
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss
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> <channel><title>Musings of a Housewife&#187; Giveaways!</title> <atom:link href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/category/giveaways/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com</link> <description>mommy blogger</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:04:58 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator> <item><title>Grace Tags *GIVEAWAY*</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2012/02/grace-tags-giveaway.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2012/02/grace-tags-giveaway.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:16 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[christian jewelry]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hand stamped jewelry]]></category> <category><![CDATA[silver jewelry]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=33405</guid> <description><![CDATA[My good friend Janelle is making stamped jewelry that captures the Christian messages of grace, faith, and love. She offered to send me a piece, and I chose &#8220;By Grace Alone&#8221; for my necklace. I love wearing jewelry thats message is as beautiful as the jewelry itself. Her company is called Grace Tags, and she has [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My good friend Janelle is making stamped jewelry that captures the Christian messages of grace, faith, and love. She offered to send me a piece, and I chose &#8220;By Grace Alone&#8221; for my necklace.</p><p
style="text-align: center;"><img
class="size-full wp-image-33433 aligncenter" title="grace-tags1-600x399" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/grace-tags1-600x399.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="400" /></p><p>I love wearing jewelry thats message is as beautiful as the jewelry itself.</p><p>Her company is called <a
href="http://www.gracetags.com/pages/about-us" target="_blank">Grace Tags</a>, and she has a gazillion messages to choose from!</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-33421" title="Grace Tags necklaces" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-02-01-at-7.36.58-AM-600x233.png" alt="Grace Tags necklaces" width="600" height="233" /></p><p>Plus her prices are VERY affordable. Everything in her shop is less than $32. Wouldn&#8217;t these make a lovely Valentine&#8217;s or Mother&#8217;s Day gift?? AND you can get 20% off with the code <strong>HOUSEWIFEMUSINGS.</strong></p><h3>WIN IT!</h3><p><strong>One lucky Musings of a Housewife reader will win a Grace Tags necklace of her choice.</strong></p><p>Visit <a
href="http://www.gracetags.com/collections/all" target="_blank">Grace Tags Collection</a> and see what Janelle has to offer. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me your favorite design and what it means to you.</p><p><strong>Extra {Optional} Entries:</strong></p><p>You may receive an extra entry for any or all of the following; just make sure to leave a separate comment for each.</p><p>1. Give yourself an extra entry for being a <a
href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/dcrmusings" target="_blank">subscriber to my blog</a>. You can subscribe by RSS or <a
href="http://eepurl.com/hA4x6" target="_blank">subscribe by email</a> and get daily updates right to your email inbox!</p><p>2. Get yet another entry for following Grace Tags on <a
href="https://twitter.com/#!/gracetags" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p><p>3. And for following ME on <a
href="http://www.twitter.com/jolynnes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>!</p><p>4. Finally, sign up for my <a
href="http://musingsofahousewife.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=95031907ba188284bb88a5439&amp;id=373e0989d0" target="_blank">monthly email newsletter</a>. I promise you will not receive more than one email a month, and if you hate it (but why would you!!?) you can easily unsubscribe at any time.</p><p>While it doesn’t count for a giveaway entry, we would both love it if you would also “like” <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/GraceTags" target="_blank">Grace Tags</a> and <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/musingsofahousewife" target="_blank">Musings of a Housewife</a> on Facebook.</p><h4>Save 20%</h4><div>If you don&#8217;t win, never fear! Janelle is also offering my readers 20% off your order with the discount code <strong>HOUSEWIFEMUSINGS</strong>. Enjoy!!</div><div></div><div><em><strong>Fine Print:</strong> Winner must have a U.S. mailing address. I will use the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress to randomly select a winner next Friday. When the comments are closed on this post, you will know the giveaway is over. I will announce the winner on Facebook and Twitter, and I will send a personal email, giving the winner three days to accept. If there is no reply, I will select another winner. See my <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/disclosure" target="_blank">Giveaway Policies</a> for more details.</em></div> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2012/02/grace-tags-giveaway.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>105</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Holiday Gift Idea: The California Wine Club Membership *GIVEAWAY*</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/the-california-wine-club-gift-subscription.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/the-california-wine-club-gift-subscription.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:32:52 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Food]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category> <category><![CDATA[California Wine Club]]></category> <category><![CDATA[wine reviews]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=31988</guid> <description><![CDATA[This is my 3rd and final wine review for the California Wine Club, and it is with much sadness and regret that I bid this campaign adieu. I mean, hello, free wine every month!??? That&#8217;s my kinda blog campaign! Of course, it doesn&#8217;t have to end. Well, the free part does. I&#8217;m pretty sure I can&#8217;t [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-30754" title="california wine club logo" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/california-wine-club-150x150.png" alt="california wine club logo" width="150" height="150" /></p><p>This is my 3rd and final wine review for the <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/" target="_blank">California Wine Club</a>, and it is with much sadness and regret that I bid this campaign adieu. <em>I mean, hello, free wine every month!???</em> That&#8217;s my kinda blog campaign!</p><p>Of course, it doesn&#8217;t have to end. Well, the free part does. I&#8217;m pretty sure I can&#8217;t convince @boringwineguy to keep sending me free wine forever. But I have considered starting a monthly subscription because I love trying out new wines, and I&#8217;ve loved {almost} every bottle I&#8217;ve tried from the California Wine Club.</p><p>They certainly saved the best for last. In my final delivery, I received a Chardonnay and a Cabernet from <a
href="http://www.tuliphillwinery.com/ourwines.html" target="_blank">Tulip Hill Winery</a> in Rancho Mirage, California.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31989" title="tulip hill" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tulip-hill-600x397.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="397" /></p><p>I enjoyed both equally, but I think the red was my favorite. It&#8217;s actually not just a Cab. It&#8217;s a blend of Montepulciano grapes and Cabernet Sauvignon. The description says it &#8220;bursts with flavors of summer-ripened berries and a kiss of dark chocolate&#8221;.</p><p><em>HOW do they come up with this stuff?</em></p><p>All I know is, it was delicious, the perfect red dinner wine, and it complimented our London Broil beautifully.</p><p>I believe I shared the Chardonnay with a friend over wine and cheese one evening. This Chardonnay is a silver medal and 3-time bronze medal-winner, and I can see why. It is light and fresh and not too oaky as Chardonnay can tend to be.</p><p>This wine club membership is seriously an awesome holiday gift idea for the person in your life who seems to have everything. If they like wine, of course. But really, check it out. You can send a one month gift (they start at $49.95) or as many months as you wish. <strong>If you do decide to place a membership, either as a gift or for yourself, we have a special offer JUST for YOU! </strong></p><h3>TRY IT!</h3><p>1. Gift a <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/A-Fun-Unique-and-Affordable-Gift" target="_blank">membership to any of the California Wine Clubs</a> and get 10% off.</p><p>2. Place a membership for yourself and get 10% off, PLUS a third bottle of wine at no extra cost. There is no obligation to stay beyond the first month, but I’m warning you, you might be hooked!</p><p>Use the code <strong>PHILLYSOCIAL</strong> to take advantage of either offer.</p><h3>WIN IT!</h3><p>It keeps getting better, right?? I just got approval to add a giveaway to this post! WOOT!</p><p><strong>Required Entry:</strong></p><p>Enter to win a one-month subscription to The California Wine Club by commenting on this post and telling me who you would like to gift with a California Wine Club membership.</p><p><strong>Additional Optional Entries:</strong></p><p>1. Share this giveaway with your friends on Twitter or Facebook, then leave a comment on this post saying you did so (that is the only way to get your extra entry to count!) <strong>You can do this once a day! </strong>Just make sure to leave a comment for each entry.</p><p>2. Give yourself an extra entry for being a <a
href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/dcrmusings" target="_blank">subscriber to my blog</a>. Please note, you can also <a
href="http://eepurl.com/hA4x6" target="_blank">subscribe by email</a> and get my posts emailed once daily to your email inbox!</p><p>3. Get yet another entry for following @<a
href="http://twitter.com/cawineclub">cawineclub</a> on Twitter.</p><p>4. And for following <a
href="http://www.twitter.com/JoLynneS" target="_blank">JoLynneS</a> on Twitter.</p><p>5. Finally, sign up for my <a
href="http://musingsofahousewife.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=95031907ba188284bb88a5439&amp;id=373e0989d0" target="_blank">email newsletter</a>! I promise, you will not receive more than one email a month, and if you hate it (but why would you!?), you can easily unsubscribe at any time.</p><p>While it doesn’t count for a giveaway entry, we would both love it if you would also “like” <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/cawineclub" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">California Wine Club</a> and <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/musingsofahousewife" target="_blank">Musings of a Housewife</a> on Facebook.</p><h4>WINNER SELECTION:</h4><p>On Monday, December 19th, one winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Please have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see my <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/giveaway-policy" target="_blank">Giveaway Policy</a> page.</p><p><em>Disclosure: the <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/" target="_blank">The California Wine Club</a> invited me to try out their <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/Premier-Club_MT1.html" target="_blank">Premier Club membership</a> for <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/11/wine-review-castoro-cellars-pinot-noir-and-gewurztraminer.html" target="_blank">three</a> <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/california-wine-club-review.html" target="_blank">months</a> and blog about my experience. Hello. Free wine? You better bet I took &#8216;em up on it!</em></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/the-california-wine-club-gift-subscription.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>35</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Fashion Friday: How to Wear Ankle Boots *GIVEAWAY*</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/how-to-wear-ankle-boots.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/how-to-wear-ankle-boots.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:49:33 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fashion Friday]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fall 2011 trends]]></category> <category><![CDATA[how to wear ankle boots]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=31944</guid> <description><![CDATA[After watching others wearing them with skirts, skinny jeans and even cropped pants, I finally bit the bullet and got my first pair of ankle boots. Actually, that isn&#8217;t entirely true. I had ankle boots &#8212; but I&#8217;ve always worn them under boot-leg jeans. Lately, though, ankle boots are popping up with all sorts of [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After watching others wearing them with skirts, skinny jeans and even cropped pants, I finally bit the bullet and got my first pair of ankle boots. Actually, that isn&#8217;t entirely true. I had ankle boots &#8212; but I&#8217;ve always worn them under boot-leg jeans.</p><p>Lately, though, ankle boots are popping up with all sorts of different hemlines and pant silhouettes. At first I wasn&#8217;t a fan of the look at all, but as often happens, my eye has adjusted and I&#8217;m beginning to appreciate the trend. So when Dansko reached out to me to see if I was interested in participating in a holiday blogger review this year, I chose the <a
href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3902122-10273706?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zappos.com%2Fn%2Fredirect.cgi%3Fq%3Dvz369519324z2%26zcj%3D1&amp;cjsku=780938820002" target="_top">Buffy</a> ankle boot.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-31945" title="dansko buffy ankle boot" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dansko-buffy-bootie.jpg" alt="how to wear ankle boots | dansko buffy" width="240" height="240" /></p><p>When I got them, I loved them immediately. The ruching and button detail are fun, and the solid 2-1/2 inch heel (with a 1/2-inch platform so it only feels like a 2-inch heel) is the perfect marriage of form and function. They feature Dansko&#8217;s signature foam cushioned insole and steel shank, which provide great support for all-day wear.</p><p><strong>The question, of course, is, what do I wear with them??</strong></p><p>My favorite way to wear them (so far) is with my regular blue denim skinny jeans.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31964" title="booties with skinny jeans" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/booties-with-skinny-jeans1-399x600.jpg" alt="" width="399" height="600" /></p><p>I feel like wearing these ankle boots would update almost any old outfit. I&#8217;d like to try them with a denim skirt and tights sometime. Sort of along the lines of this look.</p><p><a
href="http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/lauren-jeans-co.-skirt-kaitlyn-5-pocket-denim-pencil?ID=628925&amp;CategoryID=131#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D105%26ruleId%3D2%26slotId%3D8"><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31968" title="booties with a skirt" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/booties-with-a-skirt-401x600.png" alt="booties with a skirt" width="401" height="600" /></a></p><p>You can wear ankle boots with jeggings.</p><p><a
href="http://www.anntaylor.com/ann/outfitdetail/ADE1002M/Ruched-Shoulder-Long-Sleeve-Blouse/catAU6923M/271967"><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31966" title="booties with jeggings" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/booties-with-jeggings-316x600.png" alt="booties with jeggings" width="316" height="600" /></a></p><p>You can wear ankle boots with a dress.</p><p><a
href="http://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/lookswelove.jsp#/4"><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31965" title="booties with a dress" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/booties-with-a-dress-291x600.png" alt="booties with a dress" width="291" height="600" /></a></p><p>I&#8217;ve even seen ankle boots with cropped pants, although I have to admit, I&#8217;m not a huge fan of this look.</p><p><a
href="http://www.anntaylor.com/ann/outfitdetail/ANO1029M/Asymmetrical-Draped-Long-Sleeve-Top/cat280024/263887"><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31967" title="booties with cropped pants" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/booties-with-cropped-pants-318x600.png" alt="booties with cropped pants" width="318" height="600" /></a></p><p>I&#8217;m looking forward to finding more ways to wear my new booties!</p><p><strong>How about you? Do you have ankle boots? How are you wearing them?</strong></p><h3>WIN IT!</h3><p>Go to <a
title="Dansko Shoes" href="http://www.dansko.com" target="_blank">Dansko.com</a> and pick out a pair of shoes for your holiday wish list. Then come back and leave a comment on this post with the style you chose and why you want it. One lucky winner will get her wish!!</p><p><strong>Additional Optional Entries:</strong></p><p>1. Share this giveaway with your friends on Twitter or Facebook, then leave a comment on this post saying you did so (that is the only way to get your extra entry to count!) <strong>You can do this once a day! </strong>Just make sure to leave a comment for each entry.</p><p>2. Give yourself an extra entry for being a <a
href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/dcrmusings" target="_blank">subscriber to my blog</a>. Please note, you can also <a
href="http://eepurl.com/hA4x6" target="_blank">subscribe by email</a> and get daily updates right to your email inbox!</p><p>3. Get yet another entry for following Dankso on <a
href="http://www.twitter.com/Dansko_footwear" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p><p>4. And for following ME on <a
href="http://www.twitter.com/jolynnes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>!</p><p>5. Finally, sign up for my <a
href="http://musingsofahousewife.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=95031907ba188284bb88a5439&amp;id=373e0989d0" target="_blank">BRAND SPANKIN&#8217; NEW EMAIL NEWSLETTER</a>! I promise, you will not receive more than one email a month, and if you hate it, you can easily unsubscribe at any time.</p><p>While it doesn&#8217;t count for a giveaway entry, we would both love it if you would also &#8220;like&#8221; <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/dansko" target="_blank">Dansko</a> and <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/musingsofahousewife" target="_blank">Musings of a Housewife</a> on Facebook!</p><h4>WINNER SELECTION:</h4><p>On Monday, December 19th, one winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Please have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see my <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/giveaway-policy" target="_blank">Giveaway Policy</a> page.</p><h4>Join Our Fashion Friday Blog Hop!</h4><p><a
href="http://www.girlymama.com//HLIC/8f07b4e929f2f8b6da83c3ae060102b6.jpg"><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14637" title="ffidea2" src="http://www.girlymama.com//HLIC/8f07b4e929f2f8b6da83c3ae060102b6.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><br
/> <br
/> <script type="text/javascript">// 
               document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=107718&#038;' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
// ]]&gt;</script><br
/></p><p><em>Disclosure: Dansko provided me with my choice of a pair of shoes from their winter collection for the purposes of this review.</em></p><p><a
href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-3902122-10289684" target="_top"><br
/> <img
src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-3902122-10289684" alt="Click here for Zappos.com!" width="468" height="60" border="0" /></a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/how-to-wear-ankle-boots.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>214</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Keeping It Simple for the Holidays</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/keeping-it-simple-for-the-holidays.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/keeping-it-simple-for-the-holidays.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:48:48 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sponsored]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=31854</guid> <description><![CDATA[It seems like every year, holiday celebrations become more and more of a production (not to mention, more and more expensive). The decorations go up earlier and earlier, gifts get bigger, Christmas card lists get long and longer, traffic gets busier and busier, and do you notice how uptight everyone seems during the holiday season? [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It seems like every year, holiday celebrations become more and more of a production (not to mention, more and more expensive). The decorations go up earlier and earlier, gifts get bigger, Christmas card lists get long and longer, traffic gets busier and busier, and do you notice how uptight everyone seems during the holiday season? I&#8217;ve noticed that drivers on the roadways are getting more short-tempered and people seem impatient and stressed out.</p><p><em><strong>WHY!?</strong> The holidays are supposed to be festive!!</em></p><p>I&#8217;m committed to keeping our Christmas preparations reasonable so I can enjoy the season. We&#8217;ve actually been toning down our Christmas commitments in recent years. I don&#8217;t pull out all of my decorations anymore, I just pick and choose. It&#8217;s actually kind of nice that way because I can rotate things and they are more enjoyable when I haven&#8217;t seen them in a while.</p><p>This year we cut our Christmas card list about in half. Last year I think I sent out over 150 cards and wrote personal notes on many of them. I think everyone is cutting back because every year we get fewer and fewer Christmas cards. I suppose with Facebook making photo sharing easier and the green movement encouraging us to consider carefully before wasting paper, people aren&#8217;t as exuberant about Christmas cards as they once were. And of course, as our lives get busier, a lot of people just don&#8217;t want the time commitment either. Which makes me kind of sad because I love getting Christmas cards, but I get it.</p><p>We often set up two trees &#8212; a kids&#8217; tree&#8230;</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-31857" title="tree" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tree.jpg" alt="" width="399" height="600" /></p><p>and MY tree&#8230;</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31856" title="tree2" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tree2-600x465.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="465" /></p><p>But this year we&#8217;re cutting back to just the one for the kids. There just isn&#8217;t space, as we are entertaining this Christmas and will need every inch we can get to put our guests. While I will miss my tree, I admit I&#8217;m relieved not to have to take the time to set it up.</p><p>I&#8217;m also not doing the same amount of baking that I used to do. I used to stand for hours and hours, making my highly acclaimed <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2008/12/vlogging-peanut-butter-balls.html" target="_blank">peanut butter balls</a>. This year everyone is getting <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2007/11/peanut-butter-goodness-in-a-pan.html" target="_blank">peanut butter fudge</a>. It is SO much easier to make! And ALMOST as yummy. Yes, it uses marshmallow cream. So sue me.</p><p>By simplifying our holiday preparations, we have more time for creating experiences that our family will treasure. We always go cut down a live tree &#8212; it has become such a big part of the holidays that when I suggested we use the the artificial tree as our &#8220;kid tree&#8221; this year, we had a mass rebellion on our hands. So we will be riding out into the woods tomorrow afternoon in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Another family tradition we&#8217;ve developed is attending a live play. Usually we go the week after Christmas to a local playhouse to see their holiday panto. But this year (tonight, actually!) we were invited to the Arden Theater in Philadelphia to see <a
href="http://www.ardentheatre.org/2012/charlottesweb.html" target="_blank">Charlotte&#8217;s Web</a>. (If you&#8217;re local, you might want to check that out!! I will tell you more about it after the show.)</p><p>The other area I&#8217;m trying to simplify things is with gift giving. Generally I like to buy things for people that they wouldn&#8217;t normally buy for themselves, but P&amp;G has a different idea this holiday season. In this struggling economy, P&amp;G is encouraging us to give gifts of a more practical nature. They have packaged up beauty gift sets featuring must-have products from Olay, Pantene, Secret, Venus and CoverGirl. Like this one!</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-31859" title="P&amp;G-Gift-Sets" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/PG-Gift-Sets.jpg" alt="" width="588" height="500" /></p><p>You can find these holiday Gift Sets as well as top holiday gift picks at Target and CVS and other grocery and drug store mass retailers.</p><p>P&amp;G sent me several of their gift baskets to see for myself, and I have to admit, I&#8217;m loving this idea! These gifts are thoughtful and useful and affordably priced at around $10 a piece. It seems like the perfect solution for the person who has everything (because who can&#8217;t use beauty and bath products!??) and also could be a refreshing change to the generic mugs and candles that teachers usually receive. For more information, you can visit the <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/PGUnitedWeBeautify?sk=wall#!/PGUnitedWeBeautify?sk=app_129212500516706 " target="_blank">P&amp;G Facebook Page</a>.</p><h3>WIN IT!</h3><p>P&amp;G is offering one lucky Musings of a Housewife reader a P&amp;G gift basket, with an estimated retail value of $90. You can use it for your gift giving needs, or try it out for yourself!</p><h4>ENTER TO WIN:</h4><p><strong>Mandatory Entry:</strong><br
/> Leave a comment on this post, sharing how you create simple, special holiday traditions in your home.</p><p><strong>Optional Entries:</strong></p><p>1. Share this giveaway with your friends on Twitter or Facebook, then leave a comment on this post saying you did so (that is the only way to get your extra entry to count!) <strong>You can do this once a day! </strong>Just make sure to leave a comment for each entry.</p><p>2. Give yourself an extra entry for being a <a
href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/dcrmusings" target="_blank">subscriber to my blog</a>.</p><h4>WINNER SELECTION:</h4><p>On Monday, December 12th, one winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Please have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see my <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/giveaway-policy" target="_blank">Giveaway Policy</a> page.</p><p><strong>And PLEASE consider giving the gift of food to those in need through my <a
href="http://www.yougivegoods.com/drive.php?id=283" rel="nofollow” target="_blank">Holiday Food Drive</a>. I have a ways to go to meet my goal and I would so much LOVE to have $3000 worth of food delivered to The Cluster in time for the holidays.</strong></p><p><em>I wrote this post on behalf of P&amp;G for a campaign with TheMotherhood.com.</em></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/12/keeping-it-simple-for-the-holidays.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>59</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Holiday Gift Guide 2011 *with GIVEAWAY*</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/11/holiday-gift-guide-2011-with-giveaway.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/11/holiday-gift-guide-2011-with-giveaway.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:28:19 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Holiday Traditions]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=31609</guid> <description><![CDATA[This year&#8217;s holiday gift guide is geared to the elementary-aged child, and every single one of the gift suggestions on this list is something that I purchased or was sent to me, so I have seen it, touched it, smelled it or licked it. (Okay, I didn&#8217;t lick anything. I SWEAR!) Point being, everything on [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-31576" title="holiday-gift-guide-button-300" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/holiday-gift-guide-button-300.gif" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></p><p>This year&#8217;s holiday gift guide is geared to the elementary-aged child, and every single one of the gift suggestions on this list is something that I purchased or was sent to me, so I have seen it, touched it, smelled it or licked it. (Okay, I didn&#8217;t lick anything. I SWEAR!) Point being, <strong>everything on this list is something I wholeheartedly endorse. </strong>I only accept items for review that I think we would love.</p><p>I hope you find some holiday gift giving inspiration with this list! This year&#8217;s gift guide is focused mostly on gifts for children ages 6 to 12 because those are the ages of the kids I&#8217;m buying for this year (for those new to my site, I have two daughters, ages 6 and 9, and a son who is 12) but there are some suggestions for younger children and teens as well.</p><p><em>Disclaimer: There are certainly affiliate links scattered throughout this guide, meaning that if you click over (usually to Amazon.com) and make a purchase from that site, I receive a small percentage. This is one way that bloggers help support the cost of running our websites and justify the time and effort that we put into providing content every day. We are all <strong>so very grateful</strong> if you do some of your holiday shopping from our links. Furthermore, as I mentioned above, I have received most of the items listed below in exchange for including them in this guide. And that, I think, will keep the FTC happy with me!</em></p><p><strong>Finally, YES, there is a GIVEAWAY associated with this gift guide!</strong> Because who doesn&#8217;t love free stuff? Read to the end (or scroll down . . . I&#8217;ll never tell) to find out all the gory details.</p><h3>Holiday Gift Guide 2011 | The Elementary Years</h3><table
width="100%"><tbody><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.kiwicrate.com/">KiwiCrate Membership</a> | Ages 3 &#8211; 6, $19.95/mo</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31136" title="kiwi crate" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/kiwicrate-150x150.jpg" alt="kiwi crate" width="150" height="150" />Each month, your child will receive a themed crate filled with art projects, science experiments, imaginative play, and more. They provide all the materials and inspiration so the lucky recipient can just open the box and enjoy! Crates can be purchased by month ($19.95 each) or a <a
href="http://www.kiwicrate.com/gift-subscription.html/" target="_blank">one year-subscription</a> (with one free month included). Select a subscription length of 3, 6, or 12 months. Shipping is free. We received one of these in the mail to try, and both my daughters went wild for it.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T2RDRI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004T2RDRI" target="_blank">CAT Motorized Job Site Machines</a> | Ages 3 &amp; Up, $29.95+</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31179" title="cat motorized excavator" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/cat-motorized-excavator1-150x150.jpg" alt="cat motorized excavator" width="150" height="150" />These <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;x=0&amp;ref_=nb_sb_noss&amp;y=0&amp;field-keywords=job%20site%20machines%20toystate&amp;url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957" target="_blank">Cat Job Site Machines</a> really know how to get the job done. Listen close to the foreman‘s instructions, and then crank up those hard drivin‘ construction tunes. Each machine features classic CAT styles with working lights, motorized driving and machine bed, and blade or boom features. Available in Cat <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T32W2S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004T32W2S" target="_blank">Dump Truck</a>, Cat <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T2REDQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004T2REDQ" target="_blank">Bulldozer</a>, Cat <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/Toystate-Caterpillar-Construction-Site-Machines/dp/B004T2RDRI/ref=sr_1_4?s=toys-and-games&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1320782385&amp;sr=1-4" target="_blank">Wheel Loader</a> and Cat Excavator. Requires three AA batteries (included). These trucks are really cute, the music is catchy, and what little boy doesn&#8217;t love trucks!?</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://shop.iluminatebooks.com/" target="_blank">iLuminate Books</a> | Ages 3 &#8211; 9, $9.99 &#8211; $19.99</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31653" title="humble pie" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/humble-pie-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />These glow-in-the-dark, children&#8217;s interactive books teach important life lessons while encouraging creativity with their unique glow iLight wands, which make hidden glow effects magically appear. <a
href="http://shop.iluminatebooks.com/Humble-Pie-978-0-981-98601-2.htm" target="_blank">Humble Pie</a> is a holiday themed book centered around the virtue of being humble. In <a
href="http://shop.iluminatebooks.com/Rosie-The-Pasta-Garden-IB-0903.htm" target="_blank">Rosie and the Pasta Garden</a>, Rosie and Henry explore the virtue of imagination. My girls love these lyrical rhyming stories, and the iLight wands are the icing on the cake!</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search?_encoding=UTF8&amp;keywords=steiff&amp;bbn=165795011&amp;qid=1321726449&amp;rnid=165795011&amp;rh=n%3A165793011%2Ck%3Asteiff%2Cn%3A%21165795011%2Cn%3A166461011&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957" target="_blank">Steiff Soft Plush Toys</a> | Ages 3 &#8211; 103, $25 &#8211; $125</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31582" title="steiff horse" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/steiff-horse-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Most kids I know are suckers for a stuffed animal, and Steiff is the standard by which all other stuffed toy companies must be measured. Handmade in Germany, in the same workshops where they’ve been created for more than a century, these stuffed toys are beautifully designed, ultra-realistic, and completely child safe. Many <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search?_encoding=UTF8&amp;keywords=steiff&amp;bbn=165795011&amp;qid=1321726449&amp;rnid=165795011&amp;rh=n%3A165793011%2Ck%3Asteiff%2Cn%3A%21165795011%2Cn%3A166461011&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957" target="_blank">Steiff products</a> become heirlooms that accompany a child all the way through adulthood. My girls fell in love with the horses, but there is a Steiff stuffed animal for every budget and to suit every child&#8217;s interests.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;x=0&amp;ref_=nb_sb_noss&amp;y=0&amp;field-keywords=little%20miss%20muffin&amp;url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957">Little Miss Muffin</a> | Ages 3 &#8211; 6, $15</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31151" title="little miss muffin" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/little-miss-muffin-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Little Miss Muffin Dolls and her Muffin friends love to cook and have a great time making tasty treats in the bake shop. These whimsical little dolls are tons of fun for the preschool set. Visit the <a
href="http://mylittlemissmuffin.com/" target="_blank">website</a> to watch the video, and I dare you to get their jingle out of your head. Collect <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;x=0&amp;ref_=nb_sb_noss&amp;y=0&amp;field-keywords=little%20miss%20muffin&amp;url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957" target="_blank">Little Miss Muffin</a> and all her sweet muffin friends! These dolls are geared for younger kids, but even my 8-year-old had fun with it!</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L8PE08/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004L8PE08" target="_blank">Les Chéries Dolls by Corolle</a> | Ages 5-12, $30</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31472" title="Corolle Les Cherise Camille" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Corolle-Les-Cherise-Camille-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Corolle dolls have long been known for their quality and their sweet faces. Now Corolle offers a new line of dolls designed for older girls and priced at an affordable $30-35. The <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L8PE08/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004L8PE08">Corolle Les Cheries 13&#8243; Fashion Dolls</a> are perfect for older children and tweens. They each come in a fashionable outfit that your child is sure to love. Each doll&#8217;s hair is individually rooted, so it can be brushed and styled. Their vinyl bodies have a soft vanilla fragrance, and they are 13 inches tall with blue sleeping eyes. Every Corolle doll is styled in France.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12077866&amp;prodFindSrc=search" target="_blank">Storm Chaser Portable Weather Pod</a> | Ages 5 &amp; Up, $15</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31168" title="backyard safari storm chaser" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Screen-shot-2011-11-04-at-6.41.46-PM-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" />My favorite toys are those that provide an educational experience and make it fun to learn. Backyard Safari is a company who does just that! With this <a
href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12077866&amp;prodFindSrc=search" target="_blank">Portable Weather Pod</a>, your budding young scientist can track and monitor rain, sleet, hail, snow and wind with ease. Use the weather vane to find out which direction the wind is blowing and the anemometer gauge to measure wind speed. The water gauge collects and measures rainfall while the temperature gauge shows you the current air temperature.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003E46ER2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B003E46ER2">Backyard Safari Butterfly Habitat</a> | Ages 5-12, $11</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31145" title="butterfly habitat" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/butterfly-habitat-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Another Backyard Safari creation, this lightweight <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003E46ER2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B003E46ER2">Butterfly Habitat</a> collapses for easy carrying and expands a full 16” to create an instant aviary for live butterflies. The easy-access closure lets you reach in and out without harming, or accidentally releasing, butterflies. A nylon strap with Velcro closures keeps habitat collapsed when not in use then doubles as a handle for carrying. My girls love bugs (seriously, WHERE did they come from??) and I have a feeling this is going to be a hit this Christmas!</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QA5ACW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B000QA5ACW">Klutz Stencil Art and </a><a
href="http://www.klutz.com/Stamp-Art" target="_blank">Stamp Art Kits</a> | Ages 8+, $21</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31852" title="Klutz StampArt" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/StampArt-150x150.jpg" alt="Klutz StampArt" width="150" height="150" />I am a huge fan of Klutz products for my crafty daughters. Check out their <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QA5ACW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B000QA5ACW" target="_blank">Stencil Art kit</a> and <a
href="http://www.klutz.com/Stamp-Art" target="_blank">Stamp Art</a> too. Stamp Art makes stamping simpler &#8212; and more creative &#8212; than ever. Stick the included shapes on the see-through acrylic block to create your own one-of-a-kind stamp design. Full of inspirational artwork and instruction, this stamp-right-in-it book shows how to create animals, flowers, houses, aliens&#8230; anything you can dream up. I love how it gives guidance and also encourages creativity. <strong>Also, get 20% off your entire order at Klutz.com with coupon code KLUTZ4U. </strong></td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002L24B5K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B002L24B5K">EzyRoller</a> | Ages 4-14, $99</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31171" title="ezy roller blue" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ezy-roller-blue-150x150.jpg" alt="ezy roller" width="150" height="150" /><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YCP1NA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B000YCP1NA" target="_blank">EzyRoller</a> combines the control of a bike and the fun of a scooter, yet it offers the enjoyment of new locomotion possibilities that can&#8217;t be experienced on any other bike or ride-on. A Parents&#8217; Choice Recommended Award Winner, you really should check this out if you have kids who like to play outside but get tired of the same bikes and scooters. See this <a
href="http://ezyroller.com/" target="_blank">video</a> to get a taste of how much fun <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YCP1NA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B000YCP1NA" target="_blank">EzyRoller</a> can be. We haven&#8217;t tried this out, but my good friend&#8217;s daughter has, and when I saw her in action, I knew my kids would love it.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TGWMKM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004TGWMKM" target="_blank">KooKoo Fire Plumed Bird of Paradise</a> | Ages 2 &#8211; 12, $25</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31798" title="kookoo bird" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/kookoo-bird-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />This KooKoo Bird is a late addition, as I just discovered them, but I had to add them because they&#8217;ve been such a hit with my girls. These things are a hoot. The 6-inch plush toy comes with a mini KooKoo inside. Squeeze a KooKoo Birds&#8217; belly and hear its KooKoo Kall. Give their bellies another squeeze and their KooKoo eggs pop out, and there&#8217;s another KooKoo Bird inside! Wow it&#8217;s Totally KooKoo! Heehee!</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NWOHLE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004NWOHLE" target="_blank">Happy Nappers</a> | Ages 1-12, $19</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31796" title="happy napper" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/happy-napper-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NWOHLE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004NWOHLE" target="_blank">Happy Nappers</a> are like &#8220;pillow pets&#8221; but better. They reverse from a house-shaped pillow into a cuddly friend and back again. Ring the house&#8217;s doorbell to hear your Happy Napper&#8217;s Sleepy sounds. Simply unzip the door of the house, pop out your Happy Napper, and then tuck the house away behind them. This is the perfect cuddly companion for long trips or vacations. 21&#8243; in Size.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KFUP4M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004KFUP4M">Breyer Pet Sitter Set</a> | Ages 5 &amp; Up, $21</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31644" title="pet sitter set" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pet-sitter-set-150x150.jpg" alt="pet sitter set" width="150" height="150" />For some reason, my daughters are suddenly into horses, and my little one in particular loves to play pretend, so this Pet Sitter Set will be right up her alley. The set includes a 1:12 scale foal, 6&#8243; posable doll, Beagle dog, cat, foal blanket, water bowl, brush and ball. This Breyer Classics Pet Sitter Play Set is made to exacting Breyer standards, handcrafted and hand-painted so that no two pieces are ever exactly alike. These collectible model horses are perfect for the little horse lover in your life. I was not familiar with this brand, but I&#8217;m already a fan.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002L24B5K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B002L24B5K">DUB Garage Toy Vehicles</a> | Ages 7 &amp; Up, $99</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31573" title="DUB-Garage-Control-Freakz" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DUB-Garage-Control-Freakz-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Put yourself in the driver’s seat of a <a
href="http://www.toystate.com/our-toys/dub/control-freakz-rc/" target="_blank">Control Freakz R/C</a> from DUB Garage vehicle. Push buttons on the top of the car for lights and sound motorized action, or use your remote controller to trigger traditional full-function R/C driving. Race against your friends using popular licensed vehicle styles with realistic vehicle sounds and great tunes, and don’t forget to kick in the turbo feature to boost your speed and light-up the rear wheels and hood scoop! Available in Ford Mustang 5.0 and Chevrolet Camaro. These remote control cars are sure to be a hit with boys and girls alike.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P4FWCO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B003P4FWCO" target="_blank">Heritage Playset Princess Palace</a> | Ages 3 &amp; Up, $129.95</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31497" title="bigjigs princess castle" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bigjigs-princess-castle-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />This enchanting wooden fairy tale palace is sure to make her dreams come true! Beautiful white, pink and blue exterior, with two towers, hanging balconies, working doors and windows, a removable roof, rope ladder, a secret entrance for you to find to hide from the witch and a set of 6 wooden figures are included to provide lots of fun imaginative play. If you aren&#8217;t familiar with BigJigs Toys, this is a quality piece that will last for many years.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VCT14Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004VCT14Y" target="_blank">VTech InnoTab</a> | Ages 4 &#8211; 9, $79</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31228" title="vtech innotab" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/vtech-innotab-150x150.jpg" alt="vtech innotab" width="150" height="150" />Another brilliant innovation from the minds at VTech, this tablet for the younger set brings interactive and animated reading, educational gaming, creative activities, and a rich collection of apps to children ages 4-9. Out of the box, InnoTab comes with a full suite of pre-loaded apps including an interactive, animated e-book, motion games, creative activities, music player, photo viewer, video player and more. Additional e-books, educational games, creative activities, and learning apps are available on cartridge or as downloads from VTech&#8217;s website.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XV9EWW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004XV9EWW" target="_blank">Mario &amp; Sonic 2012 Olympics for Wii</a> | Ages 8 &amp; Up, $47.38</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31469" title="mario sonic london" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mario-sonic-london-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />On your marks and get set for the world&#8217;s greatest sporting event as Mario and Sonic head to the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Coming exclusively to Wii for console play, <em>Mario &amp; Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games</em> is an all new celebration of the Olympic spirit hosted within the truly iconic setting of London and bringing even more multiplayer fun and excitement to friends and families everywhere. My daughter loves playing Mario Bros games on her DS, so I know she will love this new Mario &amp; Sonic at the Olympic Games for her Wii.</td></tr><tr><td
valign="top"><h4><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B0051VVOB2" target="_blank">Kindle Fire</a> | Ages 13 &amp; Up, $199</h4><p><img
class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-31232" title="kindle fire" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/kindle-fire1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />The Kindle Fire is going to be one of the hottest gadgets this holiday season, mark my words. It is the one exception to my &#8220;I have seen it, touched it, smelled it or licked it&#8221; proclamation, but it is JUST became available. I dare say this will be the first tablet that gives the iPad a run for its money because you can check your email, browse the Internet, play games, listen to music, watch a TV show and read magazines in color &#8212; all for less than half the price of an iPad. Now that&#8217;s something to get excited about!</td></tr></tbody></table><h3>WIN IT!</h3><p>One lucky winner will receive a fabulous prize pack including all of the items listed below, a $300 retail value:</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-31677" title="gift-guide-giveaway" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/gift-guide-giveaway2-600x160.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="160" /></p><p>1. <a
href="http://shop.iluminatebooks.com/" target="_blank">Humble Pie book and IGlow Wand</a></p><p>2. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L8PE08/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004L8PE08" target="_blank">Corolle Les Chéries Fashion Doll</a></p><p>3. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;x=0&amp;ref_=nb_sb_noss&amp;y=0&amp;field-keywords=little%20miss%20muffin&amp;url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957">Little Miss Muffin</a></p><p>4. DUB Garage Set including:</p><ul><li>3 Rim Rockerz</li><li>2 <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search?_encoding=UTF8&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Adub%20garage%20CUSTOM%20RIDEZ&amp;field-keywords=dub%20garage%20CUSTOM%20RIDEZ&amp;url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;ajr=0&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957" target="_blank">Custom Ridez</a></li><li>1 D-Jayz</li><li>1 Blazerz</li><li>1 Control Freakz</li></ul><p>5. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003E46ER2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=B003E46ER2">Butterfly Habitat</a> by Backyard Safari Outfitters</p><p>6. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T2REDQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004T2REDQ" target="_blank">CAT Motorized Bulldozer</a></p><p>7. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XV9EWW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004XV9EWW" target="_blank">Mario &amp; Sonic 2012 Olympics for Wii</a></p><h4>ENTER TO WIN:</h4><p><strong>Mandatory Entry:</strong><br
/> Leave a relevant comment on this page (great giveaway! or awesome gift guide! &#8212; while true &#8212; are not acceptable entries). Tell me something about a product listed here or what you&#8217;re looking forward to most about the holidays this year.</p><p><strong>Optional Entries:</strong><br
/> Spread the word! Here&#8217;s how.</p><p>1. Share this Holiday Gift Guide with your friends on Twitter or Facebook using this link: bit.ly/musingsGG.</p><p>Here is a sample tweet. Feel free to make it your own.</p><blockquote><p><em>Check out this Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway Prize Pack from @JoLynneS at Musings of a Housewife! bit.ly/musingsGG</em></p></blockquote><p>2. Then leave a comment on this post saying you did so (that is the only way to get your extra entry to count!) <strong>You can do this once a day! </strong>Just make sure to leave a comment for each entry.</p><h4>WINNER SELECTION:</h4><p>On Monday, December 12th, one winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Please have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see my <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/giveaway-policy" target="_blank">Giveaway Policy</a> page.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/11/holiday-gift-guide-2011-with-giveaway.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>159</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>California Wine Club Review {and GIVEAWAY!}</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/california-wine-club-review.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/california-wine-club-review.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:34:42 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Food]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[wine giveaway]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=30753</guid> <description><![CDATA[It is no secret, I enjoy wine. I&#8217;m not exactly a connoisseur, but over the years I&#8217;ve learned a thing or two, and I have definite opinions about what I like and don&#8217;t like. I particularly enjoy having wine with food. The right wine can enhance a meal and helps you slow down and enjoy [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img
class="size-full wp-image-30754 alignleft" title="california wine club logo" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/california-wine-club.png" alt="california wine club logo" width="160" height="158" />It is no secret, I enjoy wine. I&#8217;m not exactly a connoisseur, but over the years I&#8217;ve learned a thing or two, and I have definite opinions about what I like and don&#8217;t like. I particularly enjoy having wine with food. The right wine can enhance a meal and helps you slow down and enjoy the dining experience rather than rushing through to get to the next thing. <em>Or maybe that&#8217;s just me?</em> At any rate, I love having a glass of wine with dinner, and lately I&#8217;ve been trying to expand my palate and try new varieties.</p><p>I&#8217;d heard about wine clubs that ship you wine on a regular basis and offer suggestions based on your likes and dislikes, but I never looked into joining one because I thought I couldn&#8217;t get wine delivered in Pennsylvania. (We have some crazy liquor laws here!) But recently <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/" target="_blank">The California Wine Club</a> invited me to try out their <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/Premier-Club_MT1.html" target="_blank">Premier Club membership</a> for three months, and when I checked with them, I discovered that I can actually receive wine after all! I have no idea how they get around it, but evidently they can ship to any state but Utah. Go figure. Armed with that helpful tidbit of information, I eagerly agreed to receive three shipments in exchange for a candid post about each.</p><p>The California Wine club is owned by Bruce and Pam Boring, and they travel California&#8217;s wine country visiting wineries, meeting the families and tasting their wines. As everyone knows, the best wine recommendations come from friends, and their mission is for their club to be like a friend recommending a great bottle of wine to their friends. They&#8217;ve been in business for 20 years and are still going strong.</p><p>The Premier Club membership (the one I&#8217;m trying out) costs $36.45 a month, and every month you receive two different wines from wine regions not normally represented outside of California&#8217;s wine community, each one hand-selected by Bruce and Pam. There are no membership fees, and you can cancel any time.</p><p>A couple of weeks ago, I received my first box in the mail. I opened it up to find a Chardonnay and a Zin, both by <a
href="http://www.perrycreek.com/" target="_blank">Perry Creek Winery</a> in the Sierra Foothills region of California.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-30756" title="california wine club review" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/california-wine-club-review-400x600.jpg" alt="california wine club" width="400" height="600" /></p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30776" title="perry creek winery" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/perry-creek-winery.jpg" alt="" width="467" height="311" /></p><p>I thoroughly enjoyed the Chardonnay. It was crisp and clean and not too oaky as Chardonnays sometimes are, and it was a great compliment to the <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/03/tried-and-true-chicken-gruyere.html" target="_blank">Chicken Gruyere</a> I made that night.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-30757" title="chardonnay" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chardonnay-399x600.jpg" alt="California Wine Club review" width="399" height="600" /></p><p>I wasn&#8217;t quite as fond of the Zin, but I think that&#8217;s because I generally prefer a lighter red such as a Pinot Noir or my current fave, the Malbec. I can even appreciate a good Cabernet with steak, but I&#8217;ve never been a big fan of the red Zinfandels. (In other words, <em>it&#8217;s not you, it&#8217;s me.</em>)</p><p>The experience was seamless. The wine was delivered to my doorstep . . . <em>how awesome is that!?</em> It did require a signature, so I was fortunate to be here when it arrived. I&#8217;ll make a point to stay close to home on the next delivery date. It was packaged in styrofoam and came with a copy of their beautiful publication, <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/uncorked.php">Uncorked</a>, and a form for taking tasting notes. I&#8217;m already looking forward to my next shipment!</p><h4>TRY IT!</h4><p>The California Wine Club is offering Musings of a Housewife readers two specials.</p><p>1. Gift a <a
href="http://www.cawineclub.com/A-Fun-Unique-and-Affordable-Gift" target="_blank">membership to any of their clubs</a> at 10% off.</p><p>2. Place a membership for yourself and get 10% off, PLUS a third bottle of wine at no extra cost. There is no obligation to stay beyond the first month, but I&#8217;m warning you, you might be hooked!</p><p>Use the code <strong>PHILLYSOCIAL</strong> to take advantage of either offer.</p><h4>WIN IT!</h4><p>It keeps getting better, right?? You also have a chance to win a one-month subscription to The California Wine Club if you follow @<a
href="http://twitter.com/cawineclub">cawineclub</a> on Twitter and tweet the following:</p><p><em>I followed @<a
href="http://twitter.com/cawineclub">cawineclub</a>. Win wine from @JoLynneS at http://wp.me/p1PAA2-801.</em></p><p>Then leave a comment on this post for your entry to be counted.</p><p>I will randomly select a winner at the end of the week with the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress. Winner must have a street address for mailing purposes in any of the 50 U.S. states except for Utah.</p><p>It&#8217;s not a giveaway requirement, but The California Wine Club would love it if you &#8220;liked&#8221; them on <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/cawineclub" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. You can also &#8220;like&#8221; <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/boringwineguy" target="_blank">Boring Wine Guy</a> and follow @<a
href="http://twitter.com/boringwineguy">boringwineguy</a> on Twitter for great wine advice and tips. You really should check them out. Their goal is to &#8220;take the stuffy out of wine&#8221;, so even if you don&#8217;t fancy yourself a wine connoisseur, you will get tips and tricks that will help you choose wine that you will enjoy and learn how to pair wine and food for a delicious dining experience!</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/california-wine-club-review.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>29</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Celebrate National Cookie Month with Udi&#8217;s!</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/celebrate-national-cookie-month-with-udis.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/celebrate-national-cookie-month-with-udis.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:49:49 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Food]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gluten Free]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=30479</guid> <description><![CDATA[Did you know that October is National Cookie Month? Well, it is. Since going gluten free, cookies are one thing I miss dreadfully. I am really trying not to eat so much sugar and carbs, but every once in a while, a girl just needs a sweet treat. The first time I saw Udi&#8217;s cookies [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Did you know that October is National Cookie Month? Well, it is.</p><p>Since going gluten free, cookies are one thing I miss dreadfully. I am really trying not to eat so much sugar and carbs, but every once in a while, a girl just needs a sweet treat. The first time I saw Udi&#8217;s cookies in the store, I snatched them up. It was love at first bite.</p><p>Most gluten-free cookies are dry and crunchy. I like my cookies soft and chewy, and that is exactly how <a
href="http://udisglutenfree.com/products/Cookies" target="_blank">Udi&#8217;s cookies</a> are. I had always bought the Oatmeal Raisin variety, but when I was at BlogHer last summer, they were serving the Snickerdoodles, and I sat in the Udi&#8217;s booth all night long at the Cheap Sally party and munched on cookies.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-30480" title="Udi's Gluten Free Snickerdoodles" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Udis-Snickerdoodles-600x397.jpg" alt="gluten free cookies" width="600" height="397" /></p><p>Now I&#8217;m constantly on a mission to find Udi&#8217;s cookies. For the longest time, my local whole foods mart didn&#8217;t carry them (that&#8217;s where I discovered them originally but they stopped carrying them for a while until I hounded them to bring them back.) I buy them up whenever I see them. They are so good that I have to hide them from my kids (who do not eat gluten free, but know a good cookie when they taste one).</p><p>The good news is, now they can be purchased online! Or you can search for a store near you with their &#8220;Where to Purchase&#8221; widget on their site on the bottom of all product pages.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-30482" title="udi's cookies" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/udis-cookies-600x203.jpg" alt="udi's gluten free cookies 2" width="600" height="203" /></p><p>Even if you don&#8217;t eat gluten free, these cookies are so good, you can serve them to guests and they won&#8217;t even know they&#8217;re gluten free. They&#8217;re great to pick up if you&#8217;re having a friend over who must eat gluten free because everyone can enjoy them and no one feels singled out. (Or if your kids have friends who eat Gluten Free, they will love you forever if you have a GF treat for them when they visit!)</p><p>In addition, they are made with pure, wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about serving your friends and family &#8212; check out the ingredient lists on their site. I was really impressed. (And you know how I am about processed foods!)</p><p>Be sure to follow Udi&#8217;s on <a
title="Udi's on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/UdisGlutenFree" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and on <a
title="Udi's on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/UdisGlutenFree" target="_blank">Facebook</a> for gluten-free recipes, tips, and coupons.</p><h3>WIN IT!</h3><p>Want to try Udi&#8217;s cookies for yourself? Just leave a comment on this post and tell me why. I&#8217;ll randomly select a winner next week with the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress. The winner will be emailed and has 3 days to claim her prize, or I will select someone else. Please have a U.S. mailing address. Good luck!</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/10/celebrate-national-cookie-month-with-udis.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>19</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Don&#8217;t Fret the Sweat RECAP</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/09/dont-fret-the-sweat-recap.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/09/dont-fret-the-sweat-recap.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:49:11 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Family]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=29755</guid> <description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I took part in the Don&#8217;t Fret the Sweat Talk on TheMotherhood. We had a great conversation about tweens heading back to school, how to keep them organized, the best ways to deal with the homework wars, and what to do about schoolyard bullying. These are not easy topics, but there were a lot [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yesterday, I took part in the Don&#8217;t Fret the Sweat Talk on TheMotherhood. We had a great conversation about tweens heading back to school, how to keep them organized, the best ways to deal with the homework wars, and what to do about schoolyard bullying. These are not easy topics, but there were a lot of great ideas shared, and I came away with a few new tricks up my sleeve!</p><p>If you weren&#8217;t able to catch it yesterday, you can read the <a
href="http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62264" target="_blank">Talk Summary</a> and catch up on everything you miseed.</p><p>For more information on these hot topics, you can watch Rosalind Wiseman talking teens, tweens and parents with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Phil at 8PM on October 9th and 14th.</p><p>And that&#8217;s not all! No ma&#8217;am. <strong>Unilever has provided a gift pack as a giveaway for Musings of a Housewife readers.</strong></p><p>Check this out &#8212; a Vera Bradley bag; one sample each of Dove, Degree Girl and Degree Men deodorant; and Rosalind Wiseman’s books <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307454444/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0307454444">Queen Bees and Wannabes</a><img
style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musofahou-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0307454444&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /> and <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CDUM6W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005CDUM6W">Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials</a><img
style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musofahou-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B005CDUM6W&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" />.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-30068" title="Vera Bradley Giveaway" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/BloggerGiveaways_01-471x600.jpg" alt="Giveaway for Don't Fret the Sweat promotion" width="471" height="600" /></p><p>To enter to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me how it&#8217;s going with your back to school routine. If you don&#8217;t have kids in school, no worries. Any relevant comment is welcome!</p><p>I will randomly select a winner using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress, and the winner will be announced on my <a
title="Musings of a Housewife on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/MusingsofaHousewife" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> sometime next week (read: whenever I remember to close the giveaway.) Be sure you&#8217;re a fan! You will have 3 days to respond before I choose another winner.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/09/dont-fret-the-sweat-recap.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>71</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>{End Of} Summer In A Box Giveaway</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/09/end-of-summer-in-a-box-giveaway.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/09/end-of-summer-in-a-box-giveaway.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:37:50 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Food]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=29415</guid> <description><![CDATA[A few weeks, okay, months ago, I received a package on doorstep from Stonyfield containing a collection of summertime goodies by way of introducing their new organic frozen yogurt bars. Is your mouth watering yet??  These are the first dark chocolate dipped frozen yogurt bars on the market. I know, yum, right?? Since you can&#8217;t exactly ship [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few weeks, <em><strong>okay, months</strong></em> ago, I received a package on doorstep from Stonyfield containing a collection of summertime goodies by way of introducing their new <a
href="http://www.stonyfield.com/products/stonyfield/frozen/frozen-yogurt-bars/after-dark-chocolate" target="_blank">organic frozen yogurt bars</a>.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29417" title="after-dark-chocolate-bars" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/after-dark-chocolate-bars.png" alt="" width="320" height="281" /></p><p>Is your mouth watering yet??  These are the first dark chocolate dipped frozen yogurt bars on the market. I know, yum, right??</p><p>Since you can&#8217;t exactly ship frozen yogurt bars cross-country without them arriving in a puddle, they sent me coupons for the bars and then a collection of other summertime goodies including Badger After-Sun Balm; Dr. Hauschka Melissa Day Cream; Tom’s of Maine Simply White Toothpaste, Daily Moisture Body Bar and Beautiful Earth Deodorant; and coupons for Uncle Matt’s Organic Juices &#8212; our very favorite orange juice.</p><p>AND, they&#8217;ve offered to send one of YOU the same box of summer fun.</p><p><em>But it&#8217;s practically fall,</em> you say.</p><p>Yeah. About that.</p><p>Unfortunately I was not able to find the Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt Bars in the stores near me. I carry the coupons with me everywhere I go, in hopes of finding them, but so far, no luck. I think a trek to Whole Foods may be in order, but I haven&#8217;t gotten there yet.</p><p>But from anything I can tell, they look divine. I&#8217;ve never met a Stonyfield product that wasn&#8217;t yummy so I&#8217;m pretty sure I will love them if I ever get my hands on a box of them. Best of all, they&#8217;re certified organic, so I know they were produced without any toxic pesticides or growth hormones or genetically modified ingredients. And y&#8217;all know how I feel about that! I buy organic products whenever I can &#8212; <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2009/07/what-i-learned-this-week-its-so-much-more-than-eating-organic.html" target="_blank">not that organic is the be all end all</a> when it comes to selecting nourishing foods, but it&#8217;s a good place to start.</p><p>And as much as I would love to say that I make all of our food from scratch, I just don&#8217;t have the time. Meals are my #1 priority, so our pantry usually has a small selection of organic boxed snack foods for the kids to nibble on after school. I will be happy to add Stonyfield&#8217;s chocolate dipped frozen yogurt bars to our stash, just as soon as I get myself down to Whole Foods and stock up! (By the way, I read the ingredient label on their website, and as far as processed foods go, these look pretty good. I wouldn&#8217;t recommend them to you if I wouldn&#8217;t feed them to my kids. Just sayin&#8217;.)</p><p>I did enjoy the rest of my Summer in a Box; most of the brands are ones I already know and love and the others were a pleasant discovery.</p><p>And even though I didn&#8217;t get to try the yogurt bars yet, I figured it was high time I go ahead and post this giveaway, seeing that summer is pretty much coming to a screeching halt &#8212; at least here in the northeast.</p><p><strong>So tell me, how do you incorporate organic snacks into your grocery choices??</strong> Each comment will automatically enter you in the contest to win your own Summer in a Box from Stonyfield. One comment only please!</p><p><em>Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own and do not represent the views of Stonyfield or the FDA or the FTC or the FBI or any other brand or government organization. (Does that cover it?)</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/09/end-of-summer-in-a-box-giveaway.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>45</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>What&#8217;s Eating Your Child: A Review and *GIVEAWAY*</title><link>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/06/book-review-whats-eating-your-child.html</link> <comments>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/06/book-review-whats-eating-your-child.html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:00:06 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jo-Lynne Shane</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Food]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Giveaways!]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health and Wellness]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?p=25847</guid> <description><![CDATA[I rarely accept book reviews, but when I received an email offering me a copy of What&#8217;s Eating Your Child?: The Hidden Connection Between Food and Your Child&#8217;s Well-Being, my interest was immediately piqued. What’s Eating Your Child? is about the hidden connections between food and childhood ailments such as anxiety, recurrent ear infections, stomachaches, [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I rarely accept book reviews, but when I received an email offering me a copy of <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761161198/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=0761161198">What&#8217;s Eating Your Child?: The Hidden Connection Between Food and Your Child&#8217;s Well-Being</a>, my interest was immediately piqued.</p><p><img
class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25848" title="weyc-book-cover-3d" src="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/weyc-book-cover-3d.jpg" alt="" width="369" height="514" /></p><blockquote><p>What’s Eating Your Child? is about the hidden connections between food and childhood ailments such as anxiety, recurrent ear infections, stomachaches, picky eating, rashes, ADHD and more. And what every parent can do about it.</p></blockquote><p>When I received the book and started reading, I knew we were soul sistahs. Kelly Dorfman is a nutritionist who describes her perfect world as one where farming would be considered a noble profession, chemicals would be tested for safety in combination with already approved substances, pediatricians would be required to take a year of nutritional training, and sugared cereals and breakfast toaster pastries would be kept behind the pharmacy counter with warning labels.</p><p>Okay, the last one may be a little extreme, but it made me giggle.</p><p>Basically, Kelly has made a career out of figuring out what is causing an individual&#8217;s health problems and finding nutritional treatments. Doctors refer cases to her for insight when traditional methods don&#8217;t work. She explains that with so many of the modern ailments that plague our kids, there is either a food irritant or a crucial nutrient that is lacking in their diet. Unfortunately kids are usually put on medication before diet is addressed.</p><p>Kelly acknowledges that psychological issues do exist but feels they are probably over diagnosed. I so agree with that sentiment. She states that so often nutritional and biological imbalances cause psychological and behavioral issues, but unfortunately they don&#8217;t get treated as such. Or in her words, &#8220;we just do not access nutrition&#8217;s full healing potential.&#8221; Parents tend to bring their kids to Kelly when all else fails, and evidently she has an uncanny ability to assimilate the facts of a situation and identify the dietary links.</p><p>In her book, she goes through various real life situations from the clients she has seen over the years, and explains the background and nutritional issues surrounding the particular ailment &#8212; from picky eaters to chronic ear infections to reflux to poor growth to mood and behavior problems.</p><p>One thing that I found very interesting is that being a picky eater is usually a sign that there is a food irritating the system. I admit, and I have written about this in the past and had some very defensive comments, that I don&#8217;t have a lot of tolerance for the whole picky eater phenomenon. I was pretty much convinced that if you offer your kids a variety of tasty, nutritious foods and keep the junk out of the house, they won&#8217;t be picky. But evidently, being a picky eater is often a sign of a greater problem. Who knew?</p><p>Kelly also has an E.A.T. Program for picky eaters that she developed that she swears will work if the food irritants are taken out of the diet.</p><p>There are lots of other fascinating tidbits in this book, and I can&#8217;t possibly go into everything here. Her section on how studies are conducted and often colored by those who have a vested interest in the outcome is interesting and pretty much mirrors the information I learned in <a
href="http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/06/the-unhealthy-truth-a-review.html" target="_blank">Robyn O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s The Unhealthy Truth</a>.</p><p>I also liked her section on &#8220;Guess What Replaced Transfats&#8221; &#8212; basically, beware of anything that has an extended shelf life, and don&#8217;t trust the FDA to keep our food safe. Nothing new here, but it&#8217;s one more voice crying in the wilderness. If we can get more voices, perhaps we can change things for the better.</p><p>The purpose of the book is to help parents become food detectives and identify possible dietary links to their children&#8217;s issues so they can address the problem at its root. Of course, she recommends seeking professional help if you don&#8217;t achieve the desired results, but at least her information might give you a place to start.</p><p>Even though I&#8217;m not trying to identify the source of a problem with one of my kids at the moment, I found this a fascinating read, and parts of it did pertain to certain issues we struggle with even though they aren&#8217;t overwhelming problems at the moment. I&#8217;ll be using some of her advice to tweak our diets and supplements.</p><h4>WIN IT!</h4><p><strong>Win a signed copy of Kelly Dorfman&#8217;s <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761161198/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=musofahou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=0761161198">What&#8217;s Eating Your Child?: The Hidden Connection Between Food and Your Child&#8217;s Well-Being</a>. </strong></p><p>Leave a comment with your thoughts on her book or this post and why you might want to read it. You can earn an extra entry for being a <a
href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/dcrmusings" target="_blank">subscriber</a>. Leave a separate comment for the extra entry. One winner will be chosen and notified by email.</p><p><em>Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of What&#8217;s Eating Your Child to facilitate this review and a signed copy to give away. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.</em></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/06/book-review-whats-eating-your-child.html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>107</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
