a dud. Again, this is all my opinion!! :)

I received a copy of Divine Appointments through Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

Educational freebie: Free Seasons of the Year Lapbook

CurrClick is offering their Seasons of the Year printable lapbook for FREE.

From their site:
This product is a 34 page ebook filled with minibooks and games for students to learn about the four seasons of the year. The ebook contains detailed instructions on how lapbooks are created. Students can individually create the lapbook as a keepsake to share with their family and play the games with siblings and parents to review what they've learned about the seasons. This one file folder lapbook contains:
* Detailed Activity Guide
* 6 Bingo Cards
* Set of Flashcards
* Set of Matching Cards
* 8 Minibook Activities

Some tips and tricks of couponing

Some of this might be old hat to a few of you, but if you are new to couponing, you may have never heard of some of these great tips!

Publix:

1.) When there is a Buy One, Get One (BOGO) item at Publix (they have a huge list of them every single week), you can use TWO coupons even though you are getting one of them free.
On top of that, you can use one manufacturer's coupon (MQ), one store coupon (SQ) and one Competitor coupon on the same item.

So, if there was an item that was BOGO and you had 2 MQs and 2 SQs and 2 competitor coupons, you could use them all and possibly (probably!) MAKE money on that item.

2.) Publix accepts competitor's coupons!!! Think Aldi, Food Lion, Winn-Dixie, Target-these are all competitors to Publix and they accept all of their coupons. I love this policy!! You can go on these stores websites and sign up for coupons to be sent to you which you can then use at Publix.

3.) If you buy something at Publix and you forget coupons or find some later for an item you purchased, save your receipt and bring the coupons back in and they will hand you CASH in exchange for the coupons. Does it get much better? I did that this week and got $9.45 handed to me in cash.

Target:

1.) While they can be very inconsistent on their coupon policy, you can score some good deals here very often. They will accept 1 Target coupon and 1 manufacturer’s coupon per item which makes it easy to get things for free or almost free. Here is a link for their coupon policy which I always print out and take with me when I shop there to avoid any miscommunication.

On-line shopping:
1.) I rarely buy anything on-line unless I can find a coupon for it. Retailmenot.com is awesome for finding coupon codes and free shipping codes for most any store.

2.) I RARELY buy anything on-line unless I buy it and get some kind of rebate (cash back). There are many different rebate websites out there, but my preferred one is shopathome.com. Go to their site, find the store you want to buy your item and you will get a certain percentage back on your purchase. Some stores offer up to 30% cash back and you get that in the form of a check mailed to your door! PLUS, you get $5 just for signing up with Shop At Home. Another popular rebate site is Ebates.com.

3.) I use Swagbucks.com as my search engine (it is powered by Google) which gives me free points to buy pretty much anything I want on-line just by doing my regular searching that I would normally do anyway.

Printing coupons:
1.) Coupons.com

2.) Before you buy a particular product, go to their website and see if they offer any printable coupons or a sign up where they can mail coupons to your home; i.e. I wanted to buy some Mueller’s pasta the other day so I looked up their website and found that they had some very high value coupons ready to print!

Entertainment Book: $17 with Free shipping and 45% cash back!!

So, I swear by these cash back sites and my favorite is Shop at Home. They are simply a mediator between you and your desired online merchant. So, instead of going straight to the Entertainment Book website, you go to Shop at Home's website and let them bring you to Entertainment Book in exchange for 45% cash back. That is worth it, in my opinion!! :)

There's a great deal right now and it won't last long. The 2011 Entertainment Book is on sale for $17 with free shipping PLUS go through Shop at Home and get 45% cash back! If you are a new member to Shop at Home, you will get $5 just for signing up. Let me know if you need help. :)

If you prefer to use Ebates, they are offering 17.5% cash back and you also get $5 if you are a new customer.

Chili's: Free kid's meal today only

Today, Tuesday, March 8, you can get a free kid's meal at Chili's with the purchase of any adult entree. Just bring this coupon in with you.

CVS: Free drink or candy

Simply click on the "like" button on CVS' Facebook page and you will be able to sign up for a free candy or beverage coupon (up to $2.00 value).

Target: Free beauty bag with free samples and $25 worth of coupons!

This will go fast so get it as quickly as you can. Target is giving away a free beauty bag with free sample-size products as well as $25 worth of coupons. All you have to do is take a very short five-question survey! Go HERE to get yours!

Purex Crystals: Winners!

Wow, I am way out of it. Actually, I am pregnant (truly, I am), so that should explain the brain lapse on this one. I was supposed to announce the 3 winners of the Purex Crystals giveaway this weekend and here we are on Monday!!

Better late than never, I suppose. So, without further ado...here are the winners. I used random.org to generate the comment numbers who won so here they are:

3. Keri
6. Shawna
9. Denise

And, actually, the random number generator picked 6 and 7 (both Shawna!), but I knew she wouldn't mind if I spread the wealth a bit. So, I did it again and again number 7! So, the third time, it finally came up with 9. Yay for Denise!

I will contact you for your mailing addresses so I can mail your coupons out ASAP!! Enjoy!!! Thanks for everyone who particiapted in the giveaway.

Blockbuster Express: FREE rental tonight only (March 7)

Use this code: FNM37 tonight only to get a FREE rental from a Blocksbuster Express kiosk. Again, this code is only valid for Monday, March 7, 2011. Enjoy!

Fandango deal still active!

The Fandango deal (TWO tickets for only $9) is still active! The deal is available for 20 more hours if you want to get in on it.

Just go HERE do complete your purchase through the awesome daily deals site, Living Social. I did mine yesterday and already got my Fandango code today!!

Publix: $50 Coupon Booklet

Publix has a free $50 coupon booklet available to be mailed to your home! This will only last until supplies are gone, so order yours as soon as you can.

The booklets will arrive in the mail by 3/31 and will be valid from 4/1/2011 to 4/30/2011.