Yellow Pages Prize Pack QUICK Giveaway!! (12/18)

*Disclosure: The following information, and giveaway, was provided to me to share with my readers in promotion of Yellow Pages. I was not compensated in any way.

Do you love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from knocking out your to-do list? You must be a Doer!

YP is the one site and one app for people who wear busy as a badge of honor. Within seconds you can find a hardware store, gardener, limousine service, dentist or bounce house for your child’s birthday party. Search 18 million business listings as fast as you can tap.

But the big question is… do you DO the holidays right? YP has created a fun quiz to help you find out, and learn some fun facts along the way!

I, personally, like to use YP to find friend's addresses.  Many people aren't listed in our phone books anymore and it's super easy to get on YP.com and get an address.  I just used YP.com recently in sending out Christmas cards!

I can see where YP.com would be useful for several other needs as well, especially if your new to, or traveling to, an unfamiliar area.  Plus, having the YPMobile app dowloaded to your phone would make it super easy to find a place to eat or to look up a hotel's address.

Here are some other benefits to the YPMobile App:
• Ratings, reviews, photos and phone numbers (of course) to help you decide which businesses are right for you
• Thousands of local coupons, deals and discounts from businesses and services near you
• Create personalized collections of your favorite, go-to businesses using My Book
• Find the cheapest gas around with one click
• Search 350,000 menus to find the perfect meal



GIVEAWAY!!

Congratulations to comment #3, latanya t!

One lucky reader will win the following prize pack (pictured above):

• Black Cinch Bag
• Flashlight
• Tape Measure
• Notepads
• Pencils
• USB Car Charger
• Gum

To enter to win, tell me which question or fact from the quiz, in the blog app, is your favorite. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address with the comment, so I can contact you if you're the winner.

Each household is only eligible to win ONE YP Prize Pack via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Extra Entries:(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest

*Pin an image from this post to one of your boards

*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which post.

Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

Powerocks Magistick Portable Cell Phone Charger

*Disclosure:  I will receive a product for review in exchange for this, and the review, post.  I will not be compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.

I don't tend to leave home enough to worry about whether my cell phone will lose it's charge when I'm out and about, but my husband is gone for work, and other circumstances on a regular basis, and has found himself having to turn his phone off to save the battery in case he REALLY needs it!  It's in situations like that, and I'm sure many others, where I can see this new Powerocks Magistick being super handy!

This little Magistick is a portable cell phone charger that is small enough to fit in a pocket, purse or back pack, so there is no need to worry about a cell phone's battery dying.  I can see my husband keeping this in his office at work, or in a coat pocket when he's working outside.  If his cell phone battery is low, he can just plug it in to the Magistick and he'll be good to go!

Some other neat things about the Magistick:
*Charges standard smartphone and other digital devices such as Bluetooth headsets, cameras, GPS, e-readers, and more!
*2800mAh battery capacity provides up to 2 full charges before needing recharging
*Engineered with smart chip technology to prevent damage or over charging
*Fun color assortment for personal style expression..like pink, blue, green, etc.
*Charges as fast as a standard wall charger in an electrical outlet
*Check power status with a push of button

I'm really looking forward to reviewing the Powerocks Magistick for you, my readers, and letting you know what I think.  In the meantime, stop by the Powerocks website and check out the Magistick, as well as their other products.  I can see this being a great gift this Christmas for that person you know who just can't live without their cell phone! ;-)

I'll leave you with this video, so you can get an idea of how useful the Magistick could be:

Blu-ray #MovieMagic GIVEAWAY!! (12/18)

*Disclosure: The following information, and giveaway, was provided to me to share with my readers in promotion of Blu-Ray. I was not compensated in any way.

This Holiday rediscover the #MovieMagic behind your favorite films. Blu-ray offers exclusive special features that put you in the filmmaker’s chair, with a behind-the-scenes access to all of the magic: Special effects, talent interviews, alternative endings, unreleased scenes, bloopers, and more!

With a Blu-ray combo pack, you can enjoy your favorite films in high-definition whenever and wherever you want. You can keep the Blu-ray disc in the living room, DVD in the car, and the digital copy on your phone for when you’re on the move!

Grab your favorite movie lover a Blu-ray this holiday!

Highlights:
• With the combo pack you can take your favorite films wherever you go. You can keep the Blu-ray disc in the living room, DVD for the car, and the digital copy on your mobile phone while on the move!
• Blu-ray lets you to watch your favorite movies with unmatched sound and video that is SIX TIMES the quality of DVDs!
• Blu-ray offers the most premium possible in home entertainment experience
• You don’t have to worry about the buffering that happens with streaming videos



GIVEAWAY!!

Congratulations to comment #18, Gianna!

One lucky reader will win one of the following titles (chosen at random from the list below):

• The Little Mermaid - Diamond Edition
• The Lone Ranger
• Monsters University
• Angels Sing
• Rise of The Guardians
• Despicable Me 2
• Turbo
• Grown Ups 2
• Wizard of Oz 3D
• The Wolverine
• Star Trek: Into Darkness
• White House Down
• Fast 6
• Pacific Rim
• After Earth
• Man of Steel
• Red 2
• World War Z
• 2 Guns
• Weeds: The Complete Collection
• Predator 3D

To enter to win, tell me which Blu-ray would YOU love to get this holiday as a stocking stuffer?  Please be sure to leave your e-mail address with the comment, so I can contact you if you're the winner.

Each household is only eligible to win ONE #MovieMagic Title via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Extra Entries:(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest

*Pin an image from this post to one of your boards

*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which post.

Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

Lesson Learned...the Hard Way

Morgan has been looking forward to joining Girl Scouts for a couple years now.  A friend of Morgan's has been in it, in another town a half hour away, for a while and Morgan has been able to hear some of the fun stuff they do.  I had tried to get her into a local troop, but the day they met didn't work out for us at the time. As of last March, she was signed up as an 'at home' Girl Scout, but we never actually took the time to do anything with it.  So, recently, a couple moms decided to start a new troop for her age and we jumped at the opportunity to join!

Last Tuesday would have been Morgan's first meeting but, unfortunately, she was sick with the flu that day.  She said she felt better and could go that night, but she still had a fever at the time of the meeting and we wouldn't let her.  She had been looking forward to doing it for SO LONG that not being able to go brought her to tears.  I felt bad for her as I went to the meeting to get the paperwork all filled out.  I had told a couple moms I knew at the meeting that she was sick and mentioned how much she had wanted to be there...that she was even in tears.....HUGE mistake!

A couple days later, after school, Morgan ran to her room and started crying out of the blue.  When I went in to see what was wrong, she was mad at me because I had told a little girl that she had cried because she couldn't go to Girl Scouts and that girl was telling other girls.  My stomach, and my heart, sank. I knew I had mentioned that Morgan cried, but only to emphasize how much she wanted to be at her first day of Girl Scouts.  I never meant it to be a negative thing about Morgan or her character.  I also really felt for Morgan.  Like me, she tends to be more sensitive, so she was really embarrassed and hurt.

Being the first time I unknowingly embarrassed my daughter, I didn't know what to do but apologize and tell her what was said was never meant to hurt her.  We talked a bit and went into how much it hurt her to have someone talk about her behind her back, or gossip about her, and how we should never say anything bad about anyone to other people because of how hurtful it is.  I also told her that I wasn't sure the girl probably didn't understand that what she did was hurting Morgan's feelings.  (At least I hope the girl didn't understand what she was doing!)

Morgan has another meeting tonight, so I've been thinking more about it.  I plan to talk to Morgan again, before we go, about what the other girl could have done instead of gossip...like tell Morgan that she was glad to see she is in school and feeling better...maybe add that she was sorry that she missed Girl Scouts and let Morgan know what they did for their first meeting.  As bad as I feel that Morgan was embarrassed over something I said, I want her to understand that it could have taken a whole different direction...that something very thoughtful could have happened instead.

I know I learned to watch what I say in front of kids her age.  Although I'm sure the mom understood what I was saying, the daughter must not have.  I hope Morgan learned how gossiping is hurtful and I hope she learns to be thoughtful if a similar situation ever happens to a friend of hers'.

"The Promise" DVD Review & Giveaway!! (12/11)

*Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the following movie in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

 

ABOUT THE PROMISE

The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah is an animated musical celebration of one of the most pivotal events in all human history, the birth of Jesus Christ.  This beautifully crafted musical is a faithful adaptation of the birth narrative from the Gospel of Luke in both story and song. The animated production leverages optical motion technology to blend traditional animation techniques with the performance talents of ballet dancers and dramatic stage actors. The result is a unique and worshipful story experience that will inspire audiences young and old for years to come.



 

My Review:
I really enjoy musicals, so watching The Promise was really a delight for me.  The way this movie is presented is really like watching animated characters performing a musical on stage.  Such a beautiful and unique way to see the story of Jesus's birth!

The kids and I watched The Promise after our town's Christmas parade.  We were so cold that we turned on the space heater (no fireplace), cuddled under blankets, and enjoyed hot cocoa and popcorn while watching it.  Morgan and Blake thought it was neat and wished it continued beyond Jesus as a baby.  Blake said he wanted to see what Jesus looked like all grown up...in the movie at least. ;-)

I would highly recommend watching The Promise this Christmas!

Buy It!
The Promise can be purchased through Family Christian Bookstores or amazon.com for $14.99.  The running time is 45 minutes.

To learn more about The Promise, visit any of their following sites:
Website: http://www.gloriousfilms.com/thepromise/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GloriousFilms
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gloriousfilms

GIVEAWAY!

Congratulations to comment #12, tarter95!

One of my readers is going to win their own copy of "The Promise"!

To enter to win, please leave a comment below. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address, so that I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest

*Pin an image from this post to one of your boards

*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which post.

Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, December 11th, 2013 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. (Winner must not have won within the last month in order to share the prizes with more readers.)  The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

"When Calls the Heart" DVD Review

*Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the following movie in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

 



About the Movie:

When Calls the Heart is the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a cultured young school teacher in 1910 who, through the discovery of her aunt's secret diary, finds the courage to leave her big city home to accept a teaching position in a frontier coal mining town. And in the process, she also finds the potential for love with a handsome Royal Canadian Mountie.

 

When Calls the Heart debuted on the Hallmark Channel to more than 3.2 million viewers, making it the No. 1 movie of the week on ad-supported cable. Distributed by Word Entertainment, The DVD became available to purchase in Christian Retail November 19^th, 2013.

 

About the Director:

Michael Landon Jr., son of the late television legend Michael Landon, has been in the film business for over 25 years. With two of the highest rated films in the history of the Hallmark channel, and several top ten releases targeted to the Christian market, Michael has become known for creating heartfelt, inspiring films that connect to the family. He has developed and/or produced, directed, and written screenplays for Fox, CBS, NBC, Disney, Sony, Lifetime, and others.



My Review:
I have never been a big reader (until recently), so I have never been familiar with many authors, but one that I've heard of for a long time and knew I would enjoy reading her books is Janette Oke.  So, when I was asked to review this When Calls the Heart, I was excited for the opportunity.  Even if I hadn't read a Janette Oke book yet, I could at least see a movie based on one of her books! And if I liked the movie, I'm even more sure that I would like her books.  After seeing When Calls the Heart, I have to say that I am HOOKED!

Not only am I hooked, but so are the kids!  I would have never expected a 6 and 7 year old to get into this movie, but they LOVE it and have watched it on several occasions in the short time we've had it.  I think the subtle love story, combined with the adventure, the humor and the heartache draws them in as much as it did me.

When Calls the Heart made me wish I had more than basic TV.  This movie was the kick-off for a TV series that will be airing January 2014 on the Hallmark Channel and I'd love to see what happens next!  I guess I'll have to settle for visiting my local library to get my Janette Oke fix... ;-)
 
Buy It!
When Calls the Heart retails for $19.98 and runs 89 minutes.