Pretty Little Liars Season 1 DVD Giveaway!

I have a confession to make. I'm 32 years old and completely obsessed with Pretty Little Liars. It's like Desperate Housewives... but WAY better! That's why I'm so excited to be giving away one copy of Pretty Little Liars - The Complete First Season DVD to one amazing reader! 

A Little Bit About Pretty Little Liars

When their best friend Alison mysteriously vanishes, four girls believe their secrets are safe forever. But when they begin to receive threatening messages from someone named "A," the truth may be only one text away. Filled with mystery, scandal, intrigue and nail-biting suspense, Pretty Little Liars is based on the best-selling book series for young adults from Alloy. Set one year after the disappearance of Alison, the manipulative and vindictive queen bee, the one-hour drama revolves around four 16-year-old girlfriends --Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily -- who have lost touch with one another until each begins to receive mysterious messages suggesting that Alison is watching them and knows their most private details they are desperate to keep hidden. Suddenly, living in their picturesque suburban community is far from perfect as secrets, lies and betrayals threaten everything they hold dear. Even after Alison's body is discovered, the messages don't stop....

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Attack Of The Phoenixasaurus

Playing dress-up and having imaginary friends have become hours of fun for Phoenix lately. From a bumble bee to a fireman to a pirate... he's dressed up as quite a bit lately. The latest addition to Phoenix's toddler costumes is this super-cute, soft-as-can-be raptor costume from Wholesale Halloween Costumes.

He started off as the most well-behaved dinosaur you've ever seen...

 But was soon wreaking havoc all over his bedroom.

 And... Mommy's leg was the next target for the wrath of the raptor!

 Yup, there's nothing better than playing good old-fashioned dress-up!

 He was workin' it - full on raptor mode!

 And I was loving every minute of it too :)

Do your kids play dress-up? What is their favorite thing to dress up as? Leave a comment :)

 

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KONY 2112 - #humanrights #socialgood #cause #4change #dogood

Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

Remember when everyone joined together to fight SOPA & PIPA? We showed the world that our voices count - that when something is important to us, we will be heard. It was an amazing thing to  be a part of... and the time has come to be a part of a far more important cause. Please join me in spreading this message on your blogs, on facebook, and over the world. Joseph Kony will be stopped.

http://www.facebook.com/invisiblechildren

UPDATE: There has been some debate to whether KONY 2012 is a scam. I actually saw a church-sponsored dvd about the it a few years ago that was more of a gruesome documentary of the situation... child facial mutilation... 3-4 year old kids without parents - walking miles to a safe haven each night, just so they could sleep. That said, I prefer to "help" not by opening my wallet to a charity, but to use their website to easily notify policymakers who can make change happen - just scroll down at - http://www.kony2012.com/ - to find the policymakers to contact right through the website.

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Chompers

Guess who's got some nice chompers coming in?

That's right - this girl!

And... because I'm too lazy to edit right now... let's make this an official Straight Out of The Camera post too. ;)

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Indulge Your Sense Of Smell

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media. All opinions are 100% mine.
Imagine coming home from a long day at work. The minute you walk through the door, you're greeted by that beautiful scent of home. It's comforting and relaxing, and it reminds you how nice it is to finally be home. The new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist gives you that feeling. Their long-lasting, true-to-life fragrance opens your home and invites life in. Whether you opt for Pineapple & Mangosteen, Cotton & Italian Mandarin, Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice, or Lavender or Juniper Berry (my favorite), you will fall in love with these perfect, relaxing, and comforting scents.



Artfully designed and pretty enough to fit any décor, these fragrance mists are a convenient and stylish home-fragrancing option. Glade® Expressions™ have a queeze-to-spray activation for easy and comfortable spraying. Plus, they'Refillable with your favorite Glade® Expressions™ fragrance.

The new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser is another great home fragrance option. The fragrance lasts 30 days and doesn’t require electricity, and the o-spill design fits with any décor in your home. The oil diffuser is available in Pineapple & Mangosteen, Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice, and Lavender & Juniper Berry.

For both products, your satisfaction is guaranteed or your money back. (Just fill out this form and mail the original UPC and purchase receipt within 30 days.) 

You can even save more right now, because there is a coupon for $1.50 off of any Glade® Expressions™ that can be used at Walmart to take advantage of their everyday low price. :)

What's your favorite room fragrance scent? Leave a comment. 

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Side-Yard Superhero #Giveaway

Did you know that March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month? Well, it is, and we're celebrating by giving away a copy of the book Side-Yard Superhero by Rick Niece!

About Side-Yard Superhero

A picture-perfect childhood in a picture-perfect town. Growing up in small-town DeGraff, Ohio teaches Rick niece that life's best moments are the innocent ones, especially when seen through the eyes of his hero, Bernie Jones. Born with cerebral palsy, Bernie teaches Rickie that the indomitable human spirit can never be confined.

About The Author

Rick D. Niece, Ph.D., is an award-winning author and educator who has served as a classroom teacher, a public school administrator and a university professor, provost, and president. As President and Fist Lady of the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas, he and his wife are proud "parents" of 630 students.

Dr. Niece is donating $1 of every book to United Cerebral Palsy.

Enter to win your copy by filling out the Rafflecopter form below :)

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The Love VoxBox from Influenster :)

I recently became a member of Influenster - a community of trendsetters invited to share their lifestyles and show their influence to qualify for personalized product shipments, special rewards and exclusive deals from the brands they love. Members test the latest products, give insightful feedback, and spread the word on their favorite finds! Today, I received my "Love VoxBox",  and I am excited to share with you the products I'll be testing. :)

Which item would you be interested in seeing a review on? Leave a comment.

Thanks to Influenster for providing me these complimentary products to review. 

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Strengthening A Military Marriage

Back when I met Ken, he wanted to be in the military. I made it clear that there was no way I was going to be a military wife. I could only imagine how hard it is to have a spouse in the military, and there was no way I thought I could handle that challenge. To the men and women who do - you have my utmost and sincerest respect.

That's why I'm really excited to present The Art of Marriage Ops blog App. Earlier this year there was a small outreach to help military families strengthen their marriages when they return home from service. Now, due to the overwhelming response, the outreach has been expanded to get the word out so everyone can help!

Did you or someone you love serve in the military?  Help us spread to word and share this post on your Facebook or Twitter!  Use hashtag #marriageops ! The more people who realize this is an issue, brings us one step closer to helping more families!

And, it’s not just military men and women who need help with their relationships. Check out the app below for five great inspirational date ideas that will help bring you closer to your partner!

Text OPS to 80888 and donate $10.00 to help our men and women in the military strengthen their marriage by attending an event showcasing The Art of Marriage! Less than the price of two cups of coffee! Now, we all can help the men and women who have defended our country strengthen their marriages!

Have you ever been in a military relationship? What advice would you give to other military couples? Leave a comment below.

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Grocery Shopping

I recently filmed myself grocery shopping... for some consumer shopping survey. Since it made me feel like I was starring in my own very ordinary reality show, I figured I'd post it here. Why the heck not - right?

 PS - If you know anybody looking for a grocery-shopping mom to be on a reality show - hit me up! It was actually quite fun!

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So... This Is My Story

Lately, Phoenix has been expressing his feelings through stories. Today, for example, he was very sad that I had missed waving to the bus with him. I was using the restroom, and by the time I was done... it was too late.

 

PS - Not sure where he picked up the stutter reading technique. He only does that when he's pretending to read. I hope it doesn't last. :(

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The Best Shows On Netflix

Having Netflix instead of cable completely changed how we watch television. We watch it much more intentionally now. And... we watch better shows. We're no longer at the mercy of what happens to be on tv at the time. Here are the shows really worth watching - the ones that will have you hitting that "Play Next Episode" button until your fingers are numb.

1. Scrubs 
2. My Name is Earl
3. Family Guy
4. Greek
5. Better Off Ted
6. How The Universe Works 
7. Keeping Up with The Kardashians
8. Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami
9. The Colony
10. Glee 
11. The Hills
12. L.A. Ink
13. Into The Universe
14. Dr. 90210
15. Surviving the Cut
16. Top Shot
17. Pretty Wild

What would you add to the list? Leave a comment.

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Oat Flour Bread Machine Recipe (Oatmeal Flour Bread)

Substituting oat flour for regular flour is a great way to make anything a little bit healthier. Today, I made an oat flour bread - it's nice to eat a bread that's almost as nutritious as a bowl of oatmeal, and that's easy to make too!

The bread will be about half the height of a typical bread-machine bread. It will be nice and crisp on the outside, and moist on the inside. Because it has a low sugar content, I think it pairs up nicely with sweeter toppings. It makes a perfect bread for dipping in apple butter, using with chutneys, or a number of various things.


Oatmeal/Oat Flour Bread Recipe

1 1/4 cup     warm water
1 tsp            honey
1 Tbsp         butter
1/2 tsp         salt
1 ½  cup     whole wheat bread flour
1 ½  cup     oat flour (about 2 cups of oats, blended)
1 Tbsp         yeast

To make oat flour, just grind up oats in a food processor or blender until it's a powdery consistency. I like to make up a whole canister of oat flour, that way, I have it pre-made whenever I want to add it to a recipe. (I LOVE substituting it for some of the regular flour when I make cookies.) If you're just making enough for this recipe, use 2 cups of oats.

Add ingredients - liquids first to bread machine. Set to white bread cycle. You'll have delicious, healthy bread to eat in just 3 hours. :)

Feel free to make this recipe your own by customizing it with your favorite spices.

Don't forget to leave a comment with any suggestions you have. :)

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Un-Photoshopped To Perfection

I'm a graphic designer by trade. I have an unhealthy obsession with Photoshop. For quite some time, I wouldn't post a photo on my blog unless I had photoshopped. I needed to make everything look a bit more perfect in my eyes. But lately, I'm starting to appreciate when things look real. So, today, I'm leaving the Photoshopped images for the glamour magazines, and am linking up with Marvelous Mommy for another SOOC (Straight Out Of The Camera) Saturday - which means that all of these photos are un-edited. :)

And that, my friends, is my photography - unedited :)

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Who Makes You Smile?!

We all have somebody who makes us smile. For me, it's Phoenix & Ariana.

 Who makes YOU smile?Enter a photo of the person here to let TopDentists.com know!

The grand prize is a teeth whitening session in NYC with one of the Top Dentists plus all expense paid trip, $1,000 in spending money and photo session for you and your guest.

There are also daily teeth whitening kits from Love That White Smile and chances to win teeth whitenings in:
Aventura FL, Austin TX, Beverly Hills CA, Philadelphia PA, and Troy MI from Top Dentists in those ares!

Contest ends Feb 24th. Enter Now!

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