CSN Baby-Towel Set Giveaway!

I know this giveaway is late (both Blogger and The Bean decided to have issues at the same time) but the good news is it's finally time to do the giveaway from CSN Stores Baby Cribs Plus! I've worked with CSN Stores before, and they really are a terrific company. You can find almost anything in one of their many online stores-all the way from cribs and playpens to BBQs. Today's giveaway is by far my most adorable to date.

The minute I saw the Trend Lab Character Hooded Towel and Mitt Sets I knew I had to have one. We've been using the Bunny Towel and and Mitt for more than a month now, but it only took one use to fall in love with it. The little bunny wash mitt is so adorable and is an easy distraction for little ones who might not like taking baths. Both the mitt and the towel itself are a fluffy terry cloth and just right for soft little baby skin while still being towel enough to actually dry babies. The design-which turns your little munchkin into an adorable little animal-are fun for kids. So fun that I still can't get a picture of the girls in it because they immediately wrap it around them like a cape and hop (or crawl) away like little bunnies. Here is a picture from the site, but I have to tell you it doesn't even do justice to how adorable it looks with a baby or a toddler snuggled up in it.




The Trend Lab towel sets fit babies up to 3T and come in several different characters including a monkey, dogs (blue and pink), a frog, a pink kitten, a yellow lion, and of course an adorable little rabbit-and the winner will get to pick the character of their choice!

All you have to do is leave a comment to be entered to win. That's it-super easy. If you want more entries to win, you can:

• Follow me here via Google Connect (if you follow me now or are a new follower you get credit-just make sure to leave your name in the comments)
• Follow me on Twitter (please leave your twitter name in the comments)
• Tweet about this contest as many times as you want! (please leave a link to your tweet in the comments)

This contest will run for 24 hours, and I'll announce the winner tomorrow at 12:30pm PST. Good luck!

SURPRISE Giveaway-Win a Custom Blog Makeover!

I know that I said I was going to do a giveaway from my lovely sponsors Next Day Flyers, but unfortunately I was unable to get a hold of them so that they could join in the fun. We'll do that giveaway later (before BlogHer, I promise!). Still, I don't want to leave you giveaway-less [for SHAME!] so instead I am going to do a surprise giveaway! What do you have the chance to win? Well...how about a custom blog makeover?

I thought you might like that!

Plus, just to make it up to you for not following through on my planned giveaway, I am going to go ahead and run this giveaway for a whole week. That's right-enter to win until NEXT Saturday! What exactly will you be winning? Well, here are a few of the blogs I have designed (besides my own, of course) for you to sample:

Momedy
Hula Hooping Mom
Becoming Me (based on a template)

All you have to do is give me an idea of what you're looking for and I'll create a design specifically for you. I'll even change it around for you up to five times-just to make sure it's a perfect fit! You'll get a custom background with matching colors, a custom header, and a custom button so that you can spread the bloggy love around.

If you want your blog to look snazzy, all you have to do is leave a comment-POOF! Entered to win. If you want more chances of winning you can get some (optional) extra entries by:

• Following me here on Google Connect (Make sure to leave a comment! You get an extra entry for following me even if you're already a current follower-but you have to comment and tell me)
• Following me on Twitter (Please leave a comment with your Twitter ID)
• Tweeting about the giveaway as many times as you want (Please include a mention of @_MrsM_ and leave your twitter url in your comment, and a comment for each tweet)
• Write a post about why you want a blog makeover and what you would do with it, include a link to my blog, and then leave a comment here with a link to your post (THIS IS WORTH 5 ENTRIES so make sure to leave 5 comments!)

So let's start this baby, shall we? Comment now to be entered to win-Good luck!!

**Update: Congrats to Kathi!!**

Ladybug Chocolates Giveaway-Today Only!!

Do you want to taste the world's most awesomely amazing chocolate truffles? Then you really do need to try some of these delish treats from Ladybug Chocolates. I love them so much, I'm doing this giveaway/rabid endorsement for no money or freebie or samples at all.

Mmmmm...samples....

I have to say I am so jealous of the winner already. Just take a look at these pretties!


That, my friends, is a 9-piece truffle box including a champagne truffle, a white chocolate truffle, a raspberry truffle, a mocha truffle...doesn't that make you just want to live on nothing but truffles?

Mmmmm....living on truffles....

While I can't keep you in a lifetime supply of these delicious babies, I can certainly get you hooked on them. If you want a chance to start a lifetime jones for the world's best chocolate, you can enter today only to win that 9 piece box o' YUM. You can even pick which of the two pictured boxes it will come in (not that it really matters, right?). All you have to do is comment on this post and you get one entry. The End. If you want a better chance of winning the deliciousness, you can go ahead and:

• Follow me right here on my blog through Google Friend Connect (leave a comment telling me that you did/already do!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID in a separate comment)
• Tweet as much as you want about the giveaway-being sure to include a link (leave the url of your Tweet in a separate comment)

Remember this is a one-day-only contest...so the winners will be announced at midnight (Pacific Standard Time) on Saturday morning-good luck!

[Correction: Since I clicked "save" instead of "publish" I'll go ahead and run it for a full 24 hours and announce the winner at 12:42am tomorrow-5/29!]

Give It Away Now

Let's have a give away bash! Doesn't that sound like fun? I think so. So this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) there will be one giveaway a day. Rapid fire just like that. The giveaways will open at midnight on their big day and close at 11:59pm [all Pacific Time!] that same day. Why hoard any longer? Let's give some stuff away!

On Friday you will have a chance to win a 9 piece box of the world's most delicious truffles from the world's most amazing chocolate shop (and I would know), Ladybug Chocolates. These chocolates are so delicious I'm going to order them for you straight from the website because otherwise there is no possibility of me mailing them to you without at least one piece missing.

On Saturday you will have a chance to win a $25 credit to my lovely blog sponsor Next Day Flyers. People are always telling me that it is great for bloggers to have business cards, especially for conferences and the like, so why not grab a chance to get some for free? You'll get them waaaay before Blog Her '10. You can also make great little post cards (we're getting some for Christmas!) or flyers for your business-and the good news is whatever you choose to do, you can do it quickly.

On Sunday you will have a chance to win the MOST adorable terry cloth baby towel/bath mit set from my friends at CSN Stores site Baby Cribs Plus. I have reviewed (and love!!) the rabbit towel (more about that on Sunday), but the winner will be able to choose any one of the assorted animals available for their own little munchkin!

I am so excited about this weekend giveaway extravaganza! Stop by this weekend and get some free stuff, won't you?

Remember Remember!

My 300th post is TOMORROW! I'm recording my first-ever vlog RIGHT NOW, so you have until midnight PST to send in a question and be entered to win my Spoil Yourself Giveaway! If you're already entered to win, don't forget to watch my vlog tomorrow so that you can see if you won. Have a good night everyone!

Wordless Wednesday: Helpful

This is one of the best reasons for Wordless Wednesday....

Since you're here though I want to remind you that I'll be doing my first ever vlog on the 29th to celebrate my 300th post! During my Vlog I will be announcing the winner for my custom spa package giveaway--so hurry over to THIS POST to leave a question for me to answer during my Vlog and gain an entry for the giveaway (your odds are good there are only TWO entries so far!).

Spoil Yourself GIVEAWAY! Custom Home Spa Package

Am I trying to buy your love/forgiveness after being gone so long by having a giveaway? Maybe....would that work? If not, consider it a token of my appreciation for sticking with me through my spotty posting! And I do truly appreciate you....now I want you to take the time to appreciate yourself! So I've decided to give you a nice little spoil yourself package.

If you are like me (and I suspect you might be in some ways) then you're probably run ragged from the holidays. Nothing revitalizes a lady like some bubble bath time, so go ahead schedule an extra little bit of time to relax at home-or lock yourself in the bathroom with your headphones in and ignore the desperate pleas of your husband/children for an hour. I do. Here let me help you...

I want this giveaway to be something that anyone can enter and get something they like, so I decided to make it customized just especially for the winner. The first thing that the lucky winner will get regardless of their preferences is this nifty little spa in a tote bag!

This tote gives you all the helpful supplies you need to pamper yourself. Included inside is a sisal sponge, a loofa, a pumpkin poof, a wooden foot brush, a wooden foot file, a pumice stone, an exfoliating body wash pad, and a facial loofa. Heck-I don't even know what some of that stuff does! But I bet the results are loverly.

So where does the "custom" part come in? Well, you have to have some yummy soaps and lotions to go with this of course...and I want the winner to get things they like. Now I'm not going to go out and buy you the designer label bubblies (I do after all have a budget) but if you hate stuff that smells like vanilla or prefer bath salts to bath bubbles or only wear blue nail polish I want to know so that this prize can be something you'll really enjoy! The customizable items that are in this prize package will include:

-1 bath scenter (either bubbles or salts)
-1 lotion
-1 soap/body wash
-2 nail polishes
-1 candle
-Your favorite candy!
-A book or movie of YOUR choosing (subject to availability, and up to $15)

You can light some candles, settle down in a yummy bath with a book that you love, and just relax. My gift to you-trust me, you deserve it.

So what do you have to do to win? The mandatory entry is simple-leave a comment on this post! If you want extra entries to win, try some of these out:

-Leave a separate comment on this post with a question for me to answer during my first ever Vlog.
-Follow (or refollow if I lost you) me through Google Friend Connect OR refer someone to me. If they follow me and send me a note that mentions that you referred them BOTH of you will get an entry!
-Follow me on Twitter
-Tweet this contest (limit 1 tweet/entry per day)
-Write a post about this giveaway linking back here (+5 entries!)

Of course, you don't have to wait to win my giveaway to relax and spoil yourself, but I'd love to help you out! This contest will run until the 29th and the winner will be announced DURING my first ever Vlog, in celebration of my 300th post~I just love how that worked out! Good luck to everyone!

Hey FTC-Endorse THIS

As you may have noticed, I regularly do reviews and giveaways. I like trying new products and telling you guys about my experience, then giving you an opportunity to win the product itself-it's fun and come on-who doesn't like to win something cool? Unfortunately the FTC just made it harder for bloggers to have access to review and giveaway opportunities.

At the beginning of October the FTC announced they had approved the final revisions to it’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Shortly thereafter, they released the full text of this new law and the problems were immediately apparent.

In brief, this law requires all bloggers to disclose any material relationships behind reviews and giveaways-which is in itself a good policy that most review and giveaway bloggers already do on their own. [You can see my disclosure directly under my header.] This law also requires bloggers to apply to 'truth in advertising' standards, which again is a good policy and again is already practiced by most bloggers.

Here's the real problem-if a blogger makes a claim about a product that is considered "unsubstantiated" the advertiser is liable. This is an example, directly from the FTC guidelines:

Example 5: A skin care products advertiser participates in a blog advertising service. The
service matches up advertisers with bloggers who will promote the advertiser’s products on
their personal blogs. The advertiser requests that a blogger try a new body lotion and write
a review of the product on her blog. Although the advertiser does not make any specific
claims about the lotion’s ability to cure skin conditions and the blogger does not ask the
advertiser whether there is substantiation for the claim, in her review the blogger writes
that the lotion cures eczema and recommends the product to her blog readers who suffer
from this condition. The advertiser is subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated representations made through the blogger’s endorsement. The blogger also is subject to
liability for misleading or unsubstantiated representations made in the course of her
endorsement. The blogger is also liable if she fails to disclose clearly and conspicuously
that she is being paid for her services.

So the question becomes, what constitutes unsubstantiated claims? If I review a candle and I said I find the smell "relaxing" is that unsubstantiated, since that is not scientifically documented? The new rules say it could be-and if it were determined in a court of law that it was not only would I personally be subject to an $11,000 fine but the advertiser would have to pay out as well.

This effects bloggers tremendously-if a company sends it's product for review or giveaway to another company the advertiser is NOT liable for any unsubstantiated or misleading claims, but if they send their product to a blogger they could have to pay, big time. For the record, this law also includes all "endorsements" posted on Twitter, Amazon, Facebook, or any other online venue.

This new law discourages companies from seeking to advertise online directly through consumers and, let's be honest, severely hampers bloggers attempting to make some money via their sites. It takes even more power away from the consumer, who is now liable for their own personal opinions, and makes endorsements a business-to-business transaction.

This is bad news.

Still, even after reading this law, I will continue to do giveaways...provided that companies and advertisers are still willing to work with me (or any other blogger for that matter)...because I still feel that the best, most powerful form of advertising should be the friend to friend, word of mouth, consumer powered kind and that you, my readers, should still win free stuff for being so fabulous.

Free stuff like the Personalized Tote from Noah Baby Boutique that I am giving away through 10/24. It's fabulous and I endorse it. Come and get me FTC.

I Could Just Eat This Up:Noah Baby Review and Giveaway

So you all remember our friend Lesley from Fab Find Friday, right? And you remember how she mentioned her fabulous mom-business Noah Baby Boutique? If you do, I'm sure you also remember how adorable every single thing she makes is.

That's why I was thrilled when she agreed to do a giveaway with me! From moment one Lesley was the pinnacle of patience and professionalism. She happily answered all of my questions and let me choose my own theme/fabric to make sure that my tote was customized exactly the way I wanted it.

The turn around time was fantastic-I placed my order on Thursday and she mailed it out on Friday! I anxiously awaited it's arrival, and despite my mail carrier's tendency to deliver everything as late as humanly possible, it arrived very promptly on Monday morning. When I opened up the package I was immediate thrilled with the packaging-it came wrapped in tissue paper, with her adorable little bird logo holding it together-when I took it out of the tissue paper I was just as excited (you know how I love pretty things!). Seriously-how adorable is this?!

If this were a gift, I could have put it in a gift box exactly as it had arrived! Still, the packaging is not the best part. Once I finished unwrapping the tote, I was just in love with it. It is so crafty-cute! Monkey was with me when I unwrapped it, and he too was totally taken with it. That's part of the reason why my pictures are not so fabulous-he couldn't let me just take a picture. He immediately wanted to take his bag and "fill it with his special treasures".



I did however manage to get an up close shot of the letters. The little zig-zag stitching is such a nice touch, don't you think? The fabric is bright and stands out, but it is well coordinated-everything is pulled together to make the tote a fabulous piece of craft work.

The design isn't the only fabulous part-this tote bag is very durable and highly functional as well. It can withstand Monkey-that alone is a great sign. This tote bag is big enough and sturdy enough to carry a ton of books without being uncomfortable. It easily swings over my shoulder as comfortably as a purse, and fits underneath the stroller for walks to the library. As a homeschooler I can tell you-this tote is going to prove invaluable!

Lesley's tote bag is kid friendly in structure and design-and we at the house of M love it love it love it.

That's why I'm so glad that Lesley and I can give one away! You can win a fabulous kid friendly, crafty cute, ultra durable tote bag customized just for you-put your kid's name on it, your family name on it, whatever is special to you, and pick from Lesley's fabulous fabric selection-really make it your own!

As always, you get one entry for simply leaving a comment on this post. However, if you want extra entries (this giveaway will probably get heated!) you can:

• Follow the Noah Baby Boutique Blog
• Fan the Noah Baby Boutique on Facebook
• Follow my blog
• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about this contest and leave a link in the comments [1 entry per day]
• Blog about this contest, including a link to both Noah Baby Boutique and this contest [+5 entries!]

If you just can't wait to have a personalized tote bag of your very own, Lesley has generously offered that during the run of this contest [From 10/10 to 10/24] she will give I've Changed My Name To Mommy readers 15% off on any personalized tote bag purchase! All you have to do is enter the code "MRSM09". While you're there check out the brand new products she just put out, including this fabulous blanket that's on The Bean's Christmas list!

Like I mentioned, this contest ends on 10/24 and the winner will be announced on 10/25-Good luck to everyone!

A Little Bit of "Help"! {Help! I'm A Newlywed...Book Review and Giveaway}

Hubby and I have been married about 2 1/2 years, so while we've obviously been together longer than that (Monkey is 5, after all) we are still new-ish-ly wed people. And there is no one I can recommend more to a new or newishly married person than my friend Wifey.

Wifey (aka Lorraine Sanabria Robertson) runs a wonderful site called Ask Wifey (you may or may not remember that she and her blog were featured in last week's Fab Find Friday). There she gives advice to wives about all of the hard-to-navigate hijynx of marriage, from dealing with first year fighting to coming to compromises on finances and everything in between. Her site is insightful, and supportive, and positive. I found her blog waaaaaaaaay back in the day during Blog Party 2008, a more than a year but less than two years after Hubby and I tied the knot, and I immediately loved her style-so when she said that she had written a book for newly married women, and was giving a copy away before it was even published, I was all over it.

Unlike every other contest I've ever entered, I actually won (!) and got myself signed copy of "Help! I'm A Newlywed....What Do I Do Now?". I read it in a single night. Even though living together was a little old hat for us (we had lived together for going on 4 years at that point) I found myself nodding and smiling over every page, and I still found some great insights laced in there for "Level Two" newlyweds.

In her book Wifey talks about how to survive the post-wedding withdrawls, and how to get over the "and they lived happily ever after" part and get down to business making ever after as happy as possible. She gives advice about sharing space, managing money and in laws, and how to deal with a Hubby addicted to sports.

The book is also peppered with quotes from wives of different levels of experiences-from newlyweds to real veterans-who all give their advice and talk about their experiences with their husbands. It's great to read so many perspectives and to see them all neatly woven together with Wifey's own words of wisdom and encouragement.

I just love this book....and you will love it too. You can go to Amazon and buy one, but I figured since I was lucky enough to win a signed copy I'd pass that luck along and give one of YOU your very own signed copy of Wifey's book [Don't worry, you'll get your own-I'm not parting with mine!]. Enter to win it for yourself, or for any blushing bride (or bride to be) that you love.

As with all of my contests, all you have to do is leave a comment to be entered to win. If you want to increase your odds, I have lots of ways for you to do that.

• Follow Wifey at Ask Wifey
• Follow me on my blog
• Follow me on my twitter
• Tweet about this contest (1 entry per Tweet, 1 Tweet per day, please leave a link)
• Fan me on Facebook
• Add my button to your sidebar/blogroll (please leave a link)
• Blog about this contest, with a link to this post and a link to Ask Wifey [+5 entries!!!]

This contest will end at 12am on September 30th~Good luck to everyone!!

Mondays Our Way:I Heart Blocks!! (Review and Giveaway)

As I have mentioned during a previous Mondays Our Way, blocks are a great way for kids to develop their mathematical thinking. Not to mention they're fantastically fun. What kid (or Daddy) doesn't like to build their own city and then smash it down Godzilla-style? That's fun for the whole family.

And we all know how much I love things that are both fun and educational.

Unfortunately, as I also mentioned in that post, blocks can be incredibly difficult to find. I have no idea why-who can't remember using and loving blocks during their childhood?-but they seem to have gone the way of the Pog. After searching every Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer (that's Kroger for my east coast friends), and toy store I could find in my local area I ended up with a choice between Lincoln Logs and Legos. Not exactly what I was looking for. Then I found All Children's Furniture.com. I am in love with this website and I can tell you right now the majority of our kid's presents are coming directly from the site this year. Besides having great kid's furniture (we've definitely got our eyes on the gorgeous cherry toy box for Christmas) they also have an entire section dedicated to blocks of all kinds!

So imagine my excitement when I was able to iron out a giveaway with them! I am so excited to be giving one lucky reader a Wonderworld 50 Piece Block Set, courtesy of our friends at All Children's Furniture. These blocks are perfect for table top town construction (and demolition).

The shapes available in this set also happen to lend nicely to exploring putting together and deconstructing larger shapes (discovering, for instance, that two triangles make a square).






These blocks are perfect for kids two and up to use their imagination and learn a little bit about math processes along the way. As an added and very important bonus, these blocks are made out of environmentally friendly rubberwood and painted with non toxic paint-so if your little builder is still approaching things mouth first (ala Baby Bug) you don't have to worry!

As always, all you have to do to get an entry is leave a comment. Voila! Entered to win awesome stuff. If you want to increase your odds though, we have optional entries for that too......

1. Follow me on Blogger! (or, in a separate comment from your entry comment, let me know that you already do!)

2. Follow me on Twitter!

3. Tweet about this contest, and link to your tweet here (one Tweet entry per day)

4. Join my BlogFrog Community

5. Become a fan on my Facebook page

6. Blog about this giveaway using the blurb (with links):

"MrsM is giving away a fantastic set of blocks from All Children’s Furniture who carries everything from kid's furniture to toys. Contest ends 9/15!"

The contest does-end on 9/15 that is. So get your entries in. Good luck everyone!

Goat Milk Stuff Soap Giveaway WINNER!

Random.Org has spoken~the lucky winner of a Goat Milk Stuff fabulous goat milk soap bar is.....

Commenter #25
Susana from Our Homeschool Fun


Congratulations Susanna-I'll be putting you in touch with the lovely PJ and you'll get your soap soon!

My very heartfelt thanks to the entire Jonas family, owners of Goat Milk Stuff, for participating in this giveaway and a big thank you to all of YOU for visiting my blog, and entering to win!

Don't forget I do have two other giveaways going on right now-The Near and Far giveaway, where I'm giving away both a $35 Gift Certificate from Ahead of Style and a custom blog design from Splash of Color Studios (that's me), going through 7/25, and the Scentsy giveaway going through 7/31!

Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday:So Good You Can Smell It! (Sentsy Giveaway and Review)

Normally I feature a follower during my Fabulous Find Fridays, and don't you worry-that will be continuing next week. I'll be pulling someone from the list courtesy of Random.Org on Tuesday or Wednesday-I can't wait to meet someone new!

This week, however, I wanted to do a special Fab Find Friday for what I think is the best thing I've come across in....I don't know....forever.

Remember a couple of Fab Fridays ago when I featured our good friend Angela from I Will Bloom? Remember when she mentioned that she is an independent Scentsy director? Well, what you don't know is that shortly after that we got in touch and Angela was generous enough to agree to do a review and giveaway-right here, for you, our fab bloggy friends!

I immediately loved the idea of Scentsy candles....and not just because it meant I was going to get free stuff. They seemed like a perfect solution for a person like me-I happen to hold a torch for candles (pun totally intended) but I am also uber-paranoid about fire. We had a house fire when I was a kid, and while we were all safe and sound we lost pretty much everything we had, and I never want to go through that again, or put the kidlets through that.

Speaking of them, there is the whole kids are kids thing. They do what they do-they don't pay attention, they knock things over, they play with fire. Literally. So the open flame of candles definitely pose a hazard to their persons, in addition to the potential hazard of house fires. I love candles, but I love my kids more (duh) and even though I'm pretty sure in an emergency I could Hulk out and carry all three of them to safety, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure....so I've just nixed my beloved candles since Monkey started walking.

Now I don't have to!
Sensty Wickless Candles have the sweet relaxing glow and the FANTASTIC SMELL (you know how I love things that smell good) of traditional candles, without the worry of an open flame.

First you'll need a Scentsy warmer-an adorable piece of ceramic pottery (available in 43 styles, I chose the Sweetheart style) that has space for a 25 watt light bulb in the bottom half and a tray on the top-and some wonderful smelling Scentsy bars. Then all you do is put the bars in the top, plug in your warmer, turn it on and voila! Scentsy magic.


The first thing you'll notice is the glow. The 25watt bulbs are definitely enough to give off some romantic lighting, but not are not so overpowering that it takes away from the fact that this is supposed to be a candle alternative. Think night light lighting...only with a more romantic look. Especially on mine-look at the little pattern the light gives off-the Sweetheart warmer sends out little light beams of hearts!
AWWWW.

And of course the Scentsy candles smell oh-so-much better than a nightlight. These things SMELL AMAZING! I got Coconut, Lilac Lavender, and Skinny Dipping (a fruity smell that I swear is almost like a starburst candy) and they not only smell terrific but also do their part in masking the eau de toddler that roams around our house. The cool thing is that there are over 80 different scents and YOU CAN MIX AND MATCH THEM right there on your warmer. I mixed the Coconut with the Skinny Dipping and the result was a fabulous tropical smell. Right on her site, Angela has a list of the "recipes" you can make with your Scentsy bars, including strawberry lemonade, apple pie ala mode, and even french toast smell! Seriously, how great is that? And when you're done with one smell all you have to do is pour the warm wax back into it's original container (to save for later-the smell in each bar lasts FOREVER), wipe the tray out with a paper towel, and put your new scent in.

Adorable, delicious smelling, convenient, and safe-in my opinion Scensty is the 'candle' for moms. I absolutely recommend it-even Hubby gives it his nod! You can buy your own fabulous looking Scentsy warmer and a bar of your choice from Angela for only $35 (warmers are $30 and bars are $5....you will definitely want more than one bar though...) or, if you are the lucky winner of this fabulous giveaway you can WIN a Scentsy warmer and THREE bars of your choice (a $45 value) from the very generous Angela.

As always, all you have to do to be entered is leave a comment telling me some way to get a hold of you...but if you want more (optional) entries there are ways to increase your odds of winning:

• Follow Angela's Scentsy blog
• Follow Angela's Personal blog
• Follow my blog
• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about this contest (1 entry per Tweet, 1 Tweet per day)
• Add my button to your page (see sidebar for code)
  
• Blog about this giveaway, including a link to both Angela's Scentsy blog and I've Changed My Name To Mommy (+5 ENTRIES!!)

This contest will close on July 31st-don't forget to leave one comment per entry! Good luck!

Near and Far Giveaway! Win a Salon Gift Certificate or Blog Makeover

Maybe all the sunshine has messed with my brain a little, but I am in a generally fabulous mood lately. The kids are as cute as ever, I got a steal on my digital camera, my garden looks fantastic, and I have I told you how fabulous my hair is these days?

My gorgeous hair is all thanks to Natanya, owner and operator of Ahead of Style. As I mentioned before, I traded her some web design for a perm and color-and can I just say that was a great trade? I am especially in love with my color-and in awe of the fact that Natanya could create the perfect color for me when all she had to work with was "I want a reddish-dark-brownishy color". The lady is definitely a professional...and a generous one at that...that's why she has agreed to participate in a fabulous giveaway with me!

For Readers Near By....

Do you live in the Vancouver/Portland area? How would you like to treat yourself at this great salon? Just leave your comment below, let us know you're in the great Northwest and looking for some Style, and the winner will recieve A $35 gift certificate from Ahead of Style!

With that $35 gift certificate you could get any of the following services:

FREE haircut
FREE Peek-A-Boo Coloring (2 Foils)
FREE Eyelash/Eyebrow tinting
FREE Spray Tan, Bikini Wax, or Half Leg Wax ('tis the season!)
FREE Deep Conditioning Treatment
FREE Provana Silk Degrees shine treatment
FREE Callous Removal Pedicure

Want more? Of course you do!

If the winner of the gift certificate loves Ahead of Style like I do and decides to indulge in salon services valued at $100 or more, Natanya will give add an additional $15 onto your gift certificate...making it a cool $50!

$50 for $100 worth of expert salon services? What a GREAT DEAL, am I right?

For Readers Far Away...

But what about those who are not blessed to live in our fair neck of the woods? I would NEVER leave you guys out!

In celebration of the rebranding of my web design business, newly operating as SPLASH OF COLOR STUDIOS, I personally will be giving one lucky far away winner a FABULOUS BLOG MAKEOVER! Included will be an entirely custom design for either a Blogger or Wordpress site, including a custom header, a matching button, and a custom signature! All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me you are a reader from afar and you want your blog (or your friend's blog, if you're feeling generous) to look fabulous!

You can get additional (optional) entries by:

• Following Ahead of Style on Twitter
• Following me on Twitter
• Tweeting about this contest (please use @aheadofstyle or @_MrsM_ in your tweet, max two entries per day (so you can @ us both!))
• Following my blog (leave your email if you follow through RSS)
• Subscribing to Ahead of Style's feed (please leave your email)
• Posting about this contest, with a link to both www.aheadofstyle.net and http://ivechangedmynametomommy.blogspot.com, on your blog (+5 extra entries!!)
  

Are you totally excited yet? I AM! So hurry up and leave your comment below telling me whether you are near or far. Don't forget to post one comment per additional entry option you take advantage of! The 2 winners (one from Near and one from Far!) will be announced on July 25th---Good luck everyone!

Goat Milk Stuff...It's Only Natural! (Giveaway and Review)

Do you know what summer puts me in the mood for? Free stuff! Okay, so I'm always in the mood for free stuff-who's not? Still I do think that now is the perfect time to start doing some fabulous giveaways around here.

I'm giving stuff away! And I. Am. SO. Excited!

Of course, I want to make sure that the things I'm giving you are all of the very best quality-that's where the review part comes in. You guys are my friends, and I would never want to give you a big fat white elephant.

That's why I'm happy to report with absolute certainty that you will L.O.V.E. my first giveaway...because what's better than hand made, 100% natural, delicious smelling soap that makes your skin feel like silk?

I ran across Goat Milk Stuff during The Ultimate Blog Party 09 and I was immediately enchanted with them. They are a family business-the soap is all hand made by the Jim and PJ Jonas and their eight (yes 8!) adorable homeschooled children who raise their very own milk goats on their very own farm in Indiana. You can even meet the goats right there on their website! Their devotion to their family and the love they put into their business and their soap is obvious from click one on their website.

After choosing my bar for this review I was totally excited, but when I got my bar in the mail I was thrilled! I didn't even get the box all the way open before thinking MMMMMMMMMMM-this is definitely not a bar of dial. Just the smell was a luxurious experience! When I did manage to stop sniffing and get the box all the way open I was charmed by the hand stamped muslin (earth friendly!) bag and the absolutely adorable miniature sample soaps.

After opening it up I realized a) the smell of the Oatmeal Milk & Honey bar is like slipping down into a warm bath and b) this is definitely a lot of product for the price! I've bought "natural" soaps and bath stuff before where it seems that all your really paying for is an organic label on a postage stamp. The Jonas family on the other hand measures their bars to make sure that each one is 6oz of deliciousness....not that you'd eat it, even though you probably could!

The bars are all natural. According to the Goat Milk Stuff website the ingredients in my Oatmeal Milk and Honey bar are:

Raw Goat Milk
Natural Fats
Coconut
Olive
Soybean Oils
Fragrance Oil

Alright, so you probably shouldn't eat fragrance oil....but I'm thinking you could eat it and not have to get your stomach pumped-which is more than you can say for a bar of Irish Spring. In addition to the ingredients being natural, the Jonas family pays very careful attention to their goats making sure they eat only the greatest fare-such as hay brought by their neighbor Farmer Fraizer-and stay away from chemicals like growth hormones which would go into their milk.

So you ask-what is this fantastic smelling, completely natural soap like in action? Fantastic of course! I have skin that is naturally a little on the dry side and store bought bar soap tends to parch my skin, but these goat milk bars leave my skin feeling soft and moisturized....and of course smelling delicious.

Goats Milk Soap comes in 34 different fragrances so obviously I haven't tried them all (yet!) but the Oatmeal Milk and Honey is warm and inviting. The adorable little samples smelled just as amazing-I got Black Raspberry (which Monkey liked best), Honeysuckle (which Hubby liked best), and (my favorite among the samples) Ocean. I think Cucumber Melon, Lilac, and Vanilla are also calling to me for next time.

And there will definitely be a next time for me!

That's why I am so excited to give one of you wonderful people a chance to win one of these sense and skin pleasing bars of all natural handcrafted soaps! Here's what you do:

• Leave a comment below (don't forget to leave an email address or a link to your blog that has an email contact-so I can tell you that you've won!)
• Then, for additional (optional) entries:
• Follow JPs blog Goat Milk Soapers!
• 
• Follow me here at I've Changed My Name to Mommy
• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about this contest (1 entry per Tweet, max 1 Tweet per day-please link to your status update in your comment)
• Write a blog post about this contest linking to both my blog and to the Goat Milk Stuff website (you'll get FIVE ENTRIES for this...you know you want to!)

This contest will run for two weeks, until July 19th at midnight-the winner will be announced that day! Good luck to everyone.