WIN A Walt Disney World Giveaway for 4

Ideal Bite - Celebrate Summer Sweeps
Sign up for the Mama Bite Newsletter and be entered for a chance to win a family vacation for four to Walt Disney World Resort, including a special behind-the-scenes experience at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.

Sodastream Penguin Giveaway!

Look at this cool tool!! You can make your own soda at home. Go to Mom's Focus on Cyber World to enter for your chance to win. Who wouldnt want this? It would be great for entertaining!!!

FREEBIES - 4th of July Crafts!!

Free Crafts - 4th of July Crafts and Recipes
Show your American pride with this downloadable collection
of craft projects and fabulous recipes for the 4th of July.

**WINNER** Carolina Pad Giveaway

We have a big winner for the wonderful set of Carolina Pad goodies. I am so super jealous because who wouldn't want this prize?? The winner chosen by Random.org was:

ROXY @ Mom gone Witty!! Yay!

Congrats Roxy! I have emailed you. You have 48 hours to get back to me. After 48 hours, I will choose a new winner. So send me your info!! Once I get all the info, I will send it our wonderful sponsor.

I want to thank April from Carolina Pad for such a great prize and the opportunity to give it to one of my readers. I love giving stuff away!! Remember if you didn't win it, you can buy it at Carolina Pad. I also want to thank everyone who participated. I wish I had more prizes this round since so many people entered but if you didn't win this giveaway, but I have other giveaways up (link at top of the page) so don't forget to enter those if you haven't already. I have a $25 TJ Maxx and $25 Marshalls card as well. And you cannot miss out on entering the for the Keurig B60 Brewer. In July, I will also have a very special unique and tasty giveaway on my other blog, Carolyn in Carolina, that you will not want to miss. It will be for my 100th post and I am only a few posts away!!
Thanks again!

Win a Dyson DC25 just like on Transformers!

OMG look at this coolness. Seven Dogs and A Baby blog is giving one of these babies away!



All you have to go do is enter to win. Just comment on which Dyson is the one for you and you can win this.

WINNERS!!! Pert Plus for Men Giveaway!

Yes folks, we have not one but 3 winners. The winners were chosen by Random.org and are:

Winner of 4 Pert Plus products - 5webs
Winners of one bottle of Pert Plus for Men:
Kathy Pease and 1stopmom

Congrats Winners! I have emailed you. You have 48 hours to get back to me. After 48 hours, I will pick new winners. So send me your info!! Once I get all the info, I will send out your prize. I think you will totally love this prize.

I want to thank Nicole from Pert Plus for such great prizes and the opportunity to give them to 3 of my readers. I love giving stuff away!! I also want to thank everyone who participated. I wish I had more prizes this round since so many people entered but if you didn't win this giveaway, but I have other giveaways up (link at top of the page) so don't forget to enter those if you haven't already. I have a $25 TJ Maxx and $25 Marshalls card as well. And you cannot miss out on entering the for the Keurig B60 Brewer. These babies are awesome. In July, I will also have a very special unique and tasty giveaway on my other blog, Carolyn in Carolina, that you will not want to miss. It will be for my 100th post and I am only a few posts away!!
Thanks again!

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**WINNER** 20 pc. Rubbermaid Easy Lid Set

Yes folks, we have a winner. The winner chosen by Random.org was:

Janetfaye :)

Congrats Janet! I have emailed you. You have 48 hours to get back to me. After 48 hours, I will pick a new winner. So send me your info!! Once I get all the info, I will send out your prize. I think you will totally love this prize.

I want to thank RUBBERMAID for such a great prize and the opportunity to give it to one of my readers. I love giving stuff away!! I also want to thank everyone who participated. I wish I had more prizes this round since so many people entered but if you didn't win this giveaway, but I have other giveaways up (link at top of the page) so don't forget to enter those if you haven't already. I have a Carolina Pad giveaway that is worth over $150 and includes some awesome stuff!! I have a $25 TJ Maxx and $25 Marshalls card as well. Don't forget to enter for some Pert Plus products for Men. These are new products and I will have 3 winners!! And you cannot miss out on entering the for the Keurig B60 Brewer. These babies are awesome. In July, I will also have a very special unique and tasty giveaway on my other blog, Carolyn in Carolina, that you will not want to miss. It will be for my 100th post and I am only a few posts away!!
Thanks again!

Keurig B-60 Brewer Giveaway!!!!

The Keurig is a beautiful thing. Look at it. Streamlined, sexy and most of all functional! I recently had the opportunity to have my own Keurig Premium thanks to Jen over at EightyMPHMom and Toni at Daily Dose of Toni. Thanks gals! Let me tell you, I am on Cloud Nine with my new brewer. It is one of the best appliances I own.

What I love about my Keurig brewer is that I can have a cup of coffe, tea or hot cocoa whenever I want. No longer do I have to have reheated breakfast coffee in the afternoon. No longer do I have to dig through boxes of old tea to have a fresh cup. Now I can grab my little k-cup load it up, press a button and have a fresh cup of joe or tea. It's fantastic. It's easy to use and cleans up fast. I really really am happy with it.

Now thanks to Joe at Shoffee.com, I have the opportunity to give one of my readers to own their very own Keurig!! Shoffee.com is offering a free Keurig B-60 brewer to one of my readers!! The B-60 is wonderful. Here are some of the features:

Chrome Accents
Blue backlit LCD display
Three brew size options (6 oz, 8 oz, 10 oz)
Programmable digital clock, wake up to a fresh cup in the morning
Adjustable temperature
Auto on/off
48 oz water reservoir holds enough water for 8 cups before refilling
Removable drip tray for easy cleaning and the use of travel mugs.

Retails at $129.95

Shoffee.com is a new shop where you can get Keurigs and supplies at a great price. Let's be honest. Although the Keurig is a wonderful machine it can get expensive to keep buying the k-cups. But at Shoffee.com you will find some great deals and you will find all the supplies you need when you have Keurig brewer. I know I will be shopping there because I am seriously addicted to my new toy and I have to feed the addiction!! Besides the Keurig goodies, Shoffee.com also carries other brewers, coffee pods and so much more. They have tons of specials going on all the time. The website is easy to navigate and when you sign up, you can save your favorites to make reordering a breeze. Go visit!!

ENTRY RULES

Mandatory Entry: Visit Shoffee.com and tell me which K-cups would order if you won!!

Want extra entries?

* Follow @Shoffee_Joe on twitter(1 entry) Leave your twitter ID so I can check
* Follow Shoffee on Facebook (1 entry)
* Follow my blog (1 entry)
* Subscribe to to my feed (1 entry)
* Follow me on Twitter @carogonza and tweet this post. Please include @shoffee_joe in the tweet. You can earn and entry a day by tweeting once a day. Leave the link to the tweet in your post. (1 entry per day)
* Add this Giveaway to a Mr. Linky, Sweepstakes site, your giveaway list etc. Leave the link!! (1 entry per submission)
* Fave me on Technorati (leave your username - 1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway and leave the link (3 entries)
* If you really, really want to win one of these you have two other chances but visiting my pals websites. They are also giving out this very same brewer so GO ENTER there as well once you are entering here! Funnel Full of Soup and Auntie Thesis (1 entry for either giveaway entered)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for the entries you complete! How easy is that?

Deadline: Friday, July 17th at 11:59 pm EST. I will use random.org to pick a winner so everyone has a chance to win. PLEASE leave an email if your blogger profile does not include it or you don't have a blog. I need a way to contact you. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and the winner will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner. I reserve the right to delete any person's comment that does not follow the rules. So please follow the rules!!! Giveaway is open to US residents only who are 18 years of age or older.

News Around The Blogs: XOXO Purse Giveaway for just my Followers

News Around The Blogs: XOXO Purse Giveaway for just my Followers

Wow, you must enter this giveaway! Look at this darling purse!!! Go enter now!

Ocean Isle Inn Beach Weekend Getaway Giveaway over at Things Moms Like blog!

Ocean Isle Beach is one of those FABULOUS North Carolina beaches that is near the really tourist-y towns, but not right in the middle of the party. It’s in close proximity to historic Wilmington, Sunset Beach, Myrtle and North Myrtle Beach, but it’s a getaway all on its own. The great thing is that if you are on the East Coast, this is most likely a “one-tank” destination for you!!!

If you want things to do with your kids, there’s turtle watching, the Museum of Coastal Carolina, Old Baldy (the world’s OLDEST remaining lighthouse), Orton Plantation, The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher (THIS IS AWESOME!), the USS NC Battleship Memorial and the bright lights, water parks, music theaters, shopping, amusement park rides in Myrtle Beach!
(taken from Things Moms Like site)
Win a 2-night weekend stay at Ocean Isle Inn to TWO lucky Things Moms Like readers! That’s approximately a $300 value each! Go here to enter. You don't want to miss this giveaway because who doesn't need a break from the hustle & bustle.

EA Sports Active Review & Giveaway. | Runnin' Late, Again!

EA Sports Active Review & Giveaway. Runnin' Late, Again!

Get healthy!! Enter this fantastic giveaway for EA Sports for Wii!! You know I need this.

Find the Perfect Father's Day Gift with T.J. Maxx & Marshalls Review and Giveaway!

The people at TJ Maxx and Marshalls have been so wonderful and besides my Spendervention, I got the opportunity to go do some shopping for my papi for Father's Day.

What better places to go shopping for Dad but TJ Maxx or Marshalls. You can find brand names for low prices. Because TJ Maxx and Marshalls are Off-price retailers, that means you never pay full price for all the goodies you will find there.

So on the same day I did my Spendervention I also shopped for my father. It was a lot of fun but there were so many good things I had a hard time deciding what to buy him. This is what I got.
I got dad some great shirts. One was originally $32 and it was marked down to $14.99. The other was only $5 marked down from $25 and it is really nice and he will love it. Luckily, dad doesn't read my blog so he won't know what I spent and will think I paid a fortune. Shhhh!! Don't tell him. I have to admit I was torn. It was either shirts or cologne because my dad loves to wear cologne. In the end, I decided on the shirts.

TJ Maxx and Marshalls are such great stores. I love going there because the deals you find are fantastic. And there is something for every dad. I saw so many cool things that my dad would have liked. They had grilling equipment, some cool tee shirts, some nice dress shirts, laptop bags and so much more. So if you want to find some nice items for over 60% off the retail price for your dad or your hubby or yourself you know where to go.

I had such a ball during my day of shopping. And now you can too. I have an extra $25 Marshalls gift card and it can be yours. Just follow the rules and enter for your opportunity to get a special someone a special gift. When you are done entering here, go to my Spendervention giveaway and enter to win a $25 TJ Maxx card.

The picture is of my dad and my sister last December in Costa Rica. They take such great pictures. Happy Father's Day, papi!!

Entry Rules

Mandatory Entry :
You can go to the Spendervention site and come back and tell me something you learned or tell me of a great deal you found at Marshalls or TJ Maxx.

Want extra entries?
* Follow The Cube by Marshalls on Facebook (1 entry)
* Follow TJ Maxx on Twitter (1 entry)
* Follow my blog (1 entry)
* Follow me on Twitter (@carogonza) and tweet this post. You can earn and entry a day by tweeting once a day. Leave the link to the tweet in your post. (1 entry per day - you can use the tweet below)
* Fav me on Technorati (leave your username - 1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for the entries you complete! How easy is that?

Deadline: Wednesday, July 1 at 11:59 pm EST. I will use random.org to pick a winner so everyone has a chance to win. PLEASE leave an email if your blogger profile does not include it or you don't have a blog. This is super important because if I pull your name and I don't have an email or a way to contact you, I will draw another winner. I need a way to contact you. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and the winner will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to US residents only who are 18 years of age or older.

I Need A TJ Maxx and Marshalls Spendervention Giveaway!

Hi, my name is Carolyn and I needed a Spendervention and the good folks at Marshalls and TJ Maxx obliged! I was contacted to do a Spendervention and I agreed. What's a Spendervention? Go to the Spendervention site and read all about it.

Now if you haven't heard about Marshalls or TJ Maxx, you must be living under a rock and need to get out and find the closest store and go shopping. TJ Maxx and Marshalls are off-price retailers and paying an off-price is certainly better than paying FULL price. TJ Maxx and Marshalls carry designer and brand name apparel and accessories for women, men and children. They also carry housewares, kitchen items, books, toys, gifts, food items, luggage, jewelry, personal care items and shoes ~ all at great prices.

I have shopped at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for years especially when I was a poor college student in Miami. I had little or no money but I still wanted to wear nice clothes and have cool stuff. So we girls would get together and go shopping. I was able to get some cute outfits and save tons of money. It was always an adventure and competition to see what we could find and we always found some real treasures.

Now it makes sense to go to TJ Maxx or Marshalls to shop. With the economy so shaky why would you want to spend more than you have to? It doesn't make sense at all. I never pay retail for anything and when I want something special, I try to visit TJ Maxx or Marshalls because I know I will always find something nice without breaking the bank. They have over 10,000 new items per week so there will be something for everyone.

Now, unfortunately, there is no Marshalls anywhere close to where I live so I sent the gift card to my sister in Los Angeles so she could join me in my Spendervention. She agreed and she found a beautiful HOBO International Blue Leather travel bag to use for her upcoming trip to Costa Rica. Original cost $118, marked down to $39.99 and then marked down again to only $21 at Marshalls – YAY!! What a score! This is such a cute bag!! I want it for myself but she is keeping it - BOO!

I knew I could do better so armed with my gift card and Tom driving me to the "big city" (Asheville), we went shopping. Besides trying to find something for me, I also did a little shopping for my papi for Father's Day thanks to the good people at Marshalls and TJ Maxx. Pop over to my Father's Day post & giveaway and read about it. Enter that giveaway, you might win $25 Marshalls card.

Once we got to TJ Maxx there were so many options, I had no idea where to start. I looked at some really cute blouses at great prices. Then I went to the handbag section to see if I was as lucky as my sister but I couldn't find that "right" bag. I looked at laptop sleeves since I need one. They had a really darling pink one for only $19.99. I looked at a darling dress that was only $29.99 marked down from $125. I oogled some candles and towels and bedding and kitchen utensils. I couldn't decide. It wasn't until I went to the shoe section that I found what I wanted.


There they were. The cutest gladiator sandals in my size. It was destiny. Now, I am not the biggest fashion maven. In fact, some might laugh at the word fashionable and Carolyn in the same sentence but hey I know cute when I see it. Just look at these sandals. They are perfect for summer! I can wear them with shorts, capris, pants or even skirts. They can be casual or a little dressy. The best part? They were marked down from $59.99 to $19.99. WOOHOO! How cute are these?? And, Tom actually liked them as well. And see that cool reusable bag in the picture? Well we got that for free! Yep, for free!! So I got an extra bonus. YAY TJ Maxx! You can't go wrong shopping at these stores.

I had such a ball during my day of shopping. And now you can too. I have an extra $25 TJ Maxx gift card and it can be yours. Just follow the rules and enter for your opportunity to get a special someone a special gift for great prices.

Entry Rules

Mandatory Entry :
You can go to the Spendervention site and come back and tell me something you learned or tell me of a great deal you found at Marshalls or TJ Maxx.

Want extra entries?
* Follow The Cube by Marshalls on Facebook (1 entry)
* Follow TJ Maxx on Twitter (1 entry)
* Follow my blog (1 entry)
* Follow me on Twitter (@carogonza) and tweet this post. You can earn and entry a day by tweeting once a day. Leave the link to the tweet in your post. (1 entry per day - you can use the tweet below)
* Fav me on Technorati (leave your username - 1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for the entries you complete! How easy is that?

Deadline: Wednesday, July 1 at 11:59 pm EST. I will use random.org to pick a winner so everyone has a chance to win. PLEASE leave an email if your blogger profile does not include it or you don't have a blog. This is super important because if I pull your name and I don't have an email or a way to contact you, I will draw another winner. I need a way to contact you. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and the winner will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to US residents only who are 18 years of age or older.

Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife: Review And Giveaway: Shelf Reliance Thrive

Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife: Review And Giveaway: Shelf Reliance Thrive

Wonderful basket full of Shelf Reliance goodies.

Go enter!

Beautiful 2 God: Review & BIG Giveaway!- Kiss My Face

Beautiful 2 God: Review & BIG Giveaway!- Kiss My Face

Fantastic Kiss My Face giveaway. You DO NOT want to miss this giveaway. Go now and enter.

Carolina Pad Paper Goods Review and Giveaway

I love to write and ever since I was a little girl I coveted all types of stationery products and paper goods. I always requested stationery sets and notebooks and pens for Christmas and my birthday. I had pen pals galore. When I got older and moved away from home, I would write to everyone I knew. At college, I had notebooks and folders for everything. Suffice it to say, I love any type of office supplies and paper goods. To this day, I often write my reviews or blog in a notebook and then type it in. So when I was offered the opportunity to review products from Carolina Pad and I said YES!

The items I received were notebooks and folders. I took one notebook with me on my Mexico trip so I wouldn't forget anything and have notes for my blog. I love the other notebooks but my favorite item was the Hot Chocolate Organizational folder. It has 8 double-sided pockets. It holds all my notes and they don't fall out. I also like that they have a wonderful line of "Green" products called Sasquatch. I am all about greening up the world and these items made mostly from plant and recycled pulp materials are not only great for the environment but look good too.

Carolina Pad has so many types and styles of office supplies to offer. Founded in 1945, their core philosophy is "service, reliability, and quality at a fair price.” They expanded the business in 2000 by introducing office and school products with a fashionable flair. And fashionable they are. There are so many cool styles, it's hard to pick just one. Besides being able to find these products at the Carolina Pad website you can find the supplies at major retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Amazon and Staples among others. Trust me, these are well worth it!

So would you like to have some of these wonderfully, fashionable and cool products? Well, you can. The nice people at Carolina Pad are offering one of my readers a set of their own. I am so jealous because the set includes a journal, mouse pad, magnets, pens, notebooks, laptop tote and so much more. This is one awesome giveaway! I wish I could enter it myself!! The winner will be able to choose from their Simply Chic or Eye Candy sets. WOW!!! The sets are worth over $150.

I am giving you lots of ways to enter since this is such a great prize. So if you want the opportunity to win this fantastic prize here are the deets:

Entry Rules

Mandatory Entry :
Visit the Carolina Pad and come back and tell me your favorite product and why you like it.

Want extra entries?
* Follow Carolina Pad on Facebook (1 entry)
* Join the Carolina Pad Insights Panel. Want a chance to preview new Carolina Pad products and take them for a test drive? You may get the opportunity to receive free samples for your opinions. (1 entry)
* Follow Carolina Pad on Twitter (1 entry)
* Follow my blog (1 entry)
* Subscribe to to the feed (1 entry)
* Follow me on Twitter (@carogonza) and tweet this post. You can earn and entry a day by tweeting once a day. Leave the link to the tweet in your post. (1 entry per day - you can use the tweet below)
GIVEAWAY- $150 worth of functional and fun Carolina Pad office supplies. @carogonza & @carolinapad http://tinyurl.com/ms7ex3
* Fav me on Technorati (leave your username - 1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for the entries you complete! How easy is that?

Deadline: Sunday, June 28th at 11:59 pm EST. I will use random.org to pick a winner so everyone has a chance to win. PLEASE leave an email if your blogger profile does not include it or you don't have a blog. This is super important because if I pull your name and I don't have an email or a way to contact you, I will draw another winner. I need a way to contact you. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and the winner will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to US residents only who are 18 years of age or older.

Pert Plus for Men Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

I am always on the lookout for giveaways and freebies. One of those opportunities came when I signed up to follow Pert Plus on Facebook. I was given a sample of the Pert Plus Rejuvenate and Revive 2 in 1 shampoo for damaged and color treated hair. Now I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. On one hand it is full and nice and grows fast but, on the other hand, when it gets humid it is a fright and hard to manage. So I was curious to see if this shampoo would help me out. It did. I have been using for several weeks now and it has left my hair very soft and easy to manage. The other plus is that it is for color treated hair. And while I don't color my hair, I have some leftover highlights that were getting really dry but this shampoo seemed to control the fly aways and now it looks good. I love the smell, aloe vera and lavender. I love the 2 in 1 aspect because I hate having to use two products on my hair and a lot of times the conditioner usually leaves my hair to limp or greasy looking. I had given up using conditioner for that very reason. I like my hair really clean looking when I wash it.

After trying this shampoo, I was also given the opportunity to try the new line of Pert products. They have come out with a wonderful line for men. They have the following products:
Pert Plus for Men 3-in-1 (Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Wash)
Pert Plus for Men 2-in-1 Thickening
Pert Plus for Men 2-in-1 Deep Cleansing
Pert Plus for Men 2-in-1 Daily Dandruff

I knew I really couldn't give an honest opinion on the men's shampoo so I convinced Tom to try it for a few weeks. Luckily, he agreed because I really didn't want to go bug the neighbor for a review. That would have been creepy! LOL

Tom tried the Pert Plus for Men 3 in 1. The cool thing about this product is that not only is it shampoo & conditioner but body wash as well. Tom's verdict was a thumbs up. He said it lathered up well and rinsed out easily. It left his hair feeling soft. He also enjoyed the smell. So did I. I usually don't like men's perfumy smells but this shampoo had a nice clean smell with a touch of scent. Plus, it's also a body wash.

Overall we are happy to have been able to try the Pert products and will certainly continuing using them.

Now for the good part. Yes folks, you will get the chance to enter to win some of these products. The winner will receive a bottle of all the new Men's Pert products. The winner gets a bottle each of Pert Plus for Men 3-in-1 (Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Wash), Pert Plus for Men 2-in-1 Thickening, Pert Plus for Men 2-in-1 Deep Cleansing and Pert Plus for Men 2-in-1 Daily Dandruff. This is something you want to win for that man in your life! And Pert was nice enough to also give 2 more winners a bottle of the Pert Plus for Men 3-in-1 (Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Wash. 3 winners in all! YAY! Thank you Pert Plus! So read the rules and ENTER!!!

ENTRY RULES

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Pert Plus website, look around and come back and tell me something you learned.

Want extra entries?

* Follow @pert_plus on twitter (1 entry) Leave your twitter ID so I can check
* Follow Pert Plus on Facebook (1 entry) Leave your Facebook name or first & last initial
* Follow my blog (1 entry)
* Subscribe to to the feed (1 entry)
* Follow me on Twitter (@carogonza) and tweet this post. Make sure you use @pert_plus in the tweet. You can earn and entry a day by tweeting once a day. Leave the link to the tweet in your post. (1 entry per day)
* Add this Giveaway to a Mr. Linky, Sweepstakes site, your giveaway list etc. Leave the link!! (1 entry per submission)
* Fave me on Technorati (leave your username - 1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for the entries you complete! How easy is that?

Deadline: Saturday, June 27th at 11:59 pm EST. I will use random.org to pick a winner so everyone has a chance to win. PLEASE leave an email if your blogger profile does not include it or you don't have a blog. This is super important because if I pull your name and I don't have an email or a way to contact you, I will draw another winner. I need a way to contact you. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and the winner will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to US residents only who are 18 years of age or older.

**WINNER** Clean Happens - Better Life Green Cleaning Products GIVEAWAY

Yes folks, we have a winner. The winner chosen by Random.org was:

Naddez :)

Congrats Naddez! I have emailed you. You have 48 hours to get back to me. After 48 hours, I will pick a new winner. So send me your info!! Once I get all the info, I will send out your prize. I think you will totally love this prize.

I want to thank BETTER LIFE for such a great prize and the opportunity to give it to one of my readers. I love giving stuff away!! I also want to thank everyone who participated. I wish I had more prizes this round since so many people entered but if you didn't win this giveaway, keep an eye out because I have some really good giveaways coming up. Remember to go enter the Rubbermaid giveaway!! The prize is fantastic. In the next few weeks keep an eye out for more giveaways including a Keurig Brewer, Carolina Pad, Pert Plus for Men, Natural Dentist and more. I will also have a very special unique and tasty giveaway on my other blog, Carolyn in Carolina, that you will not want to miss. It will be for my 100th post and I am only 9 posts away!!
Thanks again!

Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife: Review & Giveaway: Kernel Season's

Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife: Review & Giveaway: Kernel Season's: Yummy giveaway for popcorn and toppings!!!

Welcome Estevan Vega to the First Annual BronzeWord Virtual Book Tour

I want to welcome Estevan Vega to this stop on the First Annual BronzeWord Latino Virtual Book Tour. The Book Tour is designed to give exposure to wonderful authors like Estevan. Please feel free to ask Estevan questions or leave a comment for him today. He will be visiting and talking with you. I am also happy to say that a random comment on one of these blogs will receive an Amazon gift code.

As a young boy, Estevan Vega wasn't interested writing. He world was filled with comic books and sketching. In 5th grade he found his love of writing. At the age of 15, Estevan became a published author with his first book Servant of the Realm. The book is a story about a teenager who sees the future deaths of those he loves and tries to change it. "There is something therapeutic and natural about breathing life into the mundane, or finding escape through odd characters and strange concepts," says Vega.

The Sacred Sin, his second book, was published when he was 18. From his website: The Sacred Sin tells the story of detective Jude Foster assigned to bring down a serial killer capable of stealing victim's souls without ever touching them. Stopping this ghost killer, fighting against his demons, his inner darkness, may be the only path toward sanity and a new beginning.

Estevan lives in Connecticut and will have a new book, Arson, coming out this year. So I want to welcome Estevan to Carolyn in Carolina and The Art of Random Willynillyness. I am amazed that he is so young and so talented. If you would like to buy a copy of his book, click on the Amazon widget on my sidebar!

Estevan was kind enough to submit this wonderful story. Read between the lines and you will see his process, his art and his talent come to life! Please enjoy. Once again, welcome Estevan to my blog(s) and am thrilled you are taking part in this wonderful event! Thank you. Please feel free to add any comments!!

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A Picture and its Words
by Estevan Vega

A procrastinating eleven year old boy sits glued to the light glowing bright enough to give any normal kid a seizure. The light ushers forth from a television set, a big, boxy, archaic reminder of why everyone went to flat panels. He’s watching Money Train, a Thursday night special on Fox, featuring the always butt-kicking, very dark and usually pissed off Wesley Snipes, and a cocky, almost obnoxious Woody Harrelson. (He’s the one with an Owen Wilson face before Owen Wilson was put on the map. ) The tension in the film is building and the action peaks, just in time for a loud call to echo in from the other room.

“Did you finish that paper you were assigned?” comes the voice of a man whose tone clearly indicated he was busy with paperwork.

“Ummm,” the boy replies, “not exactly, Pop, but it’s a cinch. Get to it after this.” A scoop of ice cream finds its way to his lips and the film runs to a commercial break.

“You better get in here and work on it, then, or it’s bed time.”
Ahhh, bed time. The two words that can make any small child obey your every command. The boy reluctantly checks the clock, shuffles his position on the green rug, shoves another spoonful of mint chocolate chip ice cream down his throat, and finally turns off the tube. Dragging his feet into the adjacent room, he plops down at the dining room table, faces a blocky-looking machine known as a desktop computer, and pushes out a forceful sigh. At this point, it’s his job to make sure everyone around him—mainly his father—knows he’s unhappy.

“What’s the paper on?” his father asks.

He shrugs, finishing the bowl of ice cream.

His father shrugs back, putting his pencil behind his ear. His father, a hard-working businessman fit the role of a once-carpenter well, and the whole pencil-in-ear thing worked for him. The boy has tried to pull the look off many times, but it never seems to work. As he finds excuses to escape his father’s soul-piercing glare, he finally replies, “I don’t feel like writing. I want to watch the movie.”

“Yeah, well, your mother and I don’t want to do paperwork, either…but. Well, that’s probably why she bailed on me tonight.” The boy’s father takes a moment to acknowledge his own joke and the painful reality of it. “Nevertheless, we do it. You gotta do whatcha gotta do, son, whether you like it or not.”

The boy shoves his bowl to the side and hops into a seat by the computer.

Suddenly, his father turns his chair, and looks him square in the face. “Ah-ah, no you don’t. Not yet. I’m gonna help you with this assignment. But first, we practice,” he says, cracking his knuckles. “Close your eyes.”

The boy, slightly confused and mostly frustrated, acquiesces, though he can’t imagine why. After a grunt, a shrug, and a long-winded sigh, he scratches his nose and begins to gets curious.

“What’s this for, anyway?”

“When you’re drawing a picture, first you have to see it, right?”

“Yeah. But, Pop, this is an essay, not some sketch. Miss what’s-her-face doesn’t let us do anything as fun as sketching comic book characters or—”

“Miss what’s-her-face? Does your teacher know you call her that?”

Gulp.

“Look, just listen to the sound of my voice. It’s just like drawing a picture. First, you allow me to paint an image in your mind, and then we take that image and turn it into a story. Understand? That’s how we can have fun with this.”

“Miss what’s-her…my teacher doesn’t know the meaning of fun.”

“She was a kid once, too, I’m sure. So, just sit back and listen. You talk too much.”

“Whatever. But it’s not going to be fun.”

The boy’s father can tell he’s rolling his eyes underneath those pale lids, but he continues dictating a brief anecdote anyway. Something to jog the child’s mind. Something to take his mind off Money Train. With every scene and character created, the boy’s enthusiasm increases and a smile crawls across his lips. The boy’s father paints beautiful trees and unheard-of accents and scenery inside the boy’s mind, and each piece becomes more real, more a part of the story.

Like a dream, it comes and goes, sometimes distorted, other times as clear as crystal. Every image a part of a mental photograph, an image impossible to erase. He can see them, touch them, learn their likes and dislikes, who they are and what they’ve done. They’re living, breathing people, scenes turned alive and ready to be explored. A gasp awakens quiet lungs and a deep breath.

“Can you see it now?” my father asks, blinking with anticipation.

It was the most incredible thing. My father wasn’t lying about writing, or about what it can do to a person, what worlds can be created in just a few moments. He wasn’t just a businessman or a dad; he was a writer. He knew what kind of fun someone could have if only they shut their eyes from the crazy, busy world for a moment and let the words form themselves. It really was like drawing a character. Every sound and word was a piece, a shape of a larger thing forming in my mind. All I had to do was picture it first.

He leans back in his chair, as I nod with a grin on my face. “Yeah, I can see it. I can see everything.”

“Good,” he says, patting my shoulder. “Now we can write.”

The First Annual Latino Virtual Book Tour will highlight Estevan Vega

I was asked if I wanted to participate in The First Latino Virtual Book Tour on the web and I jumped at the chance. Jo Ann Hernandez who is a wonderful Latina author and who also runs the BronzeWord Latino Authors website came up with this idea and I think it's great because not only does it give authors the opportunity to get the word out about their books but it also gives the readers of the host blogs to be exposed to new reading material. The book tour will be hitting a few websites and I am just one of them.

I have the honor of hosting Estevan Vega the author of Servant of the Realm and, his newest book, The Sacred Sin on June 16th. Please visit Estevan's site and read about this amazing young Latino author.

Please come back June 16th when I will be hosting Estevan on both my blogs. He has written a special article and feel free to ask questions because he will be popping in and be answering questions. Please feel free to leave any comments for the author as well. One lucky person who makes a comment here or on my other website will win a $10 amazon code so you can go buy Estevan's book. Come and participate and make this unique and wonderful event a success.

If you miss him on the 16th, you can still visit the Book Tour at these other sites!! The tour starts June 14 and ends June 27. If you would like to buy a copy of his book, click on the Amazon widget on my sidebar!

LATINO VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE

June 14
BronzeWord Authors
El Jumping Bean

June 15
Latinitas Magazine

June 16
Carolyn in Carolina
The Art of Random Willynillyness

June 17
Caridad Pinero

June 18
Writing to Insanity

June 19
Lara Rios

June 20
Musings

June 21
rafaelMarquez.me

June 22
Latina Reader

June 23
Cafe Dreams

June 24
Latino Pundit

June 25
Queer Latino Musings on Literature

June 26
Mama Latina Tips

June 27
Latino Book Examiner

Flax and Spindle: June Giveaway ...

Flax and Spindle: June Giveaway ...

Darling giveaway!

Site Warming Party for Schwinn Joyride

Come join Resourceful Mommy as she throws a sit-warming party for Schwinn Joyride.

From the Resourceful Mommy site:

For many parents there is a disconnect between the treasured memories of their youth and what they are able to offer their children. One such memory for me is the time I spent riding my bike all over town. Like many children growing up in a rural area, my bike was my escape, and at a very young age I could just as easily bike my way to a pack of bubble gum at the closest gas station as I could travel to play with a friend.

Times have changed. The advent of safety rules and changes in bicycles themselves have made this favorite past time much safer for children of all ages! But as rural areas and small suburbs have given way to bustling towns, many parents like myself do not know where to start with introducing the love of biking to our children.

Schwinn is here to help! Help me SiteWarm the new site, Schwinn Joyride: The Ultimate Resource for Two-Wheeled Family Adventure. Users will be able to:

•Create a biking journal
•Check out the featured bike of the month
•Read blog articles about topics ranging from when to remove training wheels to deciding when your child is ready for a bike
•Find great trails for a short family bike hike or a long bike vacation
•Watch videos and read tips on how to teach your child to ride a bike
•Learn about bike gear from helmets to all the bells and whistles (literally!)
•Utilize biking safety checklists
•Discover the importance of proper bicycle maintenance
•Become fit by learning about fitness through biking

Be sure to follow our special guests for the night:

@LoriHeimerl Lori's Twitter profile describes her as a "Single Mom, Cool Girlfriend, Bike Marketing Diva." Let her know any questions you have about what Schwinn Joyride can do for your family!

@Kim Orlando Kim is the founder of the popular site, Traveling Mom.

Join us as we tweet about Family Biking - bring your questions, your stories, and your tips!

And of course, enter to win the Goody Bag prizes...
THREE winners will each receive one (1) Women's Beach Cruiser Bike from Schwinn, each worth more than $150!

Go to Resourceful Mommy and sign up before the party and get the complete set of rules!!!

She Scribes

Go over to She Scribes to enter the Barefoot Wine Bubbly Summer Giveaway!

You could win a Barefoot tote bag filled with a wine opener, stemless wine glass and a big soft beach towel. Isn't it great!

So go over and enter to win!!!

Salada Tea Unbottle Your Tea Wii & Wii Fit Sweepstakes

You all know my love/hate relationship with my Wii and especially the Wii Fit. If not, you can read about it on Carolyn in Carolina. But in the end, the Wii Fit is such a great tool for losing weight and getting fit.

Now you can have the opportunity to win a Wii & Wii Fit by entering the Salada Tea Unbottle your Sweepstakes. Just go to the Salada Tea site and enter. All you need to do is leave a "green" tip and you are entered, easy peasy lemon squeesy. The deadline is June 30 so go enter now and get in the running. Trust me, if you need to get fit, the Wii is the way to go.

While you are on the site, chek it out because Salada Tea is delicious. And keep an eye out in July because there might be some Salada goodies for you!

Red Sox Mommy: Hamilton Beach blenders *giveaway*

Red Sox Mommy: Hamilton Beach blenders *giveaway*

Fabulous Hamilton Blender at Red Sox Mommy!! What a cool summer item!! Go enter now!

Review & Giveaway: Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids All In One Set

I am a very organized person when I work but at home I am a little willy-nilly. Now my house is always clean but when it comes to storing stuff and putting certain things away, I have to admit I have issues. Take, for instance, the cabinet where I keep my food storage containers. As you can see it's a mess. It is a hodgepodge collection of various brands I have tried. A lot of them have no lids. Some are stained and gross and, frankly, lets not mince words, it's a disaster. But I love using food containers so that's why it's so crazy. I have tons because I love cooking and I always have leftovers. I like heating food up in them, using them in the freezer and refrigerator. I cant live without my food containers. But I needed help.

I found that help when Rubbermaid gave me the opportunity to review the Easy Find Lids Rubbermaid Set. Rubbermaid was smart and created a line of containers that have lids that snap together and also snap into the container bases so no more lost lids. Genius! Now I can keep all my lids snapped together and they are easy to find. Plus, these are all Microwave/Dishwasher/Freezer safe. This 20-piece set comes with a variety of Rubbermaid products:
•Lock-Its - These are great for traveling. I am always afraid of sending Tom to work with certain foods because sometimes containers get bumped and bruised on the way and then leak and open and make a mess. These containers have locking tabs to avoid such issues and I love them. These are great to take along on trips or a picnic as well!!

•Produce Saver - I love these. We are trying to eat healthier now and that means fresh veggies and fruit. These great containers have a little "shelf" where fruit is lifted out of its own juices and with the vented lids the fruit or veggie doesn't spoil as fast and they stay fresher longer. That's cool.

•Premier - These containers are stain resistant. I love them because a lot of my containers are stained especially by the pastas I make. These resist those stains and come clean every time!

•Easy Find Lids - These come with lids that snap to the bottom of the container making them "easy to find," which as you see is perfect for me because I just willy-nilly toss everything into the cabinet and then fail to find the lid when I need it. Now all I do is snap the lids together and snap them on the containers making my life easier.

I love all my new Rubbermaid containers. They all come with the Easy Find Lids and I truly love that because they make my life easier. I also have to tell you that I freeze food in these containers without any problem. The food stays fresh and we just pop them into the microwave. The containers are wonderful and I would recommend them to anyone especially the Produce Savers. I waste so much food because it spoils so quickly and these are a godsend! So I gave my willy-nilly cabinet a makeover with my new Rubbermaid containers and it looks great!!

So you all know what's coming, right? Well Rubbermaid not only provided me with my set to review but they are also offering me another set to giveaway to my wonderful readers!! Yes folks, you can have your very own set of these Rubbermaid containers. WOO-HOO! And let me tell you, you will want a set of these! Just read below, follow the rules and you are in the running!!!

ENTRY RULES

Mandatory Entry: Visit Rubbermaid and tell me what item you like the best and why.

Want extra entries?

* Follow @rubbermaid and @rubbermaidtwo (1 entry) Leave your twitter ID so I can check
* Follow my blog (1 entry)
* Subscribe to to the feed (1 entry)
* Follow me on Twitter (@carogonza) and tweet this post. You can earn and entry a day by tweeting once a day. Leave the link to the tweet in your post. (1 entry per day)
* Add this Giveaway to a Mr. Linky, Sweepstakes site, your giveaway list etc. Leave the link!! (1 entry per submission)
* Stumble this post (leave your username so I can verify - 1 entry)
* Fave me on Technorati (leave your username - 1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for the entries you complete! How easy is that?

Deadline: Tuesday, June 23rd at 11:59 pm EST. I will use random.org to pick a winner so everyone has a chance to win. PLEASE leave an email if your blogger profile does not include it or you don't have a blog. I need a way to contact you. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and the winner will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to US residents only who are 18 years of age or older.

**Don't forget to enter my Clean Happens - Better Life Green Cleaning Products Giveaway**

WINNER!!!! Gossip Girl: Real NYC Stories Revealed starring Dove Go Fresh Burst Body Wash and Dove Go Fresh Burst Soap GIVEAWAY!!!

Yes folks, we have a winner. The winner chosen by Random.org was:

always_317537 aka Leslie @ LIVE,LOVE,LAUGH WITH LESLIE :)

Congrats Leslie! I have emailed you. You have 48 hours to get back to me. After 48 hours, I will pick a new winner. So send me your info!! Once I get all the info, I will send out your prize. I think you will totally love this prize.

I want to thank the sponsor for such a great prize and opportunity to give it to one of my readers. I love giving stuff away!! I also want to thank everyone who participated. I wish I had more prizes this round since so many people entered but if you didn't win this giveaway, keep an eye out because I have some really good giveaways coming up. I have a wonderful green cleaning products starter kit from Better Life giveaway going on right now so go enter! In the next few weeks keep an eye out for Rubbermaid, Carolina Pad, Pert Plus for Men, Pace Picante Salsas, Natural Dentist and more. I will also have a very special unique and tasty giveaway on my other blog, Carolyn in Carolina, that you will not want to miss. It will be for my 100th post and I am only 9 posts away!!
Thanks again!