Perhaps the single-most difficult thing with the approaching Valentine’s “holiday” is my constant quest to find something for my husband that won’t be too girly, or just be tossed on a shelf.  So when I was asked to take a look at Proflowers, I didn’t expect that I’d do the review with him in mind.  But here I am!

COO_CXNHRTCOOK_VdayCook12_VDY_11_PF Because I wanted to make use of my credit in the most effective way, I thought – well, at least look for something for him.  If nothing else, I’d find something for ME!  But instead, I was genuinely surprised with the bevy of choices for men for Valentine’s Day!

He’s not a flowers kind of guy, so that portion of their site was out in terms of my needs.  He does, however, LOVE to eat – and Proflowers has a wonderful selection of edible, yummy looking gifts – and from names such as Harry & David and Mrs. Fields to name a few.

DIP_BRR10006_Fancy6_Test_GEN_10_PF After much agonizing, I finally made my choice (but wished I had a few hundred dollars to spend on the site, because it all looked and sounded so good!).  The check-out process was simple and painless.  The only painful part, in my opinion, was their shipping fees – which totaled way more than I’d have paid if I’d had to pay for it in the first place.  Of course, with Valentine’s Day being a busy time for any floral place, I guess it’s to be expected.

In any case, I’m excited to get that email on Monday telling me he got something yummy from me and ProFlowers, and that he does, indeed, want to be My Valentine.

Here’s my favorite part of a review – the giveaway!  I have a $50 code to Proflowers for one lucky reader!  I’ll make it simple, too.  Just tell me who you would use the code for and what you’d choose. You – treat yourself to something special, something that will brighten your day.  Or someone else? Want to send a beautiful bouquet to your mom, best friend or sister?  Just tell me who in your comment.  Be sure to leave a valid email so I can contact you!

This giveaway will end on February 20th – my baby boy’s birthday!

As always, there are numerous ways to earn extra entries, so do as many or as few as you’d like.

Comments that do not meet set requirements or state that something has been done but hasn’t – will be deleted.  I DO verify that you’ve joined, followed, fanned, etc.  So please be a grown-up and be honest.

For extra entries, please leave a comment letting me know which of the following you’ve done.

  • Fan my Facebook page.  Leave a comment with your Facebook name.
  • Follow me on Twitter.    Leave a comment letting me know your Twitter name.
  • Subscribe to Dawniemom Reviews in a feed reader.
  • Tweet this giveaway leave a link to your tweet here.  You can do this 2x a day, every day if you wish – just come back and leave the link.   Feel free to use “I just entered to win something fabulous from @dawniemom and @proflowers http://bit.ly/hYlDIu #giveaways
  • Join my newsletter – (found in the sidebar as “Join the club”). Leave 2 comments letting me know.
  • Google Friend Connect me.  Leave me a comment with your google name.
  • Link to me from your blog.  Leave me the URL in your comment.
  • Grab my button from the sidebar and post it on your blog.
  • Blogging about this giveaway gets you FIVE entries – just leave 5 comments.
  • Share this giveaway on Facebook, Yahoo, etc. by clicking on the “Sharing is Caring” link right below this blog entry. Leave a comment with which one you choose.  Do them all, earn a whole buncha entries!

Thanks for visiting and entering!

I know… the title is kind of weird.  Skillet Bacon Jam?  Seriously?  That’s why I applied to do the review. I had to see what the heck “Skillet Bacon Jam” was.  Mmmmm… am I glad I did.

bacon Skillet Bacon Jam is just exactly what it sounds like.  It’s chunks of bacon in a sweet, smoky, delicious jam.  I’d just baked a batch of biscuits when the package arrived, and so my son promptly opened it up and slathered some onto his biscuit.  The look of shock was enough to tell me that I had to try it.  It was SO unexpected.  The bacon isn’t those dried up pieces of bacon-bit things you toss on your salad.  It’s real bacon.  The jam… which has onions, balsamic vinegar and other spices, just delicous.   So unexpected! 

Skillet Bacon Jam is the perfect stocking stuffer, too!  It can go with those biscuits, sure. But I’ve also spread some on a fresh out of the broiler chicken breast and omg, talk about a whole new notch!  It changed the bland chicken into something delicious and simple and easy.  So quickly!

You can get Skillet Bacon Jam in an 11oz jar on their website or email them if you have questions – and as I said, I think it’d be a great stocking stuffer for that bacon lover on your list!


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

hook-pic On the bottom of one of my totes ‘o’stuff that I carted home from BlogHer ‘10 was this strange little hook thing that I sorta recognized, but really wasn’t sure about.  Truthfully, I don’t even know how it got INTO the bag – but there it was. 

Little things can make a big difference.

I went to the almighty google and searched for the name on it – “hookeez” – and of course, was directed to www.hookeez.com .  It was there that I found out what this little doodad was for, and it made PERFECT SENSE!

I know that when I go grocery shopping (or any shopping for that matter) and I’ve remembered to bring my reusable shopping bags with me, they invariably get buried underneath everything I’ve just put in the carriage.  This was the same thing that was happening to the mom behind Hookeez.  She & her husband designed these hooks to hold your shopping bags conveniently in one place (in the hook) and then hook it to the shopping cart.  Your bags stay together, out of the way, and ready for when you check out.  [Note: they’re NOT made to hold full bags!]

I just loved the idea – and even more so when I read that they’re made from 100% recycled materials – and of course, because you’re using reusable shopping bags, you’re doing GREAT things for our planet there too!  This is just one of those products that, when you get it in your hands, you think “Wow, why didn’t I think of that?” – and I’m glad Hookeez creator did!

Hookeez are extremely affordable too. I think they’d be great stocking stuffers as well as secret santa presents.  Anyone who uses reusable shopping bags would be the perfect recipient for one of these little guys!

Best of all! I have a Hookeez to give away!

If you’d like to win, just leave a comment telling me how often you wind up leaving your bags at home, in the car, or just at the bottom of your cart. LOL  Yes, I’ve done all 3.

Of course, you can earn extra entries below.  Just be sure to leave an individual comment for each choice.

Comments that do not meet set requirements or state that something has been done but hasn’t – will be deleted.  I DO verify that you’ve joined, followed, fanned, etc.  So please be a grown-up and be honest.

For extra entries, please leave a comment letting me know which of the following you’ve done.

  • Fan my Facebook page.  Leave a comment with your Facebook name.
  • Fan The New Toy’s Facebook page. Leave a comment with your Facebook name.
  • Follow me on Twitter.    Leave a comment letting me know your Twitter name.
  • Follow The New Toy on Twitter.  Leave a comment letting me know.
  • Subscribe to Dawniemom Reviews in a feed reader.
  • Tweet this giveaway– leave a link to your tweet here.  You can do this 2x a day, every day if you wish – just come back and leave the link.
  • Join my newsletter – (found in the sidebar as “Join the club”). Leave 2 comments letting me know.
  • Google Friend Connect me.  Leave me a comment with your google name.
  • Link to me from your blog.  Leave me the URL in your comment.
  • Blogging about this giveaway gets you FIVE entries – just leave 5 comments.
  • Share this giveaway on Facebook, Yahoo, etc. by clicking on the “Sharing is Caring” link right below this blog entry. Leave a comment with which one you choose.  Do them all, earn a whole buncha entries!

This giveaway is limited to the USA.  Giveaway ends December 13th. I will draw a winner from all qualified entries.

Nov 232010

BlackFriday_thredUP Free PRO Membership_Use Code: pro253

Ok, I know – it’s been used. In fact, it was used in an email I got notifying me about thredUP’s black friday specials.  But it’s true – being green is very “fashionable” right now – and hopefully, for the future.  Being green in your recycling efforts is, of course, helping our planet fix herself.  Being green is also good for your wallet.  Especially at thredUP.

Haven’t heard of thredUP before? Well, let me tell you – it’s a great idea.  thredUP is the #1 Online Kids Clothing Swap.   As the mother of 3 kids, I’m CONSTANTLY sorting and bagging clothes that one or more of them have grown out of.  Unless you own your own little boutique or consignment shop, you wind up with way too many clothes that you simply have no use for.  Yard sales are an option, but who wants to see a shirt you paid $15 go for a nickel?  Consignment shops are the same, except you have to lug everything there, and then HOPE it all sells. 

thredUP is different.  With their system, you swap clothes that you can no longer use for your kids for clothes that you CAN use.  You can shop through their system and pick out boxes of clothes someone else’s kids have outgrown but are still perfectly wearable.  You choose by gender, season, size and even holiday!  Meanwhile, you’re building your own boxes with the clothes your kids aren’t wearing anymore, to ship to someone who selects your box. 

Their description of how it works makes a lot more sense than me trying to explain it, so I’ve “borrowed” it:

Very simply put, it works like this: pick a box you like, pay $5 plus shipping, prepare a box of items that no longer fit your child, when someone picks your box, send it for free. Here is the step-by-step version:

PICK – Browse boxes listed in the thredUP community and select one you’d like to receive. Hopefully, by now, you have your friends on thredUP so you can just pick their boxes. If you’re busy, tell us your clothing preferences and the experts at thredUP can choose a box for you.

PAY – Once you’ve picked your box, all you pay is $5 plus shipping to have it delivered.

PREPARE – As part of this process, you are required (this is a swap after all!) to list a box of clothes that your child no longer wears. We’ll ask for basic details such as types of clothing, number of items, colors, brands, season and sizes. Don’t worry, the USPS will mail you empty boxes for your gently used clothes.

SEND – When someone picks your box, thredUP will alert you and ask you to send this box. It is free to send boxes on thredUP because the recipient pays the shipping. You’ll be able to print the shipping label and schedule the pickup all in one click. Would you rather drop it off at the Post Office? No problem! Just cancel the pickup and leave a note for your postal carrier. As soon as your box is tracked by the USPS, you will see your box status has been changed to "shipped" in your thredUP closet.

Simple, no?

So, where does Black Friday come in, you ask?  ThredUp is having BIG promotion on Black Friday.   BlackFriday_thredUP Free PRO Membership_Use Code: pro253  – you get 2 months FREE of pro membership. Pro Members get all sorts of cool benefits, and of course, totally worth it! :)

So check out thredUP and see what you think. 


I’m an affiliate for thredUP but I’ve not received anything for this post. :)

As a homeschooler, I find myself constantly searching for fun things for my kids to do around holidays – all holidays, really.  It can be so frustrating to spend hours looking for themed things to print for them to do. Python Printable Games is the perfect answer to that problem.

Python Games offered me the chance to review their Thanksgiving Party games.  I downloaded the pack and started exploring.  It was such a nice surprise!

There’s over 30 printables in this one pack!  Turkey trivia, Thanksgiving trivia, football trivia, crossword puzzles, coloring pages – everything that I could possibly want for all 3 age ranges of mine. 

The downloads are very fast, even for my super-slow internet connection, and are PDF files, so you can even send them to your e-book reader for  those on the road trips that so many people take on Thanksgiving!

image

For $19.95, you get over 30 printables at your fingertips.  Colorful, fun, informative and above-all else, EASY!

You can visit Python Printables for some FREE harvest coloring pages, as well as a $5 coupon of your purchase.


[Product review & giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."]

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