Sam’s Club/Box Tops Back To School Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

box tops logo

 

School is in full swing here for us and this year Sam’s Club is providing more opportunities to earn cash for your school than ever before. My son’s school is big into collecting Box Tops For Education as a way to raise money for additional items not included in their yearly budget.  It’s super simple to do and each Box Top really adds up! In our family, we collect Box Tops easily by purchasing our favorite General Mills cereals.

Not only can you collect Box Tops for Education on your favorite General Mills products, but you can also check out these additional opportunities which are available exclusively to Sam’s Club members!

 

500,000 Box Tops Giveaway 8/1/12-9/30/12
Sam’s Club is giving away 500,000** eBoxTops®. Members can earn 5 eBoxTops when they shop at Sam’s Club until the 500,000 are gone. Earn your 5 eBoxTops (a .50¢ value to any BTFE participating school) by following these simple steps:

  • Purchase any product at Sam’s Club and save your receipt
  • Beginning 8/1/12, log in or register at btfe.com/clickandearn and enter the code found at the bottom of your Sam’s Club receipt
  • Answer a few survey questions and earn 5 eBoxTops for the school of your choice!*

**Limit one earning opportunity per email address. Limit of 100,000 earning opportunities thru 9/30/12.

Box Tops Membership Bonus 8/1/12/-9/1/12

  • New Plus Members will receive 100 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $10 value to any BTFE participating school)
  • Upgrade your current Membership to a Plus Membership to receive 50 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $5 value to any BTFE participating school)
  • New Advantage or Business Members will receive 25 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $2.50 value to any BTFE participating school)

*Offer valid only with original receipt of purchased Membership taped to certificate. Only available in-Club. While supplies last.

Act now and take advantage of all the Box Tops opportunities that Sam’s Club has to offer. To find a Sam’s Club near you, visit www.samsclub.com/clublocator. For a full list of Bonus Box Tops items, visit www.samsclub.com/boxtops.  Also, be sure to check out Sam’s Club on Facebook and Twitter to stay in-the-know!

 

GIVEAWAY:

I have (1) $25 Sam’s Club Gift Card to give away to one lucky reader.  To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can do as many or as few entries as you like.  Each entry is a chance to win!  Giveaway ends Monday, August 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST. U.S. Only. 18+. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The gift card, information, and additional sample have been provided by Sam’s Club and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

The Week Of Firsts

Posted on by Mandy

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Whose kids bounded into the door of the school with exuberance and came home telling me he LOVED being a first grader this past week?  Mine!  He also pulled out his other front tooth (can you guess what all we want for Christmas is?), found his missing manners he had tucked away during summer, and seems like he grew another foot taller.

I have never been one to cry while dropping him off at school, but I really wanted to this year.  Of course, he’s been going to “school” now for a few years, but something about him starting first grade just feels so different to me. The homework will definitely be different, that’s for sure.  He will be bringing home a binder with spelling words and sight words to learn during the week.  I’m nervous for him.  I hope we can get through the homework part with as few tears as possible.  Because, homework?  He’s just not a fan.

My first week back at work went well, also.  I have smaller class sizes this year, which thrills me because I can give my students more one-on-one attention.  The kindergartners are much easier to manage.  I have new automation software and new lesson planning software.  Besides a few kinks in the class schedule, I’m off to a pretty good start. 

The days are more hectic now.  Earlier to bed and earlier to rise.  I’m definitely a little more stressed now, having to make sure we have homework done, household chores done, lunch prepared and packed, and on and on….but it feels good to get back into a routine.

Kleenex Back To School Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

shield sneeze swish kleenex

 

By the time you read this I will be back to work in my library, starting my first day of school.  It seems like the summer just flew by!  One thing that is always on my list of classroom supplies is Kleenex.  I can’t tell you how many boxes I go through in my classroom in a year’s time.  It’s definitely one back-to-school essential I just can’t do without!

I’m so excited to share that Kleenex has a printable coupon to save on your purchase of three On The Go Packs or one Car Wedge.  Only Kleenex Brand tissue has Sneeze Shield in all their tissues to help keep you covered wherever you or your child may go.  These are great to keep in the car or in a backpack to have handy.

 

WIN IT:

After you print off your coupon, fill in the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win a Kleenex Sneeze Shield Back-to-School Kit, which is a backpack filled with Kleenex box and on-the-go-packs!

Giveaway ends Monday, August 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST. Must be 18 or older. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with the prize listed above and one to give away to a reader. All opinions are my own.

Dependability Matters To Me- #MaytagMoms

Posted on by Mandy

maytag-laundry-badge

 

It’s been a couple of weeks since I received my new Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer. As you can imagine, it was awful hard for me to say goodbye to these:

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And hello to THIS:

2012_0725JULY0077

 

Ok, so it wasn’t really that hard.

Our whole family is quite enamored with all of the bells and whistles on this washer and dryer set.  Every time I go to do laundry I still can’t believe these are mine.  I’m so impressed with the way our clothes seem so much cleaner and that once I pick a setting to wash or dry with, these machines just adjust accordingly.

 

DEPENDABILITY

The Maytag Bravos pair delivers the dependability and value of a 100 year old brand that my family can count on.  There is nothing worse than having an appliance that works only part of the time, especially when you count on it to meet your daily needs.  During the week, I have only a small window of time during the evenings to take care of our household chores.  I’m leaving for work by 6 AM and coming home close to 6 PM at night.  A 4:30 AM wake up during the week only allows me about three hours each evening for laundry, not to mention taking care of making meals, doing dishes, tending to my son’s homework, assisting him with bath time, and making sure we are both prepared for the next day.  Being able to depend on my Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer is so important to me, because I don’t have the luxury of running home real quick from work to meet a repairman (I commute) and I cannot tell you how inconvenient it is to not be able to wash and dry our clothes anytime of the day or night I need to. (Ever had a sick child in the middle of the night?  Umm.  Yeah.  Can you imagine not being able to wash sheets immediately?  Yikes!!)

 

INNOVATION

Maytag continues to innovate in order to better support our family’s needs. The latest Bravos XL washer features 13 specialty cycles to make laundry day easier, including the Powerwash Cycle that delivers the best cleaning in the industry and the Allergen Cycle that helps eliminate 95 percent of common household allergens.  Does someone in your home struggle with allergies?  My son and I suffer from seasonal allergies, so I feel better knowing that by just doing a load of laundry on the Allergen Cycle, it’s helping us both breathe a little easier.  I’m telling you, it’s like these machines think of everything.

Being able to depend on my washer and dryer is vital to our home running as smoothly as possible and I’m so glad that Maytag is a brand that is committed to making sure that happens.

Want to see what other #MaytagMoms are saying about dependability? Come join the conversation!


I wrote this post participating in an Maytag Moms Dependable Laundry Ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with the Maytag washer and dryer set to facilitate my post.

Adaptu Financial shape Up & $50 Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

Adaptu's Financial Shape-Up

When it comes to our family’s finances,  it’s often hard to keep track of checking, savings, and investment accounts all at once.

Adaptu is a personal finance website and app (for both the iPhone and Droid) that not only helps users manage their money, but showcases how upcoming expenses will affect their overall cash flow, as well as a host of other great features. It’s a great tool to get your finances in order or to upgrade your current system to manage them.

Our family just recently took a wonderful vacation to Texas, so we have decided that we would like to start saving up now so we can enjoy another great getaway together next summer.  I’m participating in the Adaptu Financial Shape-Up Contest, along with several other bloggers, in order to reach my financial goal of saving up for a summer vacation.

Adaptu has some great features that I love, like spending reports, bill reminders for when life gets super busy, and even modules to monitor our investments.  If you participate in mileage and point rewards programs, Adaptu can keep up with all of that, too!

I hope you will join me in setting a financial goal and checking out Adaptu to see how it can help you reach the goals you want.

 

WIN IT:

Do you have a financial goal you are working towards?  Sign up for Adaptu (it’s free to get started!) and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Adaptu feature is.  One lucky reader will win $50!  Giveaway ends August 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM Central.  18+ and void where prohibited.

 

I am participating in a compensated blogger campaign for Adaptu.  All opinions are my own.

Vote for Mississippi in The Better Homes & Gardens State Fragrance Contest

Posted on by Mandy

better homes gardens

It’s no secret that I love candles.  LOVE them.  I also love the scented wax cubes everyone is so crazy about.  When I was asked to represent Mississippi in the Better Homes & Gardens State Fragrance contest going on now at the Better Homes & Gardens Facebook page, I immediately agreed because I love my state and the thought of coming up with something that best expressed what made my state unique AND play around with new candle scents was just too hard to pass up.

I was sent a gift card to purchase a Better Homes & Gardens wax warmer and a few different BH&G wax cubes to combine to come up with a scent to best illustrate my state of Mississippi.

So, what did I come up with?

 

Mississippi

 

New Fragrance name- Delta Blues

Scent combinations-  Fresh Ocean Flower, Enchanted Evening Walk, Soft Cashmere Amber

There is no definitive answer on where blues music originated, but Mississippi boasts some of the biggest legends in blues music, like B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Charlie Patton, and Howlin’ Wolf.  A large part of our tourism in Mississippi is thanks in part to the blues.  My photo is of Dockery Plantation, a now defunct cotton plantation established in 1895, located just a few miles down the road from where I live.  Listed as a stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail and on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s argued that Dockery Plantation, early home of Blues legend Charlie Patton, was the birthplace of the Delta blues in Mississippi.

The Fresh Ocean Flower and Enchanted Evening Walk wax cubes were chosen for their blue color.  The Soft Cashmere Amber adds a sweet hint to the first two scents.  Combined, these wax cubes produce a deep, rich floral scent.

BHG Wax Warmers and Cubes

With Better Homes and Gardens scented wax cubes and warmers, you can fill your home with your favorite fragrances for less, available only at Walmart!

Better Homes and Gardens Scented Wax Warmers

Our selection of scented wax warmers make every room more welcoming and inviting with a fresh new look and scent.

· Fill your home with your favorite fragrance, for less

· Attractive wax warmers are just $15 and scented wax cube packs, start at only $2 each

· Safe to use with no flame or soot

· Easy to re-use and clean

Better Homes and Gardens Scented Wax Cubes:

· Available in packs of 6 scented wax cubes

· Fragrant immediately upon melting

· Wax can be reused or recycled

· Available in dozens of scents—choose your favorites or mix and match to create your own unique fragrances.

 

I NEED YOUR VOTE!

From now until August 31, you can vote for your favorite state fragrance in the Better Homes & Gardens State Fragrance Contest.  Of course, I would LOVE to have your vote because the blogger with the most votes will be given (10) $25 Walmart gift cards to award their readers and I would love to share those gift cards with MY readers!  The winning blogger will also receive a trip to the Better Homes & Gardens headquarters.

 

What’s In It For YOU?

10 randomly selected voters will be chosen to win a Wax Warmer and a 6-pack of Wax Cubes.  These wax cubes smell terrific, so it’s a great chance to win a fabulous selection of scents!

Thanks for supporting me in this contest!  Go Mississippi!

 

I was sent a gift card to purchase the scented wax cubes and warmer.  No other compensation was received.

Still Getting More From Our Summer

Posted on by Mandy

GetMore_lockup_VERT

 

Today starts my first day back at work since May.  I am so fortunate that my job allows me to be home all summer, thereby getting more time with my family and more opportunities to travel and do things we don’t normally get to do when school is in session.  We definitely had a wonderful time on our summer vacation this year, which included our stay at Embassy Suites DFW North Outdoor World and are still talking about the amazing service we received there and the things we enjoyed the most.

embassy suites dallas

In a previous post about Embassy Suites, I shared with you some tips for “more-imizing” your vacation by Dr. Susan Biali, a health and happiness expert and the author of Live a Life You Love: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You.

Make your vacation budget go further by staying at a hotel like Embassy Suites that gives you more with every stay, including two-room suites for your family to spread out, free cooked-to-order breakfast each morning, and an evening reception with complimentary drinks and snacks.

Our stay at Embassy Suites allowed me more time with our family because there were so many great amenities and extras there that I didn’t have to think about some of the details that I normally do when we take a trip. Probably the little extra we enjoyed the most, and saved us the most time, was the complimentary cook to order breakfast served each morning at Embassy Suites. Our family was able to enjoy a delicious and filling breakfast before making the long journey home, without having to stop and eat somewhere else.

Hold onto that post-vacation rejuvenation feeling. Create a scrap book or
photo album of your vacation memories and remember to look at it often.
Recalling fun, relaxing family times can help rejuvenate you when you’re
stressed and need a burst of energy.

I’ve been organizing our photos online to order and make a memory book of our time together this summer and we are still talking about how wonderful our Embassy Suites experience was.  We still can’t get over how nice the hotel was and what great service we received.  It has definitely spoiled us and we don’t think anywhere else will ever quite measure up. We can’t wait to stay at another Embassy Suites!

There’s still time left to plan a quick end-of-summer getaway at an Embassy Suites for yourself!  Even if it’s just for one night, or a weekend, I promise you will wonder why you never thought of it before.

Be sure to check out Embassy Suites on Twitter and Facebook.

 

I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.