So, it’s been a long day, but MoneysavingMom has some great giveaways going on right now! You better get there fast, though because it’s only for 24 hours!

I may as well keep up the theme, right?

Katelyn Olmstead, the Community Manager over at the Allods Online branch in English, emailed me last week in response to my exploratory picture album of the game.  It turns out that she actually likes what I whipped up, and would like to see if it’s possible to get the word out about Allods Online a bit more.  I like the game, despite my reservations, and I would also like to see it get a bit more press.

To that end, she suggested that they could give some beta access keys away via Tish Tosh Tesh, and maybe even answer some questions about the game in an interview format.  (FCC disclosure:  I get nothing out of this deal but some answers to questions and maybe a few more readers.  FDA disclosure:  No food was harmed in the writing of this post.)

My humble abode here isn’t much of a soapbox, but hey, a chance to peek a bit behind the curtain (must… resist… metallic… reference…) is always a bit of fun.  In that vein, I’m taking her up on both of her offers, and in the finest “Will It Blend” tradition, seeing what happens when I mix the two.

So, if there is something any of you want to ask Katelyn in her position as Community Manager, please ask it in the comments down below.

I’ll send the bunch of them to her next weekend (or earlier if the comments drop off) and see what sticks.  She obviously can’t answer some questions, and I reserve the right to add some of my own and excise inappropriate ones (though such will likely never see the light of day in the comments anyway; I’m mean and dictatorial that way).  If you’re interested enough to ask about the game, and want a beta key, well, the list of people who submit good questions may well line up nicely with those who get a beta key.  (Since numbers may vary, I’m not making promises… just noting that they want to give away keys, and I want to see some good questions; those seem like a good match.)

If nothing else, I’ll come up with a list of questions.  Allods Online looks like a game well worth investigating, and I’m going to take this opportunity and run with it.  If you’re interested, here’s a chance to poke around.

Oh, and I fully intend to attribute questions as well as I can to those who asked them.  If you have a blog or portfolio site you want some attention for, I’ll link to it in the Q&A column with your name, if you’d like.  Proper attribution and promotion and all that…

Thanks in advance!

Who says opportunity doesn’t knock twice?

In addition to the one from TheDirtyShirt, there is another CinemaTube review and giveaway from Laughing Lindsay!

Lindsay said, “I am happy with my CinemaTube, it’s really cool. I just plug it into the tv and into whatever format I wish to watch and it shows on my tv! It’s way better than trying to watch videos on a small computer screen.”

(Thank you, Lindsay!)

Well, whatcha waiting for? Now you can win one, too (or maybe two!?). See details here.

Good luck, everyone!



Alien Glyphs update 1.1 is out!
All new features are listed here.
In our TWITTER there will be PROMO CODE giveaway soon. Follow US

Watch the stats on this site and win! The readers who are visitor numbers 99,999, 100,000, and 100,001 will win a prize the likes of which will amaze and enthrall! Here’s how you enter:

Watch the stats (at the bottom of the right-hand frame). If you are visitor number 99,999, 100,000, or 100,001, take a screen shot of the stat and send it to me in e-mail, along with your mailing address. Actually, you might give it a shot if you’re 99,998, or 100,002, or somewhere around there, just in case the actual visitors miss that they’re the lucky number. Bottom line, three winners, three prizes.

Good luck! Love ya!
(Fresh content below.)

I trusted my gut today. I quit my job. I’ve been unhappy with my work situation and everything pointed to making this decision. I will be staying with my parents for my whole winter break (until January 21st). I have no idea what I am going to do for work when I get back but I know I’ll find something.

In happier news, my back finally feels better. I went to the gym this morning and spent 40 wonderful minutes on the crossramp elliptical.

When I got home, I mourned yet another near-empty PB Jar

PB Jar funerals are the best

In the jar:

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup light vanilla soy milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 sliced banana
• pinch of flax seed
• tsp of cinnamon
• 5 or 6 dark chocolate chips
• squeeze of Justin’s Cinnamon PB (courtesy of Dottie)

On Wednesday, Jeff and I went to Panera for lunch and I got the Fuji Apple Salad with dressing on the side.

This is what I order everytime I go to Panera. It’s so good!

Jeff made dinner again on Wednesday night

Buckwheat Noodles with Low Sodium Soy Sauce and Broccoli

Twas yummy. I had some mini Newman’s Own Organics chocolate chip cookies for dessert with a glass of skim milk

My mom sent me home with a tray of Kasha Varnishkes from Thanksgiving. I heated some up yesterday for lunch

Favorite. Comfort. Food. Ever.

For dinner last night, Jeff and I decided to go to a diner. I ordered egg and cheese on a roll. I had a craving for chocolate after dinner so I also ordered a bowl of chocolate mousse

I know it looks amazing in this picture but it definitely wasn’t and I didn’t eat a lot of it. It satisfied my chocolate craving though!

That’s all I have for today!!

I’m going to have a really awesome giveaway for you guys in a couple days. I’m just waiting on some  details! Stay tuned!

Do you usually trust your gut about things?

Have a great Friday night!!

Fresh from Florida Day of Giveaways

Thursday, December 10, 2009

‘Tis the season to win free stuff!

On December 10, 2009, we’ll be giving away tons of prizes to our smartest and fastest followers on twitter!  Watch tweets from @FreshfromFL between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday for Florida ag-related trivia questions.  Be the first to respond with the correct answer to win!

Grand prizes: Three lucky followers in the North Florida area will win Christmas trees from Havana Christmas Tree Farm!

Official rules

…though I can’t say that I’ve ever won one. Somehow….someday…somewhere…(ok sorry about that West Side Story moment).

Anyway, Chocolate-Covered Katie is having an amazing giveaway…find it here. And I wanna win it. I was checking out some coconut oil at the grocery store a few days ago. I almost bought it…but got cold feet. Iwant to try it…but its a pretty big commitment. I mean, I know I’ll fall in love with it and then I won’t be able to stop using it and its not cheap! grrr! story of my life! So I guess if I win it…then I won’t feel so guilty continuing to purchase them after I fall in love! Though I do have to give the hubby props he was trying to convince me to buy it though. he likes me to get what I want.

anyway, sorry about being MIA lately. This week has been busy at job #1, and job #2 was understaffed this week. plus…my car died. we thought it was the battery, but it wasn’t. Its parked in a subway parking lot where I was having lunch with the hubby. i’m hoping its the starter because I’m afraid to know what it’ll cost me to replace the alternator. YIKES!

so anyway, breakfast today was a doughnut (kreuller?) and a banana. I have been completely enjoying Stash’s green and white fusion tea!! YUM!!!

And last night for dinner I made bar-b-que pork in the crock pot. Its a favorite of my husband. We are going to have leftovers today for lunch as we try to get my car started by pounding on it with a hammer. otherwise i’m calling the tow truck. GRRR!

ok, well back to job #1. i’m looking forward to baking this weekend! i’ll try to post at least a little. I still owe you pics and recipes!

The four winners for our A Scent of Scandal candle giveaway are:

• Mary of Vegan Wheekers
• Jessie of Vegan-Minded
• Patricia A.
• Melisser of The Urban Housewife

Congrats, ladies!!!  Thank you so much to everyone who entered!  I wish we could send a candle to all of you, but since we can’t, feel free to head on over to the A Scent of Scandal website & purchase a little holiday treat for yourself (or loved ones) if you feel so inclined.  If you buy 6 candles or more, the coupon code BIGSPENDER will get you free shipping. 

For Mary, Jessie, Patricia, and Melisser – email me at vegoutwithjessica(at)gmail(dot)com with your full name & address.  We’ll get your candles sent out early next week!

Thanks again, everyone!

– GC for cupcakes giveaway

– holiday shortbread mix giveaway

– homestead company bath and body goodies– $40 GC giveaway. and another.

– burt’s bees $75 GC giveaway

– cream and body scrub giveaway

– the eco chic blog is having an eco holiday gift guide, which includes a giveaway for body, home and baby products.

– ecostore ecological cleaning productsgiveaway

– organic hooded pullover giveaway at the funky monkey blog.

– custom handbag giveaway

For those of you who signed up for my 2010 Planner Giveaway but didn’t get it, check out my sister in law’s blog: Beat the Blah and sign up for her planner giveaway! It goes through Monday December 14th, and you have 4 or 5 chances to be entered to win!

You’ve asked for it, and I’m going to deliver!  Welcome to my kitchen!  We keep a kosher home, so some things in my kitchen might be quite different to you!  For a full explanation of kosher, click here.  Basically, we keep meat and dairy products separate (no cheeseburgers!) and don’t eat pork products or shellfish.  We have two sets of dishes, silverware, pots and pans, and lots of other items.

Some items are parve, meaning they do not have milk or dairy in them.  This doesn’t automatically mean that they are vegan though, because eggs are considered parve (I don’t get it either!), and so is fish (again, don’t get it!).

WARNING:  This post is looooooong.  Good luck! I am incredibly lucky and have a really well stocked kitchen.  If you read my blog regularly, you know how much I love some of my gadgets!  Between my mom, and some incredibly generous gifts from our wedding, engagment parties and bridal shower, we are really well stocked!  Up top in the picture below is a panini maker, waffle maker, George Foreman, pizza crisper, ice cream maker, ice bucket and yogurt maker.  It’s kind of obnoxious, isn’t it?  My other appliances (bread machine, crockpot, kitchenaid mixer) aren’t in the kitchen exactly.  They are in our “dining room.”  The truth is, I really believe that I need all of this.  I probably don’t.

My food processor and coffee maker stay on top of the fridge.  The coffee maker comes down everyday (I always make coffee at home!) Somehow, we ended up with a lot of red items and accessories in our kitchen.  It keeps things nice and bright!

Glass is considered parve, meaning you can cook anything you like in it.  Therefore, drinking glasses are parve as well, so we only have one set.  Our regular glasses are from the Impressions collection at Crate and Barrel.  We also have margarita glasses, regular wine glasses, stemless wine glasses and ice cream bowls.

I have glass casserole dishes in the cabinet under the glasses.  I also keep our dairy mixing bowls here.  There’s no rhyme or reason to this, just where I have space!  This is a floor cabinet with a drawer that pulls out.  On the counter above this is the microwave.

Here are our dairy dishes.  We wanted something very simple, so we chose the Maison collection.  I also keep other dairy related items in here like coffee mugs and baking ramekins!  Most of my baking stuff is in our back closet (I have a lot), so there are only random pieces in the kitchen.  Our dairy silverware is also from C & B, but has been discontinued.

We have another big cabinet with a pull out drawer for our pots and pans (and some bakeware).  These are our dairy pots and pans.  The set is All Clad, and we have a few other pieces thrown in there as well.

I also keep a crock of cooking tools (these are dairy) by the stove, next to the blender.

We also have a set of knives for dairy foods.  It is a fairly inexpensive set, but has served us well (first hint for the giveaway!)

Our meat dishes are in another cabinet, along with our mini prep and smart stick, colanders, measuring cups, and a few other odds and ends.  There isn’t much of a system in place.  Our “meat” dishes are Kita from Crate and Barrel, and our flatware is the Twist collection.  Isn’t it crazy that we have to have two sets of everything?  It’s so important for us to have a big kitchen, because we do have so much, but a lot of it is by necessity!

Another cabinet with a pull out drawer for our pots and pans.  This set is Calphalon, and we have a lot of other pieces thrown in there like a wok and roasting pan.  We also keep our meat mixing bowls down here.  That doesn’t mean we only put meat in them, they are just used for meals that have meat in them.  Is this making sense because I feel like I’m confusing myself!

All of our meat tools!  I love having crocks by the stove for all of my kitchen tools, it’s so convenient!

Our knives are really important to us (hint, hint!).  We decided instead of registering for a set, to choose individual knives that we really wanted.  We spent about an hour picking out knives to register for.  We held them, pretended to cut, and really took notes of how the knives felt in our hand.  Some knives are shared, but Solomon and I each have our own Santokus that are comfortable for us (yes, we are really lucky).  We use our knives all of the time, and I really believe having good knives is one of the most important things in a kitchen.

Moving on…spices, teas, and a little bit of everything else.  This cabinet lacks organization and I have no intention of organizing it!

Our pantry is quite large too, and slightly more organized.  The door is stuck open, which is kind of ghetto.  That happened to us in an old apartment and the door fell on me and broke my nose.  Not enough to get a new nose, but enough to give me 2 black eyes.  I hope that doesn’t happen again, that would suck!

A little decor…

A gift from my friend Robin…

Sweet decorations from Ikea!

My duck timer.  Yes, a duck timer.  It quacks.  I adore it.

I have a serious addiction to measuring cups, I keep buying them.  I also collect ducks.  My mother in law found these measuring cups for me, which are only for decoration, I don’t want to dirty them, since I think they are so cute!

Like I said, I have a thing for ducks.  I have tons of rubber duckies all over the house, and this one is a kitchen mascot.  He’s dairy.

A few years ago my brother snuck this Stitch bobble head into one of my bags when I was heading back to Boston from NJ.  He’s been a kitchen mascot ever since!

Of course, a spot for Rufio.  I took this picture approximately 30 seconds after putting his food down.  I don’t know that he has ever tasted his food, he just inhales it!

There you have it, my kitchen.  I feel like this was a really narcissistic post to write! If you have any questions about kosher or my kitchen, please let me know.  Also, if you want to know where I got anything, I can probably let you know where it’s from!

OK, now the fun part.  The whole reason you read this entire post…giveaway time!  I’m really excited about this one, I hope you are too!

As you can tell, I think having good knives is really, really important.  Thanks to my awesome mom, I have a 6 inch utility knife, and a pair of kitchen scissors to give away to one lucky reader (Wusthof is not sponsoring this giveaway).  I tend to use my utility knife most, and find it to be really versatile for anything I need to cut!

I also use my kitchen shears all.the.time, not only for opening things, but for herbs!  I love the rustic look of cut up herbs over salads, and find kitchen shears are the best way to do this!  Both pieces are steel, and I think they are necessities to any kitchen!

(I apologize for mediocre pictures.  It’s hard to get a good picture through plastic and i didn’t want to take these out of their box!)

I’ve decided to keep this contest open until December 31st.  I would rather ship it to the winner after the madness of holiday shipping ends!

I’m giving you 5 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite kitchen appliance that you either own or dream of owning.
2. Leave a comment telling me something you learned about kosher kitchens!
3. Link back to this contest on your blog and leave me a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
4. Add me to your blogroll or subscribe.  Leave me a comment!
5. Follow me on twitter (@liveloveeatplay) and tweet whatever you like about the contest (include my name!)

GOOD LUCK!

(Christmas is rapidly approaching and so is my Blogiversary (January 5). In honor of these two wonderful dates, I’ll be hosting WEEKLY giveaways throughout December and the majority of January. Each Friday I’ll post the new giveaway. You’ll have until the following Wednesday to enter and then I’ll announce the winner on Friday with the next giveaway. I hope you enjoy these fantastic products and keep them in mind for your Christmas shopping or List of Things I Really Want to Give Chelsea!)

*******

Christmas shopping can be hard.

Some people are just too hard to shop for.

They have everything.

Seriously, everything.

But suppose you know a person like this who has everything.

And suppose this person is someone big.

Someone strong.

Someone who likes to workout.

And eat.

If you know someone like this who has everything and likes to eat, like really ENJOYS eating…

like my brother…

then do not fret!

Just go to this little site here. (<- That’s a link.) Click there to find a great Christmas gift for your big, strong brother who likes to eat. You can buy him a ribeye. A big 22 oz ribeye that even he can’t handle. And he’ll love you forever and you’ll do a happy dance because you’ve pleased the beast but spent less than $20!

Or spend $49 and get a whole lot more! (Which is what I plan to do. I can’t publish this post without giving my brother his very own cooler of meat for Christmas. That would be cruel.)

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach… and I agree. BUT why is that exclusive to men?? There are a lot of people who are reached through their stomachs. Your aunt, your cousin, your neighbor, your fellow blogger named Chelsea, your coworker’s cousin, your pastor’s wife’s childhood friend. I understand this. Do you understand this? Green Grass Meats understands this. They love you and they want you to love them back. So they’d like to give you a Christmas gift!

The Goods:
Family Night
2 Tenderloin Filets
2 T-Bones
1 Brisket
1 lb. Stew Meat
1 lb. Ground Beef

Now the good (Texan) folks at Green Grass tell me this is a $49 value. Not true. It is $49 if you buy the Family Night package, but if you were to buy each of those things individually, you’d realize that it is actually a $104.93 value! I know, the majority of us are poor and could never afford a $19.99 filet… but you get TWO in this Family Night.. Plus so many other goods.

So here’s how you win. The contest begins…. now! It closes on Wednesday, December 9 at midnight. I’ll announce the winner next Friday. I’ll hook you up with the friendly people at GGM and they’ll mail you your delicious prize in a nicely packed cooler with dry ice. I got some of my own goods a few months ago and they stayed frozen, even in this Texas heat! There are many, many ways to enter so listen carefully. (For each entry, leave a new comment.)

1 entry – Just leave a regular ol’ comment. Tell me how excited you are about this giveaway. Or tell me about someone who has everything. Or just tell me you love me.

1 entry – Blog about this giveaway. (Leave me the link to that post.)

1 entry – Tweet about this giveaway. (Leave me the link… I don’t tweet but apparently I can still read yours… or something.)

1 entry – For the non-Tweeters, you can Facebook it. I suppose you can Facebook it even if you are a Tweeter.

1 entry – Add my button to your side bar. Make sure that it links back to my blog. (Sorry, the code doesn’t work so you have to save it as a jpg and add my URL when you upload it. The jpg can be found on my sidebar… or right here, for your convenience!)

See that! FIVE ways to enter! Good luck!

• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (audio) (reread)
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (review)
• Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (review)
• Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde (review)

Not to shabby by my standards.  Especially considering how busy November ended up being for me.

And the best news? I didn’t buy or otherwise acquire any books this month.  I guess I’m saving up for the Christmas haul.

Finally, it’s time to announce the winner to my Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict giveaway.  First let me say that I really enjoyed reading all of your responses and hearing what you all would do if you suddenly woke up in Regency England. I used a random number generator to pick the winner, and that person is:

madwoman-doing-cartwheels

Send me an email with your address and I’ll send you your book.  If I don’t hear from you by December 15, I’ll pick another winner.

Our Wednesday night potluck went off without a hitch. Or a fire, thank goodness. But let’s back up.

Since I had oatmeal for dinner on Tuesday night, I went with a different breakfast.

I stole one of Josh’s Lenders bagels and topped it with peanut butter and a sliced banana. The bagel was really plain and left me wanting more. I need to get some of my own – any good recommendations for vegan-friendly bagels?

Snacked on some almonds a few hours later…

For lunch I tried another Dr. McDougall’s selections. No broken bowl this time!

The lentil soup was really good! I’d put it in my Top 3 of this brand. Only one more to go (will be lunch on Friday).

Before my workout, I munched on half a Clif bar and had the other half afterward.

Unfortunately, it was raining like a mug, so we were forced to take our workout to the dread-mill. But we did a good 3 miles and then some abs afterwards.

When I got home, I was a little hungry and knew dinner would be an hour later than normal, so I had a spoon of PB.

Like the Christmas tree background?

Suzie models it better.

Our potluck this week was Mexican themed. We had some bean dip (with lime tortilla chips not pictured, but eaten heavily).

Before it came out of the microwave, Court said it looked like dog food, so we kept talking all night about “how good the dog food tasted” ha ha.

For our entree, Beth made delicious black bean tacos, which I think turned out great.

She went the extra mile and purchased the taco shells that stand up on their own. These are so much easier to eat and don’t fall apart nearly as much, I highly recommend them!

Mexican style veggies on the side. I topped my tacos with lettuce, tomato and taco sauce (not pictured).

In lieu of dessert, we enjoyed this (not Mexican) bottle of wine

I hadn’t had Riesling in a while…it was yummy! Tastes more like champagne than wine to me. Not as strong as Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. I’m still a red girl, but this was pretty good.

While sipping wine, we watched “Trekkies” which I had never seen. Made me feel sort of okay about being a fan of the things I am because I am not that bad. Right?

What are you an obsessively, totally geeked out fan of? Confess!

Need a yoga mat? Check out the Aurorae giveaway over at Hangry Pants

Yeah! It’s Giveaway Day over at Sew, Mama, Sew. I almost missed it but, Beth allowed me to slide in at the last minute! (Thanks Beth!) Anyhow, I’m giving away three Michael Miller Plain Jane Gray fat quarters (pictured) AND, I don’t have pictures of the finished item yet but, we’re making pot holders for our holiday swap at The Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild and I’m going to include at least one of these. It’ll be a very cool pieced pot holder.

I’ll pick the lucky winner by using a Random Number Generator – just comment on this post to enter! Oh, and yes, I will ship internationally!

Enjoy! and make sure you stop by Sew Mama Sew so that you can sign up for more yummy giveaways. Just click on the button below!

Something magical begins when the calendar page turns to December.

There is just something special and bright about the holiday season. It makes me wishful.  It fills me with hope and light.  It warms my soul with “comfort and joy.”  It renews me and refreshes me while making me feel nostalgic.  It causes me to reflect as another year comes to a close, and it causes me to look forward with anticipation to a new year that will soon begin.

It also helps me to more easily see all the good that still does exist in the world, despite all the moments and days where I feel bitterness and anger cankering my soul.

** Rudy’s horrendous bout with contact dermatitis is f.i.n.a.l.l.y. coming to a close.  He had some sort of allergic reaction to something used during or after his surgery.  It left him with a gnarly and nasty rash that not only inflamed and swelled up his foot, but it also spread to other parts of his body.  The last 4 weeks have been filled with numerous doctors appointments and phone calls to nurses, but I am hopeful we are nearly done with this health issue.

** We are hopeful that we can knock Rudy’s two “traffic” tickets down from a fine of $675 when we contest it in court in January.  [On the way to one of his many appointments, he realized that he inadvertently left his wallet and license at home.  After his doctor visit, he got in the car to come home to get his wallet and he immediately got pulled over by a heartless motorcycle officer for not having a license plate on the front of our car.  (We didn't know we lived in a state where we needed both plates on the car.)  That was a fine of $124.  And since he didn't have his license on him and since the cop supposedly couldn't check his computer to verify that Rudy was allowed to operate a motor vehicle, he slapped him with a $550 fine!?  Don't even get me started about the overly rude court lady we had to deal with.]

** I kind of had a poor attitude about an unexpected church lesson I was “asked” to teach, but gratefully the Lord softened my heart and helped me get in a more humble mindset.  The Atonement truly is the most amazing and glorious gift.  Not only will it change our sins from scarlet to white as freshly fallen snow when we repent, but it will change all the bitterness we encounter in life to things that are sweet.  The Atonement also saves us in and from our inadequacies.

“A sense of falling short or falling down is not only natural, but essential to the mortal experience. But, after all we can do, the Atonement can fill that which is empty, straighten our bent parts, and make strong that which is weak.”  ~ Bruce C. Hafen

** Listening to Christmas music makes any day better.  One of my favorite Christmas hymns?  “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.”  “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is another one of my favorites.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

**************************

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

** The holiday shopping is all done.  It was mostly done nearly two months ago, but it is nice to have all the finishing touches wrapped up.

** The Christmas present I am giving myself?  I am not going to think about/worry about where or when or if we will be moving until after the month of December is over. See?  It really is a magical month.

** I am deeply humbled by all the love, concern and support shown to me and my family as we have been struggling to overcome all that is piled on our plate.  The emails, the phone calls, the packages, the prayers … they have all been greatly appreciated.  We are especially thrilled with the irresistible offer my Dad gave us – to fly us all home to Los Angeles for part of the holiday season!

** Little Eli, who is just shy of 17 months, has been into EVERYTHING lately.  He is even getting into things that Cory never got into!?  But, he is still as sweet as ever and his smile just lights up the room.  I love having a little “baby” in the house still.  The things he is learning right now are so precious. I love when he signs “more” and when he folds his arms on his own free will for prayer.  His cuddly snuggles are some of the best medicine around.

** The Children’s Publishing Division of Simon & Schuster recently sent me a box full of goodies … book goodies.  They sent me a dozen holiday reads and they kindly said I could offer a giveaway on my site to two lucky readers.  Here are some of our favorites from the lot.

Snow Bugs by David A. Carter
This is a wintery pop-up book that is sure to delight children of all ages.

Four Friends at Christmas by Tomie dePaola
This is the charming author and illustrator who has created the Strega Nona books.

Snow! Snow! Snow! by Lee Harper
The illustrations in this book are like magical paintings.

Where Is Baby’s Christmas Present? by Karen Katz
This is a fun lift-the-flap board book for little hands.

My Chanukah Palybook by Salina Yoon
Children learn about the meaning of Chanukah in this book and they are also able to “light” a beautiful menorah with play pieces that come with it.

The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein Lindsay and Crouse
This is a collectible pop-up book that has visually stunning art work.

A Gift of Days: The Greatest Words to Live By by Stephen Alcorn
This calendar book highlights the words and ideas of 366 noteworthy figures like Shakespeare, Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Maya Angelou and more.

Santa Claus is Green by Alison Inches
I must admit I was a bit skeptical about this one, but to be completely honest, I loved it!  Sure it talked about being eco-friendly during the holiday season, but I found the suggestions and tips it shared to be more frugally minded and more in line with the true Christmas spirit of giving and sharing than being about saving the planet.  It talks about making homemade gifts, giving old toys to friends and charity, making your own Christmas cards and wrapping paper and giving of your time and self.

The Christmas Baby by Marion Dane Bauer
A beautifully illustrated story about the birth of the Savior.

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So how do you win this giveaway?

Simply leave a comment on this post before Thursday December 10th.  Two lucky winners will be selected for this fun holiday children’s book giveaway.  They will each get to choose ONE of the above mentioned books.

If you want to be entered into this giveaway three times, then in your comment answer at least one of the following questions:

• What makes the holiday season magical for you?
• What is your favorite Christmas song and why?

If you want to be entered into this giveaway five times, then write about this giveaway on your blog or your Facebook status or your Twitter account. Make sure you indicate in your comment that you did so.

Sorry, but this giveaway is for U.S. addresses only.  The winner will have 2 days to claim their prize.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Leap Frog’s Zippity is a cool interactive system that is designed to get kids up off the couch and learning, while they play.

All of the games included on this system are of shows my son loves. Everything is here, Little Einsteins, Disney Playhouse, Handy Manny and Winnie the Pooh. Each show comes with 2 games and some with different levels.

Getting started is easy, just plug the game directly into your television, change the input location and you’re ready to go.

LeapFrog’s graphics for this game are pretty impressive. We have a fairly large TV and there is no distortion or pixelation. In fact, once on, the Zippity could almost be mistaken for an interactive DVD.

Zippity’s mat features 4 colors: yellow(home position), red, blue and green, which doubles as the ‘enter’ button. When playing the game, kids are asked to use the colors to do tasks with the characters on the screen. For example, when you dance with June(Little Einsteins) she will ask you to go to blue, green or red and after you do that correctly, she will dance where you want her to. Most of the games also work on this premise. The first half is a follow along and then they get to control what happens. Also attached to the mat is the bopper, an oversized joystick that allows movement backward, forward, and side to side. My son loves this it and tries to use it even when it’s not required.

The Zippity has been a hit at our house. It did take a bit to teach my oldest that he needed to go back to the home spot(yellow) between each task, but now that he has caught on he can navigate through the whole system by his self.

I would recommend this to game to any parent looking a gift that is both interactive and engaging. Out of the box, the Zippity comes pre-loaded with enough games to keep a little one going for a couple hours. If a change of pace is needed, parents can also purchase other games such as Cars, Disney Princess, and Princess and the Frog.

LeapFrog recommends the Zippity for kids aged 3-6 and we agree. Some 3-year-olds may need a bit of extra guidance, but older kids will catch on right away.

WIN IT!! LeapFrog is offering one Growing Your Baby reader the chance to win a Zippity($80 value)!

This is a great gift idea for a special little one this Holiday Season!

To enter, please comment here with your favorite LeapFrog product.

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Giveaway Closes Thursday December 3rd, 2009

April Showers Blog Design is having a HUGE giveaway and celebrating her OPEN waiting list that starts January 1st! April not only does blogs – but also invitations, announcements, calendars, cards, business cards, custom illustrations, and so much more! Just by pasting this paragraph on my blog I’m a winner! www.aprilshowersblogdesign.com

Isn’t this a beautiful necklace? I think pearls are beautiful and so did Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables! The Mom Reviews is offering this necklace, from Pearl Paradise, to a very lucky winner! Come over and enter!