Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am thankful to you for so many things, the very least of which is a 3-day weekend. I think back to my childhood, when my gramma would never come to our house to visit (she "didn't want to cause trouble with our neighbors"), us sitting in the back of the bus whenever we went around town (I never understood why, but for my gramma it was an old habit that she never could break) and the rift in my family because of race, to where we are today... a lot of progress has been made. However, there's still a long journey ahead.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the King Holiday, the Corporation for National & Community Service is launching the
MLK 25 Challenge - a call to service for Americans. Tomorrow, I'll be delivering food and toiletries to the local food bank, clothing and household items to the women's shelter, and my old computer to a local organization who rehabs them and donates them to people in need.
I've decided this year I'm sticking to my "something comes in, something goes out" philosophy - if I get something new, a like item has to go out (donated if it's still useful). I don't want to end up on Hoarders!
Speaking of something new coming into my house... lots of great giveaways ending this week that I've entered, so maybe I can look forward to something new soon!
Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports is hosting a giveaway for a $100
JCPenney gift card. JCPenney is actually one of the non-plus size retailers I currently shop at, because they have a decent selection of clothing in my size at an affordable price. In fact, when I entered the giveaway I was browsing their site, and found this coat that I love:
east5th® Long Cashmere blend Coat. It's a very stylish coat that I could wear to work, or around town on the weekends, and it has a 4.7/5 rating with a lot of reviews so I feel confident that it's a great purchase. I love a classic black coat, that I can change the look of by adding accessories like scarves or pins. Plus the long length means it'll keep we warm on these cold, windy days! This giveaway ends Saurday night.
A Happy Hippy Mom is hosting an amazing giveaway for a
Total Gym XLS! Every day, I am amazed and grateful at the generosity of companies who offer their products on giveaways - I have wanted a Total Gym for a very long time, but there's no way I can afford it at the moment. Winning this would mean a world of difference in my struggle to lose weight, and exercise more. For me, the fact that it has a wide glideboard (padded for comfort), it's open and rated for up to 400# means I can use this comfortably and safely. I've tried going to the gym or the Y, but on most of the equipment I either don't fit, or it's rated up to 250# and I weigh more than that. I can use the treadmill, but with my knee I really shouldn't. Most recumbant bikes, the seats are too small. Also, this folds up for easy storage when I'm not using it, which is important to me too since I don't have a dedicated room that I can use for exercise. The giveaway ends on the 19th and there's lots of extra entry opportunities. I do need is a new winter coat - I have one but it's several sizes too big (woohoo!) so once I get a replacement, it's going to the woman's shelter.
Go to
Frugal Family Fun Blog to enter to win an iPad and an assortment of children’s books courtesy of Target! The winner will receive a 16GB Wi-Fi enabled iPad and a selection of children’s books, a prize package valued up to $599. There are lots of ways to enter, so do them all to maximize your chances. This giveaway ends Thursday, Jan. 20 at 12:00am EST.
Momma's Review is hosting a giveaway for a
Kodak EasyShare M580 digital camera and a Kodak Pulse digital picture frame that ends on the 18th. This is in response to Kodak's
365 Project, which just asks you to take one photograph a day. No particular subject matter, just point and shoot at whatever captures your attention. I've seen different bloggers take this in all sorts of ways - picture diaries of themselves or their kids, food diaries, just random shots. It's just a way to document a day in your life (or rather, 365 days of your life) while improving your photography skills. This would be awesome to win - it might inspire me to step out of my cocoon a little :)
Sweeps4Bloggers has a giveaway, sponsored by
Ya-Hoo! Baking Co., for an
Ooey Gooey Giant Cinnamon Roll Cluster. According to the blog post, it's made up of 8 cinnamon rolls, and weighs 3 pounds! It also comes with a pouch of Pecan Praline Sauce and a pouch of Cream Cheese Icing - yum! I know I'm watching my diet, but I wouldn't mind winning these - my son LOVES cinnamon rolls, and I could steal a bite of his :) This giveaway ends on the 16th.
Sweeps4Bloggers has another giveaway ending on Saturday, this one sponsored by Gorton's Seafood. Five lucky winners will each win 2 free product coupons! Gorton's is promoting their current
Facebook contest:
One thousand (1000) FREE grilled product coupons will be given out in four (4) Drawings of two-hundred fifty coupons (250) on: January 10, 2011; January 17, 2011; January 24, 2011; January 31, 2011. One (1) Grand Prize: Xbox 360 Console with Kinect (Retail Value $300.00) to be drawn on January 31, 2011. I've been entering every week, so I'm hoping to win some free coupons since we eat Gorton's at least once a week - with a salad I can have a quick, tasty, diet-friendly dinner ready in minutes.
Also ending on the 16th is a $100 Amazon GC giveaway, sponsored by
JoeShopping.com on
Shop With Me Mama! Yesterday I scored a great deal on a
Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX for $19.99 that was posted there. I've also been trying to be more active on the site, so I can earn points for the
$1,000 Monthly Sweepstakes - now THAT would be a great win! They give you 3 points every day you sign into the site (you do have to click on a link to claim them), so I've made it my home page so I don't forget.
Kiddies Corner Deals is also hosting a giveaway from
JoeShopping.com, this one for a $50 Amazon gift card. I know I've talked about them already in this post, but to give you an idea - they posted a deal at Walmart for 1600 MS Point cards for $14.96 (free shipping if you do site-to-store). This is over 25% off their regular price of $20! Needless to say, we stocked up - since my son got a new Xbox and games over the holidays, he wanted some DLC and I can't remember the last time I saw a price this good on point cards.
The Freebie Junkie is having a Blogtastic Giveaway Extravaganza event January 18-22 and
Miracle Body is one of the sponsors - one lucky winner will win a pair of their jeans (which are one of Oprah's Favorite Things!). Right now they're offering some early entries, so you can increase your chances during the Giveaway event.
No Time Mommy is hosting a giveaway that ends on Thursday. 2 lucky winners will each receive a copy on Avatar Extended Edition (Blu-Ray). From the blogger's post: "
Avatar Extended edition features a video message from Pandora. A Special Feature to watch with any member of your family who is concerned about the environment. It Features James Cameron’s trip to Brazil where we met some of the native tribes to show them his support, and to speak up against the building of a dam that will destroy the ways of the indigenous people who live there." While the movie was good, and the visuals stunning, the social message about the environment and our affect on it cannot be ignored. I'd love to win this giveaway to explore the Special Features.
Rachel's Reviews & Giveaways is hosting a giveaway sponsored by
Long Hair Lovers for a 4-Product Hair Growth System that ends on Saturday. I've been experiencing problems with hair loss and brittle hair for the last couple of years now and came across Long Hair Lovers when I was researching causes and remedies. I've wanted to try their products for awhile now, but I wasn't sure how well they'd work (plus considering how much hair I have, it's an expensive investment on a product I'm unsure of). I admire the fact that their products are all organic and free of detergent sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals or silicones, artificial colors and irritating fragrances. All my research has shown that it's these sulfates, petrochemicals and other substances that have caused some of the damage to my hair. Rachel's experience with the product was a positive one (I wouldn't mind the rosemary scent she mentions, because rosemary is one of my favorite scents!). I would really love to win this one.
Sammi's Blog of Life is hosting a giveaway by
North Carolina BBQ Company for a "Small Battle" Pulled Pork Gift Box. With a retail value of almost $55, there's enough in here to satisfy your taste, whether you prefer Eastern or Western style BBQ. 1 lb Piedmont pulled pork BBQ1 lb Eastern pulled pork BBQ1 pint Piedmont BBQ slaw 1 pint Eastern Cole Slaw 1 (5 oz) bottle of Piedmont BBQ dip 1 (5 oz) bottle of Eastern BBQ sauce We like both styles of Carolina BBQ in our house, so this would satisfy both of us. They're based near where I work - I wish they had a restaurant open, I'd be there for lunch regularly!
Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House GelPro anti-fatigue
Kitchen Floor Mat. I've seen these on HGTV and they look like they'd be perfect for my tile floor. I love my kitchen and am thrilled the kitchen was re-done from the floor joists up before I bought it - but the tile floor is hard and cold, and when I'm in there cooking or doing dishes my feet start to ache after a bit. I know how comfortable the gel inserts in my shoes are - I can only imagime how great this would feel! These mats come in an array of patterns, colors and sizes, so you can find the perfect one to suit your kitchen. This ends on the 17th.
Our Kids Mom is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card, sponsored by
JoeShopping.com. Just remember that JoeShopping.com is relatively new site, as it becomes more widely known there will be a lot more deals posted... but if you get in now, you'll earn points not only for your referrals, but for their activity. Don't forget those points convert to sweeps entries for their monthly sweeps: the
$1,000 Monthly JoePoints Sweepstakes and the
$5,000 Refer-A-Friend contest. You can read more about each at the links provided.
Mom Spark is hosting a giveaway for a 3 video games from the following list, courtesy of
GameStop:
- Dance Central
- Dance Dance Revolution Bundle
- Just Dance 2
- Karaoke Glee with Mic
- Michael Jackson – The Experience
- SingStar Dance
- Start the Party
- Wheel of Fortune
- Wii Party
- You Don’t Know Jack
Not sure what I'd pick if I won - definitely Michael Jackson, one of the dance ones, and probably Wheel of Fortune. Entries are quick and easy and the giveaway closes on Thursday.
The Dirty t-Shirt is hosting a giveaway sponsored by Birds Eye. You can win a prize pack that includes an apron, the book
No Whine With Dinner: 150 healthy, kid-tested recipes from the Meal Makeover Moms, a $100 Grocery gift card and Birds Eye Vegetable Recipe Cards. I actually had some Birds Eye Steam Fresh veggies today with lunch - they're tasty and convenient. We love veggies in my house (we must be in the 6%) so this would be a great win.
As part of my goal to lose weight this year, this next blog contest is a great fit.
Being Alison is hosting a giveaway from
Spike Seasoning Magic for a set of their spices. Since I'm eating healthier (or trying to) I've become more interested in finding new seasoning blends to jazz up my food, so this would be a great win :) I also like that many of their products are gluten and/or salt-free. This giveaway ends on the 20th.
Girl Gone Mom is giving away a $50 gift card to
Plow & Hearth. I love the
Fatwood they sell on their site - it's perfect for starting a fire in my fireplace, or even my charcoal grill. They also have a GORGEOUS
media cabinet that I've had my eye on for awhile now - I would love this for my living room to store all the DVDs, CDs, video tapes (yes, I still have VHS tapes) and games that seem like they're taking over the space! This also ends on the 20th.
Blessings Abound Mommy is giving away an
EatSmart Precision Pro Kitchen Scale! Since I still struggle with portion control, I'm really hoping to win this. I'm glad to see it has a tare feature, so I can get accurate weights. It would also come in handy when I mail oversize letters, to calculate postage (Alton Brown would be proud of me!). This giveaway ends on the 22nd.
EatSmart is hosting another Kitchen Scale giveaway on
Confessions of an Overworked Mom, but this one is for their
Precision Retro Mechanical Kitchen Scale. I love the look of this scale (plus it's in red, my favorite color!). It also has a tare feature, and although it's not digital like the scale above it does have 1oz. markings to make getting accurate measurements easy. This giveaway ends on the 23rd, and is part of the Bubbles of Love giveaway event by 9 bloggers with over 140 different giveaways!
Thanks, Mail Carrier is hosting a giveaway for a a
Shenzhen Knives 2-piece Fruit and Vegetable Set (ARV $45). I was lucky enough to win a Shenzhen knife earlier in the year, and I gave it to my mom.... and she raves about it EVERY time I talk to her. I'm happy for her, but also secretly envious! HA! I doubt lightning will strike twice but you never know... so I'm hopeful. Plus this set is more my speed... and it includes the vegetable peeler which is a great bonus! This giveaway ends on Friday night.
One of the constants in my life is laundry. I thought it would lessen once the offspring went to college but I swear, I think I do more now than ever! That's why I'd love to win the year's supply of
Cheer laundry detergent, hosted by
Life with the Lebedas. It's not only important to me that my clothes are clean, I want them to look clean - I want my whites white, my darks dark, and and my lights/colors vibrant. I also don't like a lot of scent in my laundry detergent - too many smell perfumey. According to the blogger, the Cheer has a clean scent that wasn't overwhelming, and her colors didn't fade, and she would purchase Cheer again for her family's laundry needs. This giveaway ends on Saturday.
