Alright ladies (and gentleman) it’s time to kick off fall, but I don’t want to make you jump entirely out of summer quite yet so I’m going to start with something fun and memorable. I’m sure that you took plenty of family fun pictures over the summer and it’s time to make those memories last!

For those of you who have been wanting to take the plunge into digital scrapbooking I am offering a $10 gift certificate for one lucky reader to go shopping at Bits 2 Kits!

The gorgeous digiscrap pages that I have been designing for the last several months have all featured art by SAS Designs… Sarah (the lady behind the SAS) is the owner of Bits 2 Kits and I want all of you to have a chance to work with her inspiring kits.

If you truly are brand new to digital scrapbooking she even offers many great basics and the $10 gift certificate will truly get you off to a great start.  I am even happy to help the winner choose the perfect kits for their needs. If you don’t have a program that you can use to create digital layouts I can recommend several and most of them are wonderful for organizing, editing and sharing your photos too.

Feel free to browse through my DigiScrap Gallery right here at A Frog In My Soup to see many of the kits I have worked with by SAS Designs… but Sarah releases new kits almost every week along with great extras and more.

Here’s a couple of very fun layouts I did recently using her kits…

Featuring SAS Designs’ Flowers In the Sunshine Kit

Featuring SAS Designs’ Yummy Berries Kit

In this case I featured my niece in both, but in just a bit I’ll be uploading a page using Flowers in the Sunshine with photos of my twins… just to show you the versatility of most of these kits!

So, it’s time to enter… to do so, please leave a comment and tell me about your favorite summer photograph and how you’d like to make that a lasting memory!

Want extra entries (of course I do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by July 6th, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like. I love SAS Designs and I am blessed to be able to be part of her Creative Team and work with her kits for free.  I am, however, providing this gift certificate to one lucky reader to get them started, SAS Designs and Bits 2 Kits are not personally sponsoring this giveaway. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Last week was an adventurous one around here. Most of the kiddos were spread out here and there. One was at camp, two of them with one set of grandparents and two more with another set of grandparents. CJ was the only one home most of the week, but there was a reason.

I went in for minor surgery on Tuesday. It honestly wasn’t a big deal and I have felt very good all week despite it, as long as I don’t overdo. Add to that the insanity that is called ‘signing up a child for high school’ though, in addition to daily life with 6 boys and things definitely feel a little more nuts.

As we head out of summer and into yet another fall/school year I am gathering many many very fun ideas and products to share with all of you. So, after taking a lot of time off from blogging this summer I am definitely looking forward to the exciting things I have planned for you very soon.

I am going to be featuring a couple of weeks of giveaways and now is definitely the time to start spreading the news! Next week we will be having a Back To School Bash. The fun thing is, this bash will offer great items and ideas for kids AND moms!!!

Then two weeks later I will be offering several super fun and exciting products and ideas mainly for the grown ups (though there might be a few items for little people thrown in as well)!!  Feel free to join in the festivities during my Hooray for Fall Week!  I’m so looking forward to it and hope that I can squeeze everything in to the one week for each that I have alotted.

Here’s your chance to get a jump start on extra entries!

1. Have a blog? Mention my Back to School Bash (August 30 – Sept 3) and/or my Hooray for Fall Week (Sept. 13th – Sept 17th).  Once the giveaways come around for each event simply leave a separate comment with a link to your blog post as an extra entry.
2. Tweet it! If you use twitter, feel free to tweet about these events to let everyone know with a link back to AFrogInMySoup.com and in addition to the extra entry you usually get for tweeting each giveaway you’ll get yet another entry for any giveaway you choose to enter.
3. Share on Facebook! yep, if you choose to let your friends on facebook know about these events with a link back to the site you will get yet another entry.

These options offer you an additional three entries PER giveaway that you choose to enter during both giveaway weeks! (yes you are welcome to cheer). Until I have a better way for giving each of you lots of entries with one submission I am afraid that you will have to leave a separate comment for each qualified entry for each giveaway.

Not every review featured during those weeks will offer a giveaway, but there are some amazing products out there that I simply felt you all should know about.

Years ago, my oldest children were young and very much in love with a series called Auto-B-Good. I had kind of forgotten about that until I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to review an Auto-B-Good video.

This series has won 5 Emmy awards and personally I love not only the stories but the characters and graphics as well. Teaching character development to children ages 5-9 your children will love these videos.

Be sure to visit their website for more information about the show, episodes and to purchase dvd’s. I love having these on hand to entertain the kids because they are in shorter segments but I can play them anytime.

Giveaway

One lucky reader will win their very own copy of Auto-B-Good: Shifting to High Gear! To enter, please visit their website and look around. When you’re done come back here and leave a comment telling me what you like most about the series.

Want extra entries (of course I do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by July 6th, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  A copy of Auto-B-Good was sent to me in order for me to offer you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Earlier this week I wrote about the different summer activities I have in mind. Of course, as any mom knows, going on any day-long expedition with kids means that food must be part of the plan or you will have very grumpy kids.

Buying food while out and about may be an option for some, but not only do I find it terribly expensive (two tweens and a teen who eat a ton aren’t cheap to feed), but I also find it to be quite inconvenient. So packing up the troops with great food for lunch and snacks is a must.

Costco and I are great friends through the summer in particular! So when I was sent a summer snack pack with Fruit Rollups and Nature Valley granola bars I was very excited (though they didn’t last long at all around here).

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars are filling and nutritious and in my boys’ opinion (well ok and mine) very yummy. Packed with almonds, peanuts, raisins and cranberries these will stick with kids and their activities.

Simply Fruit Roll-Ups come in a variety pack of strawberry and wildberry flavors. Made with 90% real fruit and fruit juice, your kids are getting a full serving of fruit with each roll-up. They are also gluten-free.

Personally though I wouldn’t stop there! Because those two options are a little higher in the sugar content department, I’d definitely stock up on drinks (horizon organic chocolate milk, yum), crackers, fresh fruits and veggies, homemade trail mix and much more to make sure that I’m not caught empty handed when the hungries strike one of the boys and we’re at the zoo.

Giveaway

I am so very excited to offer one lucky reader the same snack pack I received which includes 1 box of Simply Fruit Roll-Ups (42 ct), 1 box of Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars (48 ct) and a $25 Costco gift card.

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me all about your favorite snack foods to pack when your family goes on a day-long adventure.

Want extra entries (of course I do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by July 6th, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  MyBlogSpark contacted me on behalf of General Mills and asked me to review the items listed in the review…these were provided to me in order for me to offer you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

As moms many of us think little of all we do from day to day and week to week…sometimes even moment to moment. We do it simply because we are the mom. Sometimes though we find ourselves in a position where we have to go a little beyond what we would normally have planned to do as a mom.

That could mean caring for a very sick child, making major decisions based on the needs of a child and so many other things. Overcoming unique challenges and going above and beyond the call of duty definitely should have it’s own chapter (or more) in the Mom handbook.

Aquafresh & Mom Works Beyond

Aquafresh recently contacted me to offer all of you a spectacular opportunity! I was oh-so-thrilled! Here’s the plan in a nutshell…following this post I want ALL of you moms to post a comment (yep they might be a little long and that’s just fine).

I want you to respond and tell me how you have gone the extra mile for your kids.

Ok, I’ll admit it…I am totally biased when it comes to toothpaste. I think we all are, but since this is the toothpaste I grew up using and still use with my own family I think it is deeply embedded in my psychie (lol).  Oh, by the way, visit their website for coupons…yay!

So there will also be some fun prizes!

This giveaway is very unique so please please please read through the instructions following the prize listings.

• One story will be randomly chosen from all entries as the Grand A Frog In My Soup winner. Not only will this winner receive a $50 Walmart gift card as a prize, but they will also be nominated (by me) to the Aquafresh Creative team to be entered to win a huge prize package (1 year of free Aquafresh) from them.
• Two other stories will be chosen randomly. Each will be sent 2 coupons for Aquafresh iso-active whitening toothpaste.

How to enter:

Like I said earlier this is a different giveaway so here’s the scoop…

• One entry per person. Entry must be a story about going above and beyond as a mom.
• You can write your own story or you can write a story about your mom.

Hurry though, you only have until June 9th, 2010 to enter!!!

(more…)

One word – Avon. Almost all women are familiar with this brand and know that it has been around for a long time. If you think Avon is only for your mom or grandma…think again!!!

Avon, the company for women, is the world’s largest direct seller. All over the world, our great products and proud record of service depend on the entrepreneurial efforts of our more than 5 million independent Sales Representatives in 100 countries. Our network reaches into the heart of every community – selling Avon to families and friends in neighborhoods, colleges and workplaces. For each of our Representatives, Avon is a global name but a local business – their own business.

Avon’s product line includes beauty products, fashion jewelry and apparel, and features such well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Advance Techniques, Avon Naturals, and Mark.

I absolutely love getting offers to try products for me (and you) so when Avon contacted me and asked if I’d like to try some of their new products I was so excited.

Let me tell you…I was definitely NOT disappointed! These products are not only fun and hip but they are comfortable and beautiful as well.

Here’s what they sent me (and what I thought of each item)…

• The MagiX Cashmere Finish Liquid Foundation was luxurious and definitely did not feel heavy or clog my pores! And I love that it has an spf as well.
• Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liner was so fun, they sent me a more traditional color, but they also sent me an oh-so-fun Sugar Plum Glimmerstick and I love wearing it! I love wearing it and though I’m traditionally the type that only wears eye liner on special occasions, I have been wearing this one a lot more often.
• Their SuperExtend Mascara is fabulous. I love it, no clumping, no crazy mess, just smooth and effortlessly applies. I will have to say that it is a little challenging to remove but totally worth it! My new favorite mascara…need I say more.
• Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick is the last item they sent me to try. Honestly, lipstick is definitely the most difficult thing for me…finding a color is definitely a challenge, but finding something that wears nicely and isn’t overwhelming is also challenging. I found this lipstick to be smooth, not heavy…just fun.

Well, there you have my thoughts on these lines, but be sure you check out their other great products as well. Skin So Soft is legendary and with summer being upon us it’s definitely time to stock up.

Oh and right now, you can save 41% on Avon’s Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liner and their SuperExtend Mascara…just visit Avon.com and go shopping to take advantage of that offer.

Now for the super fun part…Avon asked me to choose my favorite two products and offer three of you the chance to win! Let me tell you, the choice was definitely not an easy one, but I chose (queue theme music here)…the eyes!

So, that means that three of you will be chosen as winners…each will receive a SuperExtend Mascara and a very fun Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liner.

To Enter:

Make sure you visit Avon.com and look around. When you’re done, come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite Avon Products are.

Want extra entries (of course I do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by May 28th, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  Avon contacted me and asked me to review the items listed in the review…these were provided to me in order for me to offer you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

When going certain places with our children I have certainly found myself wondering what we would do if they got separated from us.  Sure we teach our children what to do if they don’t know where we are but that can still be very scary for them and for us.

With our twins we have especially found this to be a problem. They are adventurous and curious wanderers that aren’t afraid of …well pretty much anything. So, when I was asked to try out SafetyTat and their temporary kids’ safety tattoos I was definitely interested.

At first, I understand the idea may seem potentially unsafe, but I highly recommend that you visit their site, particularly the Safety Tips page and read up about them, their products and how they keep your kids safe.  The two most important things I’d like to say about the safety of these tattoos are…

1. You do not put the child’s name on the tattoo…only your cell number (using a permanent pen that is safe for your child).
2. They offer tips on teaching your children about safety in a way they will understand.

In a nutshell that should help relieve the initial hesitation about this product! It did for me. They were even mentioned in Parents magazine.

So now, when we go to the Science center, the zoo, the water park and the fair we have just a tiny bit more reassurance that if we become separated it will not be for long.

SafetyTat has offered all of you a 10% discount on any order $15 or more to try out their products! Just be sure to use the code AFrogInMySoup (case sensitive) and it’s good through May 17th so be sure to take advantage of this offer!

They have also offered 2 of you the opportunity to win a sample pack of their Quick Stick Write-On! You choose: Boy, Girl, or Multi design pack.

To enter:

Make sure you visit SafetyTat and look around. When you’re done, come back here and leave a comment telling me what you love about this product and/or which product you want if you win.

Want extra entries (of course I do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by May 19th, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  SafetyTat contacted me and asked me to review a complimentary sample pack in order to provide you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

When I was contacted about Tea, I have to admit I thought they were offering me tea to review. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Tea offers very fun collections of children’s clothes and baby clothes.

I love that they offer complete matching clothing sets for boys and girls! I ordered the very fun Chin-Hae set for the twins and they LOVE it!

Finding very cute and affordable clothes for boys has been a challenge ever since I had my first son.  So I was delighted that the sets (especially when on sale) are particularly fun and affordable.

These clothes are cute, trendy, affordable and durable. They are also super comfy!!! I think that’s what the twins love most about them. Soft tagless fabric with fun prints was so appealing to us all.

Oh and never fear their girls’ line is adorable as well! You aren’t going to find ordinary clothes here, they are unique botique style clothing for what Tea calls “little citizens of the world”. So cute.

Tea is offering one of you a $100 credit to go shopping through them (credit code must be redeemed by phone, but don’t worry the process is extremely simple – I know first hand because I did it myself!). I know…how fun is that?!?

So, to enter, visit their site and tell me what you would purchase if you won this $100! Want extra entries (of course we do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by May 13th, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  Tea Collection provided me with a $100 code to shop at their store.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

There are a few events as a child that ever stand out in my mind… going to the circus, a baseball game and seeing the Harlem Globetrotters.  For years now I have longed to take my oldest boys to see them, especially our second son who loves basketball.

So when I received an email offering me the opportunity to go see them I jumped at it!  We are so excited to take the boys to see this great entertaining event in a nearby town.

This is their 84th season! I remember the show being funny, exciting, awe inspiring and just plain old fun, so I hope for the very same experience for my own children.

Want to know more about the Harlem Globetrotters and their tour? Well here’s some basic information, but be sure to visit their website to learn even more and to see if they are coming to a town near you.

Their 2010 U.S. “Magical Memories” tour began on December 26th and continues through May 2nd, and will makes its way to 216 cities—with the Globetrotters taking on their arch-rivals, the Washington Generals, at each stop.

They are offering a code that readers can use to get a $7 discount for each ticket purchased (Note: Not valid on VIP or courtside seats. Available online only. Valid until the day before the show.) Ticket prices do vary slightly at the various arenas, but they typically average $25 each, thus allowing a family of four to save $28 in total. Readers can simply visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com locate a game in their area and purchase tickets using the promotional code: HGMOM to redeem the coupon.

They are also offering a giveaway which includes a Harlem Globetrotter mini-basketball, authentic Globetrotter wristbands, an autographed Harlem Globetrotter team photo and a 2010 game program. To enter simply visit their site to see if they are coming to a town near you, then come back here and leave a comment telling me why you’d like to go.

There are some great extra entry opportunities as well of course, feel free to take advantage of all of the entries for as many chances to win as possible.…Just be sure to leave a NEW comment with each entry…:

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by January 28, 2010.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  Harlem Globetrotters is providing our family with free tickets to attend a local event, information and tickets through Coyne Public Relations.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

You’ve seen the Pillow Pets commercials and possibly wondered, “is this really something that a child would like?” Well I am happy to tell you that I think they are.

They are cute and fluffy (which kids love), functional and affordable (which parents love).  Kids love stuffed animals, but if you’re anything like me it does get a little annoying that there are so many of them sitting around and while they are great for cuddling they are pointless for anything else.  So the fact that this converts from a fluffy stuffy to a functional pillow for children makes it uniquely appealing to me.

Here’s the 5 reasons the Pillow Pets suggests you check them out.

1. Affordable, adorable fun and functionality
2. May postpone live animal ownership with 20 stuffed varieties to choose from
3. Cuddly like a puppy with ultra softness for hugging and sleeping
4. No clean up required and no shedding; durable and machine washable
5. Always up for anything – naptime, playtime, travel time – anytime!
Pillow Pets were created by a San Diego mom of two who sought a more functional use for the multitude of stuffed animals strewn across her home. Pillow Pets are affordable for just $19.95 at www.GetPillowPets.com with any additional Pillow Pet priced at $15.95 (up to five).

I’m excited to be able to offer one lucky commenter a pillow pet of their choice. Just visit the website and take a look around, come back here and leave a comment telling me which PillowPet you want and who you want it for.

There are some great extra entry opportunities as well of course, feel free to take advantage of all of the entries for as many chances to win as possible.…Just be sure to leave a NEW comment with each entry…:

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by December 20, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received a pillow pet to review for myself in order to present my honest opinion of it.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.