Thank you to all of those who entered this giveaway!  Thank you also to Progresso and MyBlogSpark for letting me host this giveaway!

Out of 93 comments, random.org chose comment #53:


Congrats, MollyK!

Well, I haven't done this in quite some time, but I have a new giveaway for you courtesy of Progresso and MyBlogSpark!

Have you tried the new Progresso recipe starters yet?  They are fairly new, and this was only my 2nd time to try them.  I have to say that the Progresso site has really improved since the first time I visited it.  You can now search for TONS of recipes using any of the Progresso recipe starters.  I was sent the Creamy Roasted Garlic Recipe Starter, so I decided to try the Easy White Chicken Chili recipe found HERE.  It WAS easy, and it was actually really, really yummy!  I was skeptical because it was so easy to make, but this was really tasty and we will be having this again and sharing the recipe!


If you'd like to try this for yourself, you can enter to win the Progresso Recipe Starter Prize Pack from Progresso and MyBlogSpark right here!  One winner will win a can of the Creamy Roasted Garlic Recipe Starter and a 10 piece cheese & appetizer set like the one pictured here:

Many thanks to Seventh Generation, The Lorax, and MyBlogSpark for providing the items for this giveaway! Out of 188 comments, Random.org chose comment #145 from carolpie!

Congratulations, Carol, and thank you to all who entered!

Random.org shot:













Winning Comment:

I recently received a package of Seventh Generation training pants and a copy of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax from MyBlogSpark to review.  I can also host a giveaway for a Seventh Generation diaper product and a copy of The Lorax for one reader, so read on to find out how to win!




Here's some more helpful information about Seventh Generation Free & Clear diapers and training pants (and the Lorax scrapbook promotion):

NEW Overnight Diapers are absorbent enough to keep your baby and bedding dry through the night or during prolonged travel

Free & Clear diapers have improved more flexible tabs that provide even better fit

Free & Clear training pants have an absorbent core made with more renewable, plant-based materials.  They also feature stretchy, tear away side panels for a better fit and added convenience, as well as inner leak barriers for superior leakage protectio

Seventh Generation Free & Clear baby care products do not contain chlorine, fragrance, petroleum-based lotions or latex, and all Free & Clear products are also hypo-allergenic

Starting March 2, you can register for a free The Lorax scrapbook with the purchase of any three Free & Clear diaper products, until supplies last!!!

Seventh Generation and MyBlogSpark have offered me the opportunity to give away one package of Seventh Generation diaper product and a copy of The Lorax to a reader!  To enter, please do one of the following (or all if you like!):

1.  Tell me - how many diapers or training pants does your child/children use per day? (1 entry)
2.  Like Seventh Generation on Facebook (2 entries) - please comment twice for 2 entries
3.  Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter (2 entries) - please comment twice for 2 entries



“Disclosure:  The Seventh Generation Diapers prize pack, product and information have been provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.”


This giveaway will end on Friday, March 9th, 2012 @ 10 pm EST.  

My giveaways are listed on Contestgirl

Our family had a really rough go of it last cold and flu season.  If my two-year-old wasn't sick, then I was sick or my husband was sick.  We seemed to keep passing things around to each other until I could hardly wait for spring/summer and the end of months of sickness!  This year, we decided we HAVE to be proactive because we can't handle another winter like the winter of 2010.  Here are some things we are resolved to do to keep our family cold and flu free this year:

1) My husband and I will be getting the flu shot.  I am excited about this since they have the new shots that don't require needles.  I'm not a fan of needles, so I think this is an amazing new way to administer the flu vaccine.  I believe my daughter is still too young to get the shot, but even if she does get the flu, two healthy parents to take care of her is better than all 3 of us getting it at once.  What a nightmare when everyone in your house is sick at the same time!

2) I will be routinely wiping down surfaces and anything that my daughter brings to school or outside the house with sanitizer.  I really love the Lysol two-sided wipes for our kitchen because I can scrub and it's disinfecting at the same time.  Keeping our surfaces free of germs is an important way to fend off colds and the flu.

3) We've already started using hand sanitizers before and after we enter stores.  I find that we stay well longer when we wipe off carts before we use them and when we sanitize our hands before we leave the stores since we usually touch lots of surfaces during our shopping time.  I've even started carrying a small hand sanitizer with me to use if my daughter happens to touch anything that I think might have more germs on it than her immune system can deal with.  BUT...I am careful not to overdo it either.  I do want her to come in contact with some germs to build up her immune system.

4)  We are going to be eating healthier and taking our vitamins! My husband and I have set aside extra money for fruits and veggies during the winter months because it's important to eat well to stay well.  We've also started to focus on taking vitamins to fill in what we might be lacking in our diets.

So, there you have it!  These are four steps we've taken to help our family stay cold and flu free this year.  We've got a long way to go, and I'm sure we'll come up with other ways to stay healthy as the months progess.  If you've got a tip on how you keep your family healthy, I'd love to hear it in the comments section!



“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Lysol blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Does anyone remember what our daughter was for Halloween last year?  Think dog costume...
No, we didn't dress her up like a dog.  She wore an actual DOG costume, as in one that was made for a dog. When Halloween night came and we realized what we had done, we were pretty embarrassed and determined to do a MUCH better job on our only child's Halloween costume next time.  So, when Costume Discounters asked me to do a review of one of their items, I was more than happy to do so and thereby to redeem myself!

One of the first things that I noticed when I was looking around on their site is that the costumes are not only really creative and seem to be of high quality, but they are also really reasonably priced.  The fear that quality Halloween costumes must cost a fortune was what got us in the dog costume situation of last year, so I was really surprised that I could have bought her a really cute costume for less than $20.   Costume Discounters makes finding the perfect outfit for a great price a lot easier than I thought it would be because of the different browsing options they offer .  I can browse popular characters or themes, infant Halloween costumes, different genres, holidays and even specific costume types such as cowboys or pirates.  They even have clearance sections and costumes priced BELOW COST!    And...if you find an indentical costume for a lower price on the web, they will match the price and take off an additional 20%! Now that's a deal!


Once I clicked on infant/toddler costumes, I was able to search more detailed categories such as animals, Disney, fairytales, and bees, bugs, and butterflies.  My daughter is OBSESSED with ladybugs, so I chose to review the Infant Toddler Lovely Ladybug Costume.  The retail value of the costume is $37.99, which is the type of pricing I was afraid of, but the Costume Discounters price is $11 cheaper - only $26.97.  The best part is that you can order all of your costumes from Costume Discounters and get FREE shipping when you spend $70, AND if you ordered a costume and it doesn't fit, they will pay the shipping to exchange it.  I think this is a great deal because I was a bit worried when choosing a size for my daughter.  All people are not created alike, so it's nice to know that I have the freedom to exchange one size for another without paying extra!  I wasn't able to find such an exchange policy on any other sites that sell costumes, so this is another reason why I like Costume Discounters so much. 

Here's what the costume looked like right out of the box it arrived in:





And here's what it looks like on my daughter!



The costume fit my daughter perfectly in all respects except for the polka dot armbands.  They were much too small for a 24-month old, and even though I tried my best to stretch them out, they would only go a little past her hands and they were really tight.  Everything else really was fantastic though, and we had a VERY hard time getting my daughter to take the costume off before she went to bed because she loves it! 

One of the things that I love about this costume is that the quality is good enough that it's not just a Halloween costume.  I know my daughter will use it to play dress up too as long as she's able to fit in it.  In fact, I'm pretty sure we're going to be seeing a little ladybug around the house A LOT before Halloween even gets here :)  When she grows out of it, it's durable enough that I think we'll still be able to pass it along to a friend.  This is important to me because I don't want to spend money on a costume that's only going to last one night.  Even if I buy a super cheap costume, that's still a waste of money.  So, if you're looking for a quality costume for a great price, I HIGHLY recommend Costume Discounters.  My daughter will be wearing her Lovely Ladybug costume for a very long time, and we know where to go next time we're in the market for costumes for infants, children or adults!

A big thank you to Seventh Generation and MyBlogSpark for hosting this review and giveaway, and thank you to all of you who took the time to enter!!!

Out of 147 entries, the lucky winner is comment #111, Amy 16323! Congrats, Amy!!  Hope you like the diapers as much as we did!

I just hosted a diaper shower this past weekend, and one of the topics that came up (of course!) was the effects of using disposable diapers on the environment.  Most people are aware of this debate and most are also aware of how Seventh Generation seeks to provide a diaper that has less of an effect on the environment than the average disposable diaper while still offering a product that keeps your baby dry!





Now, the Seventh Generation diaper has a new look! "What Seventh Generation leaves out is just as important as what they put in.  Free & Clear diapers do NOT include chlorine processing, fragrances, latex and petroleum based lotions."  They have a lighter weight core (which leads to less landfill waste while continuing to offer premium absorbency) and chlorine-free wood pulp.  This makes certain that NO chlorine is released into the environment during the whitening process.  Seventh Generation has also reduced the size of their diaper packages, so they contribute even less landfill waste than before.  This also allows the pacages to be recycled at local supermarkets where plastic recycling collection boxes are available, which I love! 

While trying these on my daughter, the first thing I noticed is that the velcro is "stickier" than the velcro on most diapers, which I really like because it's a lot harder for her to pull off her own diaper.  Any Mom with kids who are constantly pulling off their diapers knows how valuable this is!  The diaper itself is really durable, and it does have fantastic absorbency.  It would be nice if they had some sort of characters or pictures on the diapers, but I imagine this would interfere with what makes them the unique diapers that they are, so I feel that this outweighs having a cute diaper.  Overall, I am really impressed at the high quality of these diapers and knowing that they are better for the environment is icing on the cake!

Would you like to try out the new Seventh Generation diapers for yourself?  You can print a $2 coupon good for any Seventh Generation diapers, training pants, OR wipes HERE.




AND...Seventh Generation has teamed up with MyBlogSpark to offer one lucky reader a FREE pack of their new diapers!  Here's how you can enter to win:

NO MANDATORY ENTRIES!  Do any or all below. 

1) Tell me - what's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of eco-conscious baby products?  One word, a phrase, a sentence?  Let me know!
2) Follow Seventh Generation on Facebook
3) Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter
4)Tweet about this giveaway using the tweet button at the bottom of the post and add @SeventhGen and #myblogspark

Please leave a different comment for each of the four entries.  

This giveaway will begin on July 21st and end on July 28th at 8 pm EST. 


Disclosure:
The coupon, prize pack, information and giveaway were all provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.

Yet another Groupon-like site is offering a $10 credit to new members.  If you join SaveMore.com today, you get a free $10 credit.  One of their deals of the day is for $20 to WowMyKidsSpace.com, which has Melissa and Doug toys.  They have lots of other stuff too, and if you find something under $20, you'll only pay the $6.95 flat rate shipping fee.  Many of the toys I saw were under $20, so this is a fantastic deal for Melissa and Doug!


The link above is my unique referral link, but if you prefer, you can go straight to SaveMore.com

Thanks, Swaggrabber!

Thank you to all who entered this giveaway!  Thank you very much for sponsoring this giveaway General Mills and MyBlogSpark!  Out of 210 entries, the winning entry was #122, Carol!




Congratulations, Carol!  I hope you enjoy your Fiber One cereals :)

How many grams of fiber is the average person SUPPOSED to consume each day?  If you're like me, you have NO idea how much fiber you should get each day, much less whether or not you're actually getting it!  According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, we're supposed to consume 25-38 grams of fiber per day, but the average American only consumes about 15 grams :(

The good news is that Fiber One is now making it easier than ever to get your recommended daily fiber with their YUMMY cereals that offer AT LEAST 30% of the daily fiber value per serving.  In addition to Fiber One Original, they also have Honey Clusters, Raisin Bran Clusters, Caramel Delight, and Shredded Wheat.  Eating fiber is not only "associated with reduced risks for cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes", but it also helps you feel satisfied longer, so it helps you stick to your diet and lose weight.




I was excited when My Blog Spark offered me the opportunity to try all five cereals because I do realize that I need more fiber in my diet and I was curious to see if these taste as good as Fiber One claims they do.  Of all the cereals, the Shredded Wheat is my ABSOLUTE favorite, and I will be buying this all the time.  Not only does it actually taste great, but it's a fantastic on-the-go snack.  I've started putting it in baggies and taking it with me when I go to the grocery store.  My daughter and I share them while we do our shopping, and I feel good knowing that she's getting a pretty healthy snack that she loves.  You really can't tell that Fiber One products have the extra fiber in them, so I really think it's worth it to choose these cereals in the variety you love so you know you're getting the fiber you need. I think Fiber One has done a good job of creating a variety for everyone out there too.  In fact, my husband can be rather hard to please in the cereal department, but he's foregoing dessert and enjoying a bowl of the Honey Clusters right now.  And...he's giving it the thumbs up :)

If you'd like to try one of the new Fiber One cereals for yourself, click HERE to download a printable coupon for $.75 off any 1 Fiber One cereal.  If you wait for a good sale, this could make for some really inexpensive cereal that tastes great and is good for you :) 

OR...you could win ALL FIVE CEREALS from Fiber One and My Blog Spark here! 

No mandatory entries...do any (or all) of the entries below.

1.  Leave a comment telling me which Fiber One cereal you would try first if you win. (1 entry)
2. Like Fiber One on Facebook. (2 entries)
3. Visit Fiber One online and tell me one additional way to incorporate fiber into your diet (3 entries)

** Leave the same number of comments as entries.  For example, if you complete #3, leave three comments to get three entries**

This giveaway will end on Monday, June 20th @ 8 pm EST.  

Disclosure:  I was provided with one Fiber One prize pack from General Mills and My Blog Spark for me and the winning reader.  The winner will be chosen using random.org.