Review - Percy, The Perfectly Imperfect Chicken

Percy, The Perfectly Imperfect Chicken by Rick Rieser is a delightful children's book which teaches tolerance for differences and imperfections. Rick Rieser (RickRieser.com) is a chicken farmer and first-time author, with a 25-year career as a nationally recognized children's advocate. Rick used FastPencil.com to publish his book. Through their marketplace, he found an illustrator for the book.

My daughter enjoyed reading this book and especially looking at the rich color illustrations. The message of the book makes it a perfect holiday gift.

You can preview "Percy, The Perfectly Imperfect Chicken" on RickRieser.com and purchase it from FastPencil.com for $12.95.

Giveaway - Calypso Studios S.H.O.P. tote

Calypso Studios has a new line of Fall and Holiday S.H.O.P totes. 





Aren't they beautiful?  S.H.O.P totes are strong, lightweight reusable bags that roll up with a snap closure to take with you easily.  They are made of polyester and can hold up to 20 pounds   I have used a S.H.O.P tote for several months and it is strong and extremely convenient to carry.

Through the end of October, all Holiday S.H.O.P totes are 2 for $10 using promo code HSHOP1031.

*** If you'd like your own Fall or Holiday S.H.O.P tote, leave a comment with your choice of Leaf Toss or Jolly Santa. ***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog post, StumbleUpon or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.  Up to five entries per person.

This giveaway ends November 14, 2009 at 11pm EDT and is open to residents of US and Canada.


Special thanks to Calypso Studios for providing S.H.O.P. totes  for the giveaway and myself.

Chocolate with a purpose

Did you know that every purchase of Hershey's has supported the Milton Hershey School for children for the last 100 years? Milton and Kitty Hershey set up a trust to devote their entire fortune to support children from profound need. Find out more about the school and its impact on at www.thehersheylegacy.com.

You can see the Milton Hershey School logo on the specially marked Hershey Legacy chocolate bar.



So when you're considering treats for Halloween, remember that choosing Hershey's also helps to break the cycle of poverty for the kids at the Milton Hershey School.



Special thanks to Hershey for sending the Hershey Legacy chocolate bar for my family to enjoy.

Review – The Beatles Rock Band

The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles Rock Band has got to be one of the few video games that simply don’t need promotion. When I first heard that they were going to produce The Beatles Rock Band, I immediately wanted to pre-order it. But thanks to Harmonix, I received a free promotional copy of the game software to review with my existing Rock Band.

The Beatles Rock Band is exactly as awesome as you would imagine. The story mode walks you through The Beatles career from the early days to the rooftop of Apple Corps. The dreamscapes take you right back the to psychedelic 60’s. The music… there is simply no compare. Unlike other Rock Band and Guitar Hero video games, where you may or may not know the songs well, you can be guaranteed to know all The Beatles songs. The song list is pretty comprehensive, but covers more of the later years. In the upcoming months, three additional albums will be available for download, Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rubber Soul.

To make your Rock Band collection complete, you can also get a replica of Ringo’s drum set as well as John’s Rickenbacker, George’s Gretsch and Paul’s Höfner Violin Bass.

Aren’t those beautiful?? Beatlemania is in full force at our house! We love to sing the songs in harmony and even my non-gamer husband will join in. Highly recommended for any Beatles fan.

Giveaway - Copper-Infused SkinGlow Towel

The SkinGlow line, produced by London Luxury LLC, includes copper-infused towels that have natural deodorizing properties to reduce bacteria, fungus and microbes on your skin as well as mildew on your towels.  The patented Cupron™ copper technology is infused deep in the fibers, ensuring it can never wash out or fade as long as fabric softeners aren’t used.  SkinGlow towels includes wash, hand and bath sizes from $7.99-14.99 at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores and bedbathandbeyond.com.

The SkinGlow towel I tried was luxuriously thick and still smelled fresh after one week without washing.  Less laundry is good for a busy family!  The material is 85% cotton and 15% Cupron™ polyester, so it doesn't feel completely like 100% cotton towels, although it is pretty absorbent.  I was impressed with the quality and the thickness of the towel and even ordered another set from bedbathandbeyond.com!

*** If you'd like a SkinGlow towel sample, visit the SkinGlow towel page at Bed Bath & Beyond and leave a comment with your favorite feature or color. ***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.  Up to five entries per person.

This giveaway ends September 10, 2009 at 11pm EDT and is open to residents of the US.

Giveaway - $25 Gift Certificate to Threadless

My previous Threadless giveaway was such a hit, it's back!  This time, in honor of the Threadless Kid's line.  Here my daughter is wearing the Animals with Eyepatches! Yes! shirt.  Aren't those piratous animals awesome?



Threadless recently launched  Threadless Loves Childhood, a new partnership with Baby Center. Readers are encouraged to design a tee shirt inspired by the fascinating journey of childhood for a chance to win $2,500 in cash and gift certificates. You can enter before August 20th.

 *** If you'd like a $25 Threadless gift certificate, visit the Threadless Kids page and leave a comment with your favorite design. You can use your gift certificate for any Threadless products of course.***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.

This giveaway ends August 20, 2009 at 11pm EDT and is open to residents of US and Canada.

Review - Send an (oopdoo)gram

What is an (oopdoo)™gram? An (oopdoo)gram is a greeting card in the shape of a bandage - the international symbol of healing. You can send a variety of healing gifts in an (oopdoo)gram, including "smooshed" apples, chocolate, teas, foam bath, fun bandages, and even a CD with an uplifting song.  The (oopdoo) company also makes fleece hugs in the shape of bandages "because not all boo-boo's bleed".

I sent an (oopdoo)gram to a friend who was recovering from open heart surgery and he posted this message on my facebook wall, "Thanks for the huge band-aid card! I should wear it over my heart area."  It really works!