Two #Giveaway Winners and More Giveaways for You to Enter!

My Healthy Blogger Giveaway combined an e-book on blogging, Super Blogga, a bottle of Prefense Hand Sanitizer, and a tube of Eco-Lips lip balm. The winner was Belinda R. Congrats!

My Rally for Recess Giveaway was presented by Dannon and included a Dannon-branded soccer ball and string backpack. April Y. was our winner. Hope your kids enjoy!

Currently, I have three giveaways going on for you to enter:

#TabletTime is here! Win an iPad 2 with cover or $550 cash! Open WW

You either want one, or you've got one--the iPad2. If you want one, you're in luck--you can win one just by entering the Rafflecopter below! If you've got one (or you happen to not want one--or live outside the US), you can win $550 cash! We all could use some more cash, right?

Here are some details about your awesome options to win:

iPad2 Option

• US winners only
• 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad2 in winner's color choice (black or white)
• polyurethane Smart Cover in winner's color choice (gray, blue, green, orange, or pink)
• optional two lines of engraving on back of iPad2 (up to 28 letters/characters per line)

Cash Option

•  Open Worldwide
• entrant MUST have a PayPal account
• $550 cash will be paid to winner as a gift via PayPal

Entering is so easy! Follow the blogs below via Google Friend Connect (GFC), and you can earn extra entries by completing the other tasks below. You only need to complete the tasks once; clicking "I Did This!" on other blogs will not increase your chance of winning. You also can do a little at a time if you don't want to complete the whole thing all at once--just make sure you get it done before the giveaway is over--October 31st!

Blog Carnival of Frugal Experiments -- #Halloween

Welcome to the Inaugural edition of the Carnival of Frugal Experiments and 50/50 Raffle

 

On the 14th of every month, Frugal Experiments will publish a post linking to articles written on a particular topic. Each article contributor, or Carnie also contributes money to a cash prize pool, 50% of which will go to one of our lucky readers and 50% will go to one of our Carnies.

  This month's theme is Halloween, and our Carnies have come through for ya'll: First up is Jonna from Jonna's Journey sharing some delicious Pumpkin Dip Recipes. Next is my contribution of Swanky Halloween Decorating Ideas. And last is Theresa at Frugal Experiments with some Halloween Inspiration from Pinterest. To enter, please be sure to read and comment on as many of these posts as you can. Share them on facebook or twitter, stumble them or +1 them on Google Plus to help us spread the word about these great ideas. Every task you complete in the Rafflecopter form gets you an entry into the cash prize. The giveaway is open Worldwide - as long as you have paypal. You must be 18+ to enter.  Are you a blogger? Are you looking for a fun way to bring quality, engaged visitors to your site by offering them great content, and a great giveaway, plus be entered to win a cash prize yourself? Why not join the November Carnival and 50/50 Raffle. The theme will be Thanksgiving - you can write about your family traditions, share recipes, share décor ideas or anything else pertaining to Thanksgiving that you'd like.

#Dash4Cash #Giveaway Winners

  

Here are the winner's from the 10/7 Dash 4 Cash. If your name is on this list, the blog above your name should be in contact with you soon. Please join us for the next Dash 4 Cash & Other Prizes on 10/21. 

 

A Proverbs Wife 

 cindy mckean  

Clever Housewife 

Andrea Williams  

Live2Save2Live 

Amy Brown Whitley

 

Simply Stacie 

michelle combs  

Front Page Freebies

 Shannon Wolfe

 

Look What I Got For Free 

linda brooks  

Frugal Navy Wife

 WinneratLife 

 

 Makobi Scribe

Rikkiel Busser

 

Mi Savings

Renee Addison-Hutchinson  

Full Cart Full Wallet 

Carla Truett  

Coupon Crazy In Ky

 Nancy Dadey

 

Clippin For a Cause 

Gillis Wang  

Coupons N Freebies 

heather miller

 

Save and Share With Coupons

 Melissa Doyle  

Luxury Living Frugal Style 

cindy mckean  

Lady Savings 

alice lee

#CoconutOil: What You Never Knew About this Miracle Food

About Coconut Oil

I was asked to review Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil. Frankly, before I reviewed it, I had no idea what to do with it! So, I looked through the Tropical Traditions site and did some research on my own. Here are some of them:

• Coconut oil is good in baking and cooking because it is able to withstand higher cooking and baking temperatures than other oils. It will not burn as easily, so it is more stable. 
• Coconuts naturally contain many nutrients and vitamins that are beneficial for the body, including Vitamins B and C and proteins. 
• Coconut oil is supposed to be good as a weekly hair conditioner.

What I Think

I first used the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil as a hair conditioner--after our dry, Texas summer, my hair needed it! I put the coconut oil in my hair at the end of my shower at night, then wrapped my hair in my head wrap, and went to sleep. In the morning, I rinsed my hair out twice and styled as normal. It was softer and more manageable after the coconut oil treatment.

I also tried the coconut oil in cooking. It was light and cooked well. I used it in a stir fry and it came out nicely. It didn't taste any different to my family (who are pretty picky), so that's a good thing! I could tell the difference, though, and it was just a light, coconut flavor, but not overpowering.

I like how it has a lot of properties that make it good for cooking. I know I've heard before that other oils, such as olive oil, change their properties when cooked too hot and may not be as good for you.

According to the Tropical Traditions website, "Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss." That sounded good to me, so I have been using it in all of my cooking. I haven't been using it long enough yet to notice any effects like described, but I will keep you updated.

Finally, I have never received such a well-packaged jar sent to my home! It was extremely secure, so you can count on it being shipped to you in one piece. My husband, who is a packing guru, was impressed with the thorough packaging.

Resources for you: check out Free Coconut Recipes to learn how to use coconut oil in your cooking.

Enter my giveaway below to win your own Quart jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! Giveaway ends 10/31

Where to Buy

You can buy direct from the Tropical Traditions site. Below are some of the products they are currently offering:

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Hair Treatment - 16 oz

 

32-oz. - Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil - 1 quart

Coconut Soap - 1 bar

 

If you order through the links above, you will also receive their book on Virgin Coconut Oil. This book is packed with testimonies and solid research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how people can incorporate coconut into their diet.

Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. The opinions expressed here are my own.

October 7 #Dash4Cash -- Get Ready to Win at 9pm EDT/8pm CDT Tonight!!

Do you wanna have fun tonight? And I mean A TON of fun…Not only have fun but WIN prizes too? Of course you do! Who doesn’t like to have FUN and WIN?? have teamed up with and AWESOME group of bloggers to bring you FUN and PRIZES!! Each blog will have their own prize to giveaway!! We made it even better by making is SUPER Easy to enter!

Wanna Have fun and Win Prizes? Here’s how!

• Come back to this page at 9PM EDT/8PM CDT
• First you will have the option to Follow Each Page via Google Friend Connect (GFC). Each blog you follow will be an entry to win!
  
• Then you will need to fill out the form, saying “I Did This” for each page that you joined on GFC.
  
• Hit submit!
• Don’t forget you only have 1 hour to follow all the blogs and enter!
• Each action you complete will be 1 entry!!

That is it! Isn’t is sooo easy? And you only need to do it one time total. No need to go to every blog’s page to enter, entering on ANY blog page gets you entered!

Don’t forget to come to the facebook page at 9PM EST to join in on the fun!!! See you there!

Check back on Monday at 9pm EDT/8pm CDT for the winners to be announced!

Click on "Read More" below to see the Rafflecopter
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If you would like to sponsor a future event please the Dash4Cash'n'Prizes admin here.

If you would like to join the Dash4Cash'n'Prizes group click here.

 

Friday Fun: Enter a #Giveaway! #iPad2, #Kindle and more!

It's Friday! Yay! Perfect time to get your name in for one of my many giveaways! Links to the latest are below! Want a new iPad2? a Kindle? Want to get yourself healthy? Or your kids? I've got you covered! Entering is easy with Rafflecopter, so get entering!

Healthy Blogger Giveaway: Super Blogga e-book, Prefense Hand Sanitizer, and Eco Lips Gold Lip Balm and Carabiner. (ends 10/10)

Rally for Recess Giveaway: Danimals Drawstring Backpack and Soccer Ball (ends 10/15)

Social Media Boost Giveaway -- iPad2 or $500 (10/3 to 10/24)

BSMB October Kindle Giveaway -- win a Kindle! (10/7 to 10/31)

#BSMB October #Kindle #Giveaway -- Enter to #Win Now!

I'm so excited to bring you this awesome giveaway! A blog group I participate in, the Blog & Social Media Boosters, has decided to host a giveaway of a Kindle every month. It's easy to enter and you'll get an awesome Kindle as a prize. We've made it easy to get extra entries. Go through the rafflecopter below and you can boost your chance to win!

It's here: #SocialMedia Boost #Giveaway: #iPad2 or $500 cash! #SMBoostGA

The holidays are upon us and the iPad2 is a hot item this season and cash is always a hot commodity! I have teamed up with 35 amazing bloggers to bring you this great giveaway! The winner will have their choice of an iPad2 or $500 in PayPal cash {USD}.

To enter, just follow the directions of the Rafflecopter below. You'll need to follow all of the blogs by Google Friend Connect (GFC), then you can gain additional entries by following the blogs on Facebook and Twitter.

Good luck! Make sure to come back each day for your daily entry... a simple tweet to your followers.

Also: don't forget! I have two other giveaways going on right now and both are "low entry" and easy to win! Some of the entries for this giveaway will count toward those as well!

Healthy Bloggers ends 10/10 and Rally for Recess ends 10/15 

Please thank my fellow blog hosts for putting together this giveaway. Visit their sites below:

#Blogger Opprtunity: Tablet Time #Giveaway Event

Note: readers, this is not the actual giveaway event. That will start Oct. 17!

Bloggers, are you looking to drive traffic to your site? Nothing is hotter than iPad2 giveaways right now, so these can bring an incredible amount of traffic to you. This giveaway also has the option of $550 cash, making this even sweeter. This giveaway event will run from Oct. 17 to Oct. 31. There will only be the main giveaway, so no need to search for and line up sponsors for this one. The fee is $15 paypal to cover the cost of the iPad2. You'll get two entries into the Rafflecopter: your GFC and one other of your choice.

We're looking for 4 more bloggers to participate in this event. If you're interested, head over to Measuring Flower for more details.

Rally for Recess -- Why Physical Activity Helps Kids in School

Schools nationwide are cutting recess time due to limited resources, which can impede on your children’s physical development. i  In the past twenty years, children have lost an average of 8 hours of recess a week and some schools no longer provide play time for students. ii   According to the American Academy of Pediatricians, the lack of playtime is a national crisis leading to a growing epidemic; childhood obesity. iii

Some studies also suggest that physical activity may have an impact on academic success as well. This study from the University of Central Florida found a positive relationship between increased physical activity and academic performance. This study also supports that theory. And yet another study by Active Living Research suggests the same.

With so much at stake, it's more important than ever to support and encourage our schools' recess activities. Government and public health agencies recommend children engage in at 60 minutes of mild to strenuous activity each day. iv That's why I'm excited about Rally for Recess. To help rally moms and kids around this cause, Dannon® Danimals®, nutritious on-the-go dairy drinks and low-fat yogurts containing calcium for kids, is launching a national initiative called “Rally for Recess.”

“Rally for Recess” is designed to create healthy competition, pitting school against school! Five schools have the opportunity to win new playground equipment and an all-day recess celebration. Danimals is committed to childhood health and wellness, which starts with good nutrition and an active lifestyle. Through February 8, 2012 purchasers can find codes on Danimals packaging to enter and register. The top five schools in each of the categories with the most codes registered wins!

For more information, visit: RallyforRecess.com

As a part the Rally for Recess, Dannon has graciously offered to giveaway a Danimals Branded Drawstring Backpack and a Danimals Branded Soccer Ball. I can tell you my sons are jealous and wish they could win! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter the giveaway today! 

This giveaway is sponsored by Dannon, but I did not receive any compensation for the post or the giveaway.

Healthy #Bloggers #Giveaway Ends 10/10

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Dennis Cox/Wacky Stock

Blogging can be an unhealthy business. You sit at your computer all day, often eating snacks, not getting much fresh air or exercise. That's why I put together this giveaway of three of the great things I've recently reviewed.

To help you hone your blogging skills, you'll receive a free copy of Super Blogga: 70 Plus Tips and Tricks To Make You a Super Blogger. Check out my review of this great blogging guide. 

To help you keep from getting sick, you'll receive a full size 8oz bottle of Prefense Hand Sanitizer, 640 applications, or approximately 2 years' worth! I reviewed Prefense Hand Sanitizer recently, too.

And, finally, to keep your lips healthy and looking great, you'll receive an Eco Lips Gold Lip Balm with Eco Clip. See my review of Eco Lips Lip Balm. 

The giveaway is open to US residents only, aged 18 and older. To enter, use the rafflecopter below. The only mandatory entry is to comment on this post with a tip on staying healthy. The other entries are optional, but will increase your chance of winning.

Attention Bloggers: Sign Up for the Social Media Boost #iPad2 #Giveaway Event

Bloggers, are you looking for a social media boost? Join us in this iPad2 giveaway and you'll see it! The details of the giveaway are below. If you choose to sign up, please put "Full Cart Full Wallet" down as your referrer. You'll also have an opportunity to refer others!

Dates: 11:59 pm {EST} on October 3rd – 12:01 am {EST} on October 24th

Traffic Potential: After 1 day with the iPad2 giveaway 7onashoestring.com currently has on their site, they have had 325 new FB fans and 98 new GFC followers. That was after only 24 hours. There were still 16 more days to go! You should see a Social Media Boost since everyone likes to have a chance at an iPad2!

Grand Prize: iPad2 16GB with Wi-Fi {US Only: prize will ship directly from Apple store and this is based on their shipping restrictions} Participating Bloggers are eligible for Grand Prize as long as you enter through the Rafflecopter form.

Participant Prize: A % of total entry fees collected based on number of participants will be given to the blogger that refers the most sign ups. Make sure your referrals add your name or Blog name to the entry form! If we sign up all 50 bloggers, a 2nd prize will be given to another participating blogger using Random.org

Form of Entry: We will be using a “community” Rafflecopter form that I will update after gathering all the participating bloggers’ information.

Entry Links: GFC will be our mandatory link in order to send traffic to everyone’s blog. Facebook and Twitter will be optional and will be grouped together in order to shorten the Rafflecopter form and, thus, not overwhelm those entering. Entries into Rafflecopter will be entered as they are received so get your entry in early! I will add a list of participating blogs once I gather them all.

Entry Fee: There is a $20 entry fee that will cover the cost of the iPad2 and admin/advertising fees.  I will be submitting the giveaway to several blogging forums and groups as well as over 100+ giveaway sites. Please make a PayPal “gift” donation to childofjc_74{@}yahoo{dot}com by September 27th.

Product Review: Green + Healthy = EcoLips

**A giveaway will be coming soon for this product! Look out for the announcement!**

As allergy season approaches again, I find my lips chapped as they always are this time of year. That's why I was so excited to see a package show up in the mail with three tubes of Eco-Lips. I really enjoyed browsing their catalog to choose the three I wanted. They had quite a selection, from those that are meant to heal your lips, to tinted lip balm and even "energy" lip balm with caffeine. 

For me, I picked the Energy (what teacher is going to pass up caffeine? Really?), Medicinal (I love tea tree oil and was excited to see it in a lip balm), and the Eco-Tint. I also received the Eco Lips Gold with carabiner. I was really pleased with my choices when they arrived. 

I loved the Energy the best, it actually made my lips "buzz" a little and tasted nice. It was soft and smoothed my lips without getting sticky.

The Eco Tint was nice, too. I chose the Rose Quartz tint and it gave my lips a soft, pink tint, and made them feel kissable, but not sticky. 

The medicinal smelled of tea tree oil, but not too strongly (if you know tea tree oil, you know it can be overpowering, especially near your nose). It also was really good for my cracked lips and seemed to heal them quickly.

The Eco Lips Gold was great, too, and I loved the handy carabiner that you can attach to a purse or a backpack (Doesn't it always seem that lip balms get lost in the bottomless pit that is a mom's purse?).

All of the Eco Lips products were long-lasting. Hours later, I could still see the tint, or feel the effects of the lip balm. Best of all, none of the lip balms were sticky. I don't know about you, but I hate sticky lips!

Overall, I was really pleased with Eco Lips and it's great to know that they're organic and I can pronounce all of their ingredients! As their catalog said, the lips are one of our most adsorbent areas of our bodies, so you want to put healthy products on them. I also appreciated that their products are cruelty-free.

Where to buy

If you're interested in learning more about Eco-Lips, or purchasing some lip balm yourself, check out their site for more information.

To get in on the latest from Eco-Lips, sign up for their newsletter, like the on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.


I was not compensated for this review, however I did receive products to try out. The review is my own honest opinions of this product and written by me.

Reminder: Two Days Left to Enter #BlogoramaBonanza #Giveaway!

There are tons of great prizes to be had at the Blogorama Bonanza, so why haven't you entered yet? My giveaway is a great one for parents and teachers alike: healthy snacks and a year's subscription to a great learning site! Click here to enter my giveaway now!

Product Review: Fleurings Natural Flower Jewelry

How often do you hear about a really unique and new idea? Not very often, at least in my case. Fleurings are that new idea.

Getty Images

Have you ever been in a tropical mood and tucked a flower behind your ear? Of course, few of us probably look as gorgeous as Taylor Swift up there, but even so, those flowers only look great for a while, then they fall out, or wilt and die. Flowers are like nature's jewelry and it's too bad we haven't been able to take advantage of their natural beauty much outside of leis from Hawaii.

With the invention of Fleurings, all of that has changed. You can now use flowers as jewelry, whether earrings or necklaces. Each Fleuring has a tiny vase to keep the flower fresh all day long. Ideally, small stemmed flowers like spray roses, dendrobium orchids, daisies and mums are great to use. Just add water by placing them under the tap and then add the flowers you like. If the flower stems are very thin, then bunch them together. If they are too thick, then slice them down lengthwise. The stems should be sort of snug in your jewelry so they don't come out. Fleurings offers many tips for using real flower jewelry in your wardrobe.






The possibilities are as varied as nature when it comes to Fleurings. Each Fleuring comes packaged with artificial flowers so they are ready to wear when they arrive. You can also change the flowers to match your outfit, style and occasion. The flowers even add a fragrance, giving this jewelry many layers.

Over the past week, I have worn my Fleuring necklace several times. I wore it with patterns and solids. I found I liked solids better as they seemed to bring out the flowers more and draw more attention to them. When wearing solids and my Fleuring necklace, I received many compliments. From my grocery checkout clerk to the friend I ran into about town, everyone stopped and noticed my beautiful Fleuring.

My Fleuring with a green flower (my favorite color!)

I was extremely pleased with the versatility of this jewelry, and my boys found a renewed passion for picking me flowers! The only slight drawbacks I found with the Fleuring necklace was that you had to be careful what neckline you wear with it and the clasp was a little hard to work. The first time I wore the Fleuring, I had on a ruffled mid-neckline and the neck of my shirt kept catching the flowers and pulling them out. The second issue was very minor: the lobster claw clasp of the necklace was a little small and did take an extra second or two to clasp. I never struggled to put the necklace on, however.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with my Fleuring experience. I think this is a really innovative idea that's going to catch on soon!

These would be great gifts for weddings, gardeners, women who love flowers, and it would be an especially romantic gift from a man to his love--what better way to say, "You're beautiful and I want to adorn you in nature's beauty?" 

And, if you're a fashionista, flowers as an accessory were really hot in several Spring '11 collections including Marc Jacobs.



Where to buy


You can buy Fleurings flower jewelry from their site, or if you happen to live in Hawaii or California, they are sold in some shops there. You can check out their location guide to see if a store is near you.



Coming Soon -- Giveaway


I'm very excited to announce that Fleurings has generously offered to participate in an upcoming giveaway on Full Cart Full Wallet. I will be posting more details about this giveaway as the event approaches.

Stay connected: learn more about Fleurings and their latest styles and trends by liking them on Facebook. 

UPrinting.com 100 Custom Postcards Giveaway -- Winner Announced!

Our UPrinting.com 100 Custom Postcards Giveaway has ended and Katie B. is our winner. Congratulations Katie! I'll be contacting you by email, then forwarding your information on so you can receive your prize!

Want to Win an IPad 2? This is Where You Need to Look!

If you've been wanting an IPad 2, but don't want to spend all that money, you should check out this post by The Clothspring. She's listed all of the current giveaways running on the web that are giving away IPad 2's! I know I want one, so I'm all over this list! Maybe you might even get to check someone off your Christmas list!

One Million Pizza Giveaway -- Papa John's

Who doesn't like pizza? Ok, there are probably a few of you, but for the rest of us: YaY! 

Papa John’s is giving away 1 Million Pizzas to 1 Million Lucky Fans! All you have to do to be entered to win is be a Papa Rewards Member (it’s free!).  So if you want free pizza, make sure you sign up for the Papa Rewards Program!

Each week from 9/15 to 1/15, during NFL Season, Papa John’s will choose 60,000 new and existing Papa Reward members to receive a FREE Large one-topping Pizza for a total of 1 Million FREE Pizzas!

Thanks, Super Coupon Lady!

Blogorama Bonanza -- WE ♥ TO LEARN! Giveaway worth $620

In honor of Back to School time, I've decided to make my theme for the Blogorama Bonanza "We ♥ to Learn." My two sponsors are giving away some great prizes aimed at making your child successful in school this year! My two sponsors are:

 

Click Read More to find out what the prizes will be and how you can enter!