Saturday, December 19, 2009

Sony Reader Winner

Thank you to everyone who left a comment about a literary moment that moved you. I enjoyed reading all the comments. In fact, some of your comments moved me! And I've acquired a nice "must read" list from you as well. Thank you! But alas, I could only choose one comment to win the Sony Reader. So, without further ado, here is the winner of the Sony Reader...


Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:359


Shannon said...
I love to read, but now that I have kids most of my reading is to them. One of my favorite books that is written as a kids book but touches a parents heart is "Let Me Hold You Longer." By Karen Kingsbury. It talks about how as parents we make such a big deal about "First's" but how "last" events go unnoticed, the last bottle, last time you carry your child, the last time you have to give them kisses in the night, etc. It's a serious tear-jerker. I love it!

Congratulations! Please email me at mom2my6pack@aol.com with your shipping address so I can send you your Sony Reader! I hope you enjoy it!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Kraft Winners

The winners of the Kraft basket o' goodies are.......

April M said...
I would be thrilled to see Kraft provide more gluten free recipes. Some of their products are naturally gluten free and it would be great to find some easy recipes for those of us who can't eat gluten (wheat, barley and rye).

Cropaddict said...
I love how they are so helpful on the facebook page answering questions. I also like the ease of getting to the recipes on the website.

Congratulations! Email me at mom2my6pack@aol.com with your shipping address so I can make sure these are sent out to you right away.

And thank you to everyone for your helpful feedback and suggestions!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Words Move Me

Words Move Me. That's the name of Sony's new literature community - WordsMoveMe.com. There, you can share with others your favorite pieces of literature and what impact they had on you; how they moved you. I was all set to share some of my favorite parts of classic books, but when I tried to recall specific works that moved me, my mind went blank. Gone were the discussions about books I'd read in high school, Farenheit 451, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Tale of Two Cities. I couldn't begin to tell you what The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men was about. (Hey, I have 6 kids and they really have drained my memory stores.)

I did, however come up with a few quotes that have stuck with me. Yes, they're mostly from humor books. What can I say? I like to laugh. I don't like to read anything too deep or anything that takes too much brain power. I like light, quick reads, romances, and humor these days. I mean, when you have to put the book down 4000 times (during the first paragraph alone) to fill sippy cups, pick kids up from kindergarten, break up fights over crayons, and clean up spilled apple juice, you don't want to have to go back through a tutorial on who's who and what's going just to pick up where you left off.

Oh, who am I kidding? I mostly just read classics like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie these days.



Ready for the really cool part? I have one Sony Reader Pocket Edition ($199.99 value) to give away to one lucky reader. I like actual books. I like the smell of books. I like the feel of them. I like to turn the pages one by one. I don't think anything will ever replace that, but I have to admit, this thing is pretty cool. It's small like a cell phone, but it holds up to 350 books! This would be awesome for travel, commuting, or just for around the house. Whenever I pick up my kids from school, I sit there in the parking lot, playing solitaire on my phone while I wait for them to come out. How great would it be to pull out this Sony Reader and dive into a good book?

To enter the contest, leave me a comment here with a literary moment that moved you and why. Did it make you think, smile, laugh, cry? Did it make you angry, happy, sad? Tell me about it and I'll choose a winner from your comments on Friday, December 18. And check out
WordsMoveMe.com to see what others have to say about words that have moved them. You might even get some good ideas for books to read!

Contest open to U.S. residents. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Odds of winning are not increased by a purchase.

* Sony has empowered me to participate in this campaign and I have been compensated with a Sony Reader Pocket Edition.

It's a Jungle in Here!

How to keep your kids' brains from turning to mush (and retain your sanity) during winter break...

1. Take trips to the library to get books for your children of all ages. Keep them interested and learning even when they're not in school. Quiet reading time is a great way to help kids settle down and get ready for bed in the evening.

2. Family movie night! Rent or check out from your local library, a new movie or an old classic to watch together as a family. Make some popcorn, sit back and enjoy!

3. Play a game together! There are a bazillion fun board games out there. Have a Monopoly, Clue, Taboo, or Pictureka night! If you don't like board games, try your hand at Rock Band for Wii, PlayStation or XBox. For younger kids, check out VTech's V Motion for video game fun!

4. Keep active! There's nothing worse than a bunch of kids stuck indoors because the weather outside is frightful. Load up the kids and take them to the bowling alley, the skating rink, indoor rock climbing, or an indoor play place.

Younger kids can keep active with VTech's new line of Jungle Gym toys. You may have seen them in stores while Christmas shopping. These are awesome and I wish they made them for older kids as well. Think about it - this time of year when the kids are cooped up inside because it's too cold and snowy to go out and play (unless you're fortunate enough to live in a land of sunshine), kids can make you bonkers. They need an outlet for their boundless energy or they'll explode. VTech's Jungle Gym toys are perfect for that! Your little ball of energy toddler can pedal away on the Ride and Learn Giraffe Bike and not only will he expend some energy, but he'll get healthy exercise too. And because this is not just a bike, but a learning toy, he'll have fun learning letters and counting animals while he does it.

VTech gave me a huge box of Jungle Gym toys to donate to my church's nursery. I brought them in 2 weeks ago and the kids in the nursery had a blast playing with them. I wanted to take pictures to show you, but of course, I forgot my camera. Ugh. Then, last week I set my camera out so I wouldn't forget it. I overslept and missed church altogether. Grrr. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that toddlers love these toys! Toddlers are, by definition, active, and these Jungle Gym toys combine physical activity, learning, and fun. You just can't beat that combination.
In addition to the Ride and Learn Giraffe Bike, there's an adorable Bouncing Colors Turtle, a Monkey Moves Smart Seat, and Twist and Learn Gorilla Pals that will keep your little ones, interested, engaged, learning, exercising, and having fun while doing it! You can check out the whole line of Jungle Gym toys HERE. And if you're on Facebook, you have to check out VTech's fan page HERE! There, you can find information about deals, giveaways, and sales on the latest VTech toys!
You can check in with the other VTech Voices (MommyMandy, the VTech Mom, Pilar Clark) to get their tips on how to survive the holidays too.
* I am being compensated for working with VTech on some promotions and did receive Jungle Gym toys to donate to my church, however, as always, I only give my honest opinions on products I review.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Tisket, A Tasket, A Kraft Goody Basket



Do you see all the goodies in this basket? Mmmm marshmallows! And marshmallows are fat-free, you know, so you can eat an entire bag a lot of them without feeling too guilty.

OK, for those of you who saw how I cook a turkey (SEE HERE), you know that I can use all the help I can get when it comes to holiday entertaining. Kraft to the rescue! They've relaunched their Facebook fan page, an interactive place to share recipes and tips with other folks. You can find exclusive Kraft recipes, holiday ideas, and even scheduled Facebook chats with the experts from the Kraft kitchens! You can find their Facebook page HERE.

Not a fan of Facebook? No problem. Kraft also has a YouTube channel! This is perfect for us visual learners who would rather see a video demonstration than just read a recipe. You can find their YouTube channel HERE.

Don't have time for that? Still no problem. You can just follow Kraft on Twitter for the latest recipes and ideas! You can find their Twitter page HERE.

Sooo, check them out and let me know what you're most interested in hearing about. Want more recipes? More how-to's on the YouTube channel? More coupons, easy dinner recipes, kid pleasing faves? What do you LIKE about the pages? What do you not like? Let me know in the comments section here. I'll choose 2 random winners from the comments on Wednesday, December 16 and they'll each receive a gift basket full of the following goodies...

* 4 delicious holiday recipes from the Kraft Foods Kitchens
* a Zak Designs garlic peeler
* an HA Mack olivewood mixing spoon
* NEW Velveeta Rotini and Cheese Whole Grain
* Planters cocktail peanuts
* Planters pecans
* Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate
* Stove Top,
* Honey Maid cinnamon crackers
* Jet Puffed marshmallows
* Oreos,
* Kraft salad dressing
* NEW Maxwell House Blend coffee
* NEW Ritz Brown Sugar Cinnamon crackers
* NEW Wheat Thins Flatbread crackers

Oh yeah! And don't forget to click HERE and send our your FREE holiday greeting ecards! For every greeting you send, Kraft will donate 10 meals to Feeding America!

*I did not receive any compensation or products for this post.