Category Archives: giveaway

gift worthy, giveaway, video games

Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked Review and Giveaway

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Food Network has made a Wii game, Food Network: Cook or be Cooked!!!! Do I really need to go any farther? For those of you who aren’t familiar with an of the other NerdFamily blogs (like the NerdFamily Food Blog) food, food television, and the Food Network are favorite things, I daresay even passions in the NerdFamily house. And if you are here, you obviously know that we love video games! So we were stoked to receive this game in order to review it.

First off we love the fact it is rated E for everyone because we love to play with our kids and this is truly appropriate for them all (8, 6, 4, and 2). I love the fact it is educational. The challenges take you step by step through cooking dishes so those who can’t already cook (like my kids) will learn the steps, the timing and the basic procedures. For those of us who can cook it is just a fun game!
Now for the nerd analysis. The graphics are ok. They aren’t cutting edge but you are see everything you need. There are 3 gaming modes: 1 player, hot potato and a competitive mode. Right off let me warn you. The hot potato mode is a cooperative mode but it is truly a hot potato. You ans whomever you play with will have to pass 1 controller back and forth. So this mode wasn’t our favorite. But we did really like the other two modes! NerdDad and I really enjoyed playing against each other! (we don’t spend a lot of time playing alone) The game play itself was good. There were detailed specific tasks to complete and you got points based on how well you did them. Including penalties if you did it wrong (like taking your eggs off too soon) or bonuses for perfectly pouring your oil.
The final verdict was that Food Network: Cook or be Cooked is a big hit here at the NerdFamily! We are going to spend many, many happy hours playing over here!
Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own Food Network: Cook or be Cooked?
To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me either your favorite recipe to make or your favorite Wii game.
* A random winner will be selected and notified on December 4th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

( I was given a copy of the game to review and that was the only compensation. Thoughts and opinions are all mine!)

FRN, giveaway, household

Bed Bouquet Review and Giveaway

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I admit it, I like my bedroom to smell nice. The problem is that you can’t leave candles going all night and the pillow mists can stain your sheets and pillows. Also the mists can also have an alcohol after smell (which drives NerdDad nuts).

This is why I was very interested to try Secret Scentsation’s new Bed Bouquet product. It is really rather simple to use. It is a thin little packet that has little vent holes on one side and an adhesive strip on the other. You just place it in between the mattress pad and the sheet. Then stick it to the mattress pad. The amount of smell you desire will effect the placement: more smell put it under your pillow, less down by the foot of your bed. We used the linen scent and it was very nice! They come in 4 scents: Citrus, Lavender & Vanilla, Linen Fresh, Jasmine & White Rose.

Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own Bed Bouquets?
To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me something you do in order to make your bedroom more relaxing and what 2 scents you would like to try.
* A random winner will be selected and notified on October 30th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program from Bed Bouquet, who provided the product for review and giveaway.

FRN, gift worthy, giveaway

My Yoga 2 Go Review and Giveaway!

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Life is crazy, exercise much less relaxation is near impossible to schedule. That is why My Yoga 2 Go was created. In the My Yoga 2 Go Practice System you get posture cards, sequence cards, and a plastic holder. With these, you can layout an entire yoga workout.

This is cool for so many reasons! First off, finding the time and money to go to a yoga studio is always a challenge. And frankly I like yoga but not the mediation side. So this allows me to do yoga on my terms! It has sequence cards that enable you to so a set sequence based on your level and purpose (Energize, core strength, hip opening and more). I also really like the fact that is has a full color picture of each pose with detailed instructions. It has all the benefits of having a teacher right there!
It is also very nice that it folds up and can travel with you. Traveling stresses me out greatly so it is convenient that it is light and can hang on just about anything! With the holidays coming up I think this would also be a great gift.
So does this sound as great for you as it does to me? Well, then you can go pick it up at My Yoga 2 Go. I even have a 15% off coupon for you to use! Just use the code “BLOGYOGA” between now and October 31st. Or you could win it here!
Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own My Yoga 2 Go Practice System?
To enter:

* Leave me a comment here telling me a great relaxation tip!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on October 23rd.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

(This is a FRN review)

FRN, gift worthy, giveaway, software

Muvee Review and Giveaway!

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I have had to come to terms with something. I don’t scrapbook and probably never will. I have shoe boxes of pictures and tons of supplies but I have neither time nor talent. I have a phobia about messing with the actual pictures and hurting them. I am way to type A and at the same time cannot draw a straight line. That makes for painful and slow scrapbooking. But my dads are both out of the area and I would love to keep them up to date with pictures of the kids. So enters muvee Reveal software.

You can use muvee Reveal to make shows with pictures, videos and music. It is so very easy. You just click on everything hit play. It is also set up to help those of us who are, shall we say, photographically inhibited. It offers a variety of photo editing options. You can turn up the colors, offset red eye issues, zoom and more! So once you are done building your show you can a few easy options. You can just view it from your computer, burn it onto a disk, post it on a blog or share it!
This is so great! I think this is a great way to create mini photo “album” shows for different events (like Christmas morning) or seasons (like summer vacation). I also really like this because you can have as many copies as you would like, unlike traditional paper scrapbooks. So go check out muvee Reveal!

Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own copy of muvee Reveal?

To enter:

* Go over to the muvee site and then come back here to tell me about the feature you like the best!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on October 20th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program from muvee Reveal, who provided the program for review and giveaway.

Books, giveaway

New World Kids Review and Giveaway

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I recently received a copy of New World Kids: The Parents’ Guide to Creative Thinking to review. We all know that it is important to teach our children how to think critically through reading, math and other concrete methods. Well, this book looks at why and how we enable our children (or other children you tech) to think creatively.

I am not the most creative person in the world (heck, even in most rooms) and I wonder where I lost that childhood delight in the creative. I also wonder how to impart that creativity which are so important, in my opinion, in the world our children face. Between new software applications, new media and everything else that will be open for them to create in the new world careers how can I prepare my children for a career of innovation?
This book patiently goes through the many tools that we have to help teach and encourage creatvity. It looks at how we all think creatively when we match our clothes and other normal life activites but also how we can further develop that. This wasn’t just a theoretical book. It gives concrete examples and exercises that you can do with your kids to help them think creatively. I really like that this book isn’t creatively snobby. It values people who like pattern and balance just as much as people who are abstract thinkers.
Overall I think this is going to be a tool that I use frequently with my kids and their educational path. This book is beautiful with its striking graphics and stunning pictures really makes the point. It ties imagination into communicating what would be considered very concrete and critical thinking ideas.
Now after hearing how great it is, how would you like to have your own copy? Well, you could go over to Amazon and buy a copy of New World Kids. Or you could win it!
Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own copy of New World Kids?
To enter:

* Just leave me a comment about education and imagination!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on July 16th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

Food, FRN, giveaway

Celebrate Truffles

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I recently got to try some truffles from Celebrate Life. These are not only good truffles they also help suppress your appetite. They work best if eaten 15-20 minutes before a meal or whenever you are hungry. These were really tasty! I am a huge snacker in the afternoon and, while a serving is actually 3, I ate 1 and was totally satisfied. They have a variety of flavors and styles. I got the classic sampler and the fruit/nut sampler. They have a great chocolate taste. If you don’t like real chocolate, ie lots of cocoa, they may not be for you. But most women, this will be right up our alley. Would you like to try these?

Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own of Celebrate Truffles? The winner will receive the same 2 packs that I got!
To enter:

* Go bookmark the Celebrate Life site and tell me 1 health fact you find!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Jun 15th.
* The winner will then have 2 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Celebrate Truffles.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US and Canada. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)

(A warning: the pictures on the Celebrate Life Nutrition site are a little racy, nothing beyond the pale but racy. I promise, all I see them selling is food)

FRN, giveaway, household

Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner Review and Giveaway!

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I have a new cleaning love. It is Pledge Multi Surface in the Lavendar Scent. I got a bottle of this to review and I thought it was going to be fine but not impressive. Well, I was shocked. I went from the piano to the tv to the bookshelf quickly and without having to change cleaners (which I love). This isn’t just a polish but actually a cleaner that really gets the dirt and residue off surfaces. It also has an anti-static ingredient that really seems to help keep surfaces, especially like the tv screen, from getting dirty again. And I love anything that means I don’t have to clean as much. I really liked the lid too. You have to twist it to line up before you can spray it so there aren’t any accidental dispersments and since I have little munchings about and I tend to put things in my pocket to go from one room to another that is very good.

I highly recommend this product to clean all your surfaces. The Pledge site also has a coupon you can go get. So go try or ….
Win it!
How would you like to win your own of Pledge Multi Surface Cleaner?
To enter:

* Go leave a comment saying what you would clean with it!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Jun 10th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US and Canada. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)

FRN, gift worthy, giveaway

Dirty Bow Wow Review and Giveaway

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Have you seen a little kid dragging about their sweet, ratty stuffed animal? I have say that the only thing that can even compare on the cuteness level is watching dogs and their toys. That is why I was so excited to receive a copy of Dirty Bow Wow: a Tribute to Dogs and the Objects of Their Affection to review. This is an adorable book that pairs great pictures with sweet anecdotes about these sweet dogs and their things they love. There is also a great academic angle to this book. It tell you the breed of dog in every picture so if you are trying to learn them it is a great tool!

The authors of this sweet book (Chery and Jeffrey Katz) have a heart for all dogs and especially those that are in shelters. Because of that there is a Dirty Bow Wow Toy Drive! You just get a dog toy and take it to a participating location to drop it off!

Win it!
How would you like to win your own copy of the Dirty Bow Wow?
To enter:

* Go visit the Dirty Bow Wow’s Google Map and tell me where your closest drop location is for the Toy Drive.
* A random winner will be selected and notified on May 20th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)

FRN, gift worthy, giveaway, kids

Cart Stopper Review and Giveaway!!!!

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It has happened to all of us, parents or not. We wheel the cart up next to the car and while we start unloading it starts rolling away. Some times it is right into the main parking lot and sometimes into your ankle. Then add a baby in the cart and you can imagine how intrigued I was to review this nifty little gadget called the Cart-Stopper.

The Cart-Stopper has a suction cup that hooks onto you car. Then there is a toggle on a cord that goes on your cart. This is a really cute idea. Back when I had just 2 little ones would have been when I would have used this the most. When you get the first child at the cart you would know that the cart couldn’t have possibly run away. I hate having to link my foot into the rack on the bottom or, even worse, rest the cart up against my van. I was impressed how well it suctioned to my very dirty van. It was small enough to fit in my very crowded purse and it was easy to hook on with only one hand. I think this is a great little gift for that new mom you know or the new mom of 2 would be even better!

Win it!
How would you like to win your own Cart Stopper?
To enter:

* Go visit the My Lil Monkey’s Website and tell me what color you would like (just follow the order now button but you won’t actually have to order;).
* A random winner will be selected and notified on May 13th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)

bath and beauty, FRN, giveaway, kids

Kinesys Sunscreen Review and Giveaway!!

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I am white. I don’t mean ethnically but I have that slightly transparent, glow in the dark white skin. I can’t tan. I burn bad, turn bright red and then turn white again even if I don’t peel. In addition to my fairness, sking cancer is prevelant in my family. So as you can imagine sunscreen is important in this house. I recently received 2 bottles of sunscreen to review from Kinesys. I received the Kids SPF 30 sunscreen. It is a pump spray that said that you didn’t need to rub it in, which I doubted, but I was really surprised that if you hold it away from you a good distance you really don’t need to rub it in. With 4 kids to sunscreen, that saves an immeasurable amount of time and annoyance. It is also fragrance free, which I loved! You really had to hold their arm to your nose to smell any tell tale sunscreen smell. I also received the SPF 30 Girl Sunscreen (yes, that is what it is called) which is Vanilla Green Tea scented. Is smells very nice, not to heavy and very pleasant. This also was a truly no rub spray.

Both of these appear to work very well. I only say appear because it has either been so hot you aren’t going out (96) or very mild so I haven’t gotten a chance to try it out as thouroughly as I would like. It is very light feeling so you don’t have that oily heavy feeling. It also watches off very easily. My only issue is that they are water and sweat resistant and not proof. Since it is often over 100 here during the summer and water is a big cooling tool, that isn’t the best for us. But over all there are really nice products! Kinesys is offering a 10% coupon Code BRC10 (free shipping on orders over $45 AFTER the discount) on all purchases right now! But what is better than a coupon? Winning it free of course!

Win it!
How would you like to win your own 4 oz Kid’s Sunscreen and 4 oz Moisturizer?
To enter:

* Go visit the Kinesys website then come back here and tell me 1 fact you learned!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on May 6th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Kinesys.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)