FREE Going Greener Guidebook!

Stonyfield Farm has teamed up with Body + Soul Magazine to bring you a free Going Greener Guidebook.  The new guide describes 350 ways to “green your life” and make a beneficial difference for the planet.

The guide includes articles about organics, farms, food safety, green companies, buying better groceries, recycling, and a healthy home makeover,  along with some useful tips and online resources.

Download your free copy of the Going Greener Guidebook here.

Digital Room Business Cards Giveaway!

This wonderful giveaway is being brought to you courtesy of Digital Room!

Business cards are the most efficient and professional way of passing your contact information in person to potential clients, business associates, at job interviews, blogger conferences, and new people you meet at gatherings. Basically, business cards are a necessity to get your name out there fast, but do it professionally by making a formal presentation of your name and credentials.  EVERYONE could use an eye-catching set of business cards!

You want your business cards to pop with style and Digital Room’s Die Cut Business Cards make a standout positive statement.   The die-cut options include rounded corners, a leaf edge cut, half circle one side, or a rounded one-corner.   Examples…

Digital Room is giving two of my readers a set of 500 business cards each!  The cards are the same high-quality business cards they sell.  If you win, you can choose between three different business card sizes (2×3.5”, 2×3”, 2×2″).  The paper options are either a  14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) or a 13 pt cardstock uncoated paper.  Your color choices are (4/4) Color both sides, (4/1) Color 1 side , or  B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside.  The business cards, as always, are printed with eco-friendly  Soy/Vegetable based inks which have a lower level of VOC than traditional petroleum inks.

To enter to win the business cards,  leave me a comment telling me how you plan on using the cards if you win.

Extra Entries

1.Mention the giveaway on your own blog linking back to this post and Digital  Room.  Leave an additional comment with a link to where you blogged about the giveaway. This is worth 10 extra entries.  Make sure you leave ten separate comments. (example blogged extra entry #1, blogged extra entry #2, blogged extra entry #3, ect…)

2.Place my button on your blog and then leave an additional comment with a link to the page where you put the button. If you already have my button leave a comment letting me know you already have it.

3. Follow my blog and leave me an additional comment. ( There is a little widget on my sidebar that shows my followers. Just click follow). If you already follow leave me a comment letting me know you already do.

4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Please make sure you leave the link where you tweeted in your comment. YOU CAN TWEET ONCE PER DAY TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  USE THE RETWEET BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR EASY ENTRY.

5. Subscribe to my feed and leave a comment. If you already subscribe leave a comment telling me you are already a subscriber.

6. Facebook, Digg, or Technorati this post and leave me TWO extra comments. ( At the bottom of this post you should see a bookmark button to make this an easy option.)

7.  Enter any of my other giveaways.  Leave me a comment telling me which giveaway you entered.

A winner will be chosen at random via Random.org. Upon notification the winner has 72 hours to send me their contact information.  Info will be forwarded to sponsor.

Aurora Plush Toys – Bringing Smiles To Kids Of All Ages- Review and Giveaway

I may be 29 (cough… for the past several years), but I still happen to love plush toys. There is something about a cute cuddly stuffed animal that still warms my heart and brings a smile to my face.   My two kiddos also share my adoration for stuffed animals and the first place they are gravitated to in a toy store is the fuzzy critter aisle.  Between my children and myself, we have a rather extensive plush toy collection. Each toy is treasured and most of them are tied to a significant sentimental occasion or event. Some of the plush toys even have a hidden meaning behind them and when I pick one up, it brings back a fond memory.

I would like you to become acquainted with two of the newest additions to my families plush animal collection.  These two little snuggly cuties come from the Aurora Plush Toys YooHoo and Friends product line.

Squirrel

The Squirrel is 8″ tall, reddish brown, has big pink eyes, white accents, and when its tummy is pressed makes the sweetest little “chitter”  sound.   My daughter said the sound was addicting and couldn’t keep her hands off its soft belly.  Too cute!

YooHoo Bush Baby

The YooHoo Bush Baby is 8″ tall and cream colored with a long fluffy striped tail.  The huge eyes, super soft fabric, and cute funny sound when its belly is pressed makes it stand out from other plush toys and a family favorite.   The one I received to review had a purple tail and makes a “whistle” sound.  There are other colors and sounds available for purchase such as pink (giggle), yellow (chitter), and blue (boing).  The plush toy is recommended for children ages 3 and up, but I let my son who is almost two  play with it, under my FULL supervision and he loved it!

Aurora YooHoo and Friends

The Aurora YooHoo and Friends are based upon real animals from all over the globe.  Some of the darling animals are even endangered species!   Their huge eyes and long fluffy tails are creating smiles and successfully winning the hearts in children of all ages.   Each one of the YooHoo and Friends, just like all of Aurora’s plush toys and gifts, are quality made, affordable,  and make an excellent gift.

www.yoohoofriends.com

To expand the Yoohoo and Friends fun play even further, Aurora launched an   online virtual world inspired by the plush toy line geared towards children ages 5 through 12.   The website features character’s that resemble real animals living in their natural habitats and is a great way to introduce and bring about environmental education to youngsters.   The website is completely free to use and does not require an activation code for entry.  Members can watch upcoming YooHoo animations, adopt and raise YooHoo and Friends, decorate pet’s room,  play games, download colorful wallpapers, learn about endangered animals,  and more!

Aurora Naturally Green Plush

Aurora Naturally is a wonderful eco-friendly and “green” plush product line.  Each plush toy is crafted from 100% soy fiber and stuffed with %100 Kapok.  Kapok is a soft luxurious cotton-like substance that is well known for being hypoallergenic.  The silky fiber comes from the seedpod of the oldest and tallest tree in the rainforest called the Kapok or Ceiba Tree.   All of the Aurora Naturally products are handmade in Indonesia, come with a recycled paper hang tag, and a sewn cotton label.  Take a look at a few of the cuties available…

12″ Large Eco Otter

12″ Large Eco Puppy

They are your “One Stop Solution” for high quality plush toys and gifts at affordable prices.  No matter how young or old, Aurora Plush Gifts bring smiles!

About Aurora

Aurora World Inc. (Aurora) has grown to become a respected leader in the plush gift industry, thanks to its hallmarks of success producing large varieties of high quality, affordable plush. Aurora brings smiles to millions of kids of all ages around the world, from every walk of life. The company story begins in 1981 when it launched as Aurora Trading Inc., in Seoul, Korea. Over the next decade, Aurora quickly established itself as a leader in the industry with its celebrated designs, highlighted by quality and creativity.

The products speak for themselves, and at the same time, the company developed an infrastructure and philosophy for which they are now well known — exceptional customer service, phenomenal leadership and strong employee relations.

In the early 1990s, Aurora expanded at a rapid pace. Manufacturing factories were opened in Indonesia and China, while sales networks were created in Hong Kong and then the United States in 1992. By 1996, Aurora?s sales teams were established in the United Kingdom and Germany as well. Aurora design, research and development centers opened in Seoul, Korea and the company officially changed its name to Aurora World Inc. On the verge of the millennium, Aurora was recognized in the top five for brand awareness in the United States gift market. By 2003, a second manufacturing factory opened in China and Aurora was listed on the KOSDAQ (Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System).

Today, Aurora maintains 12 showrooms across the United States, from Anchorage to Atlanta and everywhere in between. In addition to four headquarters and multiple factories around the world, Aurora participates in more than 50 gift and toy shows annually and its products are sold through more than 25,000 retail outlets worldwide.

Join the Aurora Gift Club for special savings and fun!

WIN WIN WIN

One A happy hippy Mom lucky reader is going to win an Aurora YooHoo and Friends plush toy.  To enter go to  Aurora  and take a look at all the YooHoo and Friends product line.  Come back here and leave me a comment on this post as to which YooHoo and Friends plush toy you would like if you are randomly chosen as the winner.  Make your selection wisely, because this will be your prize if you win.

Extra Entries

1.Mention the giveaway on your own blog linking back to this post and Aurora.  Leave an additional comment with a link to where you blogged about the giveaway. This is worth 10 extra entries.  Make sure you leave ten separate comments. (example blogged extra entry #1, blogged extra entry #2, blogged extra entry #3, ect…)

2.Place my button on your blog and then leave an additional comment with a link to the page where you put the button. If you already have my button leave a comment letting me know you already have it.

3. Follow my blog and leave me an additional comment. ( There is a little widget on my sidebar that shows my followers. Just click follow). If you already follow leave me a comment letting me know you already do.

4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Please make sure you leave the link where you tweeted in your comment. YOU CAN TWEET ONCE PER DAY TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  USE THE RETWEET BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR EASY ENTRY.

5. Subscribe to my feed and leave a comment. If you already subscribe leave a comment telling me you are already a subscriber.

6. Facebook, Digg, or Technorati this post and leave me TWO extra comments. ( At the bottom of this post you should see a bookmark button to make this an easy option.)

7.  Enter any of my other giveaways.  Leave me a comment telling me which giveaway you entered.

8.  Follow Aurora  on Facebook or YooHoo and Friends on Twitter for an extra entry.

A winner will be chosen at random via Random.org. Upon notification the winner has 72 hours to send me their contact information.  Info will be forwarded to sponsor.

Get Your Creativity Juices Flowing With The Juice!- $100 Apple GC Giveaway!

This week’s episode on The Juice is all about Creativity on the Fly: Curing Writer’s Block. The Juice was created in support of Tropicana Trop 50 – a new orange juice beverage with 50% less cal and 50% less sugar. The Juice lives on BlogHer and is a unique online community where women can exchange practical ideas and tips on how to get more of what they want and less of what they don’t. The Juice is all about the “good stuff.” You can check it out here: http://www.blogher.com/groups/juice.

Did anyone catch this weeks BlogHer’s The Juice, sponsored by Tropicana Trop50? The episode was about tapping into your creativity and curing writers block.  Jory Des Jardins interviewed Jennifer Lee who gave some excellent tips  on how to get inspired and actually get some words down on paper when the creative juices are low. She suggests…

#1 New Locations = new inspirations.

#2 Jump start with a brain dump.

#3 Play the role of a news reporter.

#4 Keep of a list of “evergreen” topics.

#5 Find new ideas by Twittering.

Watch the Creativity on the Fly: Curing Writer’s Block video to learn more about each tip.

WOW that was such a good episode!  What was your favorite tip?  Mine was #5!  I love Twitter and use it for promoting my posts, giveaways, and to learn what is going on around the blogosphere.  I can certainly see how it can inspire and give blogging ideas.  If you haven’t tried Twitter your missing out!

Save a $1.00 off  on delicious Trop50 here

Check out Tropicana on Facebook and Twitter for the latest up to date news and savings!

WIN WIN WIN

One excellent way to get those creativity juices flowing is to groove to your favorite tunes,  and there is  no better place to start downloading some music than Apple iTunes! Tropicana wants to inspire you and help get you going by giving you the chance to win  a cool $100 Apple GC!  To enter leave me a comment telling me what gets you inspired  to write or leave me the name of the first song you would download from iTunes if you won the GC.

Extra Entries

1.Mention the giveaway on your own blog linking back to this post and The Juice. Leave an additional comment with a link to where you blogged about the giveaway. This is worth 10 extra entries.  Make sure you leave ten separate comments. (example blogged extra entry #1, blogged extra entry #2, blogged extra entry #3, ect…)

2.Place my button on your blog and then leave an additional comment with a link to the page where you put the button. If you already have my button leave a comment letting me know you already have it.

3. Follow my blog and leave me an additional comment. ( There is a little widget on my sidebar that shows my followers. Just click follow). If you already follow leave me a comment letting me know you already do.

4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Please make sure you leave the link where you tweeted in your comment. YOU CAN TWEET ONCE PER DAY TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  USE THE RETWEET BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR EASY ENTRY.

5. Subscribe to my feed and leave a comment. If you already subscribe leave a comment telling me you are already a subscriber.

6. Facebook, Digg, or Technorati this post and leave me TWO extra comments. ( At the bottom of this post you should see a bookmark button to make this an easy option.)

7.  Enter any of my other giveaways.  Leave me a comment telling me which giveaway you entered.

8.  Follow Tropicana on Facebook or Twitter for an extra entry.

A winner will be chosen at random via Random.org. Upon notification the winner has 72 hours to send me their contact information.  Info will be forwarded to sponsor.

Belli Winner!

Random.org results…

the winning comment belongs to…

Congratulations Kelly F!  Please respond to my email within 72 hours to claim your prize.  Thank you Belli for providing such safe wonderful skin care products and for sponsoring the giveaway.  Also, I want to thank all the terrific readers who entered!

Wordless Wednesday – Trip To The Orchard

My son upset at the thought of eating the vegetables!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

This movie is right up my food infatuation alley! Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs takes place in a town called Chewandswallow where the misfit scientist Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader), after several failed inventions, successfully finds a way of converting water into food.

Lockwood’s newest contraption destroys the town square and shoots up into the clouds. When Flint starts to think his inventing carrier is finally over something amazing happens–the sky begins pouring out cheeseburgers!

The new weather food machine is a huge success and when the brainy weather girl Sam Sparks (voice of Anna Faris) comes to town to witness and cover what she calls “the greatest weather phenomenon in history,” Flint and her form a speedy friendship.

The problem begins when the township people become greedy wanting more and more food. The machine starts malfunctioning and the  clouds start bombarding the town with giant meatballs and tornado spaghetti! Flint and Sam set out to find a way to shut down the food menace and put everything back to normal.

The movie is inspired by the  children’s  book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Ron and Judi Barrett and can be seen in theaters starting September 18th.

Erinn Valencich Design Tips and Tivo Staycation Sweepstakes

More and more families this year, including my own, have skipped the yearly vacation and decided to stay close at home  taking a “staycation.”

Now that summer is almost over the family is going to be spending more time inside the family room.   With just a small amount of oomph and a few bucks,  you can re-vamp the room making it a more appealing place to pass time in.

HGTV personality and Interior Designer, Erinn Valencich has come up with a few great ideas on how to  prep up your house to make it the ultimate relaxing dream  “staycation” and several inexpensive ways to spruce up the old boring living room .”   Erinn suggests:

To Create a New Space, Move the Furniture!
“Ask a good friend that you trust to come and help you re-arrange furniture. You may be surprised, just by moving the sofa and adding two side chairs, you can have the feeling of a new space with no money invested.”

You’ve Got a Carpet But Don’t Forget the Rug.
“Area rugs really help define the space, and add color and pattern into a room. Geometric or striped rugs- such as flat-weave carpets, are inexpensive and add a pizazz in nearly any room!”

Sofa Resuscitation.
“If you have a tired old sofa that is lurking in your living room- get a large blanket or comforter in a soft color, or a bold pattern and lay it down the center of the sofa, over the back, and tuck it in on the cushions. Add a few new toss pillows over the top, and your sofa will have new life- in less than 5 minutes.”

You can get more of Erin’s smart and fun design tips by either visiting the website or watching her here.

Ok now here comes the fun info on how you can enter to win yourself some stuff to make your “staycation”  sensational!

www.tivo.com/staycation and complete the simple entry form  by August 31, 2009 to be eligible to win..

* A TiVo HD XL DVR with 1 year of free TiVo service and a TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter
* A JVC LT-46P300 46-inch LCD HDTV with iPod docking station
* A JVC TH-G31 5.1 channel home theater system
* A free family room paint makeover from Ace Hardware, including primer and Ace Royal Paint
* $A 500 gift card to organize.com

Good luck!

Sandwich Swap n Share- Help Feeding America and $250 Grocery Giveaway.

I can remember swapping sandwiches in school with my best friend Kelly.  Her mom would make the best Salami and Swiss Cheese on wheat bread with spicy mustard sandwich.  It was so delicious compared to my boring PB&J!  We would exchange our brown bagged lunch at the cafeteria table almost everyday like it was a ritual.   She downed my PB&J while I ate her Salami and Swiss Sandwich,  and we both left lunch feeling happy and satisfied.

Hellmann’s and Best Foods Mayonnaise has taken the swapping lunch tradition and teamed up with Mr Achy Breaky Heart  (musician and actor Billy Ray Cirus) and launched a new Sandwich Swap ‘n’ Share program.  The program encourages people of all ages to celebrate the childhood ritual and in the process raise money to support Feeding America,  the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity.

How the Sandwich Swap ‘n’ Share program works…

You can join in the program to help donate 700,000  lunches by going to Facebook.com/hellmanns and building your virtual sandwich.  When your done building and naming your hunger fighting creation,  just swap and share it with a few of your Facebook friends.  For every sandwich you make 7 lunches will be donated!  If that is not enough to get you to slap some virtual bread together—each sandwich you create will automatically enter you for a chance to win a $250 grocery store gift certificate!

Here is my Salami and Swiss Cheese Stacker…

Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets-Simplifying Laundry

I don’t particularly enjoy doing laundry.  The sorting of filthy smelly garments,  carrying heavy baskets to the laundry room, measuring the messy detergent, and the hours it takes folding the clothes ranks right up there on my list along with scrubbing toilets.  YUCK! I want a product that is going to make my daunting task easier!

For the past few months I have seen numerous ads  about the Purex Complete 3-in1 Laundry Sheets splashed all over the TV and blogosphere.   I love the concept of a whole loads worth of detergent, softener, and anti-static all contained within a single lightweight sheet.   To be honest,  the product looked to good to be true and I was skeptical if it would actually clean my toddlers funky clothes.  I really wanted to try it and put it to the test,  so I downloaded a $1.00 off Purex 3-in-1 coupon and scurried to the store to buy the sheets.

About Purex Complete 3-in-1  Laundry Sheets

Purex Complete 3-in-1  Laundry Sheets come in three scents -

The Spring Oasis

“A nature-inspired fragrance with fresh citrus and flowers, like a clean morning breeze.”

Tropical Escape

“Island-inspired watery clean scent with a hint of exotic fruit freshness.”

Pure & Clean

“100% hypoallergenic with a subtle fresh, clean scent. Perfect for people with sensitive skin.”

There are two package types available – Starter Kit and a value Refill Pouch .  The Starter Kit consists of a  easy to use refillable Dispenser that protects the sheets from dampness and includes 20 sheets. Once you already have the dispenser,  you can simply purchase the refill pouch (24 sheets).

How to use…

To use the sheet all you need to do is pop it in the washer and go!  The motion of the water from the wash cycle releases the detergent.  Once the wash is done just transfer the freshly washed clothes and sheet into the dryer.  The stripe on the sheet is heat activated from the dryer and softens your clothes leaving them static free.

The Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets work in all water and dryer temperatures.  For best cleaning results and to conserve energy,  it is recommended by the manufacture  to use  the 3-in-1 sheet with warm or cold water in the washer.   When the sheet is in the dryer, use the Auto Dry function with the medium heat setting.

One little Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sheet is packed with enough detergent to clean a full load of laundry.  The  formula is 10x concentrated and provides maximum cleaning results!  If you have an extra large load or extremely dirty laundry you can use two sheets to increase the cleaning power!

What makes it better?

The whole laundry process is simplified into one tiny sheet.  There is no need to buy separate bulky detergent bottles to get the job done effectively and easily.   It also eliminates the sticky mess you get from over pouring, and saves money by using the right amount of detergent per load.   PLUS, it saves time which can be used for more pleasurable activities.

Environmental Impact (quoted from website)

Less Water

As you may have noticed, liquid detergents have gone to smaller bottles and converted to a 2X Ultra Concentration. Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ Laundry Sheets take concentration to the next level! If everyone in the United States1 switched to buying Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ Laundry Sheets, 41 Olympic-sized pools worth of water would be saved each single refill purchase versus purchasing a standard 50oz bottle of liquid detergent!

Less Packaging

The Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ Laundry Sheets Refill has 43% less packaging than the products it replaces. If every American bought just one Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ Laundry Sheet Refill instead of even one bottle of liquid detergent2, we could prevent the equivalent of 91 million detergent bottles (27 million lbs), originally destined for landfills, from being produced – keeping over eight football fields worth of packaging out of landfills.

Less Weight

With less water and packaging to transport, we are able to reduce CO2 emissions from transportation by 67%. That’s an equivalent savings of removing 3,143 cars from the road for a year versus the CO2 that would be generated from the same people buying a bottle of detergent3!

I liked it…

I wash around 14 loads of laundry per week.  Between my husbands soda soaked  clothes (works for beverage company), sons soiled outfits, daughters sweaty tween clothes, and my  banana covered shirts ( Aiden likes to smear what ever he is eating on me) I have a huge heap of disgusting mess.  I don’t need more mess by accidentally spilling over-sized laundry detergent bottles or more clutter of having to find a space to store them.

The Purex 3-in-1 made my laundry washing task less difficult, left clothes clean and smelling fresh,  solved the problem of over measuring, saved storage space,  and cut down on time.  I liked it!

Next Page »