Ultimate Blog Party 2009

The 5 Minutes for Moms Ultimate Blog Party 2009 has begun. It runs through Friday, March 27, 2009. The Ultimate Blog Party is basically a place for online friends to meet and mingle. Using Mr. Linky, bloggers can access a whole list of links to other bloggers who share similar interests. Since this is my first year of being BloggyMom, I decided to participate as well!

That being said, here's a quick recap of me:
I am a working mom of one who started BloggyMom because I have realized that since having my little one, I was always making suggestions and sharing mommy tips & tricks that I have discovered along the way. And even more... the people I shared them with actually listened!

Read some of my useful insight here:
The First Time Mom Baby Registry
OxiClean Baby Stain Soaker

More about me:
I was born and raised in South Carolina. I left for about a year and a half when my husband was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. I met some really great people down there who got me through a tough deployment and will remain my friends for life! After Texas, I wanted to be close to my family, so we moved back to South Carolina. Eventually we'd like to relocate to our hometown of Aiken so that our little one can be close to her grandparents.

I'm grateful to my best girlfriends who let me vent and keep me sane! I have an awesome family, and a husband whom I love to pieces. My daughter is my pride and joy though at times she makes me want to pull my hair out- but then what mom of a 2 year old doesn't feel that way at some point?

Likes:
I love to watch reality tv, much to my husband's dismay. I usually DVR the shows...oh, I heart DVR too!... and watch them when he is working. I enjoy taking day trips with my family and short weekend trips with my husband. We'd love to go on a cruise someday!

I also like shopping... I love finding great deals...it's like a treasure hunt! I've recently learned to sew and enjoy making dresses for my little one. I also make tulle tutus. I do some freelance design work...mostly stationery- invitations, announcements, business cards, etc. I'd like to learn some basic web design soon! Something that I would love to do someday is travel the US by rail.

A blog goal:
One of the things that I would really like to do with this blog is network with other blogging moms throughout South Carolina. Since I review products on this blog, I'd really like to connect with South Carolina business women and help promote their products.

What I want to know about you:
Name one thing on your "bucket list" - it can be anything...from simple "dance in the rain" to outrageous "ride a roller coaster naked" to seemingly impossible "Host Saturday Night Live"
(Disclaimer- the only one of these on MY bucket list is dance in the rain)
(For those of you who don't know, a "bucket list" is a list of things you want to do before you "kick the bucket")

Thanks for stopping by to visit me! Please feel free to become a follower of my blog and enter my current giveaways (Pay It Forward and Frecklebox Personalized Children's Gifts.)

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The UBP also offers tons of prizes to be won for those who participate (sign up by March 27!) My top three prize picks are:
• $50 gift certificate to Target from Beginner Baby Blog, Agoosa, or Shoot-Me-Now
• Amber Alert GPS child safety unit with one year of service from Amber Alert GPS
• $30 gift certificate to Cute Clips & More
And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference):
26, 27, 52, 57, 71, 99, 102, 106, 135, USC 11, USC 18, USC 19, USC 20, USC 26, USC 42, USC 43, USC 45, USC 64, USC 68, USC 73, USC 80 or anything else related to toddlers ( I have a 2 yr old) or arts/crafts/design (my hobbies.)

Fiber One Spa Break Winners

The winners of the Fiber One Spa Break Giveaway have been determined:
Congratulations to Jennifer K., sphinx63 and Mommyhood is Thankless!

Ladies, be sure to send me your mailing information by Wednesday, March 25th so I can get your prizes sent to you!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Be sure to sign up for my current giveaways (see sidebar) if you haven't already done so!

Frecklebox- Personalized Gifts for Kids

If you, or your child have the honor of having an uncommon name (I'll be raising both hands here), then you know how difficult and frustrating it can sometimes be to find personalized items. Kids love to hear their name...well unless you're screaming it at the top of your lungs. And they love to SEE their name in print, but then don't we all?!?!

Anywho, unless your name is Henry, Michael, Ashley or Samantha, it's hard to find such personalized items. (Disclaimer- I have nothing against any of these names) But then, you happen to come across a great company, a company called "Frecklebox."

Frecklebox makes personalized items for kids. For all kids. Kids named Henry, Michael, Ashley, Samantha AND kids named Saxon, Stephano, Tatiana, or Desiree. Plus every other name in between.


Even better, Frecklebox makes fun, EDUCATIONAL items for kids. I had the opportunity to create and review a personalized book from Frecklebox. Their site is quite easy to navigate, you create your book on the site and see the pages transform before your eyes into a lovely story all about your special kid.

The book I chose was the "My Name Is..." personalized hard cover book. I'm not sure who was more excited to see the book, me or my little one! The graphics in these books are beautiful! The colors are bright and vibrant.

Her name is featured in unique ways on every other page! This book is definitely a keepsake. The story is just precious. My little one loved it because she loved to see and hear her name. When she is a bit older and knows her letters and how to spell her name, I know that she will love it even more.

Although "My Name Is..." did not replace our nightly reading of "Goodnight Moon" (DARN!), it did get added to the list of "Books to read EVERY night BEFORE reading Goodnight Moon."

Frecklebox has several great stories to choose from, all of which can be printed in paperback or hardcover. Additionally, they also have coloring books, posters, journal books, placemats, growth charts and party favors. Recently they have added personalized puzzles and stickers as well.

If you're looking for a lovely personalized children's gift that will be treasured for years to come, I implore you to visit Frecklebox and take a look at all they have to offer!

As a special gift for my readers, Mark over at Frecklebox has agreed to give one of you lucky peeps a free personalized gift!

To enter:
REQUIRED (You must do both, but it counts as 1 entry - 1 comment)
1) Become a follower of my blog. (If you are already a follower, you can skip this step.)
2) Visit the Frecklebox site, then come back here and comment on the product that you like most and why.
i.e. The Frecklebox product that I like most is _________ because ________.

OPTIONAL (for extra entries)
A) Blogging about this contest OR posting this contest on your facebook page will earn you one extra entry. You must actually blog about the contest, not just paste a link.
B) Subscribe to my RSS feed. (See sidebar to subscribe.)
C) Earn 2 more entries by leaving relevant comments to any other posts on this blog. You cannot leave two comments on the same posts and the comments must be relevant to the post.

Leave only one comment to complete the required entry. For each optional entry you complete leave a separate comment. Please make sure to include your email address if it is not listed on your profile or in a prominent place on your blog.

This contest is open to US and Canadian residents. Entires will be accepted until 10pm Eastern time on Friday, April 3, 2009.



If you're coming here via direct link, please be sure to check out my other giveaways!

Evolve Winners

The winners of the Evolve Eco-Friendly Showerhead Giveaway have been determined:

Congratulations to Meg and Rashmi!

Ladies, be sure to send me your mailing information by Friday, March 20th so I can get these in the mail to you!

Thanks to everyone who entered! I have lots of new giveaways in the pipeline so keep checking back!

Remember that the great folks over at evolve are still offering 25% off your showerhead purchase through May 1, 2009! Enter coupon code TB25 at checkout!

Update

I would like to apologize...it has been a week since I last blogged. Last week was one of those weeks...you know the kind...when life catches up to you and the only thing you can really do is push through it. Not to mention that the time change really threw our entire household for a loop! We are still trying to re-adjust to that and work out a new bedtime schedule for the little one!

I am very excited to tell you all about some new products that I have had the opportunity to sample as well as some great giveaways that I'll be hosting over the next few weeks though! (Check out my "Upcoming Giveaways" box on the sidebar for a sneak peek.)

In my next post I'll be reviewing a personalized children's book from Frecklebox. Frecklebox is a great company that makes personalized items for kids! Check back for that review...there may be something in it for you too!

Also, don't forget to enter my current giveaways; both are ending this week.

Fiber One Spa Break Review and Giveaway

I recently received a Fiber One Spa Break Gift Basket courtesy of my friends over at My Blog Spark. The theme (besides spa) was chocolate. Who can resist that theme?!?! Since I love chocolate, I was super excited to receive my gift basket!

The basket included a bath pillow, chocolate scented soap, lotion, and bath salts, and a coffee scented candle along with a box of the NEW Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars. One of my major goals this year is healthier eating, so I am all about fiber! I was pumped to try the new Fiber One Bars because they are chocolate flavored...but good for you- the best of both worlds. The only thing that concerned me is the word "mocha" since I'm not a big coffee person. (Example- I recently asked my pal Candace if Starbucks carries a french vanilla flavor.)

The first time I tried the Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars, I really liked them. The coffee taste is not that strong at all. And the chocolate and chewiness outweigh the bit of coffee taste that you get. The second time I had one I didn't even taste the coffee! Now, the Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy bars are my daily afternoon snack! Seriously people, these things are GOOD. Chewy! Chocolate! YUM!

Now that your mouth is watering, I'll tell you that the people at My Blog Spark were kind enough to offer me additional Spa Break Gift Baskets to give away! The basket will have a bath pillow, chocolate scented soap, lotion, and bath salts, and a coffee scented candle along with a coupon for a FREE box of the NEW Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars.

The contest will run now through 10 pm Friday, March 20, 2009. I'll award gift baskets to THREE lucky readers. Winners will be notified on Monday, March 23, 2009. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents.

Here's how you enter:
REQUIRED (You must do both, but it counts as 1 entry)
1) Become a follower of my blog. (If you are already a follower, you can skip this step.)
2) Comment about a Fiber One product (other than Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars) that you have tried or would like to try.

OPTIONAL (for extra entries)
Blogging about this contest OR posting this contest on your facebook page will earn you one extra entry. You must actually blog about the contest, not just paste a link.
Comment about one benefit of fiber for one extra entry.
Check out the Fiber One Recipes and let me know one you'd like to try- I'll give you one extra entry.

That gives you a total of 4 possible entries. Leave only one comment to complete the required entry. For each optional entry you complete leave a separate comment.

Also, check out this link for downloadable $1.35 coupon for Fiber One Chewy Bars!

Be sure to check out my other giveaways as well!

Evolve Eco-Friendly Shower heads (Review & Giveaway)

In this economy, who isn't looking for ways to save money?! And while you're at it, why not conserve water too??!! A revolutionary product from evolve does just that! evolve shower heads are maximum flow, eco friendly shower heads that use ShowerSmart technology to help you conserve water and save money. Say what?!?! Yes, it's true. But how does it work? AND really, how does it work?

Thanks to my pal Chevon over at evolve I had the opportunity to try out the water lily rain shower head. First, installation of this shower head was quite simple. That's great, you say, but how exactly does a shower head save me money? And how much money are we talking here?

First, how it works...
Basically, you start your shower just as you normally would. When you turn on the shower, cold water is sent through the pipes to your shower head. If you're like me, you're running around doing other things- ironing clothes, brushing your teeth, trying the catch the weather portion of the morning news- while you're waiting for the water to heat up. While you're doing this, you are wasting gallons of water, and since your hot water heater is fired up, you're also wasting precious pennies.

With evolve ShowerSmart technology, once your water temperature reaches 95 degrees, the water slows to a trickle. So finish your ironing, brush longer, and actually hear what the weather is going to be for the next 3 days. Once you're finished, hop in the shower and pull the cord attached to the shower head to resume normal water flow. It's all quite simple.

And I'll save money?
According the the evolve website, you can save up to 2,700 gallons of water and $75 on your utility bill yearly! WOW! Personally I haven't used the shower head long enough to determine a difference in my utility bill, but I can't wait until that time comes!

Yeah, but how much does it cost?
The evolve shower head that I tested is the "water lily" Rain Shower head. This shower head retails for $80, other rain models retail for $60-$110. evolve also has standard ($40-$90) and handheld ($70-$130) shower heads available. I feel that these prices are comparable to shower heads that one would purchase at Lowes or any other hardware store.

So how can I get one?
You can order directly from the evolve website, here. Use coupon code TB25 now through May 1, 2009 and save 25%!
Also, thanks to my friends over at evolve, TWO lucky readers have will win a Water Lily rain shower head ($80 value). That's right, you could WIN AN EVOLVE SHOWER HEAD of your very own!

Great, how do I enter?
You must to do two things to enter the contest.
Part 1, Become a public follower of this blog (if you're already a follower, you can skip this step.)
AND
Part 2... One of the things I love about evolve is their philosophy- this eco-friendly company has pretty much the same outlook as you and I in concerns to being "eco-friendly." For the second part of your entry, head over to evolve and take a look at their vision. Come back here and tell me one of the beliefs that you read about that struck you. Do not comment on the same belief as the person directly before you.
If you do not complete both parts of the first entry, you will not be eligible to win.
The contest will end at 10 pm on Monday, March 16, 2009. Winners will be chose via random.org.

Want to earn extra entries?
You can earn up to 5 extra entries when you bring friends to my blog! Simply inform your friends about the contest (how you do this is up to you) and invite them to follow my blog. If they become a follower at your suggestion, they must leave your username or a link to your blog in a comment. To enter the contest themselves, they must follow the same rules above. You can invite as many friends as you like, but only the first 5 to become followers will count towards your extra entries.

You can earn 2 more entries by leaving relevant comments to any other posts on this blog. You do not need to comment that you left a comment- I'll see that when I approve it. You cannot leave two comments on the same posts and the comments must be relevant to the post.

That's a total of EIGHT possible entries to win one of two evolve shower heads that I am giving away!

The Fine Print...Winners will be notified and must respond within 24 hours or new winner will be chosen. Please note any issues with the winning product are not the responsibility of Bloggymom and must be taken up with evolve shower heads. This contest is open to persons 18 and older with a US, Canadian or APO mailing address.


******UPDATE 3/3/09******** I have an AWESOME savings to pass on to you! evolve has agreed to give my readers 25% off of their next purchase! Use coupon code TB25 now through May 1, 2009 on your purchase and save 25%!

Shout Out...

Thank you to Sweeties Sweeps for posting my giveaway.