Just Another New Blog

In recent years, I've started paying more attention to what exactly is in my skincare products. I avoid those with parabens and phthalates, and focus on using products made from natural and / or organic ingredients.

When I came across Daisy Natural Skin Care, I realized their products were exactly the type of skincare I prefer. Founder Jean Marie Pizzariella has created a product line made from high quality ingredients that are good for your skin. She sent me several products for review, and I absolutely loved everything I tried.

The first Daisy Natural Skin Care product I tried was their shea butter soap in lavender. The soap smells heavenly due to the lavender essential oil. It's handmade with real shea butter and feels great on my skin. It's mild and gentle, plus it makes just the right amount of lather. Besides shea butter, the soap contains coconut, palm and safflower oils, plus a high percentage of glycerin which helps with the absorption of moisture into the skin. Lavender is one of my favorite scents but you can also choose among eight other delicious fragrances plus a fragrance-free version.

My daughter tried the Daisy Natural Skin Care lip balm and announced she had to use it every morning before school. Luckily, she let me borrow it a couple of times, so I can tell you it's very creamy and feels quite luxurious on my lips. The lip balm is made from avocado oil, mango butter, beeswax, and cocoa butter, plus flavoring. I picked French Vanilla, another scent I love. The lip balm is also available in almond and just plain.

The Whipped Avocado Butter is wonderful to use after a shower. It looks and smells good enough to eat! I loved the lavender scent and the creamy texture so much that at first I was using a tad too much. It turns out just a little does the job. My skin gets very dry from all the daily hand washing, so my favorite way to use the whipped avocado butter is in lieu of hand cream.

For the extra dry spots on my knees and elbows, the lotion stick from Daisy Natural Skin Care is just the ticket. I can toss it in my purse for dry skin emergencies because it is very portable - the tube is like a big lip balm or small deodorant stick. Just as all Daisy Natural Skin Care products, the lotion stick is made from natural ingredients, free of parabens, phthalates and synthetic colors, and not tested on animals.

The prices of Daisy Natural Skin Care products range from $3 for the lip balm to $10 for the whipped avocado butter. If you can't decide what to get, their beautifully packaged gift sets are a good place to start. The gift sets include a bar of soap, a jar of whipped avocado butter, and a lip balm - all in a biodegradable bag with a pretty ribbon. These make great teacher gifts, too.

Right now, you can get 15% off your Daisy Natural order of $15 or more. Use coupon code JANB15 through June 18, 2013 to take advantage of this special offer.

Connect with Daisy Natural Skin Care on Facebook, Twitter (@daisynatural), Pinterest, or RebelMouse.

The Giveaway
One lucky U.S. reader will win a Daisy Natural Skin Care gift set (ARV $20).

The prize pack includes a bar of soap, a jar of whipped avocado butter, and a lip balm - all full-sized, packed in a biodegradable cello bag.

To enter, please visit Daisy Natural Skin Care and comment below with your favorite product(s), then follow the Rafflecopter instructions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


No compensation was provided for this post. Information, prize, review products and photo provided by company or PR firm. Prize fulfillment by sponsor.
Giveaway Rules: Giveaway ends 12:01 am ET, June 4, 2013. No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the U.S., 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited by law. One winner will be chosen randomly, and odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. One entry per household. The winner will be contacted via e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond. Entrants agree with this site's Official Rules.

Got giveaways? Please do share! You can link any family-friendly giveaway here weekly to promote it. And you can enter them, too, of course. My Saturday linky is below. Please include prize and ending date, and link directly to the giveaway page.

Looking for more blogs hosting Saturday giveaway fun? Visit Aleks at Busy Working Mama and Kristi at Mom's Own Words. Good luck to those who enter, and everyone else - enjoy browsing!

My children love Sylvan Dell books. We have probably two dozen of their titles. All of them are fun to read, have beautiful illustrations, and great educational value. You can read my reviews of some of these excellent reads here.

Right now, Sylvan Dell Publishing is celebrating Children's Book Week with special author appearances around the country. Online, they are hosting contests, giveaways, and free fun activities for kids. This month, the Sylvan Dell blog, Facebook page and @sylvandell on Twitter will be dedicated to Children’s Book Week events.  Get involved and win! For a complete listing of events, please visit www.sylvandellpublishing.com.

In addition, Sylvan Dell will offer free access to new favorites right there on their site. From May 12th through the 18th, all of Sylvan Dell’s enhanced eBooks will be 99 cents on the Kindle and iBooks stores.

About Sylvan Dell Publishing
Sylvan Dell is on a mission to improve child literacy with science and math through fictional picture books. Using prose and pictures, children are delighted with stories of their favorite animals, planets, or even place. This leads to the exploration of facts and learning activities in each book’s For Creative Minds pages. Sylvan Dell carefully designs each book to portray accurately the chosen subject. Vetted by experts in that field, and aligned to common core and state standards; each book is a unique asset to educational programs. Sylvan Dell has grown to include more than 80 authors and illustrators, and honored to have won more than 70 book awards since its inception in 2005.

The Giveaway
In honor of Children's Book Week, one lucky U.S. reader will win a Sylvan Dell book! The winner may choose among the following:

• Nature Recycles
• Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer
• Waterbeds
• Octavia
• Turtle Summer
• Astro the Steller Sea Lion
• The Tree That Bear Climbed
• Meet the Planets
• Little Skinks Tail

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I remember fondly my first baby shower. I was very pregnant with my daughter. My gal pals had been after me for weeks to put together a baby registry. I kept telling them I had all a baby needed. I'd already bought a crib, a carseat, and some tiny clothes. There, I insisted, I had everything ready. Little did I know that my tiny infant would be dwarfed by all the baby stuff I would eventually collect... but I digress.

My baby shower was a complete surprise, and absolutely perfect. My girlfriends had thought of everything: the theme, the snacks, the decorations, the invitations, even the thank-you notes for me to fill out later. One  friend even kept a list of who the gifts came from, so my tired pregnancy brain would not have to remember it all. A few years later, I happily returned the favor when I organized her first baby shower.

Most of my close friends have had their bundles of joy already but if I were to host another shower, I know where I would get the stationery. I love the trendy designs of the Tiny Prints Baby Shower Invitations. You can even get matching stationery and gift tags. I know any mom-to-be would appreciate having address labels and thank you cards on the ready, so she can express her gratitude to her baby shower guests in style.

And should I happen to have another baby... I will be browsing for my favorite among the adorable Tiny Prints Birth Announcements.

Join Tiny Prints and @ResourcefulMom for a #TinyPrintsBaby Pinning Party™ on May 30th at 8 PM ET. RSVP at http://resourcefulmommy.com/12097/tiny-prints-baby-pinning-party/.

* I have been compensated with product in exchange for posting this information.

The Giveaway
Do you need some stylish stationery? Enter below for a chance to win a code for $50 off your total Tiny Prints order, plus free standard or USPS shipping! The code excludes calendars, photo books, Erin Condren notebooks & planners, and gift certificates.


To enter, please visit Tiny Prints Birth Announcements or Tiny Prints Baby Shower Invitations and comment below with your favorite stationery item - then follow the Rafflecopter instructions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you love Eggland's Best eggs? They are a staple in my house. This egg-cellent company is having an egg-citing contest for a Chief Egg Officer. One very deserving candidate will win the title and $5,000! Here's the scoop:

Call all egg-sperts! Eggland’s Best is searching far and wide to find the first-ever Eggland’s Best Chief Egg Officer! Do you have what it takes? We’re looking for “CEO” candidates who demonstrates:

• An egg-streme passion for EB eggs
• A sunny-side up disposition
• An eagerness to get cracking as an EB ambassador

The grand prize winner will get $5,000 and the honorary title of Eggland’s Best Chief Egg Officer. He or she will also receive a one-year supply of Eggland’s Best eggs, to ensure they are only eating thE Best. Two runners-up will receive a six-month supply of Eggland’s Best eggs and $500.

Ready to get whisked away? Visit the Eggland’s Best website and tell them why you would make the best “CEO.” Entries will be accepted from May 13, 2013 through July 31, 2013. Don’t scramble at the last minute – enter today!

Key contest dates:

• Entry Period: May 13, 2013 – July 31, 2013
• Semi-Finalist Consumer Online Voting: September 9, 2013 - September 30, 2013
• Finalist Consumer Online Voting: October 28, 2013 -November 17, 2013
• Winner Announcement: December 2013

Connect with Eggland's Best on Facebook and on Twitter @egglandsbest.

* No compensation was provided for this post. The Eggland’s Best Chief Egg Officer information was provided by Eggland’s Best. Opinions are all mine, shared because of my love of good eggs.

The makers of my favorite chocolate bars have announced their fun "I Spy Chuao” sweeps! Look for Chuao at your favorite stores and enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win free chocolate and a $250 gift card.

Entering is simple. Follow Chuao’s Instagram feed @chuaochocolatier and follow the three steps below:

• Post a photograph of a Chuao chocolate bar on the shelf at a local retailer with the hashtag #ispy
• Tag @chuaochocolatier
• Use hashtags for the name of the #retailer, #city and #street

For example: #ispy @chuaochocolatier #Target #Chicago #West33rdSt

The I Spy Chuao sweepstakes begins at 3 p.m. PST on May 10, 2013, and ends on May 24, 2013. A winner will be announced every day and awarded a gourmet Chuao Chocolatier chocolate bar. The grand prize winner will win a $250 gift card to the retailer tagged in their entry. Check out the complete rules on Chuao’s website at www.chuaochocolatier.com/blog.

Not sure where to look for these utterly irresistible chocolates? Visit the retail locator at http://chuaochocolatier.com/locations.

* No compensation was provided for this post. Information and images provided by the company or PR firm. Opinions are all mine, shared for the love of good chocolate.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. On Saturday, while I was out running errands, my husband got two dozen red roses. By the time I came home, he had arranged them beautifully in a vase with a red ribbon. He also had lunch ready. On Sunday, the kids served my breakfast in bed, complete with the Mother's Day cards they made. My special surprise was pictures they drew and framed (with a little help from daddy).

My mom lives out of state so I did not get to spend time with her this year. I do have a great gift for her, thanks to Alexa's Angels. They sent me a free MOM Circle Word Necklace for review - just in time for Mother's Day. The simple elegance of this necklace makes it the ideal piece of jewelry for my mom. Since we rarely see each other except on Skype, the MOM necklace can serve as a daily reminder of my love for her.

The MOM necklace is made of rhodium and has a 16-inch ball chain with lobster claw closure and a 2-inch extender. The MOM circle is about the size of a nickel. This pretty necklace can be easily dressed up or down. Alexa's Angels sends it in a gift box with a nice drawstring jewelry bag inside. Inside the box, there's also a card with care instructions and information about the company. Check out their other fabulous pieces on Alexas-Angels.com. I love the look of those sterling silver earrings, just perfect for summer.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and no other compensation was given or received.

I usually plan my grocery shopping trips well. I check the fridge and the pantry, make a list, and stick to it as much as possible. Yet, occasionally I run out of something important and have to rush to the store. It could be milk, yogurt, or the apples and bananas my kids love to snack on anytime.

If you typically stock up at the beginning of the month, but are already running out of the products your family needs, stop by Publix. Starting tomorrow and through May 22th, look for their Running Out? Run In. event. You can get some great savings on several brands from General Mills and Procter & Gamble, such as Wheaties, Totino’s, Charmin and Crest. In addition, if you buy $30 of participating items from 5/15 to 5/31, you can mail in to receive a $10 Publix gift card to use on your next shopping trip. For more details on this offer and to see the list of participating products, go to www.runningoutrunin.com.
The Giveaway
I am celebrating the Running Out? Run In. Event with a giveaway! One lucky U.S. reader will win a $25 Publix gift card.

* Event information, blogger gift card and giveaway prize were provided by General Mills and Publix® through MyBlogSpark. Opinions are my own.

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Book Description
Acclaimed thriller author Adam Mitzner returns with the gripping tale of a high-profile attorney recovering from a personal tragedy who’s drawn back into the courtroom — and a media firestorm — in the biggest murder trial in a decade.

Dan Sorensen was once a high-powered New York City defense attorney... but that was before a horrifying accident killed the two people in his life who meant the most, plunging him into a downward spiral. As he approaches rock bottom, Dan is unexpectedly offered the opportunity of a lifetime: defend an up-and-coming rapper in a murder trial on the front page of every newspaper. Although his client swears he’s innocent of the brutal slaying of his pop star girlfriend, proving it will not be easy, especially because he’s suspected of bragging about the crime in one of the hottest songs in the country.

Unsure that he’s ready to handle such a high-stakes case, Dan realizes that this chance to save a man he believes has been falsely accused of murder just may be his last and only hope to put his own life back on track and achieve redemption for his past sins. But as Dan delves deeper and deeper into the case, he learns that atonement comes at a very steep price. A powerful and riveting new voice in fiction, Adam Mitzner pulls out all the stops in his follow-up to the highly acclaimed A Conflict of Interest. A Case of Redemption is a gritty, sophisticated thriller that will draw fans of Scott Turow and John Grisham into a world of relentless suspense.

A Case of Redemption is new from Gallery Books. If you've missed Adam Mitzner's first novel, check out my review of A Conflict of Interest.

* This post is not compensated.

In celebration of National Fitness Month (and their 30th anniversary), My Gym provided five fun family fitness tips to share with my readers. The advice comes from Monique Vranesh, co-owner of the My Gym location in Encino, CA. Enjoy!

1. Commercial Break
If you’re going to watch TV, make a game out of commercial breaks. Have the kids walk around the room and touch three things that are green. Whoever finds three items first gets to choose the next color.

2. Good Old-Fashioned Follow the Leader
Play outside! What a novel idea. Have the kids put down their cell phones, tablets and video games and start a game of hide and seek or duck, duck, goose! They are oldies, but they’re still goodies!

3. Tiny Bubbles
Summer fun in the backyard with a bubble-blower. Blow some bubbles and have some giggles watching the kids try and pop them all.

4. 80s Flashback
The 80s are remembered for legwarmers and the oh-so stylish mullet hair. But let’s not forget the tunes! Turn up the 80s radio station and dance, dance, dance (like a ‘maniac’) with your kids.

5. Your Furriest Child
The dog shouldn’t be left out of the exercise fun. After all, dogs LIKE to go on walks. Make it a family routine to walk the pup after dinner.

For more fun tips from My Gym, visit their Facebook page to see what other families are doing to stay fit and enter their Fit and Healthy Family Contest!

* Content courtesy of My Gym. This post is not compensated.