Aloha Friday #11

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."

To participate you ask your readers a question and sign her linky.

So head over to her site and answer her question but while you are here you might as well answer mine:

What was your last "splurge?"
Something that you just bought because you wanted it.
Doesn't have to be expensive,
just something that you didn't "have to have."

After much discussion with my husband, we finally realized it was my Coach purse that I bought last summer. When it was just my husband, my older son and me, I could have easily told you. Because I "splurged" everyday. 2 incomes... those were the days...

UPDATED: Winner of Bride Wars/Papershouts Giveaway

I had to pick a new winner

Congratulations to the winner of the Bride Wars/Papershouts Giveaway:

Lissa

Thank you to 20th Century Fox and Papershouts as well to everyone who entered.
I will be sending Lissa an email soon and she will have 48 hours to respond.
(8:00pm Pacific Time 5/9)

Winner of the UV Skinz Giveaway

Congratulations to the winner of the UV Skinz Giveaway:

Dana!

A BIG THANK YOU to UV Skinz for sponsoring this giveaway and to everyone who entered!
Dana will have until 8:00am Pacific time May 9th to respond or I will pick another winner.

Winner of the Magellan GPS!!

Congratulations to the winner of the Magellan GPS:

Peggy!

A BIG THANK YOU to Magellan for sponsoring this giveaway and to everyone who entered!
Peggy will have until 8:00am Pacific time May 9th to respond or I will pick another winner.

Skuut Review and Giveaway

CLOSED!! Congratulations JamericanSpice!!

Have you seen these bikes? They really are so stinking cute. I might have jumped the gun though, but I just couldn't resist and had to get one for my Jake. Unfortunately he seems to have inherited my short legs and can't reach the ground yet while sitting on the Skuut.

We received the Skuut and my husband was able to assemble it in just a few minutes. It came partially assembled, tools included, and he only had to attach the seat and handlebars. He said that even I could have done it. Translation: Easy Peasy. It is very sturdy too, the wood is not that cheap particle board some toys are made from.


So for now Jake sits on it as we push him around. The way the Skuut is designed, the front steering wheel does not rotate like a "normal" bike and limits the amount of turning that the child can do. This keeps the bike more stable & helps them learn how to ride easier. The Skuut does not have training wheels but the way the Skuut is designed, kids will learn balance a lot easier by starting to walk with it then slowly picking up their feet to eventually start "skuuting" or coasting.

So "COMING SOON" will be a video of Jakey riding the Skuut... for now, please enjoy this video & I dare you not to wish you were small enough to ride one.



WIN IT!!: I am thrilled to be able to offer one of my readers a Skuut!!

TO ENTER: Head to the Skuut website and tell me if there is a retailer near you that carries the Skuut.

This is required before you may use any of the extra credit options.
Please leave your email address in your comment if it is not visible in your profile.

Extra Credit! You may do any or all of the following, just don't forget to leave a separate comment for EACH one you do:

1. Blog about the giveaway with a link to this my blog (http://nateandjakeandme.blogspot.com) and to Skuut (http://www.skuut.com/). Be sure to leave a link to your post in your comment.

2. Follow me! Click on Follow This Blog in the left side bar. (Current followers count too! Just be sure to make sure you are still following me.)

3. Subscribe to my blog via email at the top of my left side bar. Don't forget to activate your subscription. (Current subscribers count too!)

4. Add my button to your blog. The code is located in my right side bar. (If you already have it, just let me know!)

5. Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/kariellen) and tweet about the contest. Leave the link to your tweet in your comment. You can do this once a day! Just come back and leave the link each time you do.

Don't have a blog? You can still earn extra credit entries by emailing 5 friends and invite them to enter the giveaway. Email must include the link to the giveaway and be cc'd to me (nateandjakesmom at gmail dot com).

Contest ends May 21st at 11:59 PST and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. I will contact the winner on May 22nd and they will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Open to entrants in the US Only.

**Entries are Per Person, Per Email Address, Per Household, Per IP Address and/or Per Blog. Failure to follow these rules will lead to disqualification in this contest and all future contests on this blog. In other words, no cheating please.

A Thousand Word Thursday - Big Boy Bath

Jake finally got to take a bath in the big bathtub instead of the smaller toddler one we have. Does he not look so proud?

Visit other A Thousand Word Thursdays at Cheaper than Therapy

My Head Exploded

Ok, it didn't actually explode.

I just wish it would so that the pain would end.

I have had a horrible headache now for over 24 hours.

So I am now officially 3 reviews/giveaways behind.

Who do I ask for a sick day?

Mr. Linky?

Is he the boss of the blogosphere?

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - 8 Weeks Apart

A few weeks ago, I posted a WW that made fun of how large my child was in comparison to my friend's child who is only 7 weeks younger. Here is that picture (my son Luke is on the left and Harrison is on the right):


I now believe my child is taking steroids after I saw this picture of him next to my other friend's child who is 8 weeks OLDER than Luke (Kenzie is on the left and Luke is on the right):


Those two beautiful women are two of my dearest friends that I have known for years. We used to do the nightclub scene in Newport Beach and now we are hitting the playground scene with our kids. Crazy. These two women are fabulous - always have been. Though it was hard being the short brunette friend of two beautiful tall blonds...

For more Wordless Wednesdays: 5 Minutes for Mom
For more Wordful Wednesdays: 7 Clown Circus

Take Me Back Tuesday - Wedding Day

<center><a href="http://nateandjakeandme.blogspot.com"> <img src="http://web.me.com/mraceto/kari/tuesday/button.jpg" /> </a></center>
How do you play along?
We all have tons of photos from the days before the digital camera. I figure if I just scan a few each week, eventually I will get them all safely into my computer.
Every week you can come back here and share photos that "take you back." Maybe it is the bad hair we all had in the 80's or the bell-bottoms you swore were so hip in the 70's. Whatever you want to share! If you decide to play along - just sign the Linky!! I promise to head on over and spread some comment love your way!

Sometimes it is hard to remember back to when the day was all about you and him and the love you shared. A day that ended the "you and me" and began the "us." I haven't been the best wife lately and I want him to know that this picture Takes Me Back and I would do it all over again, and again, and again.

Winner of the Baby Dipper

Congratulations to the winner of the Baby Dipper:

YZgirl4

A big THANK YOU to Baby Dipper and to everyone who entered.
YZgirl4 will have 48 hours to respond and I will be emailing soon.

Winner of the Raw Bags Giveaway!

Congratulations to the winner of the Raw Bags Tote (ARV: $100):

Joannaonthelake

Big Thank You to Raw Bags and to everyone who entered.
I will be emailing Joannaonthelake and she will have 48 hours to respond.

NNichols Personalized Gifts Review and Giveaway

Are you here from the Give It Away Now Carnival at Mom Most Traveled or The Ultimate Blog Party at Live Giveaways? Welcome!! If not - you need to head on over and check them out - LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS!!!

I learned about NNichols when my best friend ordered personalized totes for me as one of her bridal party. It was beautiful and when I needed to purchase gifts for her, my mother and mother-in-law as thank you's for hosting my baby shower, I thought of NNichols right away.

I purchased the Weekend Totes for the mother's and the apron for my home-economics teaching friend. I think they turned out beautifully and everyone loved them. There is just something about having something personalized that just makes it extra special.

One of things that makes NNichols special is that they work on a 100% referral policy. They do not pay for any advertising at all so that they can pass that savings onto their customers. As the websites states, "unless we make our customers happy enough to sing our praises, no one will know we exist!" Their prices are incredible and the quality of the product is amazing. I don't know if I have seen items like these at these prices anywhere.

WIN IT!: NNichols is giving one of my lucky readers a personalized travel mug (fabric and monogram of their choice) and a Nantucket Beach Tote (in baby blue, green or cream) pictured below.

TO ENTER: Visit NNichols and find an item (not pictured in this post) that you would love to have or give.

This is required before you may use any of the extra credit options.
Please leave your email address in your comment if it is not visible in your profile.

Extra Credit! You may do any or all of the following, just don't forget to leave a separate comment for EACH one you do:

1. Blog about the giveaway with a link to this my blog (http://nateandjakeandme.blogspot.com) and to NNichols (http://nnichols.com). Be sure to leave a link to your post in your comment.

2. Follow me! Click on Follow This Blog in the left side bar. (Current followers count too! Just be sure to make sure you are still following me.)

3. Subscribe to my blog via email at the top of my left side bar. Don't forget to activate your subscription. (Current subscribers count too!)

4. Add my button to your blog. The code is located in my right side bar. (If you already have it, just let me know!)

5. Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/kariellen) and tweet about the contest. Leave the link to your tweet in your comment. You can do this once a day! Just come back and leave the link each time you do.

Don't have a blog? You can still earn extra credit entries by emailing 5 friends and invite them to enter the giveaway. Email must include the link to the giveaway and be cc'd to me (nateandjakesmom at gmail dot com).

Contest ends May 9th at 11:59 PST and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. I will contact the winner on May 10th and they will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Open to entrants in the US Only.

**Entries are Per Person, Per Email Address, Per Household, Per IP Address and/or Per Blog. Failure to follow these rules will lead to disqualification in this contest and all future contests on this blog. In other words, no cheating please.

Winner of the Sticky Words Contest

Congratulations to the winner of the Sticky Words Contest

Cindy B. of Montana

Thank you to Sticky Words and to everyone who entered!
I will be emailing Cindy B. of Montana as well as posting it on Prizey Winners.

Cupcakes Gourmet - Review and Giveaway!!

I have a sweet tooth. Or rather a mouth full of sweet teeth. I had heard wonderful things about Cupcakes Gourmet and was thrilled to be able to review their cupcakes and share them with you. Not literally of course, especially since they are long since gone!

I received the Café Collection to review and while they no longer offer this collection, I will share with you what I thought of these adorable mini cupcakes. The site's description of this collection is below:

"The Café collection is the ultimate fusion of indulgence and chocolate. Each handcrafted cupcake surprises the palate with brilliant tastes and ultra-refined textures. Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with a light espresso buttercream frosting, dark chocolate cake with mint buttercream dipped in dark chocolate ganache, and peanut butter are the highlights of this collection. A divine experience for any cupcake lover."

Since there was 3 of each flavor, I shared these with my mom and my best friend. Yes, I shared. Only for you, my loyal readers, would I share these so that I can give you the best review I can. My mother and I agreed the best flavor was the Mint Chocolate. Unfortunately, this flavor is no longer available. I am hoping after reading this review they will change their minds and bring this amazing cupcake back. It tasted like the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies... YUM! The Cafe Au Lait was my best friends favorite. It was a nice coffee flavored cupcake with an adorable chocolate coffee bean on top.

The highlight of the cupcakes are the toppings and they weren't at all too sweet. I was satisfied with one or two at a time and I think they are just the right size for a light dessert or snack. All 3 of us agreed that the peanut butter was our least favorite. After talking with another blogger who reviewed this same cupcake, I realized ours may have had a bit of freezer burn as these cupcakes come frozen. They defrost in about an hour or two and I suggest waiting until they are fully defrosted. I was a little too excited and tried it too early and I will tell you, it really is worth the wait.

There are some wonderful collections to choose from, but I am planning on trying the Americana Collection, pictured right. "The Americana is perfect for your Memorial Day, 4th of July, or any summer picnic. Along with our Red Velvet and Classic Vanilla cupcakes, we’re introducing a new flavor – Blueberry Cheesecake. Blueberry Cheesecake combines our classic vanilla cake with blueberry cream cheese buttercream." I could celebrate America everyday with this collection!

WIN IT!: Cupcakes Gourmet is giving one of my readers a dozen cupcakes.

TO ENTER: Go to Cupcakes Gourmet and tell me which dozen of cupcakes is your favorite.

This is required before you may use any of the extra credit options.
Please leave your email address in your comment if it is not visible in your profile.

Extra Credit! You may do any or all of the following, just don't forget to leave a separate comment for EACH one you do:

1. Blog about the giveaway with a link to this my blog (http://nateandjakeandme.blogspot.com) and to Cupcakes Gourmet (http://cupcakesgourmet.com). Be sure to leave a link to your post in your comment.

2. Follow me! Click on Follow This Blog in the left side bar. (Current followers count too! Just be sure to make sure you are still following me.)

3. Subscribe to my blog via email at the top of my left side bar. Don't forget to activate your subscription. (Current subscribers count too!)

4. Add my button to your blog. The code is located in my right side bar. (If you already have it, just let me know!)

5. Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/kariellen) and tweet about the contest. Leave the link to your tweet in your comment. You can do this once a day! Just come back and leave the link each time you do.

Don't have a blog? You can still earn extra credit entries by emailing 5 friends and invite them to enter the giveaway. Email must include the link to the giveaway and be cc'd to me (nateandjakesmom at gmail dot com).

Contest ends May 16th at 11:59 PST and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. I will contact the winner on May 17th and they will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Open to entrants in the US Only.

**Entries are Per Person, Per Email Address, Per Household, Per IP Address and/or Per Blog. Failure to follow these rules will lead to disqualification in this contest and all future contests on this blog. In other words, no cheating please.

Winner of the Bath Luve

Congratulations to the winner of the Bath Luve

TJ and Amy
Who is a subscriber!!

Thank you to Bath Luve and to everyone who entered.
TJ and Amy will have 48 hours to respond.

Winner of the Snacker Catcher

Congratulations to the winner of the Snacker Catcher:

Celeste

I will be sending Celeste and email and she will have 48 hours to respond.
A big thank you to Snacker Catcher and everyone who entered!