Live Your Own Good Life with Allstate

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Allstate for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
When I hear the term, "Living the Good Life", I don't think of money and riches, I think of the things that make life good for each of us. It doesn't take millions of dollars to be happy, and just because you have everything in the world doesn't mean you are happy anyway.

I used to be a single mother of three children.Rather than live a life of drama and violence, I elected to raise them on my own. Working long hours, while home schooling one child, with a toddler and baby at hand was enough to leave me exhausted every night. Though it was a struggle, we had food on the table and a roof over our heads, which is more than many could say. It wasn't easy, I may have been worried and afraid, but it was still something to celebrate, my being able to keep us all going on my own. Rather than feel sorry for myself, I chose to be happy that we could live peacefully, even if we didn't have all we might want. In our own way, we were Living The Good Life.
Through sheer luck, or divine intervention, I met the man that would become my husband. Being a single parent, it can be difficult to try and date anyone,let alone form a relationship. I was concerned that it wouldn't work, and hesitant to give it a try, but I did. The fact that we were able to work that out was amazing in itself. I may have still been struggling, but my Good Life was getting better.
Fast forward almost 6 years to now. I am no longer working those long hours or struggling to make ends meet. I am able to spend more time with my children and do things for my friends and family that I couldn't do before. Yes, I could go back to those 60 hour work weeks, and we would be able to do even more than we can now, but I am content. This is my Good Life, and for me that is more than enough.
Allstate is an insurance company that works to help better the lives of their customers. By introducing the Good Hands for the Good Life notion, they are encouraging everyone to embrace their fears and celebrate their success. Allstate Good Life helps you create your own.

We all have our own stories to tell, so feel free to share yours with me in the comments below!

Today Is The Last Day Of School

For us here in central Ohio, today is the last day of school. My kids have finished all their work, cleaned out desks and lockers and returned all school belongings, so they have the option of staying home today if they want. All except my oldest who is in trouble at the moment., but that is another post by itself.

My youngest son chose to stay home,but my daughter was excited for her last day party. She was also dying to wear her new dress she received for having perfect grades all year. They will see many of their friends throughout summer. Some of them live in the neighborhood, others are in scouts or at church and some they visit back and forth with anyway.

For me the end of school is bittersweet. No more getting up so early to get them fed,ready and on the bus. No more arguments about homework, behavior and grades. It will be nice to have a break from all that, but I know what is coming next.

The start of summer means bible school, sprinklers, bounce houses and chaos. The kids always want to invite their friends to bounce, swim and play video games and I get left with all the mess. It doesn't matter how hard I try,there is no getting a group of crazy kids to stop in the middle and clean up a little. I will hear several times a day that they are bored, even though they have rooms full of books, games and toys. They will grow tired of parks and swimming and eventually be wishing for school again.

Summer brings picnics and parties, but also bites, stings and bruises. The children sleep in, but then they want to stay up all night. We will have countless sleepovers, where they will insist they need specific snacks, special movies and whatever else they can talk me into. The kids will go to Virginia and allow me at least a week of blissful silence...and probably a little boredom too.

Kidecals- Durable Versatile Waterproof Labels

Kids go to so many events, meetings, parties and gatherings, it is impossible to keep track of all their belongings all the time. I have had items missing for weeks and then just show up in a backpack or laundry hamper out of nowhere. Several times during laundry, I find items that belong to their cousins, friends and neighborhood kids too. I never know what belongs to who and end up having to ask several times to figure it out.I have tried several kinds of labels before, some that worked and others that didn't, but none that worked so well I wanted to go buy them for everyone.

I am getting a chance to try a new set of labels from Kidecals, so maybe this will be the one. Kidecals labels can be used on anything from toys to clothes, so you always know what is yours and what isn't. The labels are waterproof, so no worries about the writing coming off or the label peeling, and you can even use them on toys for the pool or water park!

Washing machine and dryer safe, these can be used on all forms of clothing, washable toys, stuffed animals and more. These would work wonders with summer coming and all the sports equipment, lawn toys, sand accessories and water gear come out of storage. We can keep track of all the kids toys and still be able to take them anywhere. Plus, they can let the other kids play with them and not worry about if it comes back home with us or not.

You can also grab some allergy alert labels or Keycals, awesome decals for your computer keyboard. What a fun way to personalize your space!

Kidecals offers FREE  SHIPPING on all orders, so you know exactly what your order total will be while you are placing it.

* I will receive a set of labels as a member of US Family Guide Bloggers for posting. All opinions are my own.

Disney’s Planes Takes Flight

If you liked Cars, chances are you will like Disney's new film, Planes.

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE:

From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook:facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures.

“Like” Disney’s PLANES on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyPlanes

"Follow" Disney’s PLANES on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the website: www.disney.com/Planes

Disney’s PLANES releases in theaters everywhere on August 9th!

Junkies Really Piss Me Off

I have a profound dislike for junkies. I am not saying that anyone who has ever taken a pill or smoked weed is a junkie. I am referring to those ragged out, broke down, looking like an extra for The Walking Dead kind of junkies. They piss me off.

I have recently discovered an increase in these creatures in the town where I live. We have heard of 3 different meth houses in our town lately, with one of them exploding not too long ago. This is a small town with a Speedway on both sides, and every time you go there, there is a junkie in the parking lot asking for change.

The problem I have with these people is not the fact that they have an addiction, it is the things they are willing to do to feed it. I just do not have it in me to understand the desire for a drug to the point that you will do unspeakable things for it. I cannot comprehend stealing from family, taking from your children or starving yourself just to get a fix....let alone some of the other things people will do. They always look like hell and don't seem to care about anything around them. They just annoy me.

If a junkie has kids, that is even worse. You can't tell me people don't know this freak is a drug addict. Running around with their kids looking ragged and hungry and even if you report it, they never do anything. How can you raise your kid like that? Ugh.

4 Ways To Teach Your Child About The Value of Money

Children who learn the value of money early can apply those lessons throughout their lives. Try these 4 ways to teach your kids about money so they understand how to use it wisely as adults.

Encourage Your Children to Earn Money

It's difficult to understand the value of a dollar when you don't have to work for it. Encourage your kids to earn their own money so they can learn how much work it takes to make a few bucks.
Depending on your child's age, you might encourage them to:

• Open a lemonade stand
• Sell fruits and vegetables from a backyard garden
• Cut grass
• Shovel snow
• Do odd jobs

In addition to learning that money comes from work, they'll pick up important skills.

Take Your Kids Shopping

Make your kids an important part of your weekly grocery shopping. Show them that you only have a certain amount of money and that you need to buy enough food to last the whole week.
Sit down before you head to the store so you can make a shopping list. If they include unnecessary or extravagant items on the list, ask them how that will affect their ability to buy more important items.
They'll quickly learn that spending money is about making choices.

Show them the Importance of Saving and Investing

Even a small amount of money can seem unbelievably large to a child. Children, after all, aren't thinking about mortgage payments and retirement.
Show your kids that saving and investing is an important part of financial responsibility. Start by having them save for big purchases, like video games or clothes.
Once they get older, you can expose them to the merits of smart investing. Let them read Fisher Investments articles and bio. Use the information you find to choose a stock together. Over the next several months or years, track the stock to see whether it earns money.

Get Your Kid a Credit Card Early

Very young children usually need to handle physical money to grasp the basic concept of spending and saving. Seeing coins accumulate in a jar teaches them that saving small amounts can lead to more spending power.
Once your child is old enough to understand that money is an idea more than a physical item, it's time to get him or her a credit card.
Pre-paid credit cards will let you add your child's allowance to the account weekly or monthly. It's important for children to learn how credit cards work. That way, they won't make big mistakes as adults that can leave them buried in debt.
Your kid may eventually live in a world where few people use cash money. It's important to teach them about the advantages and pitfalls of credit as soon as possible.
What other strategies have you used to teach your kids about the value of money? Have you gotten more success from some attempts than others.

Building a Beautiful Flower Garden

The past few years I have been filling my flowerbeds with whatever struck my fancy at the time. I didn't really plan ahead or consider cost, I just grabbed what I liked and went with it. Although this approach works fine when it comes to the current season, that means I also have to do it all again the next year....blah!

This year I decided to try something different and actually plan out what I wanted to do. I started by looking on Pinterest for ideas. I found some really cute things during my search and decided to use one of them in my planning. The topsy turvy planter was really easy to make. I grabbed some basic pots with holes in the bottom from Rural King ( the local farm/feed store). I also grabbed a shepherds hook and some Rustoleum spray paint in bright, bold colors.

After painting the pots and letting them dry, I grabbed my spade, soil and plants and got started. It was pretty simple to assemble, starting with the large pot, filling it and planting the flowers, then setting the next one at the correct angle and repeating the process. The whole assembly took less than an hour, and I have a super cute centerpiece.

My sister told me about the Pinterest picture she had seen for making garden mushrooms, so I decided to try those too. I browsed the aisles of the thrift stores, trying this with that, until I found the perfect match of old vases and bowls for three mushrooms. I grabbed some more of my trusty Rustoleum spray in different colors and some Gorilla Glue for bonding. I sprayed the pieces to get the look I wanted, and after they dried I hand painted the spots with enamel paint. Next I glued the tops on the bottoms and let them dry before putting them in their new homes. The biggest one was shaped so that I made it into a planter too for extra flair.

I surrounded this with several shades of Calibrachoas, some Bi-color Hens and Chicks, a couple of Azaleas and some Lewisia. I am trying to stick with perennials this time so I don't have to do this all again next year. I already had some fabulous Dragons Blood Sedum that has spread about 5 times it's original size since last summer, so with my garden stones and some color changing solar lights, my bed is now complete. Including paint and supplies, I think I have about $150 in it. Now I just need the plants to start spreading and fill in the open spots for the perfect look. Wish me luck!

Clothing Shop Online Brightened My Day

With three kids who are always on the go, we are always replacing clothing. Either one of the kids has outgrown something, or they have lost or ruined it. During the school year, and into summer, the kids tend to wear a lot of tee shirts. My husband is pretty much the same way, living in tees most of the year. He wears them under his work shirts and on most of his days off too. While this allows them to be cool and comfortable, while still having a large selection of shirts to choose from, it adds up to a lot of tees on my birthday and Christmas shopping lists.

Clothing Shop Online offered me a chance to try some of their great items for review. Knowing I would be in need of shirts for the summer season, I decided to try a few of those. I selected shirts from several categories to get a better mix of the products offered. This way I could try several styles and fits to really get an idea of the quality of their products.

The first item I chose was this too cute Tie Dyed Youth Contrast Shirt. This was offered in an array of colors but I selected pink because that is Reagans' favorite color. I knew we could mix and match it with several other items to make multiple outfits for her. The colors were bright and pretty and she loved the retro look. She has received several comments on it and one friend even tried to get her to let her have it.

I selected one of the new Space Dyed shirts for myself. the color was a blend of white, black and grey, so I thought it would work well for casual or slightly dressy outfits. I love the soft feel of the material and the gracious amount of stretch this shirt has. You can pull or stretch it to get the fit you want and it goes right back to shape in the wash.

I also selected one of the Toddler Tone on Tone Pinwheel Shirts in royal blue for my nephew. I ordered this in a size 4T, which is the size he wears. When this one arrived, I thought it looked a bit small for him. I compared it to some of the shirts my younger nephew has and found it to be closer to a 2T than a 4. It measured exactly the same as several of the 2T shirts,at 14 inches long, and much smaller than the 4T ones we tried. I don't know if this was mislabeled, or if these just run small, but I ended up giving it to my 1 year old nephew instead.

My final selection was the mens Camouflage Overdyed T-shirts in blue. My husband is a fan of camo, so I thought this would be just the thing for him. We found the colors to be bold and vibrant, and the sizing to be perfect, but I liked it so well I kept it for a sleep shirt for myself!  I suggest hand washing this one or on a gentle cycle because it did seem to fade slightly after a few washes. This could just be the setting it was washed on, but I plan to wash it with delicates from now on to prevent fading.

I find that many of the shirts we buy don't last as long as I would like them to and I have not noticed any issues with these shirts so far. Through several wears and washes they have remained true to size and with no issues aside from the mentioned slight fading. I plan to grab a few more of their shirts for summer and school next year!

My Fantastic Fairy Garden

I have been working hard on building a fairy garden. I have a small strip of flowerbed along the side of my house that is a headache. It grows some things too well and they spill over the walkway, while others just don't seem to flourish there, no matter how much I try. This year, I decided to turn it into a fairy garden of sorts and see how that works out.

I didn't really sit down and plan anything, I would grab a flower here or a trinket there and figure out where it all went later. I have a large bed in the front too, so I was doing it at the same time. Because I have developed a fondness for succulents lately, I was looking for something to really make it pop. I thought I had found the perfect Sedum variety, only to find it was out of stock until fall...ugh. I ended up grabbing some bi-color hens and chicks. I am not normally a fan of them but these are yellow in the center followed by green and then red on the tips. Mine won't look like that for awhile, thanks to Michigan Bulb, but that is a post for later.

I grabbed some cute frogs from Factory Direct Craft and decided to make a pond and river for them to sit around. I used an old cookie tin for the pond and lined the riverbed with plastic so the rocks wouldn't mix with the mulch. I planted flowers around it and added a lighthouse at the end. Next I used a ceramic house I grabbed at the flea market, stuck a couple of flower picks beside it and made a fairy cottage.

I crafted a picnic table and wishing well from craft sticks, painted them and made a sitting area. Now I just need some little chairs. I took a small bucket from FDC , filled it with craft sequins and painted the words Fairy Dust in the side. At the far end I used another ceramic house, some wooden potted plants from FDC and more flowers to make another fairy home. I planted Lewisia, Coleus, and the hens and chicks around the area and put a color changing solar light at each end. All in all I don't think it turned out too bad. I probably have about $30 in it, not counting the supplies that I already had around the house.

Hear What's Important

Can you imagine what life would be like if you couldn't hear? No whispers of love, or pounding of rain on the windows. No childrens' laughter or tinkling of chimes in the distance. Not only would you not be able to hear anything, you would not be able to live as you are used to doing. If you cannot hear, then you can't understand what is going on around you, your responses are slowed and your ability to gauge things changes.

Places like Advanced Audiology have been providing the answer to this issue for many years. From hearing tests and treatment for hearing loss, to diagnosis of hearing disorders and issues, a simple visit can help save your hearing and keep you living the lifestyle you deserve. It is quick and easy to set up an appointment and the benefits are endless. Hearing loss can prevent you from obtaining employment you desire or cause you to lose the job you have. It can make telephone calls impossible and stop you from enjoying concerts and movies. With help readily available, it simply doesn't make sense not to take care of this as soon as possible.

It is not at all hard to find a doctor who can help you with your audio correction journey. You can simply look online for something like hearing doctor Atlanta and find plenty of results to get you started on the road to better hearing. The doctors at Advanced Audiology work with you to notice the signs and determine the causes of hearing loss. They can inform you of the different types of hearing loss and the suggested treatment that works best for your needs, such as Neuromonics Tinnitus treatment, which stops ringing in the ears.

Because hearing loss can be attributed to so many different things, and the same treatment is not right for everyone, it really is a good idea to get yourself checked immediately upon any signs of hearing trouble. Prevention and treatment can help make your life better, so why not do it while you can?

Give the Gift of Project Hope

For many of us, the basic things in life are a given. We don't even think about where our next meal comes from or how we can provide care for our children. Some people, however, don't have such luxuries.

Project Hope, founded in 1958, is working to fix that problem. The global health humanitarian and education organization provides a variety of care to places all over the world. They provide services such as educating community health workers, fighting diseases, providing medical care, supplies,medicine and more.

I know some of you haven't bought your Mothers day gifts yet. maybe you forgot, or didn't have time. maybe mom lives far away and you couldn't be with her, or maybe you just want to send her something that can help someone else.

By visiting Project Hope, you can select your gift and give something that could save a life, treat an illness or feed a child. What better way to celebrate mom than to show her the compassion and love she has instilled in you by choosing to give to others. You can select your amount, so you only give what you can afford and even the smallest donation makes a world of difference.

$10 - provides needed medicines to children
$25 – provides 10 women with anemia screenings
$35 – sends important text messages to women with gestational diabetes
$50 –provides a cervical cancer screening  
$100- provides vaccines for 4 Children!

By sending your mother a beautiful, personalized Project HOPE Mother’s Day eCard, she’ll receive more than a token of your love. She’ll receive confirmation that the support you have pledged in her name this Mothers’ Day is helping Project HOPE meet the lifesaving medical care that mothers around the world rely on.  Visit Project HOPE’s  Mother’s Day Gift Catalog today and make your mother a part of the 1 in a 1000 Mother’s Day Campaign.

*Information provided by Blog PR Wire. I may receive a Project Hope shirt for posting. All opinions are my own.

KFC Should Stand for KEEPS FAILING CUSTOMERS!!!

I am going to start this by saying I do not go to KFC very often anymore. Here, it is a split restaurant, serving both KFC and Long John Silvers, located at a busy intersection and across town from my house. I have had several bad experiences with them, and just stopped going there.

Last week, I was browsing menus online, checking for new items and deciding what I wanted to eat for dinner. I noticed that KFC had Chicken Littles again after years without them. I loved them as a kid, so I called the local store to see if they served them, and found that they did.

When we entered the drive through, there were no other customers in line. We pulled to the order station and attempted to find what we were looking for, only to be rudely asked,"Did you want to order something?" No lady, I am just sitting in the drive through for nothing. Geez. I replied that I needed a minute and, with a huff, was told to let her know when I was ready. After a short time, she asked, "Did you need something or not?" At this point I was getting annoyed with her rudeness, so we just went ahead and ordered. My husband asked for a chicken sandwich and potato wedges and I ordered clams, a Chicken Little and fries.Pretty simple right?

We pulled around where the rude lady turned out to be a rude teenage girl. Too busy chatting to open the window, she finally acknowledged us, and was snappy when she told us our total. We paid, I asked for shrimp sauce, she rolled her eyes and with another huff, threw some in the bag. She handed us a small bag  and slammed the window. Knowing that they normally only use small bags for one or two items, I checked the bag to be sure we had everything. It turned out I was missing the potato wedges and my fries were stone cold.

I went in the store, where I found only one person ordering and a customer talking to an employee at the counter. As I waited, while several employees stood around and did nothing, I overheard (from 2 feet away) that they customer was there because she had an issue, and was due a refund on her order for finding hair in her food. Finally another teenage girl addresses me and I ask for the manager. I am told she is the one speaking beside me and since she is busy, what did I need? I held up my receipt and she said, "What did we forget?"  From the tone and the way she said it, I knew this must be a regular occurrence for them. 

I told her I was missing the wedges, and the fries were cold. With no apology, she turns and walks away. I stand there for several minutes while several teenagers "working" there stand in a group and talk. Finally the girl returns with a bag and says "Here you go". By now I am angry, so I take the bag and leave.

When I get home, I see that I had waited several minutes for a whopping 5 potato wedges thrown in the bottom of the bag, and no fries to replace the freezing cold ones they gave me. Trying to salvage something from the experience, I opened  my chicken little, which cost almost $2, to find this...

Are you kidding me? This tiny thing the size of a dipping sauce container is what all that fuss was for? I might have paid 50 cents for this, had it not been hastily thrown together and half off the bun. My 6 year old daughter can make a better looking sandwich than that. 

In the end, I dealt with several rude employees, was shorted one item and served one that should have been thrown out long before. Using the drive through was pointless since I had to go inside anyway. The manager was too busy arguing with a customer to even deal with me and my sandwich looked like a hot mess. Can you say FAIL?

My Fabulous Birthday Week

The picture Reagan made me on Saturday

I turned 33 Tuesday...yep, that's right, 33. I am old. My husband is always working during the week, so we usually try to schedule celebrations or events on weekends instead. That means we are usually on the go all weekend long, all the time.

Last weekend we were celebrating my birthday early because the kids would be at school all day on Tuesday, and Brad would be working. I had no idea what I wanted to do and had told him to just choose something. I should have known better because he wanted it to be a perfect day for me. That meant he didn't want to pick the wrong thing, so he wanted to take me wherever I wanted to go...ugh.

 


I started my day by receiving my beautiful new ring. I normally don't go for too much pink, but I just love how the opal looks against the pink sapphires. There are two small diamonds on each side too. When we saw it in the store a few weeks before, it was the only one like it and I guess he knew I just had to have it.

We ended up going to the casino that evening, honestly for lack of anything else to do and the fact that it is reasonably close to home. We hadn't been there yet, so it was a good night for it. We found $20 on the ground as we were going in, and I took that as a lucky sign. It turned out to be true, I won around $150 on slots in about an hour and a half. We grabbed a bite to eat, which was ridiculously expensive for what it was, and ended the night about $80 ahead of where we started, which was part of my birthday gifts since I got to keep all the winnings :) I forgot to take pictures to show you though :(

On Tuesday morning my mother in law brought me a card with money and this amazing Bromeliad plant. I saw it and fell in love with it. I had mentioned it to Brad, but when his mom and I were in the store, I showed it to her too. I didn't know she went back that day and bought it because it was the only one this color. They had several yellow and orange ones, but I wanted this one.

When I checked the mail later, I found a card from my mom, and a huge 6 page lottery scratch ticket. I didn't win, but I had fun scratching all those pages! My grandmother had sent me a check and a lovely card too.

 I snagged some Betty Boop socks, a tart warmer with tarts and candles, a cute wall plaque, a Steelers bear, a pretty rose,cards and more scratch tickets too. I am probably forgetting something but that is what I remember. 

We finished with dinner out on Tuesday. I am a fan of buffets because I am so picky about my food. At least that way if I don't like what I have, I can get something else. Little did I know, my husband and the kids had arranged for them to sing Happy birthday to me while we were there. I was embarrassed beyond words, but it was cute too. I was very blessed to have such an amazing birthday week, to have received such lovely gifts and been able to spend time with my family.

The Perfect Husband

I have the perfect husband. I know you are probably thinking I am a little nuts for saying that, let alone writing it for all the world to see. Intellectually, I know that nobody is actually perfect. We all have our little quirks and flaws, but those are what make us individuals too.

While I am sure that to many, my husband would not be considered perfect, to me he really is all I could ever ask for. He has never raised a hand to me, or called me vicious names. He has always been there when I needed him, even when I didn't know that I did. There have been times when I don't know what I would have done without him, and there is little that I would not do for him.

I kiss my husband each night before he goes to sleep, and again every morning before he leaves. Sometimes, I find myself watching the clock as the day grows later, waiting for him to come home. I have found myself lost in watching him do the most basic things. I've never had the urge to tell him no when he wants sex, in fact I am usually awaiting the moment, every chance we get. He is amazing.

I try to remember him in all that I do, and he gives me all that he can. He's not be the richest man in the world, but I am able to comfortably stay home while he provides for our family. He never complains if something isn't perfect, and he always asks me what I want. He leaves the house and home to me, but gives me input when I ask. He helps me with the chores and deals with the kids, and isn't sitting around with a beer in his hand all night. What else could I want?

As I watch those around me struggle with their relationships, I am grateful that I don't have all that drama in mine. When one of their marriages crumbles and falls, I always think how very lucky I am. I have never had the desire to stray from my marriage, and I am secure that he feels the same. I have never wished that I chose another path, or wanted to change things. I am happy.

We have survived family and children, new additions and tragic deaths. We've dealt with struggles and issues, but we end them in the bedroom. Post coital bliss is a great time to talk calmly and without reservation. We make time for each other, and we talk every day. I wouldn't trade him for the world, or do anything to risk losing him. He is my other half, my dream, and he is perfect.

Mothers Day $800 Amazon Cash Giveaway

Celebrating Moms

With Mothers' Day almost upon us, I am sure we all could use some extra cash. Even if you don't spend it on mom, I bet you can find something special to get if you win. I know I can use some new summer clothes, maybe a fire pit and some more wind chimes. What about you?

Join us for an exciting giveaway from Save1.com worth $800 in value, and enter for your chance to win one of four Amazon e-gift cards! One winner will receive the Grand Prize of a $500 Amazon e-gift card, and three winners will receive a $100 Amazon e-gift card! We hope this will be a very special blessing to all the moms out there. Enjoy this delightful infographic about mothers and don't forget to enter for your chance to win in the giveaway!

*Will you help Save1 reach their goal of feeding 100,000 children? Each time you and your friends share their website on Facebook, "Like" their Facebook page, and sign up for their newsletter, Save1 will provide three meals to a child in need. This takes just 60 seconds to complete! Go here to help make it happen now.

Giveaway Time!

This special Mother's Day giveaway is brought to you by the generous sponsors at Save1.com.

This event was organized by Rebecca at Love2EncourageYou.

Prize: There will be four winners total for this giveaway. One (1) winner will receive the Grand Prize of a $500 Amazon e-gift card! Three (3) winners will each receive a $100 Amazon e-gift card! The total value of all prizes included in this giveaway is $800 value in Amazon e-gift cards!
Location: Must be a resident of the USA or Canada.
Age: 18 years or older to enter. Void where prohibited.
Date: This giveaway begins on 5/02/2013 and will end on 5/12/2013 (Mother's Day) at 12:01am Eastern time.
Please support the sponsor and follow Save1 on:

• Google+
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Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. Once you have signed up for Save1’s newsletter, the only mandatory entry, it will unlock the additional optional giveaway entries that you can enter to increase your chances of winning. If you complete ALL entries in the giveaway form you are entitled to a free bonus of 10 additional entries! Best of luck to each of you! Happy Mother's Day!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Rebecca at Love2EncourageYou shares: "Special thanks goes out to the following blogs: My Journey to Living Well, Thrifty 4nsic Gal, Sweet Pennies From Heaven, Luker Family Tales, The Deal MatchMaker, the space between, Qpon Junkie, Finger Click Saver, and Lost Island of Book Reviews.

Disclosure: Love2EncourageYou and 2 Monsters and A Princess are not responsible for sponsor prize fulfillment. My Blog's Name was not compensated for this post except for a link on the giveaway form. This giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Amazon in any way. Please see official rules in the Rafflecopter giveaway form. All winning entries will be verified.

Papa John's, You Make Me Angry

Last week I received a card in the mail from Papa John's. It was basically an apology for messing up on my last order and offered me a free medium cheese pizza. (By messing up I mean it took them almost an hour and a half to get my order to me, when the estimated time was half of that. The order was incorrect too, so that made it a total bust and a waste of time and money. I called and complained, and was told they were sorry. That was all, just sorry. No offer to fix the order or replace it at another time, just we are sorry, followed by this card a week or so later.)

Normally I am not a plain cheese pizza kind of girl so I probably would not have even used the card. Yesterday, however, I made cheeseburgers for dinner. I hate the frozen hamburger patties that everyone else loves, so I needed a quick and easy dinner for myself,  and a free pizza was just the thing....or so I thought.

I placed my order online, using the code that clearly stated was for a FREE MEDIUM CHEESE PIZZA. I added it to my cart, only to see that I was being charged $1 for it anyway. I doubled checked the code, made sure the offer was in my cart, proceeded to order a 2 liter of soda and a Cinnapie and still there was the $1 charge for my FREE pizza, plus delivery of course. At this point I was starving so I elected to just pay the dollar and placed my order.

Once again my order arrived well past the estimated time. The driver sat outside for quite awhile in his vehicle and when he came to the door, he said he was organizing his orders. He then apologized for taking so long to get there...again. I paid the cost, delivery fee and tip and went to eat my dinner...finally.

I opened my pizza to grab a square and found big, bulky triangle slices instead. I know I had ordered square cut because I always ask for square cut, and I had been sure to check that on the order after the last time. I hate big slices of pizza with huge crust, so I didn't even want it after the wait. By now I was a little frustrated. I waited forever for a pizza that was cut wrong too...and this was supposed to make up for the mistakes made on my last order?

I grabbed the Cinnapie, at least thinking that would salvage what was left of my night, only to find it overcooked and hard. I like my food to be done, but this was way too much for me. Knowing I would only get another "sorry" if I called to complain, I just elected to not finish the food and call it a night without dinner.

Can you say angry?

Shouho Blog: Tumblr - Giveaway

Shouho Blog: Tumblr - Giveaway: totemo-kawaii-ne :

totemo-kawaii-ne:

This is my first giveaway!!! I am so excited for it! I do not have a reason for doing this, but that doesn’t matter!!! v(=∩_∩=)ﾌﾞｲﾌﾞｲ!! 

Just like always, there are rules you must follow:

♥ You have to be following ME~

♥ You may reblog this and like it as much as you want! The more, the better!

♥ I will ship worldwide for free~!!!

♥ The winner will win the items listed above~

• 1000+ kawaii sticker flakes!
• 20 kawaii pens (some with charms on top)
• 4 kawaii spiral notebooks (200 pages each)
• 50+ Rilakkuma memo pads and stationary
• 1 oversized Ulzzang grey star sweater (fits all)

This is the last day to enter so head on over and see if you win. I wish you all good luck but I want to win for my daughter! 

Shouho Blog: Tumblr - Multi Item Giveaway

I wanted to share a fun giveaway I found with you. You only have a few days left to enter so good luck!


Shouho Blog: Tumblr - Giveaway: ami-sempai : ♥ Ami-Sempai’s 3rd Kawaii Giveaway~ ♥ This time, I’m giving away things I bought and realized I didn’t really like or... just didn’t think I needed. Instead of going through a endless process of trying to return it all, I’m giving it all away to ONE lucky follower and also to celebrate my 1k.

Prizes-

♥GEO Animation CP-A1 Circle Lenses.

Unopened, Sealed and in original packaging.

14.0mm in Diameter

♥Pastel Galaxy Skirt

From Romwe.

Sized at Medium. Can probably fit up to large or more.

♥Dotted Collar Sweater

From Romwe.

Size Medium. Can fit up to XL.

♥Babycakes Wig From Insomnium Wigs

From Insomnium Wigs on StorEnvy.

Pink and Blonde.

Beautiful quality!

♥Rilakkuma Chocolate Phone Case 

Brown Color.

Only fits iPhones for 4 and 4s.

That is a load of prizes to one winner. Follow the link to enter!

Crayola's Big Colorful Birthday Adventure

Did you know Crayola was celebrating their 110th birthday? That's right, those wonderful crayons we all love to use have been around for over a hundred years and they are still coming up with new ideas and products.

To celebrate, the original 8 crayons are throwing a celebration bash at Crayola Experience. That means you can win the chance to celebrate, not only with Crayola, but at the only Crayola interactive family attraction.

How can you join in on the fun? You can FOLLOW the crayons on their adventure, LEARN more about each color and enter to WIN a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the all new Crayola Experience!

The new Crayola Experience features four floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that will bring the magic of color and your child's creativity to life! The winner will be among the first to experience the fun, along with a three- night, all-expenses paid stay. It's an experience your kids will never forget - and neither will you!

* All information was provided by Crayola. I will receive a set of the new crayons for posting. All opinions are my own.

PIN AROUND THE WORLD CONTEST

PIN TO WIN!

Facebook fans... enter the "PIN AROUND THE WORLD" Contest... 1 grand prize winner will receive a $250 American Express Gift Card and 10 winners will receive a free personalized copy of the new, I See Me!- MY VERY OWN WORLD ADVENTURE storybook! 

To enter, go to:     http://woobox.com/4udgrm

This book features 63 original paintings, by different artists, from 63 countries around the world. Use the paintings to create your own Around the World board. Simply complete the small form, pin at least 3 of the images to your board and wait to see if you win!

Good luck to all... and HAPPY EARTH DAY!

* No compensation was given for this post. I am simply spreading the word so you can win too!