Bomgar

Have you ever heard of a company called Bomgar? Until I did research for this post I hadn’t heard of them. I’m sure, however, that most of us have had some experience using the type of service that this company provides. Bomgar provides a secure way for technicians to remotely control computers, servers, smartphones, and network devices over the Internet with remote desktop support.

University of Redlands

The University of Redlands was founded in 1907. One of their goals starting out was to help their students learn life skills that will help them to make a positive change in the world. Their goal has not changed in the one-hundred plus years that this school has been around.

What is Medicare?

Medicare is a health insurance program that is Federally funded to help people who are sixty-five or older, have a disability, or have End Stage Renal Disease. You can find out more Medicare basics on the Medicare Web site. My husband has had End Stage Renal Disease, so we have some experience with Medicare. He found out at the age of 25, out of the blue, that his kidneys had failed.

The Best of CVS and Walgreens

The Best of CVS

Thermacare Neck, Wrist & shoulder heat wrap 1ct. $2.79 Get $2.79 ECB Limit 1 FREE

Revlon Super Lustrous, Moon Drops, Color Burst Lip or Double Twist Mascara $6.49 Get $4 ECB Limit 6ALL Revlon Nail $3.99 Get $2 ECB Limit 6

Spend $10 Get $7 ECB wyb any Physicians Formula Cosmetics Limit 1
Use Physician's Formula Rebate

Schick Hydro 3 or Hydro 5 razor 1ct. or Cartridges 4ct. $8.79 Get $4 ECB Limit 1$2 Schick Hydro or Quattro Razor or Refill SS 12/5

Auto Repair for all of my Houston Peeps

Are you one of my peeps who live in the Houston area? Surely from time to time you will need repair and maintenance on your vehicle. If you are like me you want to find a reliable, yet inexpensive place to get your car repairs taken care of. And, you don't want to spend a lot of time waiting.

Houston auto repair is the place to take your vehicle if you live in the Houston area. Houston auto repair offers auto repair on all makes and models of vehicles including the Acura TL. The staff will take care of your needs quickly and efficiently, without a whole lot of waiting around!

Winner's of Duncan Hines

The winner's of the Duncan Hines giveaway are SLS(atlmuzikfanzinc) and Diana D. Thanks to everyone for the entries! I will be emailing you to get your mailing address so that I can send that in to the sponsor.

The Best of CVS and Walgreens 12/12 - 12/18

The Best CVS Deals

ECB DEALS
Spend $10 Get $4 ECB wyb any Revlon cosmetics Limit 1

Maybelline Lash Stiletto, Define-A-Lash, Colossal Volum' or Falsies Volum' Express Mascara $7 Get $2 ECB Limit 1

Get $12 ECB wyb (2) of these Olay products Limit 1
Olay Regenerist or ALL Olay Definity Facial Care
$3 Olay Regenerist or Pro-X facial moisturizer or cleanser RP 12/12
$3/1 Olay Regenerist facial moisturizer or cleanser, any one – 11/28 PG

RapidLash $49.99 Get $10 ECB Limit 1

Get $10 ECB wyb Neutrogena Clinical Day, Night or Eye Limit 1

Best of CVS and Walgreens

The Best of CVS 12/5 - 12/11

Bausch and Lomb Re-Nu Multi-Purpose Solution Twin pk 24 oz Total or Alaway Eye Itch Relief .34 oz $13.99 get $3 eb Limit 1

-$3 Bausch & Lomb Soothe Eye Drops (exp 12/31/2010) 10/24/2010 SS
-$1 Renu Fresh Multi-Purpose Solution

Bayer Contour Blood Glucose System $14.99 get $5 eb Limit 1
-$5 Bayer AIC Self Check Contour or Breeze 2 Meters 10/31/2010 RP

Winners!

The winner of the Chunky Bling giveaway is Diana D.!









The winner of the Rock 'N Learn making money dvd is bukaeyes!

Congratulations to both of my winners! I will be contacting you via email to smash out all of the details. Thanks for the entries everyone! Of course, there are more giveaways coming up!

Cyber Monday free gift wrap at Little One Books + Last day to print coupons

If you are still getting some Cyber Monday shopping done, Little One Books is offering free gift wrapping today, along with free shipping and handling through December 15th.

It's the end of the month so you are down to the last opportunity to print these coupons:

BOGO 18.5 oz bottle of Gold Peak Tea
$1.00 off on any size Truvia™ natural sweetener
$1.00 off 1 Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Four hundred follower giveaway- over $20 value!= closed

It seems like yesterday that I started blogging again and now I have over three hundred followers! To borrow the words of D.J. Lance Bass- you guys are AWESOME!I do need your help though. I am always trying to build my readership, and to that end I'm giving away some freebie coupons that need a good home.

I have one of each of the following: Free tub of Cottonelle moist wipes, Free box of Triscuit Thin Crisps, Free bottle of Advil, a free bag of Food Should Taste Good chips, and a Free box of Barilla pasta. I'm giving these away because either we have tons of the things already- like the Barilla and the Cottonelle (I am a stockpiler after all), or because I've had the coupon for over a month and it needs to go. Yeah, I don't know when I became so diligent about cleaning things out but when it comes to coupons I can't let them go to waste.

When I get 400 followers, or on December 20th at midnight, I'll pick a winner and mail out these freebie coupons. The value of these is over $20! If you are one of those shoppers like me who likes to get the most out of shopping, you can use these for filler items. Like at Winn Dixie they offer coupons for $5 off of a $55 purchase. You accumulate $55 worth of products, then you use the Winn Dixie (or whatever other store you shop at) $5 off of $55 coupon, then you use the coupons for all of your free products, and then whatever other coupons you have and you end up with some super cheap groceries. Here's what I need: followers. I'm trying to get to four hundred!

Mandatory entry:

+ Become a GFC follower of this blog

Extra entries:

+ Follow me on twitter

+ Tweet about this giveaway (can do it once per day):
Enter to win over $20 worth freebies from @mysshopnteacher. Check it out here:

+ Like me on facebook

+ Follow me on networked blogs

+ Blog about this on your blog

+ Have friends become GFC followers (tell them to mention you when they join)

This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. who are 18 or older. It will end on December 20th at midnight. The winner be picked via random.org and will be contacted via email. He or she will have 24 hours to respond or I'll pick another winner. I know it's a shorter time to respond, but I want to mail these out right away so they can get to the winner before Christmas. Some (or maybe all, I can't remember) expire on 12/31. Don't miss out on your chance to win a couple of bags full of freebies!!

Review of Frito-Lays Fan pack

Recently I got the opportunity to review some Frito-Lay potato chips. Yum! We are potato chips fans at our house. My husband is a major potato chip snackaholic. I like a good chip myself, but my husband is by far the bigger snacker. So you can imagine how excited he was when I told him that we were getting some goodies from Frito-Lay.

This is our favorite brand of potato chip! The chips are always crunchy, but not too crunchy, and never greasy. I think my favorite flavor is the orange bag. Very specific, I know :). I think it's cheddar and sour cream potato chip. We also received a nifty chip clip, and a coupon for a free bag of chips (not pictured). Sorry for the poor picture quality, by the way. I desperately need a new camera.
Here are some interesting facts about Frito-Lay:

Best of CVS and Walgreens

The Best CVS Deals for 11/28-12/4

Did you get all of your CVS freebies for Black Friday? We did and boy was it fun! Check out the deals for this week.

Complete Multi-purpose solution 12oz $9.99 Get $9.99 ECB Limit 1
= FREE after ECB

Spend $20 Get $5 ECB wyb these P&G products: Limit 1
Pampers or Easy Ups jumbo pk $8.99
$1.00 off any one pampers diapers or pants P&G 11/28
$1.50 off any one Underjams night wear or pampers easy ups P&G 11/28

Make money from home

Are you looking for ways to make money at home? Lots of people are looking for ways to make extra money right now in this tough economy- myself included. So when I was contacted to review a new site out there that aims to help people who are looking to make money from home I thought I’d give it a shot. The site is newly launched and the owner wanted me to help spread the word about his site.

Winners: CSN and Beecology

Congratulations to the winners of the CSN and Beecology giveaways! Thanks for the entries everyone!

The winner of the Beecology gift pack is Heartnsoul cooking

The winner of the $35 CSN gift certificate code is lollimom. Thanks again to everyone who entered. Check out my latest giveaways and know that there are more on the way!

New coupons for the week

Here are the new coupons for the week. It's always a good idea to go ahead and print the new coupons when they come out so you don't miss out!

3 Days Only! $5.00 off any purchase of $25 or more at Family Dollar
$2.50 off 3 Life Savers/Starburst Sweet Storybooks
$2.00 off 2 Wrigley's or Life Savers Heritage Tins
$1.00 off Glade Oil Candles decorative glass hold
$1.50 off Glade Premium Room Sprays
$1.00 off Glade 4-oz. Jar Candles
$3.00 off Glade PlugIns Lasting Impressions hold
$1.00 off Glade Scented Oil Candles refill packs
$1.00 off Glade PlugIns Scented Oil twin refill

How to shop at CVS and get stuff for free

Now that Rebecca from Moms Saving is helping us out with the top deals at CVS, I thought it was appropriate to do a quick guide to how you can use CVS to get things for free. Most weeks (maybe every week), you can go to CVS and get items for free, but you need to know how to do it. Believe me, once you get started with CVS, you'll be hooked like we are.

Chunky Bling Review and Giveaway= Closed

Chunky Bling. Who doesn't need a little bit of Chunky Bling in their life? I am not really one who follows all the trends but I have noticed that chunky is in right now. Chunky jewelry that is.

I had the opportunity to try out some chunky jewelry myself from Chunky Bling. I picked out this little number. Cute, right? I would take a picture of the ring on my hand but A.) My camera is très crappè and B.) I've only had a mani once in my life and it was not recent.

The ring was as cute when it arrived as it was in the picture. It is chunky, but not too chunky. It's comfortable to wear. It wasn't so chunky that it was bulky. I actually got compliments the first time I wore it. I have only had it for a few days, so I did not get the chance to dress it up. I wore it to work, so I wore dress slacks and a blouse.

Duncan Hines Decadent Cakes and Amazing Glazes review and giveaway

Recently I had the opportunity to try out Duncan Hines Decadent Cakes and Amazing Glazes. We use Duncan Hines products all the time but these I hadn't tried before because they're new. I received a box of the Apple Caramel Decadent Cake Mix and the Triple Chocolate Decadent Cake Mix. I also received both glazes. You can guess which one I dug into first! Yep, the apple. You probably figured that I would've gotten into the chocolate first and normally, you'd be correct. Here's the thing though; I wanted to get the apple one out of the way because I knew that chocolate is my absolute favorite-ist thing in the world.

Best of CVS and Walgreens

The Best CVS Deals for 11/21-11/24

Advil PM 4 ct. $.99 get $.99 ECB Limit 1
= Free after ECB

Excedrin Migraine PM or Extra Strength 8 ct. $.99 Get $.99 ECB Limit 1
= Free after ECB

Kelloggs, Raisin Bran Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Mini Wheats 16.3-18.2 oz, or Special K 12-14 oz Buy 2/$5, Get $2 ECB Limit 1
$1.00/3 Kellogg's Cereals, Mix and Match 10oz or more RP 10/17
$1.00/3 Kellogg's Cereals, Mix and Match Printable
$1.00/2 Kellogg's Rice Krispies/Cocoa Krispies 12 oz or more RP 10/17
$1.00/2 Kellogg's Rice Krispies/Cocoa Printable
$1.50/3 Kellogg’s Cereals Printable
= as low as $2 for two boxes of cereal after Extra care bucks.

Aveeno Spend $25 get $10 ECB Limit 1
Aveeno Ageless Vitality set- $40
Facial Moisturizer- $15
Moisturizer- $10
Body Wash, Shampoo or Conditioner- $6
$1.00/1 Aveeno Nourish Shampoo or Conditioner printable

Winner of Dingo doggie coupon giveaway

The winner of the Dingo doggie treat online coupon is italiaangel! I will be emailing you instructions on how to redeem your coupon code.

I have other giveaways going on right now that you can get in on! The $35 CSN giftcard giveaway ends on 11/20. Thanks for the entries.

Rock 'N Learn Money and Making Change Review and Giveaway

Well do you remember a couple of months ago when I had the opportunity to review Rock ‘N Learn Phonics volume 1 and 2? Now Rock ‘N Learn is back once again with a great new educational product. The Money and Making Change dvd teaches children how to count money and is appropriate for elementary aged children as young as six. The video not only tells the value of each coin, but I loved how the video tells about the people on the coins too. I thought it was neat that there was a brief history of Sacagawea (we just studied about her in my classroom). The video also tells how to differentiate between different coins. For example, the video shows how a quarter has ridges on the edge while a nickel is smooth. The video also includes updated coins. There are new nickels and new quarters that have come out in the past ten years or so. There are also the presidential dollar coins that are fairly new. I also like that the video includes half dollars and one dollar coins, even those are not as commonly used. The video also shows common bills used in the United States from the one dollar bill to the one hundred dollar bill.

The video teaches even basic concepts such as sorting the money so that it is easier to count. This might be something that a new learner would not even think about. If you teach this concept to start with, it makes it easier for the new learner to count up like change and then add it all up together. That’s better than having a child try to count a big handful of change. They will probably start to have trouble counting because the math of adding will get in the way. If they count in order, and use skip counting (which is taught in the video), they are more likely to pick up counting coins with no problem!

New coupons!

Here are the newest coupons! Make sure to print yours now before they are gone.

California Pizza Kitchen - $1.50 off 1
Crisco No-stick Cooking Spray - $0.75 off 1
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - $0.50 off 2
Pillsbury Savorings Products - $1.00 off 1
Welches Sparkling Juices - $2.00 off 2
Land O' Lakes Spreadable Butter - $0.50 off 1
Wisk Laundry Detergent - $1.00 off 1
Del Monte Fruit Naturals Cups - $1.00 off 3
Hellman's Mayonnaise - $0.75 off 1
McCann's Irish Oatmeal - $1.00 off 1
Enfamil Premium - $5.00 off 1
Purina Dog Chow - $2.00 off 1
Glade Scented Oil Candles - $1.50 off 2
EXPO Washable Markers - $2.00 off 1
Jet Dry Rinse Agent - $1.00 off 1

Winner of Stride Panties giveaway

Thanks for all of the entries everyone! The winner of the pair of Stride Everyday panties is meredith m. with the 99th entry. I will be contacting you to confirm. Thanks for all of the entries everyone! I have more giveaways coming up this weekend (if not sooner). Ta-ta for now.

Legacy Family Tree review and giveaway

Genealogy is an interesting hobby and past-time for many people. Have you always wanted to try to get together more information about your relatives who have lived before you? I have always been interested in learning more about my family on my mother's and father's side. I was excited to have the opportunity to review software designed to help organize information. Legacy Family Tree does just that. It is a database program used to enter family information.

Best of CVS and Walgreens

Great news everyone! So, for awhile now I've wanted to do coupon match-ups but it never seems like I have the time to type it up properly. Rebecca from momssaving will be a weekly contributor with the best deals from CVS and Walgreens.

We are CVS shoppers in our house and our goal is to save more at CVS than we spend. Here are the best deals at CVS starting Sunday. Some stores actually start their sales for the following week on Saturday. Our store runs both ads on Saturday and the new ad takes over on Sunday.

Best CVS Deals for the week of 11/14

Oral B Vitality Floss Action toothbrush or replacement heads 3ct.$23.00 Get $13 ECB (Limit 2)
Oral B Vitality $10 (12/31/10) RP 11/14/10
Oral B replacement brush heads $5 (12/31/10) RP 11/14/10

Aussie or Herbal Essences Shampoo, conditioner or styler $2.99 Get $2 ECB Limit 1
$1.00/2 Aussie or H.E. Product PG 10/10

Kellogg's Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Cocoa or Rice Krispies cereal(8.7-15 oz) 2/$4 Get $1 ECB wyb 2 Limit 1
$1.00/3 Kellogg's Cereals, Mix and Match 10oz or more RP 10/17
$1.00/3 Kellogg's Cereals, Mix and Match Printable
$1.00/2 Kellogg's Rice Krispies/Cocoa Krispies 12 oz or more RP 10/17
$1.00/2 Kellogg's Rice Krispies/Cocoa Printable
$1.00/2 Raisin Bran Printable

M&M's 9.9-12.6oz 4/$10 Get $3 ECB wyb 4 Limit 1

EcoStore USA review

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out two eco-friendly products of my choice from Ecostore U.S.A. The store features products that are eco-friendly and just as effective as the ones that contain chemicals. Or so they say. I excited to try out two products and I sure was not going to go easy on them just because they were eco-friendly. I mean, eco-friendly is great but it has to work to cut it in my household.

I have purchased eco-friendly products in the past that have not been as effective as the products that contain chemicals. Hey, I know it is better for the environment but I’m being honest. Anyway, I have purchased dishwasher liquid before that was eco-friendly and I was not happy with it. With the product I’d purchased in the past if the dishes were really dirty it would not do a good job of cleaning them. I would have to wash them myself. Uh-uh, that ain’t happenin’ again. So I thought I’d give eco-friendly another try. I was really
surprised that it was just as good as the kind I would normally buy. I have to have a product that actually washes dishes. I don’t want to have to do it myself, that’s why I have a dishwasher J.

Winner of Brilliant Lenses giveaway

The winner of the Brilliant Lenses giveaway is michtuck! I am emailing you now for your contact info. Thanks for all of the entries everyone! Hang around for many more giveaways that are coming up!

Beecology Review and Giveaway

Recently I had the opportunity to try out two products from Beecology. Beecology is a family owned company that makes all natural products to help us use natural products to keep our hair and skin healthy. They make lotion, shampoo, body wash, and many other natural products.

It all started when the founder of the company, David Rzepka, let a friend put a beehive on his land. He eventually began tending to it and started thinking about all of the connections that bees and humans share. He realized that any changes in our environment affects bees as well. He decided to make natural skincare products using honey and other natural products. That was six years ago.

I received a full sized version of the All Natural Grapefruit and Lemongrass Body Wash and a trial sized version of the Original Honey Hand and Body Cream. My fave was the Hand and Body Cream. I am a lotionaholic and I absolutely love the feel of the lotion. It left my hands feeling smooth and moisturized. The smell of the Lemongrass Body Wash was different. It has a slight lemony smell to it.

Yo Gabba Gabba! There's A Party In My City

So remember me gushing about getting to go see Yo Gabba Gabba? My family and I got to go see the Yo Gabba Gabba show in Jacksonville about two weeks ago and it was good family fun. The show featured the regular segments of the show like the Dancy Dance, Super Music Friends Show (who were jammin' by the way), Biz's Beat of the Day, etc. It had interactive elements that let kids and parents be a part of the show too. We got a free family picture taken to remember the fun we had. We had a great time and I'm so glad we got to go. Our little boy just turned one years old and I think he could've watched the show on t.v. and it would've had the same effect on him, lol. I highly recommend that you take your little one(s) out to a great family event. If you are fans of the t.v. show then I'm sure you'll like the live version too.

Winners

Thanks for all who entered my giveaway for the Little One Book certificate and the RepHresh coupon. I also want to thank Little One Books for offering this great giveaway to my readers. Without further ado, the winner of the Little One Book $25 certificate is huffychic.



The winner of the RepHresh coupon is kirbycolby.
.

I will be emailing both of you momentarily! Thanks again for all of the entries! Check back again soon for upcoming giveaways: Chunkybling (jewelry giveaway- YAY), Legacy Family Tree software giveaway, and more coupons that I'm not using :). Plus, I have a couple of reviews to do. Hope to see you again soon!

Free Flip Book!

Have you gotten you flip book from Vistaprint yet? You can get a free 4x6 flip book including 20 pages with the option to add more. You can choose from over 80 designs and add text to your pictures. If you've never made a flip book before, they are awesome! I love Vistaprint's products. I have ordered tons of them- tee-shirts, magnets, letterhead, stamps, etc. I haven't made my flipbook yet, but I will! These books make great mementos of family vacations, special events and more! They are great gifts for family and friends too. The flip book is free, you just have to pay shipping and processing which starts at $6.01. I'm not sure how long this offer will last so I suggest you go ahead and get yours now ;)

RepHresh Brialliant pH Tampons coupon

Hi there friends! I am cleaning out my coupon book and I have a coupon for RepHresh Brilliant pH Tampons Regular or Super for FREE at Walgreeens that I'm not going to use. It says it's a manufacturers coupon so it should be able to be used at other places too. It also comes with two $2.00 off coupons.

I don't have a Walgreens in my town- we only have a CVS and this is not there. Oh well, my loss is your gain. If you want me to mail this coupon out to you become a GFC follower, or if you already are just leave a comment here.

Mandatory entry: Become a GFC follower

Optional methods of entry:

+Follow me on twitter+ Tweet about this giveaway! You can do it twice per day
+ Like me on facebook
+ Follow me on networked blogs+ Enter another of my giveaways
+ Comment on any other post
+ Blog about this on your blog or website

I will randomly pick a winner on November 6th at midnight eastern time. Sorry but this is open to residents of the U.S. who are 18 or older only. If you want in on this get your entry in now!

Bailey's Coffee creamer coupon winner

The winner of the Bailey's Coffee Creamer is 3 Giggly Monsters! I will be emailing you momentarily. Thanks for the entries everyone! I will have other freebie coupons up for grabs so check back often ;)

Dingo dog treats $20 online code for 300 followers giveaway

I have a coupon for $20 off of selected merchandise from Dingo.com. I am not going to use it so I thought I'd give it away to one of my readers! I am trying to get 300 followers on Google Friend Connect. When I do, I will draw a winner to receive the coupon code for Dingo online dog treats. But you have to enter if you want to win :^)

Here is what will happen if you win: I will email you my user name and password for Dingo.com along with the coupon code (sorry, I couldn't have it transferred, but you can change the password once you log in). You can purchase goodies on the Dingo website and use the $20 coupon but you will be responsible for shipping- a great deal!!

There are lots of ways to enter, but this is mandatory: Follow with Google friend connect.

Winner of the Fogless Mirror

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who entered the Fogless Mirror giveaway! The winner is jhitomi. I will be emailing and will need a response within 48 hours so that I can give the info to my sponsor. If you didn't win this then you might want to get your entries in for some of the other great giveaways! I also have a couple of reviews and giveaways in the works. One of these is from Rock 'N Learn. We love Rock 'N Learn around our house and I know that you will too! Thanks again, everyone :)

Free $20 credit to RueLaLa with sign up

Hi all! How would you like to win a gift certificate to Ruelala? Well this is like a giveaway, only better. This way everyone who signs up will get a $20 credit. Woot woot! I came across a site that is offering a free $20 credit when you sign up, but the offer will only last until October 25th. If you are interested, you can use my link to sign up (you have to be invited). There should be some pretty good deals with this credit. Check it out! I will list some of the deals that I found today. There are more out there, I just didn't post them all.

Little Ones Books review and giveaway

It is important that music, books, and video be introduced into the lives of children. Now that I am a parent I make sure that I expose my little one to these things as much as I can. As a teacher I have worked with children who come from homes where these things are not recognized to be as important as they are. In my experience, children really benefit from having rich experiences with music and literature from an early age.

Brilliant Lenses review and giveaway

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out a product that is a must for those who wear glasses. How many times have you struggled to look through your glasses because of all the smudges and gunk on them? Come on, I know I'm not the only one! Sometimes you don't realize what all is on your glasses that affects your visibility. I usually don't notice until it is so bad that I can hardly see out of them.

Giveaway: $35 CSN gift code

I'm so excited that I get to host my first CSN giveaway for $35! In case you have not heard of CSN before, let me tell you a little about them and why you need to enter this giveaway. CSN has 200+ stores with everything from dog beds to dining room tables! Literally they have just about everything you can think of.

Now here's the best part. CSN has offered to give away a gift code for $35 that can be used in any of their stores! Now I know that you can find something to tickle your fancy. You can either use the code to get something for free, or you can use your code towards a bigger purchase. Here is what you have to do for the mandatory entry.

Blog hoppin' Friday

E.L.F. supports Breast Cancer Research

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and E.L.F. is giving all proceeds from the sale of its mineral lip gloss in Pageant Princess. So you can grab some makeup at a great price and for a good cause too.

Mineral makeup has been on my mind lately. I have been wanting to try it for years. I have to use good face makeup because I have sensitive skin suddenly. I say suddenly because as a teenager I never (well I shouldn’t say NEVER, but very rarely) had acne or any kind of blemishes and let me assure you, I did nothing for my face. I would wash with plain water. I could use makeup from the dollar store and it would never bother me.

Winner of Yo Gabba Gabba

Cool huh? I just learned how to do this :)

The winner of the Yo Gabba Gabba prize pack is fancygrlnancy! Congratulations! I am sending you an email now. Please respond within 48 hours so that I can send your information to my sponsor. Thank you to everyone who entered.

I have other great giveaways going on. Check 'em out! There is the giveaway for the Omni diaper, Stride panties, the Fogless mirror, the coupon for Bailey's non-alcoholic coffee creamer, and more coming up next week. Thanks again for stopping by my little blog.

STRIDE Everyday review and giveaway

Can we have a little girl talk for a minute? This is a review and giveaway for Stride panties and I have to admit, I was really excited to do this one. Stride panties are great for runners. But, alas, a runner I am not. However I am a kinda recent mother. Wendy Spencer came up with the idea of Stride panties for women (and men) after having her child and enduring leakage problems herself. Stride panties were just featured on Shopping Channel this week! These panties use patented Oquos technology to get rid of moisture "8 times more effectively than cotton." And these panties absorb up to one ounce of liquid for up to 100 washes, when they are laundered properly.

Now back to my experience with bladder leakage. My sweet little boy is 11 months old. And, any woman who has had a child knows that during and after pregnancy there is often a little bladder leakage. No body likes to talk about it but, yes, I'm going there.

Sunday coupon preview

So I'm going to try and fit blogging more about coupons because I use them every time we go shopping to save money. Do you use coupons? You should. Think of it this way: you get to keep more of your money when you go shopping if you use coupons. With that in mind, here is a site that you can go to and get a preview of the coupons on Sunday so you can plan your shopping accordingly. The following previews are available for this weekend:

10/10 SmartSource Coupon Insert
10/10 P&G Coupon Insert
10/10 RedPlum Insert

And here are the new high value printable coupons from Coupons.com.

$1.00 off Any Nature Made Fish Oil Product
$2.00 off Any Nature Made CoQ10 Supplement
$1.00 off 2 SpongeBob CHEESE NIPS products
$1.00 off People Country Special Magazine
$1.00 Off on any affresh™ cleaner product
$3.00 off any 1 VEET Suprem'Essence™ product.

Giveaway: Baileys non-alcoholic Coffee Creamer

I really appreciate those who subscribe and/or follow my blog. Here is a quick and easy giveaway. I have a coupon for a free non-alcoholic Baileys Coffee Creamer that I'm not going to use so I'll give it away when I get 250 GFC followers! Mandatory entry: Follow my blog and if you're already a follower, just leave a comment here. Make sure you leave your email address so that I can get in contact with you if you win.

Want extra entries? I thought you might. Here's what you can do:

Winners of Ballonatiks and Zoodles

Random.org picked two lucky winners for me. Congratulations to the winner of the Zoodles giveaway: Kelley C!

And congrats also to the winner of the Balloonatiks dvd: Nicole S.

Thanks for all the entries! I have several reviews and giveaways coming up, and I will keep trying to line up more so my readers have lots of opportunities to win at least once, but maybe even more than that ;). Please stay tuned! I know you don't want to miss out on what's coming up.

The secret is out! Omni-diaper giveaway

I'm excited to be one of the reporting blogs to bring you the news that Soft Bums has a brand new Omni Diaper! That's right, the news just dropped today. Click here to view the features of the new cloth diaper. There is also a video on YouTube that you can take a look at.


I am a reporting blogger for this new diaper reveal event, so stay tuned for how you can get your entries in for this great giveaway. You can also go to Soft Bums to find out what else to do for entries and for the list of other reporting blogs. Here is what you can win from your entries on my blog:

Review and Giveaway of Fogless Mirror

Recently I was given the opportunity to review a product that is a lot of use to both my husband and I. ToiletTree Products sent me the Fogless Mirror to review. Both my husband and I were excited about getting this product because we knew it would be of use to both of us. He has it to shave with. I have it to be able to wash my face, brush my teeth, and floss- ALL while in the shower. Yay!

Winner of business card giveaway

Congratulations to corpesa14@yahoo.com for being the winner of the business cards! I hope they are of great benefit to you. Please respond to my email within 48 hours so that I can get your info to my sponsor!

Thank you all for all of the entries. If you didn't win this time, hang in there. I have a couple more giveaways going on right now and I plan on listing another review and giveaway within the next couple of days. Hey if you're already subscribed then all you'll have to do is comment for your entry ;)

Winner of simulated diamond earrings

The winner of my simulated diamond earrings is italiaangel80! Please send me your shipping information within 48 hours.

Thanks for all of the entries! If you didn't win this time and since you're already subscribed- enter one or all of my other giveaways. Sponsors have provided some great prizes! I have the giveaway for Zoodles, a Yo Gabba Gabba! prize pack, and a Balloonatiks dvd. More will be coming in the upcoming weeks so if you haven't subscribed yet, make sure that you do so you don't miss out!

Giveaway- Yo Gabba Gabba! prize pack and free download for everyone

Guess who's going to see Yo Gabba Gabba! in Jacksonville in October? You guessed it! Your favorite (or at least I hope that I'm your favorite) mystery shopping teacher and family. I am so excited! I can't even remember the last time I went to a show! And this one is sure to be fun for the whole family. The music has appeal for folks of all ages.

I get to go to the Yo Gabba Gabba! Theres a Party in My City! tour (sponsored by Kia Motors) thanks the Times Union Center. There is a show coming to a city near you too! Go to http://www.yogabbagabbalive.com/ for information on where you can catch this show. In case you haven't heard, the award winning show has a live tour that you and your kiddos can rock out to.

Balloonatiks dvd giveaway

Would you like to take a few minutes to have a breather while keeping your kids entertained? Then meet the Balloonatiks, "five ordinary teens mysteriously transformed into rubbery, shape-stretching super heroes who take on any of the evil-doers that dare to threated Hot Air City." This dvd has all of the elements of entertainment for kids: voices that are slightly irritating to adults, vibrant colors, catchy tune (that will be sung/rapped repeatedly by your little ones), seemingly endless amounts of balloony humor, gas noises (in moderation), and super heroes. Teen-aged super heroes none the less. Hey, a few of these things might amuse my husband. ;^)

Boost Mobile

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

Kraft First Taste offering free Triscuit or Wheat Thins

Kraft First Taste just sent out an email for a free coupon for either Wheat Thins Stix or Triscuit Thin Crisps. I just had to sign in and confirm that I wanted the coupon and it should be on its' way! Are you a member of Kraft First Taste? If not, click here to join. You get coupons to try free Kraft products. I've probably gotten about 8 product coupons this year! Check it out now before all of the coupons are gone.

CVSing 9/12

I am a CVSer. I might not be as good (or consistent) as some die-hard CVSers are but we do okay together- my husband and I. I taught him how to CVS and I think that he is better than I am. The student has become the master! Here is our haul from 9/11 and 9/12 at CVS. We only spent $7.90 !

Winner of Dingo online dog treat coupon!

The winner of the Dingo online dog treats coupon is musiclady! I have sent an email and will be getting your coupon code out to you shortly. Thank you all for helping me reach my goal of 100 followers and subscribers! I'm so thrilled about all of the support and growth my humble little blog has had these last couple of months. You all are great and I wish I could give you all a prize. I can't do that, but I'll keep trying to line up great giveaways so you will all have the chance to win! ;^)

Business card giveaway

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Thanks to UPrinting.com I am able to give one subscriber 250 Die Cut Business Cards. From marketing materials to personal cards, business cards have developed from the plain boring to a more modern and rounded corners, square cards and slim cards. Check out some of the cool business card designs available. Want some ideas on how these can be used?

First I'll start with the obvious. Professionals in all fields benefit from having their contact info on a well designed business card. Keep a few of these in your wallet or purse and they can be handy reminders of your meeting with a prospective client. With professional looking business cards your name will stick out in memory. When you want to be remembered you need a business card. If you tuck a few cards away in random places like your vehicles, gym bags, diaper bag, etc., you will have a way to network and make new potential customers.

Bloggers, promote your blog! I am getting a set of 250 Die cut business cards from UPrinting.com in return for hosting this giveaway, and I plan on making business cards to showcase my blog. This is just another way that you can advertise your blog in a non-internet environment. And this is a great way to get local readers of your blog. Tell who you are and what you do on your blog. I plan on dropping off a few cards whenever I go to any type of office or restaurant that will allow me to do so.

Other ideas: Everyone can use mini thank you cards. Business cards can be made into gift tags too. Of course if you just want a way to promote an event you're having such as a wedding or party. You can make cards for a home business that you have or one that you would like to start! Their are many more possibilities out there! This is more than a $70 value people.

This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. aged 18 or older! One lucky subscriber will win 250 Die cut business cards. Here are the options:

2 x 3.5”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.75" x 3.5” (slim card)

Die cutting options available: Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded One-Corner, Half-Circle Side, Circle

Paper Type: 14pt Cardstock Gloss, Matte, or High Gloss; 13pt Cardstock Uncoated

Color: 4Color Front, Blank Back; 4Color Front, Black Back; 4Color Both Sides

This offer is limited to US residents 18 years or older. Here is how you enter:

Mandatory entry- this has to be done before other entries count: Subscribe to my blog.

For 2 additional entries EACH:

+ Like me on facebook. My name is Mystery Shopping Teacher.

+ Change your facebook status to the following. You can do this once a day!

250 business card giveaway going on at http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/. $70 value! Get your entries in now! Giveaway ends 9/24

+ Follow me on twitter

+ Tweet about this contest! You may do it once a day. Copy and paste:

250 business card giveaway going on at http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/. $70 value! Get your entries in now! Giveaway ends 9/24

+ Put my blog button on your blog

+Follow my blog on networked blogs

Each of these earns one additional entry:

+Leave a comment on any other post on this site

+Enter another of my contests

+Leave a comment telling me where you saw this giveaway listed

The giveaway will run until 9/24 at midnight. I will select a winner via random.org and post the winner's name on this blog. I will also email the winner and he or she will have 48 hours to accept the prize. If I don't hear from him or her within that time, I will choose another winner. This is a $70 value people! You don't wanna miss out on this. Get your entries in now!

Disclosure: I will receive 250 business cards in exchange for hosting this giveaway. I have not received any compensation for this post.

Zoodles review and giveaway

Recently I had the opportunity to review Zoodles- a kid friendly game site. In exchange for hosting this giveaway, I was given a premium membership to the site to check out the features. As a teacher I of course LOVE the fact that you can choose the subject areas of games that are available! The games have all been tested by educational experts so you know that there will be actual learning and reinforcement going on and not just fluff.

One of my favorite things about Zoodles is that you don't have to worry about your child getting into something that they don't need to be seeing. The Zoodles brower covers the entire screen, and the only way to get out of the browser is to type "quit". This eliminates fear of your child deleting something important off of your computer or accidentally stumbling across an inappropriate web site.

Once you sign up for your account, there's this pie chart where you can go in and choose how much or how little of each subject your child has access to. I teach reading, so you can count on me choosing that subject as an area of importance for my trial. I'm excited about looking further into the reading games and implementing these into my classroom activities.




There are videos available to help teach and reinforce different subject areas. I looked at the Mister Roger's video because I love Mister Roger's. Does he still come on t.v.?

Zoodles also has popular characters that kids watch nowadays like Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, and American Girl just to name a few.

Another feature that I like about this site is that parents get an email showing statistics from the work done during the week. You can see how much time your child spends on each subject. There is also a way for you to adjust the amount of time that your child spends on each subject. When you are logged in, you can go to a tab called "progress report" which shows the subject area that your child has spent time in along with the amount of time spent on each.

Although I didn't try this feature out for myself, there is the ability to record yourself reading a book and upload it so that your child can hear you read a book any time! Although this is no substitute for reading to your child, I think it is great to use in conjunction. Other features for parents include the ability to block shows, sites, and games; the ability to limit violence; and the ability to add content that you find appropriate for your child elsewhere on the web.

I like Zoodles, and I think that it is something that I will implement in my classroom. I played some of the games and enjoyed myself so I'm sure my students will too. I'm a teacher so that might be why I find the educational games so entertaining, since they are geared towards children. There is a free two week trial if you are interested in giving it a try. There are so many more features available that I can't even describe them all to you. Click here to read more about the additional features. You'll have to try it for yourself- it's free!

Buy it: Have I piqued your curiosity? The membership fee is really quite reasonable. Of course you can always use the Zoodles web ap for free, but if you want the premium membership you can try before you buy with a free two week trial. The two week trial gives you access to the premium membership for two weeks which allows you to have access to parental controls. Click here to check that out.

Win it: Now for the best part. Zoodles has given me the opportunity to give away a premium 3 month membership to one of my readers!

Mandatory entry- This must be done first before other entries count!
Subscribe to this blog- you must click on the verification link in the email you receive for this to count!

For two additional entries each-

+ Like Zoodles on facebook. Tell them that Mystery shopping teacher sent you!
+ Like me on facebook (Mystery shopping teacher)
+ Follow me on Twitter
+Follow Zoodles on Twitter
+Put my button on your blog (it's on the top left sidebar of this page)
+Follow me on networked blogs
+Become a google friend connect (GFC- left hand sidebar) follower of my blog
+ Leave a comment telling me where or how you found this giveaway
+ Leave a comment on another post on this blog
+ Enter another of my giveaways

+ Post the following as a status on your facebook page: The Mystery Shopping Teacher has a giveaway going on for a premium 3 month membership to Zoodles.com. The site features kid- friendly educational games.

+ Tweet about this contest once per day! Copy and paste: Giveaway for a premium 3 month subscription to Zoodles- safe, kid-friendly educational games at http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/


This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, 18 or older. This contest will run from today until October 2nd.

Disclosure: I was given access to a Zoodles premium membership in return for hosting this giveaway. No monetary compensation was given, all opinions are my own!

Rock 'N Learn Phonics winner

I want to thank Rock 'N Learn for the opportunity to do the review, and I want to think everyone for their participation. The winner of Rock 'N Learn Phonics volumes 1 and 2 is fancygrlnancy! Thanks again for all of the entries!

Stay tuned for more giveaways coming up, and if you haven't already check out my diamondearrings.org review and giveaway. Entries are still low!

Make money, earn prizes

Do you like prizes and money? Of course you do, who doesn't? If you search the web with the Swagbucks toolbar, you can earn points to redeem towards cash and prizes. It really is easy. You can sign up here, search the web, and earn points. I have earned 7 Amazon gift cards worth $5. I stacked them and used several at once for a sweet discount! There are many other prizes that you can redeem your points for including gift cards to lots of different places, real stone jewelry, ipods, $ , and much more.

What I do is use the swagbucks toolbar to search. Instead of typing in web addresses, I search from the toolbar. I am randomly rewarded with swagpoints. I usually earn points this way several times a week. This is one way that you can also earn points. Other ways of earning points include referring (so please sign up with my referral link), completing offers, surveys, trading in your unwanted items, etc. I figure that if I'm going to use the internet, I might as well make it worth my while and get paid to do it! Check it out.

Diamondearrings.org review and giveaway

     "Diamonds are a girls best friend." Or so they say. What if you are a frugal girl like myself who does not care to spend a lot of money on diamonds? For me, diamonds are mere acquaintances. I see them every now and then but for the most part we are polite, infrequent acquaintances.

    If you are like me, you will be really excited about the chance to get your hands on some imitation diamond earring studs. After trying to get a shot of these earrings fourteen times (literally), I finally realized that it was best to place them on a hard surface (so my hand wouldn't be shaking), and under a table-top lamp. The earrings arrived in the cute heart shaped box, just like in the picture. They are so cute and fun to wear. And they are sparkly. Did I mention that they are sparkly?

    So you are probably wondering how you can get your hands on these cuties. Here's how the site works. Have you heard about the site Diamondearrings.org? The company is up-and-coming, but the premise is interesting! The company is compensating all of us to spread the word about them by giving away free earrings. How do they do it? Well instead of spending thousands of dollars on advertising, they are having social media users spread the word to friends, family, followers, etc. The only thing that would have to be paid is $3.77 for postage and handling. If you do jewelry shopping at all you know that it costs more than that to buy even imitation diamond earring studs.

   Diamondearrings.org sent a free pair for me to review. And since you are my readers, you have the chance to win a pair as well- postage and handling free. Here's how you enter:

Mandatory entry- this must be done first before other entries count:

Subscribe to this blog

For 2 additional entries EACH:
+ Mention diamondearrings.org on your twitter, blog, or facebook page.
+ Like me on facebook. My name is Mystery Shopping Teacher.
+ Follow me on twitter
+ Tweet about this contest! You may do it once a day. Copy and paste

Go to http://www.diamondearrings.org/ to get a pair of simulated diamond earrings for p+h. Win a pair at www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com!

+ Put my blog button on your blog
+ Post the following as your status on your facebook page:

Go to www.diamondearrings.org to get a pair of simulated diamond earrings for p+h. Win a pair at http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/!

+Follow my blog on networked blogs

Each of these earn one additional entry

+Leave a comment on any other post on this site
+Enter another of my contests
+Leave a comment telling me where you saw this giveaway listed
 
The giveaway will end on September 17th at midnight. I will choose a winner via random.org and publish the name of the winner. I will also email the winner and he or she will have 48 hours to contact me to accept their prize, or I will choose another winner. Have fun and give it a shot! You'll love your diamond earrings :)

My dinnerware dream...

I could really use some dinnerware. We, I guess I should say, could really use some new dinnerware. Our dinnerware cost about twenty bucks at Wally World six years ago. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” as Seinfeld would say.

There is a time in your life when you need all purpose twenty dollar dinnerware. That time is when you are in your teens and early twenties and you are on your own for the first time. When we were early twenty-somethings, we were thrilled to have guests over to eat on our multi purpose formal dinnerware. Oh did I mention that it happened to be our informal dinnerware as well? Yes, this is what I mean when I say multi-purpose.

Shame on me, I’ve been mentioning our dinnerware the entire time and have not bothered to introduce you to each-other! That’s okay- it’s a quick fix. Plain black dinnerware meet the reader, reader meet plain black dinnerware. That is basically the extent of introduction necessary. And I’m sure the dinnerware you are picturing in your mind is exactly what we have…shiny, black porcelain dinnerware. Every story is better with a picture right? Not in this case. I’ll spare you because I am absolutely positive that the picture you’ve formed in your brain is what we have.

How did we obtain said dinnerware? Well, I believe that at the time of purchase it was on our registry and I was so hoping to get it at my bridal shower. Did we or didn’t we? I can’t recall. But I do know that we ended up making it ours and were very happy with the purchase, thank you very much.

Now I’ll be honest with you: I’m extreeeemely clumsy. Well, I used to be. Now I’m just a little clumsy. Had I purchased (even if I had the money then, which I didn’t) a fancy set of dinnerware, it would’ve been almost immediately destroyed. I’ve managed to mangle even my starter set of dinnerware so totally that we are down to three bowls out of the eight we started with.

Now in the past year of my life (2009) our family had some changes. Firstly, my husband had a kidney transplant. At all times, one or both of us lived about four hours away for six weeks. I could only work sporadically during this time. That is the first six week break I took from teaching in ’09. Shortly after we arrived home in about April, we found out that I was twelve weeks along. That’s right, we were expecting.

Fast forward a few months when I give birth to a beautiful baby boy. I have to have gall bladder surgery (of all things) just five weeks after the birth of my son. I’m off work another six weeks. Imagine missing three months of paycheck. Uh, yeah, not easy to do. I know that dinnerware is not really the most important thing right now, but I have a dream. A dream were we can entertain and have enough formal dinnerware that we don’t have to serve a meal on PAPER PLATES. A dream where I can be proud of the dinnerware we serve on. A dream where my dinnerware is Mikasa. I might be a few weeks or months (okay, let me be completely honest- probably more than a year) away from that. I mean, we are still paying hospital bills.

I'm not a fine china type of gal. I don't like the the kind that is put up in some hutch for-eva that is meant for decoration. To me that is just more to have to dust, and I do not care to dust anymore than I have to. I mean, I can appreciate people who have it in their home as a showpiece but I would much prefer to be able to get use out of my dinnerware. I would love to be abe to get a set for every-day use that's pretty informal. Maybe one that has square placesettings. And then I'd want a set of formal dinnerware too. (Sigh) However, since we do still have enough dinnerware to be able to eat on, I think there are other things we must prioritize. A gal can dream though, yes? Does anyone have dinnerware older and/or cheaper than ours?

Disclosure: This was a sponsored post based on my opinions. But I really would like some new Mikasa dinnerware cause mine is really long past its' expiration date. So if you have some to giveaway let me know...Hey, I'm just sayin' !

Winner of brochures

I used Random.org to pick a winner of the 100 Full color brochures. I want to say thank you to all of the participants. I also want to thank brochures printing online for allowing me to do this giveaway! The winner is susansmoaks. Thanks again for all of the entries!

If you did not win this time around, stay tuned! I have several reviews and giveaways coming up next month. Plus I have two other giveaways going on right now. Have a great weekend!

Rock 'N Learn Contest

This is just a quick post to announce a contest going on at Rock 'N Learn. To celebrate the launch of their iPad application, they’ll be giving away an iPad! I don't know about you but I would love to win one! To enter the contest go on over to Rock 'N Learn This contest has easy entry- just type in your name and email address. The winner will be announced on September 30. You should definitely take about a minute and go on over and enter. Good luck!

Social Parade-Follow on Fridays

Well I remembered to do the Social Parade Follow on Friday tonight. I'm excited to discover new blogs to love.






I am also doing Boost-My-Blog-Friday. There are no rules here!

Brochure printing giveaway

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Small business owners, bloggers, teachers, and other interested parties, I am so excited to have the opportunity to give away a prize that can be of great value to you. Thanks to brochures printing online I have the opportunity to give away 100 tri-fold brochures. This is more than a $75 value!

Here are the details. The winner will receive 100 8.5" x 11" tri-fold brochures printed on 100lb paper gloss. The winner can choose the Z-fold or Trifold/Letterfold folding. And lastly, the brochures will have color on BOTH sides. Yay!

Wondering about ways that you can use these? Well as a teacher I immediately thought of making these up to explain my classroom procedures/policies. These could be handed out during open house and they would make a lovely, professional presentation. I don't know about you all but my school printer only prints in BLACK ink, so a crisp and colorful brochure would be a special treat! Later on in the year I would have students create a brochure of their own on regular paper and they would be able to look at my example brochure to get them started.

As a small business owner, no doubt brochures are an excellent way of marketing. The visual presentation can catch the eye of potential customers and perhaps entice them to purchase the product. If you are just starting out as a small business owner this is the perfect opportunity to advance! Here's another idea, brochures online will even print real estate brochures.

Bloggers, bloggers, bloggers, what would I do with these brochures being both a blogger and a teacher? I would most likely make some brochures for my blog! I would make up brochures to give to local companies to use as PR. How professional would it make your blog appear to send out polished, beautiful brochures? Riiight! If you are in the market to expand your blog growth then brochure printing is one way to do that.

The possibilities are endless. Whatever your reason for wanting brochures, here is your chance to win! Here are the requirements:

Mandatory entries (must do this before all other entries count): First sign up to follow me on GFC or subscribe. Then go to brochures online and look at the types of brochures. Come back and tell me what kind you would be interested in receiving.

For 2 additional entries EACH:

+ Like me on facebook . My name is Mystery Shopping Teacher
+ Follow me on twitter
+ Tweet about this contest! You may do it once a day. Copy and paste
I'm entering to win 100 full color printed brochures on http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/! Check it out!
+Put my blog button on your blog
+Post the following as your status on your facebook page:
I'm entering to win 100 full color printed brochures on http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/ ! Check it out!

Each of these earn one additional entry
+Follow my blog on networked blogs
+Leave a comment on any other post on this site
+Enter another of my contests
+Leave a comment telling me where you saw this giveaway listed

This contest starts Friday the 13th, and runs until Friday, August 27th.This contest is limited to residents of the U.S. who are 18 or older. I will choose a winner via random.org and post the winners name on my website as well as emailing them. The winner must reply within 2 days or I will choose another winner. The brochures will be sent on or before the end of the month! Enjoy the possiblities!

One hundred followers/subscribers Dingo doggie coupon giveaway- $20 value!

Now if you have furry friends who love Dingo dog treats, this contest is for you! I got a coupon for $20 off of selected merchandise from Dingo.com. I am not going to use it so I thought I'd give it away to one of my readers! I'm trying to get to 100 subscribers and 100 GFC followers so this contest will end when both of those things happen, or December 15th- whichever happens first.

Here is what will happen if you win: I will email you my user name and password for Dingo.com along with the coupon code (sorry, I couldn't have it transferred, but you can change the password once you log in). You can purchase goodies on the Dingo website and use the $20 coupon but you will be responsible for shipping- a great deal!!

Here are the products available for the discount: Dingo Munchy Stix, Dyno Stix, Wag'n Wraps Slims Beef, Double Meat Bone Small, Dental Minis, Beefy Minis, Original Rawhide Bone Small, Molded Bone Medium, and the Molded Bone Large.

There are lots of ways to enter, but these two are mandatory:

Follow with Google friend connect and subscribe!

Other ways to enter:

+ Put my blog button on your blog (if you have at least 50 followers or subscribers- worth three entries).
+ Follow me on twitter: @mysshopnteacher. Leave a comment with your twitter name(two entries).
+ Tweet about this contest on twitter- you can do this once daily (two entries). Copy and paste:
I'm trying to win a $20 Dingo dog treat coupon! Go to http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/ or follow @mysshopnteacher.
+ Like me on Facebook. My facebook name is Mystery Shopping Teacher (two entries).

+ Post the following on your facebook page and copy and paste the link in a comment (two entries). Paste this:
I'm trying to win a $20 Dingo dog treat coupon from www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com . Easy entry!
+ Follow my blog on networked blogs (one entry).
+ Leave me a comment telling me where you saw this giveaway posted (one entry).
+ Leave a comment on any other post on my site (one entry).
The contest is open to individuals 18 or older. This giveaway is open until I get one hundred GFC followers and subscribers. I will pick one winner via Random.org and will post the winner on my blog and send an email. Hope you will join me!

Review and Giveaway of Rock 'N Learn Phonics Volumes 1 & 2

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It's almost back to school time and wow, summer has just flown by! I'm getting prepared for the beginning of the school year, and I'm sure that parents and students are doing the same. Recently I was given the opportunity to review two awesome videos that I will be using in my fourth grade classroom: Rock 'N Learn Phonics Volume 1 and 2. Not only was I given two copies to review, I was also told that I could give one lucky winner both dvd's!

Rock 'N Learn was started in the mid-80's by two brothers with an idea and the desire to make learning fun. After more than twenty years, the Rock 'N Learn company has earned awards and honors for their products combining music and learning. The company has more than 50 products that both teachers and parents can use.

I started with Volume 1 which is recomended for ages 6 and up. As a teacher I immediately appreciated the fun interactive component to the video. The DVD features approximately 70 minutes of learning about vowel and consonant sounds through animations, music, and read-along sentences and stories. The songs are catchy and kinda made me want to tap my toe to the beat! I liked that the video included read along stories to help students with comprehension. One of the keys to learning and retention is repetition, so the practice stories are wonderful!

Volume two goes into more depth with vowels and consonants and builds on what is taught in the first volume. This video is also engaging and entertaining. Volume two has the same fun characters as volume one.It gives important rules for learning phonics and, like the first video, includes plenty of fun animation and music. Both videos use a mouth that speaks the words so that children can see how to pronounce the words.

As a teacher, I like the fact that music is used to teach and reinforce the vowel and consonant sounds. The presentation is appropriate for learning and I plan on using these videos in my classroom of 4th graders for differentiated instruction which is teaching to the level of the students. I often work with groups of students based on their level of need, so I feel that these videos would be of benefit to my students. From my experience my students love to sing along to videos and they also enjoy videos with animated characters. There is also a website of worksheets that go along with the videos. Click here to check it out.

As a parent I like the fact that the videos have a lot of information- both are 70 minutes or more. I don't think that these videos would be ones that I would show all at one time. Sometimes children (or really all of us) can get overwhelmed with too much information coming at one time so I were a parent showing these videos I would break them down into segments. That is what I will do with these in my classroom as well. Parents can get as involved as they care to with the videos, or children can also watch the videos independently. The worksheets can be used to complement the information learned in the videos, and there are even extension lessons.

Buy it: If you are not a winner of this contest, you can buy these and more Rock 'N Learn videos from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or even from Rock 'N Learn.




Win it: I have the opportunity to give both Phonics Volume 1 and Volume 2 to one lucky person (Valued at $35-$40)! Even if you don't have a child is there someone you know who this would make a good gift for? Oh, and don't forget to leave a contact email so that I can reach you if you are a winner! Here's how you enter:

Mandatory entry: Subscribe to my blog. You must make sure to click on the verification link in the email sent to you when you subscribe (If you are already a subscriber then pick one of the additional entries to participate). Then click here to go to Rock 'N Learn and tell me which product you would like and leave me a comment. This counts for three entries. If you skip this step your other entries will not count.

Additional entries (leave a comment to let me know):

+ Put my blog button on your blog (if you have at least 50 followers or subscribers- worth three entries).

+ Follow me on twitter: @mysshopnteacher. Leave a comment with your twitter name. I may tweet about additional opportunities to enter so this is a good way to stay in touch(two entries)!

+ Tweet about this contest on twitter- you can do this once daily(two entries). Copy and paste:

Rock 'N Learn Phonics Volume 1 and 2 giveaway for ages 6+ ($35-$40 value) ends 9/4. Follow @mysshopnteacher to learn more.

+ Follow me on Google friend connect(two entries).

+ Like me on Facebook . My facebook name is Mystery Shopping Teacher(two entries).

+ Like Rock 'N Learn on Facebook. Tell them that the Mystery Shopping Teacher sent you(two entries)!

+ Post the following on your facebook page and copy and paste the link in a comment(two entries). Paste this:

I'm entering the Rock 'N Learn Phonics Volume 1 and 2 giveaway for ages 6+ ($35-$40 value) and you should too! Go to http://www.mysteryshoppingteacher.blogspot.com/ for your chance to win!

+ Follow my blog on networked blogs(one entry).

+ Leave me a comment telling me where you saw this giveaway posted (one entry).

+ Leave a comment on any other post on my site (one entry).

The contest is open to individuals 18 or older. This giveaway is open until 9/4/10. I will pick one winner via Random.org and will post the winner on my blog and send an email. The winner will have 48 hours to give me shipping information or else an alternate will be chosen.You have lots of chances to win!



Disclosure: This is a non-paid post and all opinions mine! Rock 'N Learn provided me with Phonics Volume 1 and 2 to review. Thanks Rock 'N Learn!

Social Parade-Follow on Fridays

So it's Friday and I'm trying something new to find new blogs to follow and meet new people. You can check it out by clicking the button!

Giveaway Scout

Do you like winning things? You've come to the right place. I love giving things away but I am not always able to, unfortunately. No worries, I've found this new site that features tons of giveaways. If you're like me, and I know you are, you want to win something! Well if you go to Giveaway Scout and sign up for the newsletter you will receive updates when new giveaways are listed. Sign up for new giveaways daily and you'll increase your odds of winning. Check it out here!

Giveaway~ not mine but definitely worth entering!

Hi there! I love awesome giveaways and here is one that I think is worth entering! The giveaway is for a mother's ring from Kranich's. Now this is not just for women- men think gifts for the wife too! It ends tonight so get on over to http://www.funsavingmoney.net/ to get your entries in. Have a great day.

Grab a cold one and maybe get paid 20 bucks to do it!

Want to grab a cold one for free? I'm not talking about a Cullen or any other handsome Twilight vamps (I know it's trendy right now, and I kinda hate that I love something so trendy-but I love love love Twilight!). I mean a beer. I don't happen to drink beer...not really my thing because I'm more of a margarita girl. I only like drinks that are sweet and fruity so that's what I was hoping for when I did this mystery shop.

The shop required that I spend a certain amount of time in the store examining the hot food area, the beverage coolers, the bath room, and most importantly I was supposed to count the number of signs that mention the legal age to purchase tobacco products and alcohol. I can't remember exactly how long I was to remain in the store. I think it was at least 10 minutes. I also had to purchase an alcoholic beverage, and a non-alcoholic item of my choice with a reimbursement of 1.99. I was supposed to see if the employee asked for my i.d. when I purchased the alcoholic beverage and pretend that I didn't have one to see if the employee would still allow me to purchase the alcohol.

It was a pretty standard shop with no strange questions to ask, or nothing that would make me stand out as a mystery shopper. I don't do the shops that I don't feel I can't pull off without looking like a mystery shopper- that's just one of my personal things. I completed the actual mystery shopping and the report in 45 minutes. I have shopped with this company before and they are one of my favorites! The pay was $20 plus a reimbursement of $1.99 for the beer and any non-alcoholic item. Here is a link to the company that I did this shop for.

I guess I can find something to cook with the beer as neither my husband or I are that big on drinking beer. Actually another time I did an alcohol shop for this company the beer stayed in the refrigerator for probably a year! Does anyone have any ideas for good recipes with beer?