Adorable Baby Clothing $25 Gift Card Giveaway 12/03/09: WINNER

CONGRATULATIONS TO LUCKY RANDOM.ORG WINNER....

KRISTY!

An e-mail has been sent.  If Kristy doesn't respond, a new winner will be selected.

Thanks to all those that entered and if you are reading this, you get five bonus entries to any open giveaway I have.  Just add in your comment that you read the post for the winner of the ABC GC.

I love the clothes at AdorableBabyClothing.com and above our the Christmas dresses I just bought as well as the matching headbands.  They are high quality and look great on the girls.  Other than the excellent customer service I enjoy with AdorableBabyClothing.com, the high quality of clothes and the selection, I can easily pick two dresses of such varying sizes easily.  I remember going to Dillard's last year trying to find two of the same dresses in different sizes and it was impossible.  It took a long time as I when I found one, the other size wasn't available.

There are many choices to choose from at AdorableBabyClothing.com ranging from newborn to the bigger kids.  The selection of formal wear is also wonderful.

The Giveaway:

A $25 eGift Card for AdorableBabyClothing.

To Enter:

Follow my blog and leave a comment.  That's it!

Extra Entries:

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  Go to AdorableBabyClothing.com and return here with what you would buy with your gift card for 1 comment.
  
  
  
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  Follow me on Twitter for 2 comments.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Subscribe to my blog for 2 comments.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Enter one of my other giveaways and leave 2 comments.
  
  
  
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  Tweet about the giveaway for 2 comments (can be done daily).
  
  
  
• 
  
  Blog about the giveaway for 2 comments.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Vote for me at DivineCaroline (see widget on left side of blog) for 5 comments.
  
  
  

Giveaway ends 12/03/09 at midnight.

Winner will be chosen by random.org.

Good luck!

*I was not compensated in any wa for this review/giveaway.

Clinique Sale: 10 Days of Specials

With any Clinique.com purchase, you get a standard shipping plus Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturizing free.  It's a .5 ounce jar and you can even pickk the type for your skin.

Very dry skin - use code YOUTH1 at checkout
Dry combination - use code YOUTH2
Combination oily - use code YOUTH3

Offer expires at 11:59 pm tonight (12/4) so hurry.  Click here for the daily special.

$25 AdorableBabyClothing Gift Card Closes Tonight at Midnight EST

Don't forget to enter for your chance at a $25 Gift e-Card for www.AdorableBabyClothing.com.  Fantastic holiday choices as well as everyday clothes to special occasions.  The choices are amazing and beautiful.  Check out my girl's Christmas pictures as I purchased their dresses at www.AdorableBabyClothing.com.

RugsUSA.com House Accents Company Rug Review

The holiday seasons are quickly approaching and between my obligations as an Officer's wife and my husbands deployment in May, I wanted to spruce up my house for our year end celebrations to make it even more special for him since he will not be home next Christmas.  One area I try to focus on is the entry way, which I feel a well planned one, will set the right mood for holiday cheer.  This year, although I started a tad bit early and for the picture that I will include, it is by far no way near finished with decorating.  I received this great looking from RugsUSA.com.

I placed the red background "Ho Ho Ho" door hanger on to show that the colors match perfectly for a holiday theme yet it still looks great against the hardwood floors.

This is the Homespice Decor Cotton Braided Collection Santa Fe Sunrise Red Rug made of 70% Cotton,18% Viscose,12% Synthetic and is Machine Braided.  It's available in many sizes but this is the 2' x 3' version with an optional padding (recommended).  It's definitely high quality and it looks great on the wood floors and with Thanksgiving and Christmas, it adds just enough of the fall colors to look great and complimentary.

RugsUSA.com has a variety of choices to fit anyone's needs. Ranging from contemporary, braided, kids, outdoors, traditional and Shag & Flokati rugs.  They offer a huge selection of types and sizes under each category.  I partiularly loved the kid's rugs.  Whether they want a rug to play construction site, scenes of outerspace, sailing along on Noah's Arc or pretty pink flowers, you will not be disappointed in the selection.

If I hadn't already had area rugs for the other rooms, this would have been my choice for the living room:

The colors are warm and wonderful.  The Traditional Wool Handmade Smaath Beige Rug is 100% wool and hand tufted.  Hand-tufted rugs are created without tying knots into the foundation.  Wool or arcylic yarn is pushed through a primary backing which creates a tuff.  Latex glue holds these tufts in place.  The next step is to apply a secondary foundation that is then covered by a third and final cloth backing to protect your floor. The final step involves shearing the tops of the looped tufts to create the pile.

This beautiful rug is a direct import from India which allows RugsUSA.com to provide it a lower cost. 

My husband and I bought four large sized area rugs and spent well over 3k on them.  We knew nothing about rugs and chose the first store we found when we moved here from Hawaii.  I wished I had known about RugsUSA.com now as we would have had a much better deal with the same, if not better quality.  Free shipping alone would have swayed me!

Better yet, if you are in need of a rug, check out RugsUSA.com as they are having a sale right now! 

Become a fan on Facebook and sign up to receive an e-mail invitation to RugsUSA.com Black Friday Private Sale as well as be alerted for special sales and events.  You can also sign up on the RugsUSA.com home page for e-mail alerts for coupons and discounts.

Other advantages of shopping through RugsUSA.com include:

• Free shipping
• No hassle returns
• Rewards program

RugsUSA.com has been featured on Extreme Homemaker Edition (Go Ty!), Ty Pennington's Style, Apartment Therapy and HGTV so you know you can trust them for good quality rugs.

* I was provided the rug that was reviewed in this post by RugsUSA.com.  No other compensation was provided.  All opinions are mine.

Somber Yet Good Holidays: Deployment Five Months Away

We're five months away from my husband's deployment to Kuwait for a year.  This makes our holidays sad because we know we'll have to bypass being together next year.  The unfortunate countdown is underway and as the clock ticks down, I can tell it's taking its toll on my husband.,  I guess it wouldn't have been so bad but he just returned from Iraq in August and he was gone for a year in 2005-2006 ...again, Iraq.  That's not even a list of all his deployments as after being in the military for 17 years, you endure many.  He's sad to be missing out on an entire year of our two youngest children as a year is a long time when it comes to early development.  Since we don't have custody of his children, that's a long time to go without seeing them as well.  No matter what though, he believes in what we are doing and that makes it so much easier on me because I do as well. 

Just remember to enjoy your time with your loved one's and remember our men and women who are serving overseas as well as the soon to be 30,000 more! 

Out of the Box Sampler Win

Thanks to Sheila over at http://www.livingsmartgirl.com, I won the Out of the Box Sampler in her giveaway and I can't be more excited!  I ordered soaps (see prior post from Intentions) who was a sponsor for samples with Out of the Box and love them!  Even my Army husband likes the soap that was included especially for him. 

If you are not familar with Out of the Box Sampler, you really need to check them out as they are an excellent source for a variety of great products ranging from homemade goodies to jewelry to body products and much more.  Each month, they gather a sampling of great products in one box for a very low price. Each month they change too which leaves you with an opportunity to find new favorite sellers, products and potential gifts to have on hand for those emergencies where you might have overlooked a special occasion.  You can click HERE for this month's sampler or HERE to sign up for their newsletter.

NOTE:  I didn't get anything out of posting my win! I just wanted to give my readers a chance to enjoy this great product themselves!

What are your five tips & tricks for getting your kids to bed on time and getting them to stay in bed?

Getting two children to sleep at the ages of 2 and 6 can be very difficult.  When one gets up, the other wants to get up.  When one yells out for "mom," the other yells for mom.  It can be a daunting task at times!  TwitterMoms and St. Eve Kids have asked bloggers this question with a great link to http://www.dramau.net. 

My routine is simple:

• Make sure they have full tummies!  Nothing worse than a grumbly tummy!  My girls will not sleep if they are hungry so if we had an early dinner, I'll make sure they get a light snack.
• I give them a bath that not only gives them the great aroma of lavendar but it also allows them to get some extra play time in.
• Dressing them in warm jammies is a big key to keep them sleeping.  If they get cold, they will wak up.  Footy pajamas are the best since neither one will keep a blanket on them.
• Bed time isn't complete without a good bedtime story.  I let the girls pick from the library of books they have and I read to them.
• Finally, a night light is used to give them just enough light to not be scared.

It doesn't always work but most of the time it does.  Sometimes they still need mommy time and I have to stay with them until they fall asleep.  Who doesn't mind a little extra cuddly time anyway?

Have any great tips or routines, enter yourself at TwitterMoms.com or go to www.DramaU.net.

Help St. Jude's by Purchasing Target GiftCoins

Target donates $2 of every purchase to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® when you purchase any GiftCoin package between 11/1/09 and 12/24/09. Maximum donation of $750,000. 1-800-4STJUDE.

Give them as small gifts, rewards or prizes.

Ages 3+

Learn more about how Target supports St. Jude at Target.com/targethouse.

The names and logos of ALSAC and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are used with their permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, expressed or implied, of any product or company.

Winners Announced!

Random.org was used to select all winners from eligible comment entries.  Each winner has been contacted and has 48 hours to respond with mailing information.  If a winner does not respond, random.org will be used to pick a new one.

Thanks to everyone who has entered and follow my blog.  I truly wished I had enough to give to everyone especially during Christmas.

Amazon GC - Anndancer
AMC GC - Gradschoolmommy
SmartKnit Sensitive Socks - Carol
THERAFIRM GOGO Energy to Go Review & 2 Pair Giveaway - Checkers
THERAFIRM Therapeutic Gradient Compression Hosiery - Belinda M.

Operation USO Care Package

Distributed to deploying service members, care packages may include snacks, entertainment items, toiletries, sunscreen and other items requested by troops. With a donation of $25 you can sponsor a USO care package and include a personal message of support and encouragement. To support Operation USO Care Package, click here.

The trip over to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan is long and boring as told by my husband!  Once they get there, they could be stuck for days waiting to be processed.  Anything they get can be used and greatly appreciated!


 

3 Relatives Christmas Cheer - 11/21 - 12/5

Christmas Gift Guide

The holidays will be here before we know it and Health, Beauty, Children and Family, My So Called Homeschool Life and Baby Plus Me wants to help you celebrate with less to worry about.  We're putting together a holiday guide full of ideas, gift suggestions and giveaways.


Stay tuned as the fun will start the end of November for the giveaways but until then, you can see what we have prepared and see our sponsors.  We have more sponsors coming on board so this is just the start.  



Preparing for the holiday:

• Recipes
• Party Ideas
• Fun Activities
• Making Christmas Less Expensive
• Homemade Christmas Cheer Ideas

Gifts by Category

Children (click on the title)

Play-Doh

Baby GoGo Baby Doll & Accessories
Adorable Baby Clothing (and toys)
TamaTown by Tomagotchi
Ficklets - Eyewear Charm Huggers 
Strider Sports PREbike
Uncommonly Cute - Clothing 
Amy Adele
Klutz


Babies (click on the title)

Boudreaux's Butt Paste
Uncommonly Cute - Clothing
Amy Adele


Women (click on the title)

Lipo-in-a-Box

Fantasy Jewelry Box

Frownies (skin care)

Kohana (Hawaiian skin care)
Underology Skin Care
Go2 Bras & Panties
Ficklets Eyewear Charm Huggers 
Amy Adele


Men (click on the title)

Fantasy Jewelry Box
Frownies (skin care)

Kohana (Hawaiian skin care)
Underology Skin Care 

Everyone (click on the title)

Zuvo 150

Spin & Go Mop

Hem-Eze (easy way to hem clothes)

Check out our fine sponsors below and stay tuned for all the giveaways!

Starbucks $10 GiftCard Winner Announced

Congratulations to Kristy as she was the random.org lucky winner of the $10 Starbucks Gift Card.  Kristy has been sent an e-mail.

Thanks to everyone for entering!

Click here to see the original post: http://youthfultips.blogspot.com/2009/11/10-starbucks-gift-card-113009.html

First 25 People Get Up to $25 or Choice of Gift from American Greeting/Photoworks

American Greeting has a special for the first 20,000 people.  You can choose a free book, card pack, calendar or a $25 coupon.

I just used the $25 off one and made a free cup.  I had to pay $6.95 for shipping but it's a great deal!

Sprout Baby 33% Off Cyber Monday Discount Through Wednesday Night

From today through Wednesday evening, Sproutbaby.com, the web's leading provider of eco-friendly baby products, will offer a full 33% off everything in its store, including biodegradable diapers, organic baby foods, reusable feeding utensils, toys and much more. For all orders over $75, free shipping is included for anywhere in the continental U.S. To obtain the discount, simply enter "333" at the checkout prompt. This code will expire Wednesday evening at 12:00 p.m. midnight PST.

Sproutbaby offers a wide selection of certified, family vetted, expert approved, eco-friendly baby products at affordable prices. Given the option to choose reusable, biodegradable and nature friendly products, Sproutbaby has found a wide world of new parents who prefer green products and environmentally sustainable options to standard baby care items found in children's boutiques or the grocery store.

 

This Week's Kmart Bluelight Teasers 12/5 to 12/6

Ready for more Bluelight specials at Kmart? 

Here they are:

• All 14k gold Birthstone Baby Charms $29.99 (reg $69.99)
• Mushabellies $14.99 (reg. $24.99) 
• 4 piece table tennis table $99.99 (reg. 149.99)

All day offers:

• Saturday: Small Wonder Blankets & Wonderkids Thermals – BOGO Free 
• Sunday: Men’s 3pk Fashion Brief or 2pk Micro Knit Boxers or Musical Card Boxer $5 (reg. 9.99-12.99)

Don’t forget to follow @KmartDealsnNews and use the #KmartBLS hashtag for a chance to win every day! For more info & rules: http://tr.im/KmartBLS. Good luck!