Giveaway: $25 gift card for Publix!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• In honor of Publix's (that is weird to say!) new "Best Meals Happen at Home" event from March 8th through the 14th, Publix and BlogSpark are offering my readers the chance to win a $25 Publix gift card. Now that is an awesome prize!!
• As of March 8th, look for in-store for coupons that will be valid through March 28th, 2012.
• Visit BestMealsatHome.com to sign up and receive emails with weekly recipes and coupon offers that will help you save up to $200 this year. (That is NOT how you win the $25...keep reading for that info).

To kick-off the great savings and enjoy valuable time around the dinner table with your family, Publix invites you to try one of the delicious recipes that you can find at BestMealsatHome.com, which uses Progresso ^® Lemon Pepper Crispy Bread Crumbs and Old El Paso^® Flour Tortillas to make Lemon Pepper Fish Tacos: Prep time: 20 Min Start to Finish. Check it out!

In order to participate in this giveaway which will run from today through Tuesday morning (February 28) at 9 AM, simply leave a comment on this post stating you would like to participate along with your email address. For an additional chance to win, share this post on Facebook and/or Twitter and then post another comment stating that you shared this post. I will pick the winner Tuesday morning and post the results. Have fun!!!

Book Review: Indelibe

I have never been bowled over by anything by Kristen Heitzmann, but this was one of the better ones. This book was definitely a little strange, but certainly made you think. Have you ever heard of an eidetic savant? The main character, Natalie, processes emotional images that lodge in her mind by sculpting the faces in clay. This book is apparently preceded by Heitzmann's novel, Indivisible. I wish I would have read that first. Maybe it would have connected some of the dots for me?

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

I heard of this book at a practicum for my son's homeschool group called Classical Conversations. One of the speakers mentioned that it was an amazing book and so I wrote down the title in an effort to remember to seek it out. It got lost with all of my notes until BookSneeze offered this as a free eBook in exchange for my honest opinion. Woo-hoo! I was so excited to get to read it.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He's the subject of best-selling author Eric Metaxas's biography, "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy." It is a New York Times Bestseller and winner of 2011 ECPA Book of the Year, 2011 Canterbury Medal by the Becket Fund recognizing courage in the defense of religious liberty and 2011 Christopher Award winner highlighting the power of faith, courage, and action. It deserves all of those awards. If you are into true stories, you will love this one. If you don't know his story, I really don't want to give it away so just check it out if you're looking for a good biography!! :) I am really not the best person to be reviewing books because I don't like to give any of the book away!!!

Book Review: A Heart for Freedom

Well, having a baby sure does put a damper on my reading production. She sure is cute and fun though. :) I have a stack of books on my dresser just waiting to be read and now I have an eReader too so there's a whole bunch of books on that thing too.

This book was gripping from the very beginning. I have to admit I lost interest towards the end, but I think that might have had something to do with me being 9 months pregnant as I was finishing this one. It is a great and TRUE story of a young student who was at the center of Tienanmen Square and witnessed the massacre of thousands of Chinese people. It wasn't until much later that she found true freedom in a relationship with God. She now fights for the rights and freedom for Chinese girls and is trying to overturn the "one-child" policy.

I received A Heart for Freedom by Chai Ling from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review.

Formula Prize Pack Winner and SUPER fun upcoming giveaway info...

The random number generator chose comment number 3-Lori Bunk- to be the formula winner!! Thanks to all who entered. I have to work on some book reviews later today and THEN I have ANOTHER very exciting giveaway. This one is not for babies or kids...this one is something EVERY single person can use and will love so more on that tonight or tomorrow...be on the lookout.

Giveaway - Formula prize pack

I am back with another giveaway courtesy of Perrigo Nutritionals through MyBlogSpark. Love them! Here is some great info:

"A recent study shows that only 30% of moms are willing to buy store brand products for their babies, but did you know that all infant formulas made in the United States must provide complete nutrition for growing babies and meet FDA requirements for safety, nutrition, and quality? In fact, store brand infant formulas are nutritionally equivalent to similar national formula brands such as Enfamil or Similac, but cost half the price, which can save you about $600 a year.


Outlined below are intriguing statistics generated from a recent study conducted among new moms like yourself:

Baby-related advertisements strike an emotional chord with moms – nearly one in four feel overwhelmed (23%) and one in five feel anxious (20%) or confused (20%)
53% of moms admit thoughts of their baby product budget plague them on a daily basis

37% of moms feel guilty if they cannot afford a specific product for their babies

Moms are willing to purchase store brand over the counter medicine for their baby (42%) and store brand pharmaceuticals (44%), but only 21% of moms are willing to buy store brand infant formula."

***Your prize pack will include 2 huge containers of formula, a blanket, a bottle and a bib!!! Just leave a comment on my blog stating you would like to win. Even if you don't have a baby right now or you are not giving them formula, it's either always nice to have on hand or I am sure you know someone you can give it to...so ALL are encouraged to enter. The giveaway will end Thursday morning at 8:00 AM and I will choose a winner shortly after using a random number generator. Please post on Facebook, tell your friends and/or tweet on Twitter to give others the chance to win as well.

Winners!!

I used a random number generator and the winners of the fruit snacks are: 1) Joia
2) Kathleen
3) Angela
4) Shambach

Thanks for all who entered!!! I will be contacting you four for your addresses and you will have your fruit snacks delievered to your door. Might have another great giveaway coming up soon so I will be in touch! :)

Giveaway - Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks!!!

Well, it has been quite a while to say the least since I have blogged. I had a new baby girl who is now almost 3 months old so if you've been wondering where I've been. That's where!! :) I figured there's no better way to make a comeback than with an awesome and yummy giveaway for kids and adults alike. The awesome company Blog Spark has provided me with FOUR prize packs that consist of the new and very delicious Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks. Here's a little blurb:

So you want a snack your kids will love and that you can feel good about? With new Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks, you need not look any further! Available in two delicious varieties, Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks provide kids with the great tasting snacks they crave and parents with the confidence that they come from a good place. Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks are:


· †Made with real fruit juice and natural colors* and flavors.
· 80 calories, gluten free and contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C.
· Available with year round Double Box Tops.
www.OceanSpray.com
Also find us on: Facebook

*colors from natural sources
†These Fruit Flavored Snacks are made with apple, pear, and cranberry juice concentrate. See package for a list of complete ingredients. They are not intended to replace fruit in the diet.
Your prize pack will contain:
•6 boxes (3 of each variety) of Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks

My kids and I have been eating them up! They really do taste great and I love that they are only 80 calories since I am counting calories in an attempt to burn this baby weight off. I am so excited that they are giving me FOUR prize packs. You will have two chances to win and the giveaway will end Saturday morning at 8 AM EST.

1. Make a comment on my blog stating that you want to be a winner (include your email address so I can contact you privately for your physical address in case you are a winner).
2. Share this post on Facebook (use the little F share button below this post) and then make another comment on this post stating that you shared it on FB.

I will use a random number generator to select my four winners on Saturday. Thanks for participating and have a wonderful day!!
Disclosure:
Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks, information, and giveaway have been provided by Ocean Spray® through MyBlogSpark.

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. :)