Don't you love getting real mail?

Tiny Prints

It's that time of year - Christmas Card Season.  I love opening up the mailbox and actually getting mail that doesn't consist of bills, circulars, or other random items that are just "business."  Maybe it's a side effect of having moved around a bit, but my heart just feels open wide to hear from friends in far away places.  I'm especially tickled to get photos of families - another opportunity to see how everyone has grown.

Crafting our own card can start pretty early.  As two of the most-photographed kids around, Daniel and Ethan are in stacks of pictures that I need to wade through.  Luckily we have companies like Tiny Prints that can make the design phase easy.  I prefer bold colors...  and I can never seem to pick just one photo.

Has anyone come up with ingenious ways to display the cards you receive for the holiday season?  Living in a condo, our space is at a premium.  Last year I resorted to attaching them to the spare door in our living room that we never use.  We enjoyed the expanding display so much that we left it up well into the New Year.  I may do the same this year as long as I can keep everything high enough to keep toddler paws in check.

I'm off to shuffle through our reams of kid photos.  If you too are on the lookout for a creative company to help you make your holiday cards this year, I recommend checking out Tiny Prints.

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern, and unique stationery from Christmas cards, New Years cards, party invitations, and address labels to thank you cards. Once the holidays have come and gone, Tiny Prints will still be there to fill your stationary needs with their exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers. All year round, you’ll find business cards, birth announcements and even custom wedding invitations. Come try the easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality for yourself. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch!

Pizza Anyone?

Hey Y'all! So I was at a playgroup the other day and a Mom commented on how I must be loving having Daniel in full-day school/first grade. The idea, I suppose, being that I would have all this time. Huh. Truth is that stuff just expands to fill that available time. There's Cub Scouts and karate, church, and all the homework. Who would have thought that Fall could get this busy? Meals can get to be a scramble too, and one of the standbys that I can always count on my kids being willing to eat is pizza.

I was recently contacted by Freschetta, and as a part of the Fresh Connection Community they offered me a coupon to try their pizza. Crispy crust, yummy cheese... It was quite tasty! Even my picky eater proclaimed it good!

Through the end of this month Freschetta is presenting their Proud to Support Pink Program. When you purchase specially marked packages of Freschetta pizzas and Artisan Pizza Crusts you will be helping them reach their goal of a $50,000 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Each package is printed with a code that you can enter at http://www.proudtosupportpink.com/. Each entry represents a $1 donation to this center to support breast cancer research (up to $50,000). There are places on the site to share your stories and provide (and find!) inspiration as well.

Win It!
Win a kit containing a coupon for a Freschetta pizza, and two pairs of Freschetta Proud to Support Pink earphones - one to keep, and one to give away.

Entry to this contest is fast and easy. Simply comment on this post. Deadline is Sunday, October 30th.

Good Luck!
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Freschetta pizza contacted me and provided products for me to review. My (and my family's) love of pizza is strictly my/our own.

Pretty and a Giveaway

I love to read and I've finally reached a point where I can carve out tiny niches of time to actually do so again! When the folks at Global Influence asked if I'd like to read and review Jillian Lauren's debut novel titled Pretty, I jumped at the chance.

I'm not sure that Pretty is a title I would consider for a book that is anything but... It's the saga of Bebe Baker, a former stripper, former drug addict, former many things. A car accident has killed her boyfriend, leaving her scarred and adrift. We meet her while she is serving time in a halfway house and ticking down the hours to finish cosmetology school. I usually need a hook of some kind to get me interested in a book - compelling characters, compelling storytelling. The favorite books that stay with me have a character or characters that I can identify with, empathize with, feel for... and I found myself struggling to find that link with Bebe. She's lived and is living a hard and harsh existence. If she were a friend I'd want to shake her for some of the choices she's made!

And yet... her plain-spoken, in your face story began to draw me in. Bebe is surrounded by some fascinating characters. I wanted to see where their story would lead. This is a book that I might not have picked up on my own, but I am glad that I got a chance to read.

Win a copy!
I have the chance to give away a copy to one lucky reader. To enter: Tweet or Facebook post about this giveaway, including a link to the book Pretty. Example: Check out @jillylauren's new book, Pretty - http://amzn.to/prettybook

All entries should include the hashtag #PRETTYBOOK. Please leave a comment on this post with a link to your tweet or FB post. You may enter daily. Giveaway closes on 9/15/11.

Can't wait to read the book? The first 250 people to order Pretty on 9/7 from Amazon who email the receipt to pretty.the.book@gmail.com will receive a Limited Edition run of the "Pretty" necklace made by FairyTale Jewels.com.

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I received a copy of this book for the purposes of reviewing and hosting a giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Join the Little Miracle Mission

Have you seen the commercials? The Pampers "Every Little Miracle" commercial never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

In 2005 I was a busy executive secretary. A Type-A personality and planner to the max, my hard work and attention to detail helped multiple division presidents of a b2b publishing company get the job done. And in the summer of 2005 all my research and ability to plan and be in control went out the window with the birth of my first son. While I loved (and love!) him dearly my world went upside down in an instant in ways none of the books could have prepared me for. I left the job that had consumed my time for 9.5 years of my life, and so very many of the day to day relationships that I had had went with it. Sleepless nights, feedings, teething... anyone who is a parent is familiar with what my routine became. And despite my beautiful baby boy and loving family I was feeling lost. And I struggled. I was so very lucky that someone pointed me in the direction of the local family network. There I found playgroups and activities that forced my tired self out of the house. And I found advice, a shoulder to lean on and friends that are still around to this day.

Why do I digress with my little story? Pampers has generously provided me with a $50 gift card as part of their Little Miracle Mission. It's a chance to pay it forward, and I have chosen to donate it to my area family network that provided me with so much support during my early days of motherhood. They have changed much in the last 5 - 6 years, in part due to the budget struggles that so many of these organizations have faced. (And I've changed myself, adding another son to my growing family!)

Join the Mission!
I have been offered a gift card for one of my lucky readers to give away as well. Simply reply to this post and let me know how you would pay it forward, should you win the $50 gift card.

This is going to be a fast one, as the deadline is set for Noon EST on Wednesday, May 25th. Reply ASAP.

Everyone can easily participate in a small way by "liking" Pampers Facebook page (facebook.com/pampers) and then going to the Miracle Missions tab and committing to Mission 1 by clicking "I want to pledge". You are automatically entered to win a years supply of diapers and wipes, which could help you or someone you know in a big way.

Hope to hear from you all soon!

Spring?

Hey Everyone! Been away from this blogging thing for too long. Spring seems to finally be here, and I'm taking a deep, refreshing breath.

We held our last giveaway, and I notified the winner. And it occurs to me that I needed to announce it here, and never did. Apologies and much-belated congratulations to Shelley!

Wising you all a fun, sun-filled day!

A Cook I Am Not, But...

I think it was my brother who (half) jokingly asked if H knew what he was getting into when he proposed. I love good food, and I love to eat. I even skim the cooking shows and recipes and cookbooks from time to time. My patience for the whole process of meal preparation, though, is not very great.

Not long ago MyBlogSpark and Old El Paso reintroduced me to an old and easy favorite of mine. taco night! I remember loving the "taco bar" in college. We love tacos, and I plan to get Mexican fare back into my rotation of easy-peasy menu items. The Old El Paso lineup of products includes chiles, dinner kits, dips and sides, enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoning mixes, shells, taco sauce and salsa. There are endless recipe variations you can play with, like easy fish tacos. Everyone can decorate their meal with fixin's to their liking.

Win a Prize Pack like mine! Old El Paso and MyBlogSpark were gracious enough to send me a prize package that includes a packet of Old El Paso taco seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip serving dish, a set of three Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your taco fixings.

To enter: Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite Mexican fare. Or how you plan to make taco night special. Which night of the week will it be?

Bonus entry: Follow this blog, and leave a comment telling me that you do, or have done so.

Deadline: This will be a quick one. Winner to be picked on Monday, January 31st at Noon EST.