The Cutest Contest

November 19, 2011 Leave a Comment

Have you been snapping lots of photos lately?  I hope so because Tiny Prints has got a deal for you.  Right now they’re holding the Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest where you could win $1,000, a $500 Tiny Prints gift certificate, and be featured in their 2012 marketing campaign.  The contest has been going on since October, so you have just a few days left to submit your photo by the entry deadline of November 21st.

All you have to do is go to either their Facebook page or the Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest page which will take you to the entry page where you’ll fill out your information and upload your winning photo.  You’ll be able to choose a card to showcase your photo and your entry will be viewable in the Tiny Prints gallery.

Prizes will be awarded for:

  • Cutest Baby (0-2 years old)
  • Cutest Kid (3-10 years old)
  • Cutest Family
  • Cutest Couple
  • Cutest Pet

Community voting will be from Nov. 22- 30, and voting on finalists will be from Dec. 5 – 16.

For official rules, click here.

And if you decide to enter, please let me know so we can all come out to vote and cheer you on!

Disclosure: For blogging about the Tiny Prints Talent Search I will be compensated in the form of receiving 25 free personalized thank you notes.  See my full Disclosure policy here.

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Filed Under: photography

Get the Most from Shopping: Shopkick

November 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

Have you heard of Shopkick?  It’s a super cool app available for iPhones and Androids.  The premise is to earn kicks, or points, when you walk into certain stores while the app is running on your phone.  Each “kick” is worth a certain number of points depending on which activity you are sent to do: scans; instant surprises; and walk-ins.

Here’s how each one works.

Let’s say you’re going to shop at Target so you turn on the Shopkick app on your phone.  You can switch it on at home or wait until you’re in the parking lot, just be sure to drag the screen down for an update of local shops (though it seems to do that automatically sometimes).  Right away you can see if there are any kick opportunities with the shops listed.

For this example, let’s look at how to collect kicks instantly using the picture above:

#1 – Click on the row for SuperTarget.

#2 – By clicking on the Target row, you can see that you can earn kicks by two ways.

#3 – First, by clicking on the “Instant Surprises” row you can find and touch the surprise to reveal either a point or a bubble to burst.

#4 – Pop the bubble to reveal a piece to a collection. When you’ve collected all 3 pieces, you get bonus points.

The second way, in the picture example above, to earn kicks is by scanning certain products with your phone (remember, either iPhone or Android). They list the products, you find them in the store (like a scavenger hunt!), then you scan the barcode or QR code {whichever the app directs}, and you collect kicks.

Another way to earn kicks is called “walk-in”, where you simply walk into the store with the app on and collect points.  After I finished shopping at Target the other day I strode next door to Old Navy where I walked in, stood at the entrance for a few seconds while the app located me and showed my points I collected, then turned around and walked back out. Simple as pie.

And the final way that I know of to earn points is by using the audio feature in the app to “listen” to tv commercials on the WB network from certain stores.  The two that I saw were for Macy’s and Best Buy and were listed at 100 points each.  I skipped this option, though, since you had to do it during two specific shows on a specific night.  And let’s face it, I wasn’t about to watch tv shows I don’t normally view just to score some points (especially these two particular programs – eww).

Otherwise, it’s very easy to earn points.

Oh, wait. Have I mentioned what you can earn from all of these kicks?  Along with Target, you can also earn gift cards from Best Buy, Restaurant.com, Macy’s, Old Navy, Toys R Us, and many more. You can also earn gift cards for gas for your car, which is awesome.

When I first read about Shopkick (from Jenny at Southern Savers – thanks, Jenny!) and downloaded the app I was skeptical.  But in 4 days I’ve earned over 1200 kicks, which qualifies me for a $5 Target giftcard!  This may seem to some like small change, but when you think about how few days it took me to get that many points, and how I can earn much more the longer I use the app, the Shopkickapp is so worth it.

While I can see how it’s possible to spend my time looking for kicks instead of many other things I should be doing, I’ve made it a rule to only use the app when I’m out and about.

Shopkick Special!

Sometimes the walk-ins are doubled or there’s a special deal attached.  To celebrate the upcoming shopping chaos known as Black Friday (at the end of this week, in case you forgot), Shopkick has a special deal.  If you get the app for yourself and then invite 5 friends and they download the free app, they will each automatically earn 100 kicks for themselves, and you will earn 100 kicks for each friend who joins.  That’s 500 kicks for you alone! Plus, by them joining now, you will unlock the “2X VIP Pass”which will allow you to get double walk-in kicks on Black Friday.

And if you’re thinking “I’m out here in the boonies…I don’t live anywhere near those large stores, so I’ll never be able to use this app,” guess again.  As I drove along the other day with my kids, and Catz kept refreshing the app as we drove to different parts of town (on actual errands), we discovered stores we didn’t even know existed.  Instant kicks for veterinary clinics, dry cleaners, and even a tree cutting service popped up on the app.  It’s a great advertising tool for businesses, small and large, so the possibility for Shopkicks in your area is pretty high.

Besides, the app is free!  From now until Thanksgiving if you click here to get Shopkick, you can download the app and earn 100 kicks immediately (and I will earn 100 kicks as well – thanks!!).  Then, you can go to the 2X VIP Pass header in the app and invite 5 of your own friends to begin earning more kicks.  They make it very easy by giving you options to invite folks via Twitter, email, text message (SMS), and Facebook.  You can also take your link and include it in a post (like I did here).

And what a perfect time to begin using Shopkick!  With all of the driving around your town you’ll be doing – Christmas shopping, visiting friends, Christmas play/choir rehearsals, looking at Christmas light displays – you’ll be sure to gather up kicks just as quick as a squirrel storing up nuts.

Note: You are welcome to download the app directly from iTunes {for iPhone} or Market {for Android}, but you won’t get the 100 immediate kicks as this is a special offer through Shopkick and it’s current subscribers.  If you do go through my personal link to get the Shopkick app and your 100 kicks, I thank you and hope you enjoy this fun and money-making app!

I’d also love to know how you like it, so please let me know how it’s going for you!

P.S. If you click the link after Thanksgiving you can still download the app and receive 50 kicks (and I’ll receive 50 as well). Have fun!

 

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Filed Under: technology

Trying to Catch Up…

January 26, 2009 4 Comments

I haven’t been very consistent in my blogging lately. Okay, truth here…I’ve been way behind. How do you folks keep up with blogging and everything else you try to accomplish every day?? I honestly have a dilemma in this area.

Along with blogging, I need to homeschool my Chicklets, cook dinner every day for my family, spend quality time with each child and Spider X {all separately}, make my house look halfway decent, keep up with bible study, spend time with my Father in prayer, plan our school lessons, and some other stuff that has escaped my already overwhelmed noggin. The part about the house…I gave up cleaning my house daily weekly a long time ago. I feel blessed when I get a few minutes to clean something every few weeks.

Well, I put together a few posts and pics, and I’m catching up on Project 365. If you want to participate, remember to visit Tracy to sign up!

We recently went travelin’ and checked out an rv show while on the road. At the show, we caught this cool sand sculpture of the U.S.A. This shot is of the west side {this thing was huge}. I love the wagon and mount Rushmore.
365/7

Here’s the happy rv family in the center of the sculpture. Hopefully, that’s us in a couple of years. We love to travel by car. And we love to camp. Our experiences have been with a tent {briefly} and then a pop-up. Would love a trailer or 5th-wheel. Of course, a vehicle large enough to pull one of those would be helpful. Do you like to camp?

365/8

Here’s one of our rehab squirrels. The bear destroyed our homemade birdfeeder recently, so we moved this one to the frontyard. It proved to be difficult for this little fatty to maneuver gracefully, though he did do his best to become a trapeze artist. Now that they’re released and living in the trees, we don’t know which one this is, but because all 3 of our squirrels were well-cared for, they are pretty hefty compared to their all-wild counterparts. Hence the term of endearment…”fatty.” By the way, he was hanging onto the other side with his hind paws and swung back up. {No squirrel was harmed in the taking of this photo.}

365/9

Here is another one of our fatty’s. Mr.C had just given him an acorn. I prefer this caption from “E.T.”: “I’ll be right here.”
365/10
Doesn’t she look so cute? This little snuggle-bunny belongs to my daughter, Catz. This shot actually hides the fact that she’s about to take part in the kitty rodeo.
365/11
Hope you enjoyed these shots. Are you a photography buff? Let me know so I can check out your shots, too!

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Filed Under: photography, travel and adventure Tagged With: , , ,

Homeschool: The Transitional Year

August 26, 2011 1 Comment
Another homeschooling year has started and already this year is looking different even though we haven’t added in all of our subjects.  After taking off completely for 3 weeks, we began the new year on July 11th nice and slow.  A couple of subjects to start with {math and Spanish} got us on the right track, and each week we’ve been adding in 1-2 more.  This year will be one of transition as MrC explores 8th grade, his last year before high school, while his sister, Catz, continues on in 10th grade with a tougher schedule.  Balancing the two will be a feat.  

8th Grade

In my book, this is the year of more independence in school for MrC to prepare for the rigors of high school.  It’s not that the upper grades are impossibly difficult; they are just more demanding.

* math ->  Pre-Algebra & Algebra 1  {TeachingTextbooks} He’ll be finishing up pre-algebra and starting algebra 1 partway through the year.
* foreign language  ->  Spanish 2- Latin America  {RosettaStone} 
* grammar review  ->  Daily Grams 8   {EasyGrammar} 
* vocabulary ->  Wordly Wise 3000 – Book 8{EPS} 
* science  ->  Exploring Creation with Physical Science   {Apologia}
* geography  ->  Trail Guide to US Geography   {GeographyMatters}
* spelling  -> 500 commonly misspelled wordlist{Sonlight, Core 100}
* writing  ->  Student Writing Intensive B  {IEW}
* history  ->  American History, Core 100  {Sonlight} 
* drawing -> Drawing 1a{DonnaYoung.org} basics in drawing
* computers: graphic design -> Adobe Illustrator CS3 Design Essentials, DVD  {Total Training} 
* music theory -> Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory  {AlfredPublishing Company}
* music appreciation ->  Music & Moments with the Masters{CornerstoneCurriculum}

10th Grade

Since this is Catz’s second year in high school, I pretty much have a handle on where we should be about now.  The only difference is a heavier load this year than she has had previously.
* math  ->  Geometry  {TeachingTextbooks}
* foreign language  ->  Spanish 2 - Latin America  {RosettaStone}
* science  ->  Exploring Creation with Chemistry   {Apologia}
* geography  ->  Trail Guide to US Geography   {GeographyMatters}
* spelling  ->  500 commonly misspelled wordlist {Sonlight}
* writing  ->  Student Writing Intensive C  {IEW}
* literary analysis  -> TBD
* history  ->  American History, Core 100  {Sonlight} and 20th Century History, Core 300 {Sonlight} We’re going to fit both in this year by eliminating some reading selections I find unnecessary.
* drawing  ->  Draw Today  {Art Skills / Foundations in Art}
* computers: creative photography ->  Adobe Photoshop CS3 Design Essentials, DVD {TotalTraining}
* music theory -> Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory  {AlfredPublishing Company}
* music appreciation ->  Music & Moments with the Masters {CornerstoneCurriculum}
*voice -> private lessons

As with all areas of life, some things may be put on hold for a few months and other items may be added, but this is basically our list for the year.  Are you homeschooling this year?  What subjects are you excited about?  Whatever schooling options you choose for your children, I hope your year is blessed!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click those links and make a purchase, I might make a few pennies. If you do, thanks!

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Compassion: What about the rest of them?

May 12, 2011 Leave a Comment
By now I hope you’ve learned something about Compassion International.  I thought I knew enough…until I saw this.  Here is Wess Stafford, the President of Compassion, saying it like no one else could.  Please watch, give a listen, and let your heart be filled…


The Voice from Compassion International on Vimeo.

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Filed Under: faith and mercy Tagged With: , ,

My heart is wrecked

September 16, 2010 1 Comment

In July my family and I pushed ourselves. I had been reading about worldwide poverty and came to the very real conclusion that I wanted us to help, to do something tangible. Writing a check every so often and dropping it in a collection plate or mailing it to a charity had been done before and was just too easy. Too easy to overlook, too simple to ignore the children behind the reason. I didn’t want to do “easy” anymore.

So we reached further and found Compassion International. Here was a golden opportunity. We signed up to sponsor a child, but this is where everything changed. Just writing a check was out. Because children in poverty need more. They need to know that they matter, that they are loved. Writing letters to each child is not a requirement of sponsors but a gift. A gift of love to a child broken by the repercussions of poverty. And a gift to the sponsors themselves.

Our little boy, Jean, is from Haiti. He is five and though I initially wondered how much he would understand of our letters, after reading this I am excited. I’m looking forward to my family embracing this sweet child, to telling him through written words and pictures “just how much”…how much he is loved, how much he is wanted, how important he is and will always be to us. And I hope he feels it, too.

On a huge side note, last week a team of bloggers from Compassion went to Guatemala. While there they visited families, saw the Compassion Child Development Center, and experienced a small fraction of life in this poverty-stricken land, this place of 20,000 living in the dump. Their words and pictures were soul-reaching and life-changing. And now my heart is wrecked. And I am thankful.

If you have the chance please visit these blogs where you can experience just a taste of life in Guatemala. Warning: your life will be changed. And you will be better for it.

http://www.aholyexperience.com
http://www.lindseynobles.com
http://thegypsymama.com
http://babybangs.blogspot.com

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I’m baaack!

July 28, 2009 Leave a Comment

I know. To some people there’s no excuse for not blogging. They live for blogging. They’re good at it and that’s great. Their bloggy-beautiful pages give me lots to think about, laugh over, and share with others. But for me, well…I just wasn’t organized enough to blog regularly AND live my life.

I am now, though. And my blog-baby has a whole new look. It’s kind of in limbo as I add and change things. I hope ya like it. Let me know what you think. So anyway, I’m back. ‘Nuf said. See y’all tomorrow!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Coming Soon: 31 Days to Make Your Marriage Thrive

August 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

Have you visited The Nester lately?  Of course you have because she. is. fabulous.  And in October she’ll be hosting 31 Days of Change and encouraging others to host their own 31 Days blog series, too.

I’ve been writing up a storm and will be hosting 31 Days to Make Your Marriage Thrive.  Whether you’re newly married, been with your man a loong time, or counting the days to your own wedding day, this is a series you won’t want to miss.

I’ll give you tips, make you laugh, and help you feel closer and more connected to the man you love. There will be something for everyone!

You can also follow along on my series with the Twitter hashtag #31dmymt and look for at least one giveaway in October related to making marriages thrive.  But don’t wait until then to visit, ok?  Hope to see you soon!

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Filed Under: love and marriage Tagged With: ,

Praying for my Son when He’s gone

September 3, 2011 Leave a Comment

Last night was a first.  As I left my son at the middle school lock-in at my church, I thought about how many times I had walked away from him. Not walking down the hall or simply walking into another room.  I pondered about walking away from his dependence.

Sure, TechDaddy and I had left MrC overnight before with family. When he was little, he and his sister had stayed with one of my sister’s and her crew while hubby and I enjoyed an anniversary cruise.  But this was different.

In a nutshell, after almost five years of going to the same church, we are now getting involved in the youth ministry {both middle and high school}.  So when this lock-in popped up, MrC said yes purely for the opportunity to meet new friends.

So last night rolls around and my hubby and I bring our boy.  Staying to help with dinner setup and clean up for about 50 kids {pizza!}, TechDaddy and I hung around for a couple of hours.  {Don’t worry, we were in adult-mode but totally staying clear of our son.  You know, the “free-space from parents” mode.}

Then, after the kids had moved on to another activity and we had cleaned up, TechDaddy and I began our walk to the door.  Me, being a total mom, slipped over to MrC who was resting from a game of beachball volleyball.  After v e r y   q u i e t l y exchanging some “I love you”s and slipping him a buck for candy, I joined TD by the door.

And then I walked away from my son.

I didn’t feel it until later, after we got home and were spending time with Catz.  But the emptiness was thick. In my home his absence was real and heavy.  No jokes or funny quips abounded.  The sound of MrC jumping onto the stair landings was missing. And in my heart the ache was visceral.

Then this morning I woke with the reminder that my son is not in my home.  And while the rest of my family slept, I walked upstairs to his room, curled up on his bed, and prayed.

My prayers covered his heart, like the ones I spoke to Papa days and weeks and months and years before today. Prayers that begged for protection, both physical and emotional.  Prayers requesting my boy be happy and safe in his new environment.  Prayers that God would guide my son through every step and stage of his life.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.    Jeremiah 29:11

But my prayers also covered me.  That my Father would shore up my heart against the ache that comes when learning to give way to my boy’s growing independence.  The ache that hurts longer and deeper than those birth pains from over 13 years ago.

My boy is home now, happily snacking and laughing with the rest of us as we watch a movie all huddled up on one couch. And though I feel a twinge of what is to come as I continue to hand over more and more independence, I feel content in knowing that my Father’s hand is guiding my precious son and that all of my prayers are heard and stored away in the heart of the One who loves my boy more than I ever could.

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Filed Under: faith and mercy Tagged With: , , ,

Giver

September 28, 2010 3 Comments

Here I sit at the kitchen table watching my son, MrC, finish his dinner. My daughter Catz, sick with a serious head cold, is lying on the couch waiting for him to join her in the family room. TechDaddy, having left the house just minutes before, is on his way to a Financial Peace class at my church.

I was supposed to be with him. By his side, walking hand-in-hand into the classroom, sitting as a couple, driving home together, sharing our day. Instead I am at home, feeling aggravated at everyone including myself. Catz says she feels more comfortable with me at home with her. MrC seems unhelpful and disinterested about keeping his big sister company so I can go out. TechDaddy wants me with him. I feel like I can’t make anyone happy and so I sit watching MrC push peas around his plate and listen to the silence as the tv is paused. 

But I’m grumbling. Not out loud, but inside where only God can hear me. And I realize my face is pinched into a look of irritation. This alone could scare away anyone, child or adult. But this is not what I want for my family. I’m supposed to be giving. Of my time, my energy, my self. And I am. But they’re supposed to get the best of me.

However, Paul speaks on this in God’s word. I remember how he speaks on attitude and states it clearly:

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2nd Corinthians 9:7

I know he was speaking about giving tithes, but I think it still pertains to my situation. Giving tithes means we give something that’s valuable to us back to God. If I give the best of myself to my family then aren’t I still giving back to God?

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:7 

I let out a deep breath, releasing the tension that had been mounting. Now my whole attitude has changed. I’m happy that Catz is feeling relaxed having me nearby. MrC can watch the movie with his big sis and not feel pressured to be in charge, a role he’s not used to. And TechDaddy…while I miss the time we could be having together, he’ll be home in a couple of hours. I’ll greet him with fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies {his faves}, a few well-placed kisses, and time to spend together. Cheerfully.

tuesdays unwrapped at cats
I’m linking up with Emily at tuesdays unwrapped. Hope you stop by for a visit!

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