I Announce a Giftcard Winner

Congratulations to Dolphin Girl!! You won the $50 gift card!

Please e-mail me with your address and contact information and I will get the card sent right out to you. =)

(Just to make it fair to others, I have to put a limit on the time to respond. Please send me your information no later than Sunday, February 14 or I will have to pick another winner. Thanks!)

I Want to Win a New Stove

How about you, would you like to win a new stove? It's a pretty cool one - one of the ones that Kelly Ripa advertises on TV. The Induction Range from Electrolux. I know I've watched the commercial and wished fervently that I could boil water in 90 seconds! And that smooth cooktop looks so beautifully easy to clean... I'm dreaming of it right now. (As I picture my own cooktop, with all its nooks and crannies that is so annoying to clean. So annoying that I don't clean it nearly often enough!)

So when I found out that I could enter for a chance to win this new stove and support a good cause, I was all over that. I thought you might be, too.

The good cause is ovarian cancer research, through "Kelly's Cake Off for a Cause." Kelly Ripa and the baker and cake decorator Buddy Valastro (from TLC's "Cake Boss") recently joined forces at a fun event to bake lavishly decorated cakes in support of The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). To add to the excitement, five teams of baking enthusiasts were invited to take part in Kelly's Cake Off, where they used what they learned from Kelly and the Cake Boss, to decorate their own cakes. Although you might not get to taste these virtual masterpieces, you can still weigh in on the results! By visiting Kelly-Confidential.com, you can cast a vote for your favorite cake from Kelly's Cake Off.

For every vote cast, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF as part of its $500,000 commitment to help fight ovarian cancer! And since love is on everyone's mind these days, you can even decorate and send a special virtual cake to a friend, family member or someone you love. For every cake sent, Electrolux will donate another $1 to OCRF. Plus, you can get cake decorating tips from Buddy.

Finally, if supporting a good cause is not enough to get you to click over, everyone who logs on to the site and sends a virtual cake will be automatically entered for a chance to win every baker's dream: a stylish new Induction Range from Electrolux. Oh yeah, that's the one I want!

To enter, go to http://www.kelly-confidential.com/rd/0001/ and cast your vote. Send a virtual cake. Support ovarian cancer research and just maybe you'll get lucky and win that new stove! (Though, of course, I really hope it's me that wins. ;) )

I Love Swagbucks

I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating. I love Swagbucks! Swagbucks is a search engine that rewards you with points (Swagbucks) when you do a search. The search engine is powered by Google, so it gets good results. When the points build up enough, you can redeem them for gift cards, music downloads, and other cool stuff.

My choice is always an Amazon.com gift card. I ALWAYS have a few (or more) books wishlisted on Amazon, so as soon as my points build up enough, I get myself another gift card. That results in happy moments like the one I just had...

• A favorite author has a new book coming out next week. I decided to pre-order so it would show up on my doorstep ASAP.
• I put it in my cart for a cost of $14.55.
• I redeemed $14.50 in Amazon gift cards.
• I paid five cents for the book I am so anxiously awaiting!

I can justify getting myself a new book instead of waiting to get it from the library when it only costs me five cents. =)

If you want to start earning points at Swagbucks, click here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/taradon

And don't forget to go here (http://5shields.blogspot.com/2010/02/giveaway.html) and leave a comment for a chance to win a $50 gift card to Safeway!

I Read "Face of Betrayal" by Lis Wiehl and April Henry

Another book review for Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program (now called Booksneeze).This time around I'm reviewing Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl and April Henry.

Summary - If you recall the Chandra Levy case from back in 2001, you have the basic idea for this plot. A Senate page disappears and in the course of the investigation it comes out that she was involved with a Senator and suspicion falls on him. There is quite a twist from reality at the end!

Reaction - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and engaging. I read it in just over one day because I didn't want to put it down. Though parts of the plot are "ripped from the headlines" as the saying goes, I liked the twists that the author added to her fictionalization. I'm looking forward to reading her next book (released in April 2010).

I Watch Infomercials

I've already admitted that I watch kids' TV, so I might as well admit one of my other bad TV viewing habits... I watch infomercials. In fact, I'm a sucker for a good infomercial. And now that they sell all these things at Target and Walgreens, it's so easy to pick one up and give it a try. Which I do. Far too often!
The Turbo Cooker... I was going to save so much time cooking! Used it less than a dozen times.

Turbo Snake... We have some really slow drains. I haven't used it yet, but it's sitting on the counter. Maybe I'll give it a try this weekend.

Ped Egg... This actually works great! When I don't have time or money for a pedicure (which is most of the time) this is a great substitute.

Pancake Puffs... Haley was obsessed with this commercial and begged for it. We've used it maybe 5 times. Not because it doesn't work as advertised, it's just kind of a pain.

Mighty Mendit... Doesn't hold nearly as well as promised in the commercials.

The Gopher reaching tool... We use this in the van. It's great on long trips when I need to pass things to kids in the backseat without getting out of my seat!

Garden Claw... It really does dig out those stubborn weeds much better than pulling them or digging with shovel or trowel.
Button Mate... I love this thing! Our dryer is horrible about pulling off buttons, so I'm constantly having to replace them. So quick and easy to do using this little tool.
Bare Minerals... Great makeup! But too expensive. I got the sample kit and loved it, but could never afford to upgrade to the full makeup kit.

Six Week Body Makeover... Yeah, I think it lasted a week.

Big Top Cupcake pan... I don't have it yet, but I want it!

My kids have obviously inherited my tendencies. Right now, Haley really wants the Touch 'N' Brush toothpaste dispenser.

"Mom, it comes in two designer colors! We'll never waste toothpaste again! It's so simple even a child can operate it!"

And Preston wants the Twin Draft Guards.
Not for himself though. He's more generous than that. Whenever he sees the commercial he informs me that he needs to get that so he can give it to Sarah. Because "She would love that." (Sarah Sherman - Preston has a crush on her.)

Giveaway!

We're big fans of yogurt at our house. We go through a lot of it! Aaron takes a couple of cups to work every day, the kids eat it as a snack. I like to get the citrusy flavors and eat them as a treat. Since I am allergic to citrus, I can't eat the actual fruit, but the yogurt has that good citrus taste without enough of the allergens to make me sick. Good deal!

So with the popularity of yogurt at our house, we always like to learn about a new variety or a good deal. Here's some of both!

Best-selling author and food expert Lisa Lillien, AKA Hungry Girl, has given her “seal of approval” to the new Fiber One yogurt, the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of the Recommended Daily Value). It is also a good source of calcium and vitamins A and D, making this a guilt-free and all-around great choice for dieters and those watching their weights. Each cup includes the creamy, delicious taste you expect from Yoplait, and you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying it. Fiber One is available in a variety of flavors including, Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Key Lime Pie (see what Hungry Girl thinks about the new yogurt here:http://hungry-girl.com/news/newsdetails.php?isid=1772 !)

From January 13th through February 9th, the Safeway family of stores has a special deal where you can purchase two 4-packs of Fiber One yogurt for only $4! This is a great way to give the new yogurt a try.

Another great way to give it a try? How about winning this giveaway?

One lucky reader will win a Fiber One gift bag. It includes:

• Fiber One yogurt VIP coupon (good for a free 4-pack of Fiber One yogurt)
Oops! Sorry about this! I mis-read the giveaway instructions from BlogSpark. They are not giving away the VIP coupon. But they are giving away the $50 giftcard, which is even better than a coupon!
• $50 Safeway (also good at Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, Genuardi’s) gift card that you can use to stock up on Fiber One yogurt and enjoy the everyday values that Safeway has to offer.

To enter, leave a comment and tell me - Have you tried Fiber One yogurt? Would you like to? Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10.

Legal stuff:

The gift card and Fiber One information were given to me from Safeway (Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, Genuardi’s) and Fiber One through MyBlogSpark. I also received a Fiber One gift bag (coupon and gift card).

I Like Kids' Stuff

I love the Backyardigans. And Veggie Tales. And Phineas and Ferb. And iCarly is really growing on me. And the Wizards of Waverly Place is pretty good, too.

I find a lot of good books to read in the Juvenile Fiction and Young Adult areas of the library. Some of my all-time favorite books are technically intended for teenagers (even if you don't count Harry Potter).

And sometimes I listen to Radio Disney or the Veggie Tales CDs even when the kids aren't around.

I know it's all kids' stuff, but I like it anyway. Who says I have to grow up and dislike that stuff just because I'm 35 and supposedly an adult? All of these things are fun and entertaining and clean. I don't have to worry about suddenly skipping past an inappropriate scene or explaining the lyrics of the song that just played. It's nice.

So I'm not going to complain when my kids want to watch an iCarly marathon. After all, as someone pointed out the other day, it could be a lot worse. It could be Barney.