Happy Birthday to my Goofy

Although he sometimes personifies a "Science Geek"

To his defense he is walking in a 4th of July parade

He is still the best dad I could have ever chosen for my children

 

He's the one second from right, not the other Goofy on the left.

Happy Birthday honey.

{{GIVEAWAY}} Woolite Washing Savior - Prize Pack

I know I became a fan of Woolite when I began purchases my own undergarments. $15 for a pair of underwear will make you second guess your washing habits. I've been a fan ever since.

The Woolite Washing Savior contest is on a mission to find a savior, a hero, who can fight back with Woolite and help protect everyday clothing from the torture of other detergents that treat your clothes as if they are dirtier than they are and they need more votes to help them make their decision.

From October 11^th through October 24^th, you can visit www.facebook.com/wooliteus to vote for your favorite Washing Savior and be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win one of 5 - $200 American Express gift cards. You will have the chance to vote once per day and each vote counts as an entry into the sweepstakes.

Just to clarify - I am NOT in the running for "Woolite's Washing Savior." Though I will be entering to win one of those $200 American Express gift cards!

For helping support the Woolite Washing Savior contest, I get to offer 3 of you a Woolite's “Mom’s Secret Savior” prize pack which includes:

•  Full Woolite Product Suite (Woolite Extra Delicates Care, Woolite Complete, and Woolite Extra Dark Care)
• Lingerie Bag with different compartments (great for intimates and your small baby items)
• Scented Yankee Candle
• Bathroom Compartmentalized Laundry Basket that makes separating lights from darks easier

WIN IT!: As stated above, 3 winners will receive the Woolite "Mom's Secret Savior" prize pack (details above).

TO ENTER: What items do you use Woolite for? OR What items should you be using Woolite for? Leave answer in comments.

Extra Credit!  After your initial entry, you may do any or all of the following. Just don't forget to leave a separate comment for EACH one you do:

• Like Woolite on Facebook (leave username in comment)
• During the voting period (10/11 - 10/24) vote for your choice of "Woolite Washing Savior" and leave a comment on their Facebook page saying that you voted (you can vote once a day)
• Follow me on Twitter** and tweet about the contest   #GIVEAWAY Win 1 of 3 Woolite Mom's Secret Savior prize packs @kariellen A Giveaway Addicted Mommy http://tinyurl.com/3wsn3ge Ends 10/24  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.
• Fan my page on Facebook (leave username in comment) 
• Add my button to your blog 
• Enter any other ACTIVE contest & state which contest you entered (any and all active contests) OR leave a comment on any non-giveaway post 2 Extra Entries - leave two comments
• Add me to your text blog roll (not button)
  
• Subscribe to my blog via email (see right margin for link)
  
• Follow my blog publicly
• Publish a post on your blog mentioning the contest with link. Please leave the link to your post in your comment 2 Extra Entries - leave two comments

Contest ends October 24, 2011 at 11:59 PST and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. I will contact the winner on or around October 25, 2011 and they will have 48 hours to respond. Open to US Only.

**Twitter account must be public - your tweets must be visible by all, not just by whom you follow/allow

**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.

All opinions and views are mine alone and were not influenced by any compensation or affiliation. I have been promised a thank you gift for my time.

{{GIVEAWAY}} Positively Proud is Positively Perfect

As a middle school teacher, the students that were the easiest to teach were those that had parents that not only showed interest in what their children were learning and doing, but also who were "present" in their child's life. My "favorite" quote from a parent is "How should I know what she is doing? You see her more than I do!" How sad, right?

Kids, regardless of age, want to know their parents are thinking about them. If they tell you otherwise, ignore them. That is why I absolutely love the idea behind Positively Proud.

"Positively Proud is a company that’s mission is to Make Kids Feel Special.  Our mission is achieved through careful selection of our products that all have positive messages imbedded in the product itself. We provide ways to communicate to your children that they are special and loved unconditionally.

Positively Proud is comprised of two departments.  The first is U R Special Gifts which allow parents to send special gifts directly to their children.  We take the worry off your hands and assure you that a special one of a kind gift will arrive that will Make Your Child Feel Special. Our gifts inspire and show appreciation for achievements, bravery, leadership, positive attitudes, and effort.   The second department, Fun Ways to Make a Kids Day provides parents with tools that they can use directly with their children, to connect on a daily basis."

I received the following items:

Lunch Mail: “I believe In You” theme  $4.95

Lunch Box Letters Book  $8.95

Positively Proud Packet  $14.95

Kids Table Topics To Go  $9.00

Jake just started preschool and I've been able to include little notes from Positively Proud in his lunch to let him know that I am thinking of him (and will be returning to pick him up regardless of what I might really want to do). I've also got a small file of Rewards, Stickers, Incentive Charts, Tokens and more so that I can keep things going here at home to help encourage good behavior. I can use all the help I can get these days that is for sure.

WIN IT!: One of my readers will win a $25 gift certificate to Positively Proud, plus free shipping.

TO ENTER: Go to Positively Proud and then leave a comment on Facebook about what product you liked best or that they will select if they are lucky enough to win the gift certificate OR leave your favorites in your comment.

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:

• Like Positively Proud on Facebook (leave username in comment)
• Follow me on Twitter** and tweet about the contest   #GIVEAWAY Win a $25 gift certificate to Positively Perfect @kariellen A Giveaway Addicted Mommy http://tinyurl.com/3v2lqkx Ends 10/26  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.
• Fan my page on Facebook (leave username in comment) 
• Add my button to your blog 
• Enter any other ACTIVE contest & state which contest you entered (any and all active contests) OR leave a comment on any non-giveaway post 2 Extra Entries - leave two comments
• Add me to your text blog roll (not button)
  
• Subscribe to my blog via email (see right margin for link)
  
• Follow my blog publicly
• Publish a post on your blog mentioning the contest with link. Please leave the link to your post in your comment 2 Extra Entries - leave two comments

Contest ends October 26, 2011 at 11:59 PST and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. I will contact the winner on or around October 27, 2011 and they will have 48 hours to respond. Open to US Only.

**Twitter account must be public - your tweets must be visible by all, not just by whom you follow/allow

**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.

I received the item(s) listed free-of-charge for the opportunity to be reviewed by me on my blog. All opinions and views are mine alone and were not influenced by any compensation or affiliation.

Are We Guilty of Fish-icde?

A week ago last Sunday we attended my family's annual church festival/carnival. There are rides and booths and of course carnival games.  I saw the game booth where you throw ping pong balls at small goldfish bowls in an attempt to win a goldfish. I thought maybe it was time to get the kids a pet.

As I have previously shared, my youngest Luke has all kinds of allergies and that includes dogs and cats. He can't be allergic to a fish as a pet I thought (of course if he ate the fish that is a totally different story) so I was excited to win one for them.

We won little goldfish Murray (Jake names everything Murray for some reason), brought him home and put him in a temporary bowl. My husband said that if Murray was alive the next morning (Monday) he would purchase a goldfish bowl and food on his way home. He was alive that morning but he wasn't looking good so I asked my husband to buy a fish (Murray #2) along with the bowl, just in case.

Murray died Tuesday and Murray #2 started to look like he might be circling the drain so I asked my husband to pick up 2 more fish, again, just in case. Murray #2 died on Thursday. Murray #3 died on Friday. Murray #4, who I now call Hardy since he has lived a whole 6 days, is still alive but I am still worried. What is the sentence for fish homicide or fish-icide?

I am determined to keep this fish alive so we are off to the pet store for a proper fish tank with filter and whatever else the salesperson convinces me is necessary. I'll probably end up buying some extra Murrays. You know. Just in case.

Oprah Here I Come!

I was what was called a "latch-key kid" growing up and I remember coming home after school, grabbing a snack and sitting down in the living room (Yes mom, I was eating in the living room. Sorry.) and watching The Oprah Winfrey Show. I learned so much from her show, including that women could do anything. One of the reasons I became a teacher was because of her respect for those in the profession.

When I heard Oprah was ending her show, I was crushed. The show had been a huge part of my life.  I'd grown up rather poor and so the thought that I could ever attend a taping of her show never even entered my mind (I live in Southern California). When she came out to Los Angeles in February of this year to tape her post-Oscar show, I tried to get tickets. I along with probably a million other fans. And I along with most of those fans were unable to obtain a ticket.

I truly believe in fate. When Mom Central sent out a call for writers to post about Nature Made and how vitamins make you a "better you," I knew I could participate. I'd been a Nature Made customer for years and more recently had become a huge believer in their SAM-e supplement. Part of this campaign was also a chance to compete for a ticket to attend Oprah's O You! conference in Atalanta, GA.

I'd been blogging for almost 4 and a half years but had only just come back to it after taking a 6 month break. I hadn't even been sure that I wanted to continue to write. That I was already a loyal customer of Nature Made and a huge fan of Oprah's had to be more than coincidence. I simply had to win and thanks to some amazing friends, family and my husband's fabulous students, I did. That's right - I am going to O You! in Atlanta October 15th and will finally be able to say, "I've seen Oprah!"

A HUGE thank you to everyone who voted, Mom Central Consulting and of course Nature Made. Congratulations to Melissa, Heather and Becca who also won the contest and are part of the Nature Made Blogger Team along with me.

Want to hear more about the trip? Just try and stop me from telling you! Stay tuned.