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Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop

March 18, 2010 By 4 Comments

BetterBasketBlogHop-1 Just by sharing a virtual Easter basket we get the opportunity to help others! A great blogging meme to pay it forward with a great Easter Basket.
Hershey’s is doing the Hershey’;s better Basket Blog Hop, and it’s going on right now. So you need to do it too!

For each blog post Hershey’s will donate $10 to the Children’s Miracle Network! Thanks to Robyn’s Online World for sharing a basket with with all of her readers. You know how I like to help charity and this is kinda fun. Be sure to follow these rules too so that a donation can be made for your post!
Here are the rules:

  • Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
  • Create a blog post of giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
  • Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
  • Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
  • Leave your link at http://betterbasket.info/bloghop/ where you can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s.
  • Hershey’s is donating 10$ per each blog participating to the Better Basket BlogHop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
  • Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.
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Handy Manny’s Big Race on Prime Time

March 18, 2010 By 7 Comments

Playhouse Disney is turning primetime into family time with the premiere of its new primetime special “Handy Manny Big Race,” Saturday night, March 20 (7:00-7:25 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. We really enjoy watching Handy Manny whenever we are visiting someone who has cable. My kids have some coloring books and always ask me the names of the tools. We had to look some of them up to tell them. My son loves to hop up and jump in with the tools and he dances and sings. He’s all about music and fun. He loves to fix things and take them apart.

In this primetime event for preschoolers and parents, Manny and the tools hit the motor speedway as a pit crew for the highly anticipated Wood Valley 500. NASCAR Champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and N’SYNC’s Lass Bass guest star. Another big hit with my son, CARS!!!

 

To get your Family Night up to speed, visit Handy Manny Big Race and download fun “Handy Manny Big Race” themed recipes including Manny’s Mini Racing Wheel Burgers; Traffic Light Gelatin; Racing Stripe Veggies (a healthy and fun way for kids to eat their veggies); and Manny’s Energy Snack – a sure fire way to get the whole family energized for a fun night together!

Traffic Lite Geletan

In addition to the recipes, you can design a race car and submit it online for a chance to see it on TV, download Family Night Tips AND cut-outs of racing cars and winners’ flags.

Launched in 2006, Disney’s Emmy-nominated animated series "Handy Manny" shares the adventures of Manny, a bilingual handyman, and his talking tools. Geared toward preschoolers, the show helps kids learn important lessons like problem solving and working together while introducing them to Latin culture and common Spanish words and phrases.

 

 

This information was provided to me from Playhouse Disney, I chose to write about it because we like Handy Manny!

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Where are you buying Twilight New Moon? Want a coupon?

March 18, 2010 By 6 Comments

I pre-ordered my copy of New Moon at Amazon a few weeks ago. I called my husband when I was at Blissdom (because they were playing it on the movie channel at the hotel) and I asked him to buy it for me. So it should arrive on the 20th or the Monday after, I think with it coming out on Saturday it messes with the delivery a bit.

 

 

 

Did you know that Walmart is having a Twilight party?

Walmart is preparing all 24-hour stores to entertain fans shortly after twilight, Friday evening. “Twilight-themed” giveaways will go to the first 100 in line.  Additionally some stores will have more giveaways to fans that can prove their “Twilight trivia” knowledge in the run-up to the midnight release.  Among the many offerings in its Twilight Saga Shops, Walmart will bring out at midnight the “New Moon Ultimate Fan Edition” — the only DVD to be released with a “sneak peek” of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” 

Fans can go to www.walmart.com/twilight to find the nearest 24-hour Walmart among the 2,600 stores nationwide planning for this event.  The “Twilight Saga Shops” are open now through mid-April and offer an incredible list of items at a great Walmart value

Target doesn’t have as sweet a deal going on for Twilight as Wal-Mart but I do think they have some coupon deals. I also think there is a printable on Red Plum that I saw floating around on-line.

New Moon Coupon: $5 off

New Moon Coupon: $10 Off

Twilight in Forks Coupon: $3 Off the Documentary

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: , , , , ,

Thankful Thursday

March 17, 2010 By 14 Comments

My husband was hospitalized on Sunday night and I was terrified that he was going to be there forever. I thank God that he was released  and we have him back. I was really worried that the kids were going to get sick too but we all stayed healthy and for that I’m very grateful.

I’m thankful for all of the PR reps who have been understanding as I’m a little bit behind because of all the hospital visits this week.

I’m thankful for all of my friends who helped me out by watching the kids for me. Summer, and Ingrid, my husband is so grateful. He was so lonely, even the hospital staff that was allowed to visit him was limited. So being able to visit him really cheered him up.

I’m thankful for modern medicine!

I’m thankful for all the other friends that volunteered to help, Debbie, Marie and Jamie!

I’m thankful for IRL friends and my on-line friends.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With:

Barnes and Noble – Exploring The Nook Giveaway

March 17, 2010 By 2,570 Comments

Last year Barnes and Noble introduced The Nook. I’ve been using the Kindle 2 until my husband took it away from me because his broke. (ok, he didn’t take it, I gave it to him because he has trouble falling asleep and reading helps him.) We switched to a digital reader because my husband goes through books like the wind blows and he doesn’t like the library. He’s a little weird, so overall, it’s cheaper for us to use a digital reader. It’s also a lot easier because when he unexpectedly can’t go to bed one night he can just purchase a new book and it is instantly there.

Opening the Box: I found the packaging easy to open and sharp!

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The Nook is an ebook reader that allows you to read your books no matter where you are. That is an advantage over the Amazon Kindle. The Kindle does not share except with other Kindles within the same account. So my husband and I do share books, but with the Nook, I can share my books with anyone anywhere. If you have an iPhone/iPod, soon to be iPad, BlackBerry, and your computers, you can swap books from the nook.

 

Another advantage is the color touch screen that is just below the reading area. At first I thought the reading area was smaller but it is the same size. The touch screen is quite nice and easy for me to use. You can view by cover art. My husband said I need to warn you that not all book covers that come up are suitable for kids to look at. He probably was looking at Sci Fi books just to let you know.

The combination of color and touch on the beautiful lower screen make navigating nook intuitive and simple, even for the tech novice. nook presents the controls, navigation and keyboard you need, only  when you need them.

Another advantage is you can change the screen saver and choose some very fun ones to look at. They have an Alice and Wonderland that look really cool. I’m just sad that I have to download it onto my computer then over to the nook, but they might work on changing that option. We’ll just have to wait and see.

It is very light and portable

My only complaint would be that the Nook is slow compared the Kindle. Directly downloading a book that we were trying to purchase took a little more time than we liked, but it’s still so much faster than going out to the store, esp since stores aren’t open when we are looking at getting a new book.

Enter to win a Barnes and Noble Nook. They are valued at 250.00

To Enter:

Tell me what will be the first book you download to read when you win.

Extra Entries:

Tweet:

#Win a Barnes and Noble Nook ebook reader http://bit.ly/aLiTSc @momstart @nookBN @ebooksBN #giveaway #contest #nook

Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site, blog, or facebook and tell me where you advertised it (include link to giveaway). 5 Extra Entries for each one you do
Subscribe to my blog
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
Use any of the share options below, digg, stumble…2 entries each

The contest will run until March 24th 11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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Mommy, I need to kiss a frog, Mommy, I’m a frog

March 17, 2010 By 8 Comments

My daughter watched The Princess and the Frog today and now all she’s talking about is that she needs to kiss a frog and that she’s now a frog too. It’s really cute and she’s having a great time pretending to be a princess. In the bath tub last night, she was telling me, I’m going to kiss a frog, then she moved as close as she could to her brother in an attempt to kiss him. Then she said, you’re a prince bubby!

Disney has been celebrating the release too and they wanted me to post the following information and share it with my readers.

 

 

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PRINCESS TIANA OFFICIALLY JOINS THE DISNEY PRINCESS ROYAL COURT AT STAR-STUDDED CROWNING EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY

Celebrating the Release of  

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Sunday, March 14th, 2010 – New York -  The court of Disney Princesses was joined by Anika Noni Rose (“Tiana”) and a host of celebrity guests as Tiana was officially crowned the ninth member of the beloved Disney Princess Royal Court. A magical ceremony took place in the Grand Ballroom at the historic New York Palace in Manhattan. As the newest Disney Princess, Tiana will forever be celebrated and recognized as a Disney Princess across all divisions of the Walt Disney Company and will be included in all Disney Princess merchandise featuring multiple Disney Princess characters. 

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Joining Anika Noni Rose in celebration of the coronation was Tina Fey, Melissa Joan Hart, Kelly Rutherford, Audra McDonald, Nigel Barker, Brent Zachary, Alesandra Ambrosio, Matt Walton, Amy Landecker, additional voice talent from the film Jenifer Lewis (“Mama Odie”), Jennifer Cody (“Charlotte”) and Michael Leon Wooley (“Louis”) along with Disney Princess cast members Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, and Snow White, and Prince Naveen!

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The event celebrated the arrival of The Princess and the Frog on Disney Blu-Ray and DVD, which releases March 16th. As Disney’s newest Disney Princess character, Tiana will forever be celebrated as a Disney Princess across all divisions of the Walt Disney Company, and will be included in all Disney Princess merchandise programs featuring multiple Disney Princess characters.

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Nominated for three Academy Awards®, The Princess and the Frog transports audiences to glorious, glamorous New Orleans as Tiana, the newest Disney Princess meets her frog prince and gives him the fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical, magical bayous of Louisiana.
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Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With:

Wordless Wednesday – Mommy’s Toys are more fun

March 16, 2010 By 39 Comments

 

kitchenplay

 

 

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Build-A-Bear For Easter and Get an Easter Basket #giveaway

March 16, 2010 By 766 Comments

buildabear Build-A-Bear Workshop is giving away an Easter Basket and a package of candy with every 20.00 you spend. So basically Build-A-Bear and get an Easter Basket too. (promotion is now until April 4th) We did it this past weekend.

Build-A-Bear sent me two 25.00 Gift Cards and a 5.00 off coupon to use towards making bears for each of my children. Now Miles’s birthday is on Friday so we went a little overboard and spent more than what they provided, but I want to assure you that 25.00 is enough to build a bear and have a great experience.

· This year we are introducing two limited time only Furry Friends are Blossom Bunny and Cheerful Cheeks Chick.buildabear12

Here is our experience:

The Happy Birthday Boy wanted to get the duck and the frog, but we helped him pick just the duck!

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After Making a Selection, we picked out a sound for Miles and a heart for Zoe.

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Then we stuffed them, and the cool part was they got to do it!

    

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We gave them luck, and love:

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We bathed them:

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We dressed them

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We Named Them:

Darth Rubber and Violet

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Then we paid. The whole experience took us about an hour but it was priceless and so much fun. I’m glad we went. My husband said last time we were at the mall he almost took Miles in there to get a birthday bear.

Enter to win a 25.00 Gift Card to make your own bear!

To Enter:

Visit Build-A-Bear and tell me which character your kid might like the best.

Extra Entries:

Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID

Follow Build-A-Bear on twitter
Tweet

#Win a 25.00 Gift Card to Build-A-Bear http://bit.ly/agSHPw @momstart @buildabear #contest #giveaway

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site, blog, or facebook and tell me where you advertised it (include link to giveaway). 5 Extra Entries for each one you do
Subscribe to my blog
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
Use any of the share options below, digg, stumble…2 entries each

The contest will run until March 30th 11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

 

Build-A-Bear Workshop is providing the 25.00 Gift card for the giveaway, as I stated above they provided me with 2 25.00 gift cards and a 5.00 off coupon.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , ,

Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob’s Boating Bash Video Game Wii #giveaway

March 16, 2010 By 473 Comments

Nickelodeon released Spongebob’s Boating Bash Video game this Spring and I had the choice to either give away a copy or to do a review. I decided to give the copy that I have away.

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THQ’s SpongeBob’s Boating Bash

New Screens Show the Fun & Mayhem of Getting One’s Boat Mobile License

Any SpongeBob SquarePants fan worth his sea salt knows that this porous personality cannot get it together to pass his boat mobile driving class on the TV show.  But now, thanks to THQ’s SpongeBob’s Boating Bash video game for the Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, players can help SpongeBob earn his boating license and learn the basic acronym of D.R.I.V.E., a set of principles that any boating novice needs to ace the big test.

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So get ready to drive customizable boat mobiles and compete against your favorite SpongeBob SquarePants characters in the many zany arenas that wait in SpongeBob’s first demolition derby style game, SpongeBob’s Boating Bash!

 

Enter to win a copy of the game provided by THQ

To Enter:

Visit THQ and tell me what other game you would love to test out.

Extra Entries:

Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Tweet

#Win a copy of Spongebog’s Boating Bash for Wii http://bit.ly/95SAnV @momstart Ends 3/30 #contest #giveaway

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site, blog, or facebook and tell me where you advertised it (include link to giveaway). 5 Extra Entries for each one you do
Subscribe to my blog
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
Use any of the share options below, digg, stumble…2 entries each

The contest will run until March 30th 11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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Kirstie Alley’s Big Life #giveaway

March 16, 2010 By 269 Comments

ENTER TO WIN A PRIZE PACK TO CELEBRATE THE SERIES PREMIERE OF KIRSTIE ALLEY’S BIG LIFE ON A&E

Kirstie Alley has been a star for quite a long time now. I remember watching her on Star Trek II the Wrath of Kahn and then she went on to Cheers and then to a whole bunch of Look Who’s Talking movies. Now she is as big as life in Kirstie Alley’s Big Life starting on A&E Sunday March 21st at 10PM ET/PT.

Kirstie Alley’s Big Life chronicles Kirstie’s comedic and unique take on her battle with weight loss, which coincides with the launch of her new weight loss company.  She’s also producing a feature film, patenting multiple inventions, working hard to raise two normal Hollywood teenagers, True and Lillie, taking care of eight ringtail lemurs, and on top of everything, looking for love…nothing like a little pressure. Become a fan on Facebook and visit the official site for more information and exclusive content.

Enter to Win:

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Kirstie Alley’s Big Life Gift Tote containing:

  • Exercise mat + bag
  • Pedometer
  • Nail Polish
  • Aluminum beverage bottle
  • T-shirt
  • Water bottle
  • A&E store $10 Coupon

Total Value = 70.00 and the prize is provided by A & E Network

 

To Enter:

You must live in the US and be over 18 years in age.

Visit Team Kirstie and tell me something about one of the characters of the show.

Extra Entries:

Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Tweet about the giveaway and include a link to the giveaway
Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site, blog, or facebook and tell me where you advertised it (include link to giveaway). 5 Extra Entries for each one you do
Subscribe to my blog
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
Use any of the share options below, digg, stumble…2 entries each

The contest will run until March 30th 11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , ,
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