Thursday, August 30, 2012

Mommy's Escape Giveaway



With Fall and Winter approaching,  Mom of One and Having Fun, Oh My Goodies Freebies, There's A Contest 4 That, Freebie Spot, Pardon My Poppet, For Him and My Family, and a number of other bloggers, decided Mommies everywhere will be desperately trying to get away from the cold and take a break from reality. We are giving one lucky winner a Kindle Fire and Keurig's Platinum Plus Brewing System.  You will be able to enjoy a nice, freshly brewed cup of coffee, morning, afternoon or night. Curl up next to a fire, read any book you like on your new Kindle Fire and relax with your cup of coffee. Now doesn't that sound nice? Giveaway is worth $400!!! Who Wants to Win?!

The Kindle Fire Details (from Amazon):
Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon's revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser
  • Over 20 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books
  • Thousands of popular apps and games, including Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and more
  • Amazon Silk - ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
  • Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content
  • Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
  • Fast, powerful dual-core processor
  • Favorite children's books, graphic novels, and magazines in rich color
  • Amazon Prime Members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming on thousands of popular movies and TV shows. 
  • Kindle Owners' Lending Library - with Amazon Prime, Kindle owners can choose from more than 145,000 books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and former New York Times Best Sellers and all 7 Harry Potter books 
Keurig Platinum Plus Details (from Amazon):
  • Single-cup home brewing system for use with patented K-Cups
  • One-touch control panel; blue backlit LCD display; digital clock; programmable on/off
  • 5 brew-size options; adjustable brew temperature; removable drip tray
  • Blue-lit removable 60-ounce water reservoir; descale indicator; dishwasher-safe parts
  • Measures 13-4/5 by 10-2/7 by 13 inches; 1-year limited warranty
We all know you probably didn't read the details and just want to win... So here's the rules!

-Be honest on ALL entries- They WILL be validated.
-18 and older, USA and CAN may enter, void in Quebec-
-Winner will have 48 Hrs to respond. Failure to do so, forfeits all prizing rights.-
-This is a month long giveaway, so come back for more entries daily!- 
-Have fun and enjoy!-



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Special Thanks To: The Midwestern Housewife, This Girl's No Expert, Coupons and Freebies MomHealth, Beauty, Children and Family and Frugal Washington Mommy.

*DISCLOSURE* No Compensation was received for this post. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours. Products listed are NOT sponsored by Kindle, Keurig, Amazon, or any other company. This Giveaway is NOT Affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. Please note that only Mom of One and Having Fun is responsible for shipment/prize fulfillment. There will be no monetary value given instead of products. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 27, 2012

Branson Getaway Giveaway


Branson Getaway Giveaway
Brought to you by Saving In Branson and Jenn’s Blah Blah Blog
Summer is over and fall is moving in. We want to give you one more chance to get a vacation in before hunkering down for winter. Branson, Missouri is a wonderful place to visit, full of entertainment. Being from the area I know how expensive it can be to visit and keep yourself entertained. To help out and get you that vacation you need, Saving In Branson and Jenn’s Blah Blah Blog have put together an awesome getaway package.
We would also like to thank our Co-hosts Made.By.Jess & The Fruggal Connection!!! Without them, this giveaway might not have been possible.
I am so excited to be part of this giveaway.  Thanks to the sponsors for offering such a generous trip and for allowing my new blog to participate!  
I wish you all the best of luck.
1 lucky winner will receive:
3 day stay from September 21st – 23rd
Wine 101 Classes on Saturday September 22nd
2 Tickets to Dixie Stampede
1 Gift Certificate for a Manicure
1 Gift basket full of all the goodies you need to stay fresh during your stay
The 3 day stay is provided by Best Western Branson Inn & Conference Center. Best Western is a well known hotel chain dedicated to quality and comfort. This one is even more special as it sets within sight/sound of Silver Dollar City and the customer service is phenomenal. When staying at Best Western Branson Inn & Conference, visitors have the ability to take a free shuttle to Silver Dollar City and purchase discounted tickets at the Inn. Best Western Branson Inn & Conference features an indoor pool with hot tub and an arcade room. The lucky winner of this giveaway will be receiving 3 free days in one of the most popular rooms at the Inn, a Double Queen Non-smoking Room. This giveaway is tailored to 2 people, but you can always bring more and have plenty of room (at no extra charge)!
Wine 101 Classes are being provided by Mount Pleasant Winery in Branson, MO. Mount Pleasant Winery offers free wine tasting all day everyday! I recommend the chocolate covered cherry wine, very good (but very sweet).  Here is a little more about the Wine 101 Class:
Learning how to taste wine is an adventure that will enhance your appreciation for both wine and wine makers. Using your basic senses you will learn how to taste wines like the pros in no time by learning how to pair food and wine. Participants will walk out of this one hour educational class with heightened knowledge level and appreciation of wine. –Mount Pleasant Winery
The 2 tickets to Dixie Stampede have been generously purchased by participating bloggers. Dixie Stampede is a wonderful dinner and show here in Branson. The show is filled with live entertainment that even the wait staff gets into. The meal is sure to fill you up and features ‘hand’ foods so silverware is not necessary. I have not been this year, but I can tell you last year’s show was awesome and everyone says it just keeps getting better every year.
My favorite part of the giveaway, the gift certificate for a free manicure, is brought to you by En Vogue Nail & Spa. En Vogue is the BEST nail salon in Branson and I am not just saying that because they are participating in the giveaway, I use them exclusively for my nails & feet. If you have the time and money I would recommend adding a pedicure to your package. The prices are low & you will walk away feeling pretty and relaxed! Even their manicures come with massages, you will love this place.
The Gift Basket will contain:
1)    Full size Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner
2)   Full size Man’s Body Wash
3)   Full size Woman’s Body Wash
4)  And a few extra surprises :)
5)   Show tickets & salon gift certificate will also be in the basket
Now for the Rules:
1)    This given away will run from 8/27 – 9/13
2)   Winner must be a resident of the USA
3)   All dates are set and final, changes are not possible
4)  Winning entry will be confirmed before email is sent
5)   Winner has 24 hours to respond to email notification or an alternate winner will be chosen (add savinginbranson@gmail.com to your contact list to make sure you get your email)
Now enter in the Rafflecopter below! Good luck to everyone!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Where is that finish line?

I wanted to take a moment to write about something that has been weighing (no pun intended) on me pretty heavily.  Can a number on the scale define completion? Can a clothing size or the numbers on a measuring tape?  I am approaching the 180 day mark in my fitness journey, an amazing number!  That equals half a year, over 235 hours of exercise, over 150 workout sessions, and a whopping 96,872 calories that have been burnt to a crisp!

If someone presented me with those numbers on their own fitness blog I'd tell them it was quite the accomplishment!  So why do I feel less than victorious to have completed all that for myself?

I am not, nor have I ever been a psychologist so don't put a lot of thought in to what I'm about to say.  But I think that life is about balance and not necessarily something you race through checking off your life's 'to do' list......wow, really?  That's actually a very eye opening statement for me, as simple as the statement might be.

You see, I am a goal driven person, I see a goal and I tackle it with a vengeance.  I don't give up until I've reached the finish line, even if I reach it crawling on my hands and knees.  I've set many different goals in my life, some have driven me to the brink of insanity as I tried to complete them while others have left me with much less satisfaction then I'd imagined.

On occasion, I've set goals so ambitious that I find myself seeking a compromise half way through.  And sometimes the race is an unending pursuit.  The finish line never quite within my grasp.  I think that's where I'm at now.  I feel like this 'get fit' goal started as a sprint only to realize half way around the track that this journey had no finish line so I'd better slow down and pace myself.

Will the scale ever tell me 'YOU WIN', and give me that feeling of elation that I get from completing an impressive task?  And if it did, could I then quit and move on to another item on my check list?  This journey is about being consistent in my fitness, health and nutrition.  It's about taking a steadfast approach, not running the race to win or even make the top 3 but showing up everyday and making my way around the track.

So while the scale may never tell me that I've won, and the measuring tape may never become a gold medal around my neck I am learning to balance my life and to me that equals success and achievement.  I've figured out that my goals can become part of my everyday life, and not the single focus of my life.