Fashionable Event



Welcome to the Fashion Giveaway! 
 The Mommy Island, and Donna's Deals and More
 has teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to bring you this event! 
We're giving away some amazing mark. products! One lucky winner will be getting the Something Wild Purse, a Celebrate Shimmer Powder Brush, a Juice Gem and a bunch of samples!! (over $60 RV)

It's a Dog's Life~ Luna's SmartSticks/SmartChips Review

Our family has one fur baby, her name is Luna. 
Luna, has been my girl every since my mom took a road trip with me over 200 miles to get Luna then named Una from a no-kill shelter. It's a long story why I picked a puppy that was over 200 miles from my home, but one I will share with you later. I changed her name to Luna after the bat in the book "Stellaluna", because when she would look up at me her floppy pointed ears made her look like she was a bat. It was funny the workers at the shelter had named her Una to start, so Luna wasn't much of a change. She was a black fur ball of energy back then, and nothing has changed. She bounds around our house, and up our stairs with great force. We have to keep the Booper out of her path when she's hyper. She is a mess at times, but we love to pamper her with special treats, just because we love her.

Free Month of ABCmouse.com

 Have you heard about ABCmouse.com?
 


Hello Hello, Are you listening?

Image thanks to: graphicsfairy.blogspot.com


We've all been there, we are talking to a friend, family member, or worse a customer service representative, and realize they aren't listening to a word we've been saying, because they are distracted. It's frustrating. You might even feel like hanging up, but you have manners, and you wish everyone else did too.

At the same time, we all have that person we love to call, or a company we feel gives excellent customer service. What is it that makes them so great to talk to? They listen. When you're talking with them, you know they are focused on what you are saying.




Brio pulls in at The Mommy Island station!

When the great people at Schylling confirmed they wanted to have the Booper help me with another review. I was happy. Then I read we would be reviewing the Classic Figure 8 Train Set from Brio, I was thrilled. The Booper LOVES trains, and I knew he was going to die when we opened the one from Schylling. Our full review will be coming soon, but I just couldn't wait to share some of the first pictures of the Booper when I pulled the Brio set from the outer packaging.

This Feels Like Work. Our "Stay"cation~ Day 2



With my husband being off work this week, we are on a family "stay"cation. One of the bad things about staying home during your time off is seeing all the work that needs to be done around your house. Living in an older home, we always have small jobs that need to be done, but today we worked on this ongoing project to finish my husband's music room.

Caren~ His/Hers Mission Event





After our test event, we decided to make some changes to the Mission Giveaway format. I think you will like all the new changes. We no longer use a rafflecopter form, we want our events to be as user-friendly as possible. Entering to win some fabulous prizes has never been easier! Good Luck! ~Becky

Our "Stay"cation~Day 1

 
A trip to the zoo.
This year we are just like many families, we've found ourselves cutting back on everything that isn't a necessity. One of those things we had to cut this year was a vacation. We just don't have the funds to spend on gas or flights. Staying close to home during my husband's time off, we decided to make our "stay" cation a fun one just the same. The Booper like all the children I know loves being outside, and seeing animals. Our local zoo has some great walking paths, and several exotic animals to see.

How to be a Lazy Cook~Crockpot Beef and Potatoes

I've been trying to do better for our family, and have home cooked meals as much as possible. While putting together menus and getting everything planned out in advance has never been my strong suit. I have found something that works for me, a lazy cook. This is not an original idea, but it's one that works for me, so I know it will work for others. Worth sharing in my book. Here is what I did for this lazy freezer crockpot meal.

Secret Word



For Easy Entry, copy/paste the word(s) below:

Pink

TykesBykes~Balance Bike Giveaway


The Mommy Island
Welcomes you to the 
TykesBykes 

Balance Bike Event!!!!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

~The TykesBykes Balance Bike is a great way to get your child ready for a 2 wheel bicycle!! Since these Balance Bikes are smaller and leave off the pedals, they will learn to balance very quickly! If you would like to see Amanda's {from Coupons and Lesson Plans} full review and how much her son loves his Balance Bike go HERE. 

I think the whole concept behind this bike is awesome. I love that a child will be able to learn to ride their bike without relying on training wheels. I had a hard time learning to ride my bike as a kid, and this would have really helped! ~Beck



Now who is ready to enter 

to WIN a TykesBykes Balance Bike

 valued at $109.99?!!!! 



~This giveaway is open to the US and you must 18 yr old to enter.

{For full terms and conditions see the bottom of the Rafflecopter.}



~Giveaway ends on October 3, 2012



a Rafflecopter giveaway




*Coupons and Lesson Plans and The Mommy Island are not responsible for prize or prize shipment. As that is the responsibility of the sponsor. Though Coupons and Lesson Plans received this product free for reviewing purposes, she was not required to write a positive review. As always, all opinions {good or bad} are my own. See Disclosure.


Mission Giveaway Test Event ~ $10 Kohl's $5 Starbucks




You know all the Mission Giveaways I have here? Well, this is a test event! At Mission Giveaway we are always striving to make things better, and user friendly! Please enter this event, and leave your comments to let us know what we can do to make it better.~Becky

We're testing out a NEW Giveaway format and would love your opinion! We're hoping to make our events even better by making the process easier on all of you to enter!

For helping us out and giving this new format a test drive, you'll be entered to WIN a $10 Kohls Gift Card AND a $5 Starbucks Gift Card!

So take it for a spin and let us know what you think!

Newman's Own Organic Giveaway

Welcome to the Newman's Own Organic Giveaway!

Our family was delighted to try several great products from Newman's Own Organics, 
you can read all about our taste testing.
Now, I have selected 4 of our top favorites:
Newman-O's
Pretzel Rounds
Sour Licorice
Signature Series Chocolate

Newman's Own Organic {a review my whole family could enjoy}


I'm not always good about making healthy choices when it comes to what my family eats, but I try to sneak in some goodness when I can. Little by little we are making changes to add more organic foods to our diet, and steering clear of over processed foods that are full of chemicals.

When given the opportunity to review some products for Newman's Own Organics, I learned some great things about their company. Started in 1993 by Nell Newman and business partner Peter Meehan, pretzels were this company's debut line. What a way to start!

Our family had a chance to try some of the crunchy organic pretzels, and to me they just tasted like a good pretzel. These Unsalted Pretzel Rounds pictured to the left, had a great crunch and featured their signature letter N design. A great snack we enjoyed while watching some football.





My Strollers Giveaway





Welcome to the My Stroller Gift Card Giveaway! 

I'm happy to bring another great event for moms and dads, and anyone who cares for a child! This would also make a great gift for a baby shower too!~Beck 
Sweet Pea Savings has teamed up with MyStrollers.com and a bunch of great bloggers to bring you this amazing giveaway!
This week you have chance to win an awesome $50 MyStrollers.com Gift Card.
 You can get what ever you need and we all know everyone with a child needs something!
This giveaway will begin at 12:01 am on 9/18 and end on 10/3 at 12:01 (eastern). It’s a 2 weeks long so if you can’t get to the entries at once, just come back later! And there are bonus entries you can complete daily so you can rack up the entries!
Please note: All entries will be verified!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



DISCLAIMER: This giveaway is in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook. In signing up for this promotion, participants release and indemnify Facebook from all liability. My Strollers.com is responsible for the shipping of the prizes they have sponsored not The Mommy Island.

Smilebox- a Mission Giveaway




There is nothing I like more than to look at our old family photos, and home videos. Smilebox is a great concept, and I am thrilled to bring this event to my readers. As always, Mission Giveaway is all about sharing, and with this event you can share with two of your friends! The only problem with winning this event is deciding who you will share with! ~Beck

Mission Giveaway~ brought to you by TellWut



Another week to Pay it Forward! Mission Giveaway is all about sharing, and this mission is also about sharing your opinions on TellWut. Thanks to TellWut for sponsoring this event! Who wouldn't be able to find a great use for an Amazon Gift Card?
About Our Sponsor



Tellwut is an online survey company providing a unique mix of both private business surveys and an open opinion poll forum. The open forum provides voters/panelists the opportunity to vote on surveys or post surveys, all while earning rewards redeemable for gift cards. Tellwut offers its members dubbed “Tellwuters” a unique combination of a rewards program coupled with a social network element that will facilitate dialogue, argument and conversation across an infinite number of subjects. Have fun and earn money!



Grand Prize: $100 in Amazon Gift Cards - $75 to Win and $25 to Give



Here's How You Enter:
The Giveaway will open up on Tuesday 9/18 at 12:01 am EST and Close on Friday 9/21 at 11:59 pm EST.

1) Start at the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. (may take a few moments to load)

2) Complete the Mandatory entries.

3) Work your way through the links, entering contests at each blog as you go. These contests each have their own rules and end dates.

4) Complete additional entries towards the bottom and come back for additional daily entries!

That's it! You have successfully entered this awesome giveaway! Side note...It's not mandatory that you enter all the giveaways at each blog. However, doing so not only increases your chances of WINNING the other prizes, it increases your chances of WINNING the Grand Prize!

Mission Giveaway started with the $100 Story where with $100 several people received the help they needed. We are on a mission to help people! We have gathered a group of bloggers that want to make a difference. Together we are the Mission Giveaway Group!

To inquire about becoming a sponsor, please contact Amee or Dawn at madamedealsmedia@yahoo.com for details. Take a look at our Media Kit to see what Mission Giveaway has to offer.
Are you a blogger that would like to participate in Mission Giveaway? Find out how you can join us.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out how entrants would pay it forward this week and enter your own comment:

A fat girl walks into the gym...


...and no one laughs. Not much of a punch line, because this is no joke. I took a huge step out of my comfort zone, and walked into a gym on Monday.(True Story) I was very nervous, I don't know why, but in my head people would be pointing and laughing. I had envisioned lots of skinny people in perfect form doing every move along with the instructor, and looking at me with disgust as my arms flail around like a cat tossed in water. (Yes, I have a well oiled imagination.)

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! (with white flag alfredo sauce)

blogwars2
Both Joy, (The Kids Did It) and I did not have a good night so our hearts really weren't into a war. My little Booper is ill and I'm exhausted from pulling an all-nighter. She learned of a death in the family so as you can imagine our fun sorta flew out the window! So we are graciously calling each other a 'winner' for now. (Believe me this battle is NOT over) We hope to bring you more epic battles between the blogs in the near future. We feel this is great way for our fans to get in on the fun!
So without further ado here is what's up for grabs:
$10 via Paypal and a $25 Restaraunt.com gift certificate! There are ONLY four entry options. Please be honest they WILL be verified! Giveaway ends 9/17 at 11:59 PM open World Wide. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email or a new winner WILL be chosen! Just click the link and enter on the rafflecopter and have fun!

Go Here to Enter To Win!  

Are you In? "Love with Food"

Love with Food is the easiest way to discover tasty box of gourmet samples delivered right to your door for only $10 per month. Sign up for a full year, and the shipping is free!

Love with Food and Reclipit.com have joined forces for this great deal, and asked me to share this fun free trial with all my readers. Haven't joined Reclipit.com yet?  You can join me in sharing great deals join here.
For a limited time, Love with Food  is offering a special 1st MONTH FREE promotion. All you have to do is pay $2 in shipping! Plus, for every box purchased, a meal is donated to feed a hungry child in America. What's not to like? Sign up for one month, and simply use the code "RECLIP" to redeem the offer on LoveWithFood's site subscribe here. 
 
see Disclosure

Kidzmet-Playbook for Learning Giveaway

Welcome to the  
Kidzmet Playbook for Learning Giveaway!

After reviewing this program, I am honored to be able to offer up this giveaway thanks to Kidzmet.
 This program is great for the proactive type parents or those who are needing extra guidance in how to help your child excel in school. Here you will find my full review.

BagBlaze Ladies Handbag Giveaway

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review the Hawis-Satchel from BagBlaze
I absolutely loved this handbag, it was high quality and beautiful. 
Go here to see my full review of the Hawis-Satchel handbag I chose. 
Now to announce the fun part, BagBlaze has generously offered to sponsor a giveaway for all my readers.

Usborne Children's Books~ a Mission Giveaway





Welcome to this week's Misson Giveaway!

I'm thrilled to be a part of this week's Mission Giveaway. Promoting Usborne Books is easy for me, because I love what they have to offer. As a matter of fact, I recently won a book from them for my son, and he loves it. We picked a rhyming book about numbers, and he really gets into it because it has wonderful animal illustrations. Make sure to enter this week's event, and get your chance to win some delightful children's books from Usborne!

Kidzmet-Coach your child to reach for their full potential.




Being a mom to the Booper, I know there is no one else in his life that will be more of a cheerleader for his success than his dad and I. We want only the best of everything for our son. When it comes to his learning, we wish for only the highest standards, as does any involved parent. We want to give him as many tools as possible to achieve his success. The Booper is only two, so his school days haven't started yet.
 I chose to review this program Kidzmet a playbook for learning, for all the moms, dads and caregivers that are like my husband and I, and want only the very best for their child. 


Opening up the small three ring binder that is the personal playbook for learning, I couldn't wait to dig in to this program and see what I could learn as a mother, and as a school volunteer.  The introduction was brief and to the point. I knew right away this program is written in a way we can all understand. Even the cover offered a sports playbook styling that had a fun appeal. The colorful chapter sections, were all easy to read, and each offered a refreshing way to help your child reach their full potential as a student, and in life.

Finding your child's personality type, what a great place to start. I was intrigued to read views and opinions that coincide with my own long standing beliefs that we all learn differently.  Learning the characteristics of your child's personality will help put you ahead of the game.
Is your child an:
  • Introvert
  • Intuitive
  • Judging 
Possibly your child is a mixture of one or more. We are all composed differently and have different learning styles. I loved reading the different characteristics of personality and I could see I have a mixture of more than one. I'm amazed looking back at my own education experience, I can draw an exact line between my success as a student and when my personality characteristics were being fed properly. 

BagBlaze~My Review

I was honored to be trusted with reviewing a ladies handbag from BagBlaze. They have a unique site where the deals on handbags are blazing hot.  With a great selection of quality handbags at reduced prices, and wide variety of styles, you are sure to find a handbag to fit your style and needs. 


Choosing the Hawis-Satchel was difficult, simply because BagBlaze offers so many great choices I had a hard time selecting my favorite.Once I had decided on this bag, choosing the color was easy. I chose pink. Pink is a color I didn't used to wear much, but I now wear pink with pride. Pink is a color that is now associated with finding a cure for breast cancer, and I'm always ready to show my support for that! Knowing and loving so many touched by this type of cancer, choosing pink was an easy choice for me. 

Mommy, all gone?

When it comes to being the Booper's mom, I love my job. He has been the greatest blessing of my life. My days are full of taking care of our little man, and I wouldn't have it any other way. From the time I get up my thoughts are about him sleeping or not, tiptoe and try not to wake him and get something done. Then when I go to bed, my thoughts are about my little guy. He is my faithful sidekick and loves to "help" me clean house or do anything at all really. Life is not all roses, the Booper is two, and he makes LOTS of messes. He can even drive me crazy at times, but I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend time with....except my husband. Our story begins.

Turbospoke~ Event Winner Announcement

Hello, Island Fans!
We have come to the closing of the Turbospoke event, 
and have our 5 confirmed winners! 
 I would like to once again say, 
"ThankYou
to our sponsor Turbospoke!

Our winners are:
Athena E.
Mary W.
Royce B.
Tim L.
Laura B.

Congratulations to all five winners! You will each receive a Turbospoke, and one package of motocards!
Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks again to Turbospoke for offering such a fun event to my readers. If you would like to purchase the Turbospoke, visit Schylling Toys.

Feel free to visit Turbospoke on facebook, and thank them for sponsoring our event!

Tea Otter Set Giveaway from Begain Again Toys!

Welcome to the Begin Again, 
Tea Otter Set Giveaway!

The Booper and I had a great time reviewing this adorable Tea Otter Set,
you can read all about our Fun Times.
  Now we are excited to offer up a chance for one of our readers to win the same fun-filled set. 
Put your child's imagination to work, and enter to win this set from Begin Again Toys!
Entry is simple just use the rafflecopter form below.
Open to US residents that are 18 years or older. 
Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Begin Again Toys~ Our Delightful Review.


It's a Tea Otter party, and you're invited! 

Make sure to bring your imagination to this party, as the Booper will be serving up delicious imaginary tea, invisible cakes and pretend tarts. Pouring the tea for little miss Otter is great fun, everyone should try it. Little miss Otter is a pleasant guest, and always uses good manners. Holding her cup and saucer, she delights all the guests! If you get full after drinking and eating all the pretend goods, stacking the cups and saucers is great entertainment too.

Test Kits at Home~ a Mission Giveaway



This is a new week, and another great Mission Giveaway! This is a great mission offers up a useful prize for all my readers. No need to go out and buy the test kit you are needing!

Grand Prize: 2 $50 Gift Certificates to Test Kits at Home



Savings for all Students!

I remember when I was heading off to the college bookstore to buy my textbooks for the upcoming semester. I knew it would be expensive, but I thought, "What can I do, I have to have them for class?" I didn't know about an alternative, so I paid out huge amounts of money for a book I would use for just a short amount of time. I was able to sell back a few of them, but I got back such a small amount. I wondered if it was worth the effort of not highlighting and taking great care to keep them so nice.

I recently learned of a great site for students heading back to college, or for those going to college for the first time, Campus Book Rentals. Renting textbooks? This was a concept I had never heard of, or thought about. I couldn't believe the amount of money I could have saved, if I only knew then, what I know now. As the saying goes, "Hindsight is 20/20", but you don't need to have regrets of paying too much!
If I asked you, "Do you want to save money on your textbooks?", you would look at me like I was crazy. Everyone wants to save money on everything! Why not textbooks too?

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