Music for My Mood - Mat Kearney

I'm seventeen again . . . driving in my car, an old sea monster green Oldsmobile Omega . . . on my way home from work . . . without a care in the world . . . singing along to my favorite cassette - Counting Crows August and Everything After.  I'm relaxed.  I'm happy.  Life is good!

Every time I listen to Mat Kearney's Young Love, I'm taken back to that time, that feeling.  While the music isn't the same, it elicits the same emotions.  It is an album that I could listen to over and over.  In fact, I've listened to it as background music several times each day since I received the download from One2One.  The music is easy to listen to.  It isn't too loud, too peppy, too slow, too depressing.  It is a good, relaxed, soundtrack of life.  Each song tells a story.  They are the stories of love, loss, and struggle.  They feel like experiences we've all had or will have in life.  The entire album feels very relatable. 

Are you curious what my favorite song is?  Cue up Hey Mama.  With a little bounce in my step I vacuum, put away the dishes, fold laundry, cook dinner and dance around the house.  Work seems to get done a bit more quickly when I hear that song.  It is perky, happy, and really lightens my mood.



I definitely recommend that you take a moment to listen to the music of Mat Kearney and see if it is a good fit for you.  Too often, I find a song or artist I like, but when I listen to the music I find that it is inappropriate for my children to listen to.  With Mat Kearney, that isn't the case.  I don't have to skip through songs or words because I don't want my children to hear it.   I can simply click "play all" and go on about the business of life.

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a download of the album from One2One in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Others may have different experiences.

Pucker Up with Carmex - Review and Giveaway

Since we live on the lake, we spend much of our time outside enjoying the beauty around us.  This summer, we probably spent at least half of our waking hours outside.  Whether we were boating, tubing, swimming, walking, jumping rope, hula hooping, reading, biking, scootering (is that a word?), or grilling, we were out in the sun.   With a history of melanoma in our family, I always do my best to protect my girls from the sun.  We use sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and lip balm.  Personally, my favorite lip balm is Carmex.  I feel like it goes on smooth, stays on longer, and does a great job of moisturizing our lips.   The only issue I have had with Carmex in the past is that my girls don't really like the taste of the original jar (which is my personal favorite product).

This summer, Carmex was kind enough to send me a fun pack of products to try with my family.  My package included Carmex Lime Twist and Carmex Vanilla click sticks in exchange for my honest review.  The first thing I  have to say about these products is "YUM"!  My girls and I especially loved the Lime Twist.  To me, it tasted a bit like Key Lime Pie.   The girls didn't even mind that it still had the slight underlying taste of the original Carmex.  I think that hint of original flavor also helped to keep the girls from trying to lick it off (which they have been known to do with other brands of fruity lip balms).  Both products have SPF15 and several moisturizing ingredients to keep your lips safe and hydrated. 

The sunshine of summer will soon be replaced by the cool breezes of fall.  When that happens, I still always have Carmex on hand.  Between the wind and the heat from the furnace, my skin dries out, and I haven't had any product that works better for my lips than Carmex.

Do you want to win some products of your own?  The good people at Carmex have agreed to send one of my readers the the same kit that I received. 

Here's how you can win:

Mandatory Entry:  Which Carmex product is your favorite?  If you don't have a favorite, tell me what you are most excited to try.  Leave me a comment.  Be sure to include your email address if it is not visible in your profile.

Optional Extra Entries:

1. Like me on facebook.  Post your initials in the comments.
2. Follow me on Twitter.  Post your username in the comments.
3. Tweet about this giveaway using @rmgm and #carmex  Post a link to your tweet here.  This can be done once daily.  
4. Follow me publicly on my new blog, LovingLakeLiving, via Google Friend Connect and post a comment with your username.
5. Send a new friend to my blog.  Have a friend enter my giveaway..  Tell them to leave your name (user, twitter, whatever) in their original mandatory comment.  Then, come back and tell me who you sent in another comment.  (Unlimited.  One comment for each new friend)

Details:

• Only open to US residents
• Winner will be chosen using random.org
• Giveaway ends 11:59pm ET on September 2, 2011
• Include your email address in your comment if it is not available on your profile page.  If an email address in not in the comment or on your profile page another winner will be chosen.  
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Prizes will be sent directly from the sponsor.  I am not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged during shipment.  If you win a prize and do not receive it, please let me know

*Disclaimer:  Carmex sent me the kit pictured above in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are my own.  Others may have different experiences.

Winner, Winner, Sam's Club for Dinner

With 93 amazing entries (I love my readers!), random.org selected lucky #49 as the winner.  Congrats Mari!  I'll be sending an email shortly so that you can claim your prize.

For those of you that didn't win . . .

Don't fret!  Another giveaway will be posted today.  It will be a quickie though, so don't wait too long to come back and get your entries in.

Happy Tuesday!

Back to School with Box Tops and Sam's Club

It is officially back to school time.  With less than two weeks until my monkeys start school, I am on a mission.  I want to get the things they love, need, want, and will use with minimal stress for everyone in the family.  For us, minimal stress means that I will be able to find what we're looking for easily, that the kids won't fight while we're shopping, and that Doc won't freak out about the cost of it all.   :o)  Sounds easy enough, right?  Wrong!  I know that it won't be easy.  First of all, Pumpkin doesn't like to leave the house for any reason.  I sometimes worry that she is going to be agoraphobic as she gets older.  If given the option, she would stay home and play all day, every day.   The second issue is the list.  I don't know about your school supply list, but every year there is at least one item on ours that I assume either isn't made anymore, or perhaps never existed in the first place.   Finally, since Doc doesn't do much of the shopping in our family, he doesn't really know how much things cost.  He is always surprised (not in a good way) at the receipts I bring home.

While most of the shopping won't be easy (I always hope for the best, but expect the worst.  It keeps me from being disappointed.).  There is one place that I know I can go and indulge in a little stress free back to school shopping.  You might be surprised to hear that the one place is Sam's Club.   Before walking in, I tell the girls that if they are good then we can get an ICEE before we leave.  At only $1.15 at our club, I might even let them each have their own.  (Yes, I sometimes bribe my kids.  Does that make me a bad mom?  Even if it does, I'll probably keep doing it.)  For some reason, the girls enjoy Sam's Club shopping (more than other shopping).  Maybe it is the occasional free samples located throughout the stores.  Maybe it is the hope that someday we'll buy them the ginormous stuffed animals or the huge swing set on display in the middle of the store.  Maybe it is just that they get to pick out their own snacks for their school lunches.  Whatever the reason, I'll take it.

With both girls in school full time this year (sniff), I will need lots of snacks.   They'll be eating daily snacks, plus the snack foods in their lunches, and we can't forget the sports snacks for after school activities.  All of those snacks means that bulk is the way to buy.  Right now at Sam's Club, you can buy some of your favorite snacks from General Mills and get bonus box tops - 6 Box Tops on a Pack, in fact.   I don't know about you, but our school loves Box Tops for Education, so I know they'll appreciate the extra tops.  I know that we'll be grabbing some Nature Valley Granola Bars and Chex Mix.

What will you be shopping for at your local Sam's Club for Back-To-School?  Tell me and you could win a $25 Sam's Club gift card to help with the endless expenses of BTS.  Here's how:


Mandatory Entry:  Which General Mills Box Tops item will you purchase during the Sam's Club Back-to-School event?  Leave me a comment.  Be sure to include your email address if it is not visible in your profile.

Optional Extra Entries:

1. Like me on facebook.  Post your initials in the comments.
2. Follow me on Twitter.  Post your username in the comments.
3. Tweet about this giveaway using @rmgm and #myblogspark  Post a link to your tweet here.  This can be done once daily.  
4. Follow me publicly on my new blog, LovingLakeLiving, via Google Friend Connect and post a comment with your username.
5. Like Sam's Club on facebook and leave me a comment with your initials telling me you did.
6. Follow Sam's Club on twitter and post your username in the comments.

Details:

• Only open to US residents
• Winner will be chosen using random.org
• Giveaway ends 11:59pm ET on August 29, 2011
• Include your email address in your comment if it is not available on your profile page.  If an email address in not in the comment or on your profile page another winner will be chosen.  
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Prizes will be sent directly from the sponsor.  I am not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged during shipment.  If you win a prize and do not receive it, please let me know

*Disclaimer:  Through MyBlogSpark, General Mills and Sam's Club have generously provided me with a $25 gift card, and some of the information provided above.  They will also be sending my winner their Sam's Club gift card.  All opinions are my own.  Others may have different experiences.

Who Wants Pizza?

I don't know about you, but I have a weak spot for pizza. Homemade pizza, frozen pizza, chain pizza, local pizza shop pizza . . . they all have a special place in my heart depending on my mood. The problem with my pizza penchant (other than the obvious issues) is that sometimes I don't want a whole pizza. I just want a slice (or two). Knowing that, you won't be at all shocked to hear how happy I was to hear about the Freschetta By The Slice pizza event taking place on August 4th (TOMORROW!). Freschetta will be giving away free pizza while supplies last from 11am-3pm CST (Hmmm . . . being on Eastern time, I think that would be noon my time, right?) The problem I have is that I'll have company over tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to sneak away to grab a slice. If not, I hope at least my readers get their fair share. To sign up to get a reminder go to http://www.freefreschetta.com/ Good luck!

Event Details:
Date - August 4th, 2011
What - FREE* FRESCHETTA® By The Slice pizza event
Where - From the comfort of your own home
Details - Visit the message board at www.FreschettaFreshConnection.com

FRESCHETTA® will be giving away thousands of slices of our delicious By The Slice pizza in a special live online event. The FRESCHETTA® By The Slice pizza will be given away in 5,000 increments every half hour. There will also be fun, interactive contests where you can win additional coupons. You can find all the delicious details surrounding this event on the message board in www.FreschettaFreshConnection.com.

*Disclaimer - As a Freschetta Fresh Connection blogger, I have the opportunity to win prizes for sharing this information with you.  Because I like my readers, I would have shared anyway.  :o)