Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas my friends. You do indeed Light up my life!

They Are Making a List and Have Checked it Twice...Mom Central, that is!

You probably know that I am lucky enough to work with those wonderful folks over at Mom Central from time to time on Reviews and such. Since I began working with them, I have made a point of reading their newsletter and visiting their blog every month to see all of the wonderful things they have in store. Stacy and gang over there really do care about women and moms especially. I know they took a poll to see how many of us were having financial concerns regarding spending during this Holiday season and a whopping 91% of the moms who replied say yes! Well, Mom Central to the rescue!

If you have not yet visited Mom Central, especially their Holiday Giveaways, then you are in for a real treat! Just like their press release says...

"“Making a list and checking it twice” serves as the mantra of the Mom Central team as
they alleviate the burden on Moms to research gift ideas by introducing their First Annual
Holiday Gift guide. The staff at Mom Central has done the homework for Moms,
evaluating hundreds of products in the following categories: for him, for her, for
baby/toddler, for tweens, for teens, and even for pets. The Mom Central team assesses the
quality, availability, the claims each advertises and, of course, if it will put a twinkle in
the eye of the receiver.
Since Mom Central receives some of these products before anyone else, providing Moms
exclusive access to new and innovative gifts. Products include affordable gift ideas from
Sony, Philips, Nautilus, Casio, Playskool, Baby Einstein, Netflix, Hasbro, Razor, A&E,
and more.
Mom Central will also give away thousands of dollars worth of products in multiple daily
drawings. Each provides the chance to win an entire gift package that includes gifts worth
hundreds of dollars – a great way to combat financial stress this holiday season."

Now the giveaways may have started December 1st but you have f-a-r from missed out! Take a look at what they still have planned!

Day 7, December 9th: Toys for Toddlers Gift Package
Day 8, December 10th: Little Book Lovers Giveaway
Day 9, December 11th: Being a Kid - Boys' and Girls' Gift Packages
Day 10, December 12th: Furry Friends Gift Package
Day 11, December 13th: For Tweens - Boys' and Girls' Gift Packages
Day 12, December 14th: Teenage Fun Gift Package
Day 13, December 15th: Health and Wellbeing Gift Package
Day 14, December 16th: For Him Gift Package
Day 15, December 17th: For Her Gift Package
Day 16, December 18th: Family Night Gift Package

WOW!!
So hurry on over and visit
Mom Central's First Annual Holiday Gift Guide,
visit http://www.momcentral.com/gift-guide/

On an additional note, I am often asked how to get started doing Reviews and Giveaways. The answer I give is to start reviewing what you have at home already and blogging about it. That gives you experience and might just get you noticed. Secondly, keep your eyes open for opportunities to join in testing and reviewing communities like the one HERE at Mom Central because you just never know where that might lead.

Good luck and Merry Christmas! See ya over at Mom Central!




Mom+Central

Last Call for Because It's Christmas Kids & Charity GIVEAWAY

Hard to believe but our BIG Because It's Christmas Kids & Charity GIVEAWAY is coming to a close TODAY. Originally we planned to close the entries at Noon CST but in an effort to allow for everyone's busy, busy schedules this weekend, we have extended the deadline until 7pm CST this evening.

As a BONUS for spreading the word about the time extension, you AND the person you refer can each have 5 additional entries when they enter TODAY saying YOU referred them!
Please be sure you BOTH leave separate comments for each additional entry.

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This is the FINAL DAYto enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

Christmas+Giveaway

Because It’s Christmas - Group 3 gift unwrapped - All Star Buddies GIVEAWAY

The Last gift we are unwrapping in our Kids & Charity Giveaway is over on What's That Smell? - a COMPLETE SET of All Star Buddies (which is 7 plush Buddies) to be given away to one of YOU and a set of 7 Buddies will also be given to charity to the Household Pantry at the First United Methodist Church in Lowell, IN.

All Star Buddies is a virtual online world created by two moms who love sports and who make healthy living a priority. Their mission with All Star Buddies is to provide a virtual world that is safe, educational and entertaining.

Here is a snippet:

The plush Buddies are bigger than I thought, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I envisioned them to be not much bigger than my hand - smaller than a softball, but they are much bigger than that! They stand on average about 9″ tall and unless they grab them by the foot or hand, a child would need 2 hands to hold on to them. The Buddies are also really soft and have great details such as shoe laces, hats and glasses.

ENTER TO WIN A SET OF 7 ALL STAR BUDDIES

For more information about the All Star Buddies Giveaway, and to enter to win, visit:

Because It's Christmas: Group 3 Unwrapped - All Star Buddies GIVEAWAY

Please note that comments or entries are NOT accepted on this post, you must visit What's That Smell? using the link above to enter this giveaway.

This is the FINAL WEEK to enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

Christmas+Giveaway

Time to Deck The Halls With Boughs of Evergreens! Review & GIVEAWAY

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and the Christmas season is now officially in full swing. To kick things off last night we watched Christmas Vacation, one of my all-time favorite funny movies. We needed to get into the HoHo spirit because today and tomorrow we are making like Santa's Elves by decorating both our house and my Mom's.

Brett has the lights up outside already and I had to start by putting up my beautiful new wreath, direct from Grandma D's Tree & Wreath Farm. That alone would put you in the Holiday mood because not only is it beautiful but it smells SO good! See, it is freshly cut evergreens and since I have it hung up inside, I can smell it each time I walk by! And you can tell just how fresh they really are when you run your hand along the boughs and the needles don't fall off!

Grandma D's is a family-owned business and you can tell that they take pride in work. They lovingly make these beautiful, fresh, evergreen wreaths but they also make beautiful cane wreaths, 20" evergreen centerpieces complete with candles, candy cane wreaths, and something I have never seen before - noble fir crosses. Grandma D's Tree and Wreath Farm, headquartered in Silverton, Oregan, is run by 5th generation family owners They do their best to provide superior customer service and to provide YOU with the finest greenery available!

Along with their direct retail sales, they do discounts for large wholesale orders. You can even arrange a terrific fund raiser through them, like for groups and schools. I am going to let me PTA ladies know about them for next year because their program even discourages door to door sales, something any Mom would approve. Groups can earn $5 for every product sold via fund raising and if your group sales are over $10,000, you receive an extra 3% bonus! They even have special incentive for your group to be among the top 5 overall sellers for the Season by giving prizes like a Wii!

You can have one on your door by visiting the Grandma D's Tree and Wreath Farm website, or by calling them at888-449-9485. I know I love mine and really, you won't be disappointed! You know, these wreaths would also make a wonderful gift, especially for mom's and grandma's far away. They are quite reasonable too as a wreath like this one would be only $29.95. And since the folks at Grandma D's are so cool AND they know what amazing readers I have, you can get free shipping in the USA when you enter the code W0834! So check out their store and get ready to feel festive!

ENTER TO WIN A FRESH AND BEAUTIFUL WREATH FROM GRANDMA D'S

Now best of all, the wonderful folks at Grandma D's Tree and Wreath Farm were kind enough to provide a wreath just like mine for me to give to one of YOU!!! They will ship it to the location of your choosing within the US and get it too you in plenty of time to enjoy it before Christmas!

This Giveaway has now closed. The winner will be announced shortly!

To enter to win a fresh, beautiful wreath:

• Visit the Grandma D's Tree and Wreath Farm Shop and check out what they have to offer.
• Come back here and leave a comment telling us what you liked the best.

YOU MAY ENTER AS MANY TIMES AS YOU'D LIKE, JUST NOT TWO TIMES IN A ROW!

Plus to earn extra entries:

• Post my 3 P's Mama Says.. button on your site (you can find the code for it on my right sidebar) - 5 EXTRA ENTRIES
• Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to Grandma D's Tree and Wreath Farm. (the links must be active/clickable) - 5 EXTRA ENTIRES
• Subscribe to my updates. - 1 EXTRA ENTRY
• Twitter, Stumble, or Digg about my giveaway and come back here and tell me what you did. - 5 EXTRA ENTRY PER PLACE(up to 15 pts possible!!)
  

Please leave separate comments for each additional entry, ie: if you blog about this, leave 5 separate comments.

Giveaway will run through Dec. 5th at noon central time and is open to the USA.

Several of my bloggy friends are writing about their wreaths so stop by and show them some Holiday luv!

11/27/08- Blessings Abound

11/27/08- All Because Two People Fell in Love

11/28/08- The Dirty Shirt

11/28/08- An Island Review

11/28/08- MommyDaddyBlog

11/29/08- What’s That Smell?

11/30/08-MoomettesGramsMusings

11/30/08- A Cowboy’s Wife

12/2/08- Rockin’ Mama

12/4/08- Brain Foggles

12/5/08- Life is Like Champagne

12/5/08-Wrestling Addicted Mommy

This is the FINAL WEEK to enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

GrandmaD's+Wreaths

Because It's Christmas: Group 5 UNWRAPPED - North Star Toys' Paddle Wheel Boat GIVEAWAY

The next and final gift we are unwrapping is a terrific kid-powered Paddle Wheel Boat from North Star Toys! YOU can win this as one of the great gifts from Group 5 and an identical one has been donated the Relief Nursery of Collin County in Plano, TX.

North Star Toys was the perfect fit for our Because It's Christmas Kids & Charity Giveaway because of the very nature of what their products are made out of - honest to goodness non-toxic WOOD.

The little Elves at North Star Toys are hard at work, especially at this time of year, trying to make sturdy, beautiful toys that will please boys and girls both young and old. The owners of North Star Toys have been an absolute delight to work with and truthfully, their toys reflect that. They simply believe that children deserve beautiful, functional toys.

From the owners ~

At North Star Toys we believe that conscious parenting is one of the most wonderful and challenging responsibilities on the planet. It is our hope to support this important endeavor by offering simple toys that stimulate creative, imaginative play. We truly care about the toys we make and hope that they add to the nurturing experiences of childhood.

North Star Toys is also very conscientious about the environment. Being a family owned and operated business, they can make environmental sustainability top priority. They recycle both the paper they use as well as the packaging whenever possible and turn right around and print on recycled paper. They use vegetable-based inks for large printing jobs and their saw dust is used to supplement compost and for chickens. 100 percent of electricity that runs their shop comes from wind and/or solar energy. And their wood-scraps are even donated to schools for art projects and used for kindling - how's that for giving back?!

Each of these beautiful toys are loving created using only American hard woods then they use food grade mineral oil to finish the toys. That has to be part of what make them so beautiful! I have been so impressed by the wide variety of toys in their collection, all the way from their complete set of their Little Rollie Animals to the Happy Hybrid that would entertain children of any age.

As for the Paddle Wheel Boat - Yes, it really works. Powered by a heavy rubber band, the paddle wheel boat will go several feet on a wind up. It is 9-1/2" long and recommended for children age 3 and up.

We are giving this paddle wheel boat to my 7 year old daughter. Yes, you read that right - DAUGHTER. You probably remember, this is my daughter who loves to find out how things work. I can see her now, winding and twisting the rubber-band paddle wheel as tight as she possibly can and how she and her sisters will laugh and cheer as it propels itself across the water. Talk about a way to make bath time fun! The boat is again, extremely well made and smooth as can be. North Star sent along several of those thick, sturdy rubber bands so this should provide for hours of fun!

ENTER TO WIN A PADDLE WHEEL BOAT FROM NORTH STAR TOYS

Note: by entering this giveaway, you are actually entering to win all the toys in Group 5 The more individual posts you enter, the more of a chance you have to win the Group prizes. The entries will be combined from all posts and a winner selected, so you have a chance to win the Group prizes even if you only enter on one post.

To enter to win a Paddle Wheel Boat by North Star Toys:

• Visit North Star Toys and check out all of the items.
• Come back here and leave a comment telling us what you would like to see North Star Toys add to their line up of toys.

That’s it!

To earn extra entries:

• Post our Because It’s Christmas button on your site (you can find the code for it on the right sidebar) - 5 EXTRA ENTRIES
• Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to North Star Toys. (the links must be active/clickable) - 5 EXTRA ENTRIES
• Subscribe to our updates. - 1 EXTRA ENTRY
• Enter a Because It’s Christmas giveaway over at What's That Smell? and/or 3 P’s in a Pod and come back here and tell us which post/giveaway you entered on. - 1 EXTRA ENTRY PER POST/GIVEAWAY ENTERED

Please leave separate comments for each additional entry, ie: if you blog about this, leave 5 separate comments.

Giveaway will run through Nov. 30th at noon central time and is open to the USA.

This is the FINAL WEEK to enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

Christmas+Giveaway

Because It's Christmas: Group 4 UNWRAPPED - Crayola®'s GLOW STATION™ GIVEAWAY

This next gift will make just about everyone excited. Right now over on 3P's in a Pod, we have unwrapped the Crayola® GLOW STATION™! Crayola has once again graciously provided us with one for both the Relief Nursery of Collin County in Plano, Texas and one of YOU! That's right, the Crayola® Glow Station™ Art Station is the next item being unwrapped from Group 4 in our Because It's Christmas Kids and Charity giveaway!

Here is a snippet:

The Glow Station itself is a flat, smooth surface made from glow-in-the-dark, light-sensitive material. It is designed to hang from a nail or hook on the wall. As it comes folded in the box, you may have to roll it or place it under a dictionary to encourage it to stay flat.

The light wand is shaped like a large pen and has a small light bulb at the tip. The wand requires three AAA batteries. Once they have been installed, you can use the light wand to "draw" on the Glow Station canvas to create artwork that glows brightly from the light-activated canvas. The darker the room, the more brightly artwork glows. To 'erase' your work of art, you simply turn on the lights or allow it to fade away gradually on it's own in about 5 minutes.

ENTER TO WIN A GLOW STATION FROM CRAYOLA

For more information about the Glow Station Giveaway, and to enter to win, visit:

Because It's Christmas: Group 4 UNWRAPPED - Crayola's Glow Station GIVEAWAY

Please note that comments or entries are NOT accepted on this post, you must visit 3 P's in a Pod using the link above to enter this giveaway.




This is the FINAL WEEK to enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

Christmas+Giveaway

Because It's Christmas: Group 4 UNWRAPPED - North Star Toys' Pegasus, Unicorn & Dragon GIVEAWAY

The next gifts we are unwrapping are a mystical Unicorn, Pegasus, and Dragon from North Star Toys, right now, over on 3 P's in a Pod! YOU can win this as one of the great gifts from Group 4 and an identical one has been donated the Relief Nursery of Collin County in Plano, TX.

North Star Toys was the perfect fit for our Because It's Christmas Kids & Charity Giveaway because of the very nature of what their products are made out of - honest to goodness non-toxic WOOD.

The little Elves at North Star Toys are hard at work, especially at this time of year, trying to make sturdy, beautiful toys that will please boys and girls both young and old. The owners of North Star Toys have been an absolute delight to work with and truthfully, their toys reflect that. They believe that children deserve beautiful, functional toys.

Here is a snippet:

My almost 6 year old daughter is a lover of all things fanciful like faeries and sprites so the Unicorn, Pegasus, and Dragon are a perfect gift for her. In fact, she has them on her Christmas Wish List! She said the Pegasus and Unicorn are "so beautiful" and "the Dragon isn't scary at ll...why he is a nice Dragon!" I cannot wait to see her face light up when she realizes she actually gets them for her very own. Each creature is incredibly well made. They are sanded and finished so that they are super smooth. They each have an attached part like their wings or horn and I have given them each a sound tug enough times to know they will withstand even her most rigorous inspections and activities. I am sure they will all take many flights of fancy together and continue to stretch and build her imagination for years to come!

ENTER TO WIN A UNICORN, PEGASUS, AND DRAGON FROM NORTH STAR TOYS

For more information about the Magical Creatures Giveaway, and to enter to win, visit:

Because It's Christmas: Group 4 UNWRAPPED - North Star Toys' Unicorn, Pegasus, and Dragon GIVEAWAY

Please note that comments or entries are NOT accepted on this post, you must visit 3 P's in a Pod using the link above to enter this giveaway.


This is the FINAL WEEK to enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

Christmas+Giveaway

Because It's Christmas: Group 4 UNWRAPPED - Creativity for Kids' Shrinky Dinks Holiday Fun set GIVEAWAY

Over on 3 P's in a Pod right now, the next fun gift to be unwrapped in Group 4 is for the kid in all of us. Creativity for Kids, part of the Faber-Castell family, is providing a Shrinky Dinks Holiday Fun set for one of YOU! They are also donating one of the same to charity to the Household Pantry at the First United Methodist Church in Lowell, IN.

Here is a snippet:

With the Shrinky Dinks Holiday Fun set, you and your child can create handmade gifts from the heart and experience the fun of crafting together. Each kit features premium quality, non-toxic craft materials, clever projects and simple instructions. The kit includes colored pencils, genuine Shrinky Dinks film with fun and festive holiday graphic designs and all materials needed to make and decorate a 9-inch tinsel tree. The tree base is even included.

ENTER TO WIN SHRINKY DINKS HOLIDAY FUN SET FROM CREATIVITY FOR KIDS(FABER-CASTELL)

For more information about the Shrinky Dinks Holiday Fun set Giveaway, and to enter to win, visit:

Because It's Christmas: Group 4 UNWRAPPED - Creativity for Kids' Shrinky Dinks Holiday Fun set GIVEAWAY

Please note that comments or entries are NOT accepted on this post, you must visit 3 P's in a Pod using the link above to enter this giveaway.



This is the FINAL WEEK to enter the GIVEAWAYS both here and on 3 P's in a Pod for Because It's Christmas! Don't Miss out!

Christmas+Giveaway