Wordless Wednesday ~ Bedtime

Doodle and Simba

AVEDA Hand & Foot Relief Giveaway

I started following AVEDA on Twitter at some point last year and somehow, someway in the midst of all their tweets, they happened to see me following them. You know what they said to me?
“Hi Mimi, We love that you’re an Aveda fan and want to send a thank you gift. May we have your address so we can send out the gift?”How cool is that? So, earlier this month, I received a box in the mail, totally having forgotten this was coming. I open up the box and not only do I have a box to indulge my skin in, they sent me a box to give to one of my friends.
Shhhh don’t tell any of my friends, but instead of giving it to one of them, I’m going to give it away to one of my followers! I know, pretty awesome, eh?
So, check out how you can win this in the Rafflecopter form below and make sure to thank AVEDA for sending out good things! =) AVEDA, thank you for sending me my box and one to give away!
*I am giving away what was given to me by AVEDA I wasn’t asked to write a post or do a giveaway. Just doin’ it cuz I love ya!

iPad2 #Giveaway US Only

Here's your chance to start your new year off on a great note with a brand new iPad2!
23 bloggers have come together to offer an iPad 2 to one lucky winner! The iPad we'll be giving away is the WiFi 16gb iPad 2 in your choice of white or black. The iPad 2 features:

• 16gb storage
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• Back camera: Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still camera with 5x digital zoom
• Front camera: Video recording, VGA up to 30 frames per second with audio; VGA-quality still camera
• Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
• Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p

In the box:

• iPad
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• 10W USB Power Adapter
• Documentation

Enter for your chance to win! Be sure to follow all the blogs participating for more chances!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Bertolli Weeknight Meal Special Challenge & Giveaway

As a single parent, I find myself eating meals with my boys that aren’t so “adult” focused”. I have to admit, I get a bit tired of chocolate chip pancakes or hot dogs. Some nights, I’d like to have a meal more for my taste buds, but never want to go through the work of making anything.

A couple days ago I found out about a soup line from Bertolli! I’ve had their frozen meals before and found them to be delicious so when given the opportunity to try out the new soups, I was excited! I headed to my local store to search them out. I actually went to the soup section first because I wasn’t sure if it was frozen or dry packaged. Turns out they were in the freezers.

I know they have 4 selections:

• Chicken Minestrone - Roasted white meat chicken, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes and pasta in a hearty vegetable broth
• Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta - Roasted white meat chicken, pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and celery in a savory chicken broth
• Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken - Cheese-filled tortellini, white meat chicken, spinach and tomatoes in a rich tomato bisque with a hint of basil
• Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables - Tender beef, mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots and celery with bowtie pasta in a savory broth

Unfortunately, I only had two choices of Chicken Minestrone and the Roasted Chicken at the store I went shopping at. Wish I could’ve seen the other options just for the heck of it. I went with the Roasted Chicken!

Tonight was kind of a free for all with dinner. None of us wanted the same thing so I decided this was the perfect night for soup. It had snowed for much of the day and a hot, steamy bowl of soup sounded like a perfect way to end the day!

As soon as I poured the soup into the pan I knew this was going to be yummy! It was cooked in under 10 minutes. I also baked some garlic bread to go along with my soup!

I have to be honest, if I had to give a review of my first bowl of soup I wouldn’t be able to. I actually ate the whole thing without thinking about my review. It was so good and I was really hungry. Thankfully, It’s soup made for two so I had plenty left. I got another heaping spoonful so I could dissect it a bit more!

So, after the second helping, I can honestly tell you my opinions. The vegetables were still crunchy! Loved that. I hate soggy vegetables in soups! There was plenty of chicken. I liked that they weren’t in super big chunks because they fit into each spoonful along with noodles and veggies. The noodles weren’t mushy, but still rings! The flavor was just as described, roasted. Had a wonderful seasoning that enhanced each bite! I’ll tell you, this was a very hearty meal and the garlic bread was a nice side!

I’ll be taking my leftovers to work for dinner tomorrow night. My plan is to make my way through all 4 soups. I just have to find out where I can purchase the other two!

Make sure you keep up with everything Bertolli by following them here:
Facebook: facebook.com/Bertolli
Twitter: twitter.com/Bertolli
Website: villabertolli.com
*I am being compensated for this post and the coupons for the giveaway have been provided to me.

One For The Money Girl's Night Out! Sweepstakes

Enter to win a Girls’ Night Out courtesy of Katherine Heigl’s new film ONE FOR THE MONEY in theatres 1/27! One lucky winner and up to three guests will receive a night out on the town with a limo, dinner, and tickets to the movies. The lucky winner also receives a $500 Amazon Gift Card and a donation to their local library in their name!! Enter here: http://www.girlsnightoutsweeps.com/

Fed Up With My Motorola Droid2

Just over a year ago, Oct 2010, I got my first smartphone! I was so excited because my blogging had started to take off and I was starting to go to blogging events! I had considered waiting for the iPhone 4, but wasn't super convinced Verizon would actually start carrying it.

Of course, just a few short months later, yes INDEED, Verizon put out the iPhone 4 and I was totally bummed. Oh well, I still had my Droid and was enjoying it and all it's functions!

Source: news.cnet.com via Mimi on Pinterest

Well, as we headed into Spring, my "smart"phone started acting totally stupid. It was constantly freezing and getting super hot in the back by the phone. So, Verizon sent me a refurbished one. Yah, that was having the same issues. I only waited for a month or two before I called them up again to tell them, "Houston, we have a problem!" They sent me another refurbished phone. You guessed it, still having issues.

They decided the 3rd time would be a charm and sent me a battery instead to see if that might be the issue. I used it with my 3rd refurbished phone and it was good for a couple of months. Then my phone started freezing again. I wanted to be DONE with this dumb smartphone, but the time got away from me and my year went by.

Now, I want to throw it out the window of my moving van pretty much on a daily basis! What's a girl to do? I need to have my smartphone as a blogger. It's been life changing and has made my life so much easier.

Source: product-reviews.net via Mimi on Pinterest

My options seem to be endless and everyone has their opinion on what phone is the best. I love the iPhone because of their pictures. LOL Yes, something that might seem inconsequential, but as a blogger who is out and about all the time, this could come in handy. And the Instagram app is SO cool. I could care less about Siri. I don't need a phone that talks to me. Besides, she'd probably talk back to me like my kids.

I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the Android platform. But, do I wait for the Droid 4 or go with the Motorola Razr? Looks like it might only be a month or so before the Droid 4 comes out and now there's also the Razr Maxx with a longer batter life! Too many choices and all from Motorola!

What smartphone do you have? Any suggestions as to what I should go with?

$20 Fast Cash Giveaway Friday

Yes, indeed, it's that time of the week again! Time to win $20 from the Fast Cash Giveaway! This week, you get to like our Facebook pages. That way you can stay up-to-date on all the fun things we do on our blogs, like reviews, giveaways and talk about daily life!

Have a great weekend and good luck!

Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was so excited to see a new Walgreens come to the town where I work! I've never had one close to me, but have always known what a great store they are. As a mom of 4 kids, 2 boys still at home, I know there is always a need for one prescription or another to be filled. My son and I are both on monthly medications and finding an affordable pharmacy is definitely a must!

So, they now have a Walgreens Prescription Savings Club! For $10 a year you can cover the entire family! This means my college age daughters would still be able to be covered with me! And, what would've been nice if I had joined this before? My dog Rugby, who cost more per month for meds than myself and my son put together would've been covered, too! Yes, this includes your pets!

If you don't have a family and are looking to get discounts, you can also join as an Individual and it only costs $5 a year. It's amazing to me how affordable this is! And get this, they have over 400 generic medicines that cost $12 for a 90 day supply!

To learn more, make sure you read their brochure and FAQs. They were extremely helpful to me when I read them and explained how the Club works! Make sure you stay up-to-date with Walgreens by following them on Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook! That way you won't miss a thing!

I Filed For Divorce Today

Today was a pivotal day in my life. After being separated for over 5 yrs, I filed for divorce!

Source: pinterest.com via Mimi on Pinterest

We were at the Clerk's desk and we had to keep swearing that information was true, blah blah blah and at one point she said something about filing other papers and that if we wanted to take that time to think about "it" that was OK. I was like, "Are you kidding me? No, we're getting divorced!" He on the other hand was more like, "Yah, you should listen to her. She knows what she's talking about."

My response, "Any way we could expedite this?" *grin*

We had to run (yes I literally speed walked) to another part of the courthouse to drop off papers with a different office and then go back to the clerk again to have her file them with our other stack. Trust me, the "ex" could barely keep up. I think he was a bit surprised at how excited I was through the entire process. He shouldn't have been. Trust me. He knows this has been coming for such a long time.

Well, my excitement turned to disappointment when in the afternoon I received a call letting me know we were going to have to pay the full filing fee instead of having it waived. So, that means tomorrow I have to go slap down $400 to get the divorce on the record books and get a date!

Yes, for me that will be a significant amount of dough with all the things I actually "need" it for. But, I NEED this divorce. I need to move on with my life. I'm ready for it. I've lost 5 yrs of my life, gone into my 40s while waiting. Waiting for God to change my heart or to allow me to leave. I've been allowed and I'm running for the door!

This won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination. I'm excited to have closure on this painful part of  my life, but it's also scary. I have to trust him to be a man of his word. Something he's had a very hard time doing. I believe that he loves his boys enough to continue to do the right thing. Time will tell.

Yep, this marriage, I'm outta here! C'est la vie!

Wordless Wednesday: KREO

My son is a shutterbug

One of his KREO sets he got for Christmas

He took a lot of pictures!

My Pinteresting Week (LINKY)

Sorry I missed posting this yesterday! I know, you missed it. LOL Here are the pins I did this past week! If you aren't following me there already, you can find me at Pinterest!

I love these bangs. Not sure they'd work on me.

Source: weheartit.com via Mimi on Pinterest

This cat looks like our Simba

Source: generationsofsavings.com via Mimi on Pinterest

I have a thing for cars!

Source: g8board.com via Mimi on Pinterest

Awesome idea for LEGO storage!

Source: raisin4.blogspot.com via Mimi on Pinterest

Valentine's Date Night $300 Cash #Giveaway Event

We're already nearing the end of January, so that means we're looking ahead to Valentines Day! Have you seen the stores gearing up for it? Well, if you and your honey want to enjoy it more than usual, THIS is the event to enter so you can do just that!


Check out the generous bloggers involved in this event

The Freebie Junkie
Children Teaching Mama
Simply Stacie

Sonya's Happenings
The Mama Report
Callista's Ramblings
The Frugal Dietitian
About a Mom
Keenly Kristin

Full Price Never 

Retail Therapy Lounge
Misadventures with Andi
Diva Fabulosa
Mommy's Coupon Train
To Sew With Love
Family and Life in Las Vegas
MI Savings Mama
Momma Knows Best
Woven by Words
We Have It All
Our Kids Mom
The Penny-Wise Mama
Tatum's Family Reviews
{Not Quite} Susie Homemaker
Grinning Cheek to Cheek
Happenings of the Harper Household
Mom and More
The GiveAway Car
Rockin' Deals
Joy Of Momma Joyner
Libby's Library
Mina Slater - Fab Awesomeness
jbmthinks sportsparenting
Travel Mommy
Shopaholic Mommy

The cash giveaway is open to all worldwide and will be paid directly into your paypal account

Featured at Simply Stacie

I'm SO excited to share with you that Woven by Words is being featured over at Simply Stacie! I've been following her for a couple of years and she is one of my favorite bloggers. She always has fantastic content and has giveaways galore! There's something for everyone!

If you're a blogger and wanted to be featured, make sure you fill out her form when you check out her Saturday Featured Blog and at the top, you can fill out her form. It'd also be awesome if you'd leave a comment while you visit there, too! =)

$20 Fast Cash Giveaway

Yes, indeed! We're back with another Friday of Fast Cash Giveaway! This week we're asking you to follow us on Google +. Have you started using Google + yet? I'm slowly working my way into it! I'd love to try one of those Hangouts sometime! I've heard you can chat with a lot of people at once on video with Hangouts! Every try it? What did you think?

LOL I know, you could care less about what I'm saying. You just want to enter to win! Ok, have at it!

3M Command Brand Casting Call

Calling all Command Brand enthusiasts!

Command Brand from 3M is hosting a casting call to discover the star of their next commercial! So, if you are a fan of the brand and ready to make your TV debut, simply log onto the Command Facebook page and submit a short essay (500 words or less) telling us: 

• Why you love Command Brand products
• What the brand means to you
• Your favorite project including Command Brand

The deadline to enter is January 26, 2012.* Upon submitting your essay, you will also be entered for a chance to win a Command Brand products prize package.

*For more information on rules and eligibility, please review the Terms and Conditions on the Command Facebook page.

* I have not been compensated in any way for sharing this.

Wordless Wedcnesday: Basketball and K-Cups

Buddy had a great game last week! He made a basket and a free throw. That’s big in his book! It was his team’s first win and he was so happy to have contributed to the points.

I’ve bribed him the last couple of years. For every shot he makes, he gets a candy bar and for every two fouls he gets a candy bar! I got this idea from Smooch’s friend’s mom who would bribe her daughter with those massive pickles you get at basketball games. Candy speaks more to my kids! =)

 

AND…how much does my mom love me? We just got our Christmas presents this week and here’s what I got… 80 k-cups!!

Greatest Show on Earth Ticket G!veaway! @BrdgstoneArena @RinglingTweets

Step right up! You will believe your eyes…


aerial acrobatics,

human cannonballs, sword swallowing feats, what an exhilarating experience!

There is just something about the circus that keeps us all childlike…


I

still remember school fieldtrips and attending with my mom and big sister.


I

can’t find it but I still have an old Polaroid of my sister and I getting to

ride a circus elephant...it's one of my most prized moments of childhood.

I can smell the air….it’s full of popcorn, hay, animals, and musk.

Ahhh, Good times………..vicarious nostalgia.

If you’re like me, the idea of the circus being in town

instantly put a smile on your face.

Well Nashvillians…..go ahead and crack that grin because the

circus is in town!

Not just any circus either. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey will

roll out the greatest show on earth in Music City’s Bridgestone Arena Jan.

26-29.

If you don’t live in the Nashville area….don’t fret because they are coming to you soon and if you don’t have your tickets yet—What are you waiting for?


You need to seriously consider it.  It's not called the "Greatest Show on Earth" for nothing, after all!


Check out event locations, dates, times, and make plans now!

For those of you in the Nashville area I hope you’re excited because it gets better -- they’ve got a $12 kids ticket for the Friday 10:30am showing, just use the code KIDS12.  It’s available on all $15, $21 and $26 tickets – which is a pretty good deal.

Want a little bit more to get giddy with…how about a giveaway?

That’s right Closer to Lucy’s peeps will have a chance to win a total of 20 tickets! Thanks to the generosity of the peeps over at Ringling Bro. and Barium and Baily, I’ve got 4 sets of 4 passes to the greatest show on earth!

I received no prior compensation for this posting, I have been offered tickets to the event but have not decided if I will be attending. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally use and believe will be a good match for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with Closer to Lucy's legal disclosure and the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you to Ringling Bro and Barnum and Bailey for supplying the Giveaway Prize. Prizes shipped by sponsor I hold no responsibility. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in anyway.

Tweet

#DadChat is #Dads vs #Moms This Thursday!

Yes, I love twitter. So many discussions, so little time. Well this Thursday you have GOT to make time for #DadChat hosted by @BruceSallan. He has some very lively discussions and this week, I’ll be co-hosting!

Don’t know Bruce Sallan, well, now is the time to get to know this great guy! You can check out his post of our upcoming chat here!

Bruce Sallan, author of “A Dad’s Point-of-View: We ARE Half the Equation” and radio host of “The Bruce Sallan Show – A Dad’s Point-of-View” gave up a long-term showbiz career to become a stay-at-home-dad. He has dedicated his new career to becoming THE Dad advocate. He carries his mission with not only his book and radio show, but also his column “A Dad’s Point-of-View”, syndicated in over 100 newspapers and websites worldwide, and his dedication to his community on Facebookand Twitter. Join Bruce and his community each Thursday for #DadChat, from 6pm -7pm PST, the Tweet Chat that Bruce hosts.

I’ve been to a number of his #DadChat’s and I have never left disappointed. There are always new people (it’s growing each time) and everyone brings a different perspective to the chat.

Source: dailymail.co.uk via Ellen on Pinterest

 

This week’s topic will be Dads vs Moms. HA! Really? Do dads have anything on us moms? I SOOOO don’t think so.

• When the kids are sick or the hubby is sick, who takes care of them while still puking her own guts up?
• Who’s the taxi for all the kids while the dad sits at home watching the NFL?
• Who does the dishes, laundry, vacuums, scrubs toilets, etc while the dad hangs out in the garage playing with his tools?
• Mom is breastfeeding! Woo Hoo that means the dad gets off scott-free right? No midnight feedings for him!

I know, these questions barely scratch the surface of what moms think about dads. Do you have a different opinion? Think dads do the lion’s share? Well, make sure you add your 2 cents to our discussion!

Thursday, January 19 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., PST

Not only will I be taking on @BruceSallan, he’ll have a giveaway also of 5 copies of Outwitting the Devil, by Napoleon Hill (author of the monster best-seller Think and Grow Rich), annotated by Sharon Lechter. All you have to do is answer specific giveaway questions!

Looks like we’ll also have Sharon Lechter author of the book that is subtitled, "The Secret to Freedom and Success." So, one more reason you should be joining the chat. We seriously need to get the ladies represented at #DadChat!! Don’t fail me moms & ladies!

My Pinteresting Week

When I first started playing with Pinterest, I didn’t give it a heck of a lot of thought. I pinned a couple of things and that was about it. Well, the past couple of months I’ve been pinning and re-pinning quite a bit. =) I’ve found it can be very addicting.

How about for you? When you started on Pinterest did you realize it was going to grab so much of your attention? LOL

How great would this be coming in from the garage?

 

Source: decorpad.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

 

I love how playgrounds are designed these days! The company, Landscape Structures, Inc., that designs these playgrounds is local!

Source: playlsi.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

 

For real, I want these Dr. Marten's! Femininely rugged!

Source: dmusastore.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

 

This quote is at the bottom of all my emails.

Source: quotesfactory.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

International Delight Surprise #cbias

One of the reasons I’ve continued to blog is the other bloggers I’ve met in the different blogging groups and on different sites. I know there are stories of bloggers treating each other not so sweetly, but I tell you what, I’ve got a great group of ladies who love supporting and encouraging each other.

Johanna from Mama Chocolate did a post about International Delight's Iced Coffee. I hadn’t seen these before and personally love iced coffee, especially if it’s with crushed ice! YUM! So I read her post and told her I was going to go searching for it when I went shopping next.

A couple days ago, I came home from work to find that my son had brought in a box that had been delivered during the day. I went to the refrigerator (because he’d already busted into it). Guess what was there?! Three 1/2 gallons of International Delight Iced Coffees!!I was so extremely excited! It was so unexpected and so wonderful!

It’s so sweet to know someone thought of me. I mean, Johanna could’ve picked anyone from the Social Fabric website that she had this opportunity with, and she chose me.

I would like to thank Johanna for blessing me with my International Delight Iced Coffee. You made this chick very happy!

$20 Fast Cash Flash Giveaway

Hooray! It's time for another $20 Fast Cash Flash Giveaway! This time your chance to win the $20 is by following on Twitter! If you've read any of my post about Twitter, you know of my deep love for all things Twitter...so FOLLOW me! Woo Hoo and once you do, make sure you let me know (just for fun not as an entry) that you followed via this giveaway so I can make sure I follow you back. =) Have fun and good luck!

Divorce Is Never Easy

I’ve been separated from my soon-to-be-ex for over 5 yrs. The journey to the point of finally getting divorced hasn’t been an easy one and there were many times I was ready to throw in the towel. I won’t go into details as to why I didn’t divorce sooner, but suffice it to say, I was waiting on the Lord.

A year ago, it was clear to me I was being released from this marriage. I guess it helps when your husband is asking another woman out on a date. I had hoped to start divorce proceedings back then, but I didn’t have enough information to get started. Plus, I was overwhelmed with the thought of doing it all myself.

There was no way I was going to be able to afford a lawyer. I knew he wasn’t going to pay for one so it was left to us to figure all of it out. My “ex” has always taken care of the finances. In fact, he still pays all the bills. In that, I have been blessed. Pretty much ONLY in that, but for me, it’s enough.


Since the Spring I’ve been waiting for him to get the paperwork moving. He said he would. Summer came and went, I kept asking if he was getting it done. He was busy. Stuff was always coming up. I imagined there was SO much to fill out it was going to take forever.

Well, October came and I found out some new information and I told him that by weekend’s end, the divorce papers would be finished, if I had to do them myself. Yah, turns out that’s exactly what happened. So, I threw my big girl panties on and started going through all the papers I found online to complete a divorce.

Guess what?! I was done…in TWO HOURS! Yes, you read that right, TWO stinking hours. He sat on these papers for months when we could’ve moved on with our lives. Well, he was apparently while I sat back like an idiot thinking he was working on stuff. My faithfulness certainly never paid off with him!

Unfortunately, me getting them done in two hours didn’t get the paperwork turned in very fast. He had to look them over. We sent them into the County Law Library to have them look them over. I went back and forth with them a few times for clarification.

This past week he and I went to the law library to meet with a lawyer for about 15 minutes. They are pretty big sticklers when it comes to free time and lawyers. =) Well, the guy we ended up working with gave us basically a 1/2 hour consultation and acted as my lawyer! How rockin’ is that?

Too bad he gave us an entirely NEW set of papers to fill out, but pretty much mirror what I already had done with our first stack! Thank God! So, I’ve got the papers all printed. I delivered them yesterday, but didn’t hear back on any changes. Sent a message today asking for them to be looked over and that I wanted to have them submitted by Friday.

Got a message today, while I was at church that he wanted to go over the papers. Yah, he knows I’m at church Wednesday nights! Ugh. Then I get home to talk to him and he’s going to bed. This run around is tiring and I just want it to be done with.

If you’ve been through a divorce, has it felt like you’re chasing your tail at all? How did you get through it without losing your mind?

Spring Fever Event Blogger Sign Ups!

I  have to admit, I love doing blog giveaway events like the one I did just before Christmas! Now I'm looking forward to this coming Spring and thanks to Shell at {Not Quite}Susie Homemaker I'm part of another one! 100 bloggers will be part of the "Spring Fever" event!

Here are the details:

• There's a $5 entry fee. You have until the week before to make the payment and sign up. The sooner you sign up the higher on the list you'll be!!
• You need to have a giveaway package of $50 or more.
• You need to fill out the "application"
• Event will run  April 15th-21st
• Giveaway for Event such as: the person who refers the most bloggers to the event will get $50 & there will be at least 1 person chosen at random from the event to win some money as well (these are still in the works)

So, if you decide to join the Spring Fever event, I'd love it if you let Shell know you're signing up via Mimi Baker. That would be totally awesome and I'd love you forever. =) Make sure you check out Shell's blog to keep up with all the details!

Wordless Wednesday: We Are Family

It was so nice to have both of my girls home from college last week. We finally celebrated Christmas together as a family. I was so blessed to have all 4 kids under one roof again, if only for a few hours.

@Rafflecopter Launch iPad and #Kindle #Giveaway

Nine months ago, I received an email from a guy named Greg who started talking to me about a new site that was being created called Rafflecopter. He couldn’t see my face, but it was kind of like, =/

I mean, you hear about people pitching ideas all the time. How many of them actually stick. I went ahead and made an account and then sat back to watch what would happen. Turns out I was the 2nd person to make an account there.

Unfortunately, I was probably one of the last hold-outs this past year. I didn’t use it very much on other people’s giveaways. I was torn between the old way of doing it…making everyone enter with the layout I had created, or change to this new fangled way of giving people ways to enter my giveaways. Have I mentioned I don’t like change?

Well, this was one of those changes that, after I made it wondered what I was ever thinking by waiting. Yes, you have GOT to try out Rafflecopter. It’s not open to the public. If you’re a blogger who does giveaways, don’t wait another giveaway to try it out. It will make your life so much easier.

Not only will you like how easy it is, those who are entering your giveaways will adore you all the more! You’ve just made their part that much easier and they get done with the entries SO much faster. It’s truly a win-win situation!

Now, here’s the really, REALLY cool part! Rafflecopter is going to give away a 16GB Apple iPad2 and several Kindle Fires. The giveaway starts Monday 1/9 at 12:01 a.m. and ends 2/9 at 12:01 a.m. EST.
What would be awesome is if you used me as your referral! If I refer the winner, I win a Kindle Fire for myself. How totally rockin’ is that? Boo Ya!

Tangled Ever After

This past weekend my Doodle mentioned something about Tangled Ever After to me and my other son, Buddy. Buddy and I looked at each other like he was crazy and said, "what are you talking about? There's no movie with that title."

I went out later that night and while I was gone, received an email from Disney about...Tangled Ever After! bwahahahahaha I called Buddy right away to tell him we were about to eat crow. =)

A newly released clip from the all-new short Tangled Ever After playing in front of Beaty And The Beast 3D. Check it out!

"Like" BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyBeautyAndTheBeast. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST returns to theatres for the first time in 3D on January 13th!

My Pinteresting Week

I have really been enjoying Pinterest! Have you all started playing there yet? I am not a crafter or a designer so I'll probably never do a single thing from the site, but there are some great ideas and beautiful photos. I'm going to try ("try" being the operative word here) and share a few of my pins and repins from the week every Saturday. I'm not making it a link yet, but if I get enough interest, we could all link up together.

Are you on Pinterest? If so, leave me a link to your Pinterest boards. Here's mine: http://pinterest.com/bigguysmama/ If you're not on Pinterest and would like an invite, let me know and I'll get you connected.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Source: annies-eats.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

Photo day with the kids

Source: ashleeraubachphotography.blogspot.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

Super Bowl Game Day Ideas

Source: 20goingon80.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

I'm Not Arguing Quote

Source: icanrelate.info via bigguysmama on Pinterest

Why don't you share a link to your favorite post this week!

$20 Paypal Fast Cash Flash #Givewaway Friday

I've joined up with a group of bloggers and we're going to be giving away $20 Paypal cash for the next FOUR Fridays! Yes indeed! We're going to start your New Year off right! You've only got 24 hours so make sure you get your entries in now!

A Quick Dinner With #TysonGoodness #Cbias

My boys are always busy after school. This time of year it's basketball and more basketball for them. One right after school and the other after school until almost 5pm. Then there are game nights for my oldest. When they're in town for a game, I grab my youngest little guy and we head to the game. Unfortunately, the games can go pretty late which means dinner is put on the back burner (no pun intended).

When I went shopping at Walmart after I got home from work this weekend, I had to keep in mind that the games were going to get into full swing for the next two months. I need meals that are going to be fast and easy. Mostly for Doodle and myself. Buddy isn't a chicken patty eater and since he's at the games he has to eat foods that are able to go to school with him.

I know the last few years of traveling basketball means we're gone for a long time at night. If Doodle and I are going to go to any away games, we needed to find something that we can make really fast and have on the go for dinner. We don't want to miss any of Buddy's games.

I started shopping needing to drop off  a couple of Redbox movies and a Wii game. I also had a massively large plastic bag filled with collected plastic shopping bags to recycle. I love that Walmart has the recycling bins right when you first walk in!

I started off stocking up on Honeycrisp apples. If you haven't tried them, they're a Minnesota favorite! Then I started searching for the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. I wasn't sure where to find them because there are so many frozen food sections. I started off with the open cases because they were the first ones I came to. After not finding them there, but seeing some really yummy chicken strips, I headed over to the closed in freezers.

Success!! Found them next to the Anytizers made by Tyson (which I also think are yummy!). I didn't know there was the option of getting a Tyson Mini with cheese on it! I decided to wait on that one because I wanted to make sure the "plain" ones were a hit.

From there I went about the rest of my power shopping trip grabbing some extra snacks for basketball games and midnight munchies. I hadn't planned on getting much, but I think I was shopping while I was hungry and needed to grab a basket half way through the store! LOL

Today school started up again, and the first game will be this Friday. I figured the best time to try out the sandwiches was before we needed them so while Buddy was still at practice, I made all 4 packages. Unfortunately, I'm not so hot at reading instructions right away so I opened the plastic wrapping around the first set of sandwiches. Oops!

Got the rest done and after I got Buddy home we started to eat. What I didn't realize, because I've never made these before is, Buddy doesn't like chicken sandwiches. Oh, ok. Well, I wondered if he'd even try one. Yah, took one bite and asked for something else. Ugh...fine.

Then I turned to Doodle, not excited to hear what he might think. Guess what? He loved them!!! I was so excited. I did offer him toppings to put on it, but he likes everything plain as it comes so he went without any extras. I on the other hand love to load up my food. Unfortunately, I forgot I was out of spinach and tomatoes. A travesty, right? But guess what? I had avocado so that more than made up for what I'd forgotten. So I added Miracle Whip and avocado and dug into my quick dinner.

I was honestly surprised at how flavorful they were! I was imagining mine loaded with other toppings and I ended up eating the other two sets Buddy didn't eat. Yes, I can be a bit of a piggy, but these were seriously good. They were super quick to make. 45 seconds on each side in my microwave did it for us. The first one I made was a bit moist on the bottom, so we just kept flipping them over on the plate until it dried off from being in the bag.

These Mini Chicken Sandwiches are going to be perfect with us being on the go through the winter! I think they'd also be perfect at work on my 10 minute breaks. Seriously, you can't cook much in under 5 minutes and these would give me time to eat and not rush and give me that fill to make it through the rest of my day!

Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches Offer: Buy 2 Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches at a participating Walmart and receive a $5 Walmart Gift Card.  http://bit.ly/vHyJS3

What craziness do you have going on in life right now that leaves you scrambling for something quick to eat? Let me know and check out my entire shopping trip!

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias all opinions are my own and are never influenced by the company