Planet Earth - Must Have DVD

I might be a little slow on seeing this, but wow is Planet Earth fantastic! T watched a few episodes on the Discovery Channel not too long ago and raved about them. Then he asked me to TiVo any other episodes so he could transfer from the TiVo to his computer to watch. He still raved so I decided to get the DVD boxed set for the family. I don't buy a ton of DVDs, but this set is well worth the money!

All three of us have been watching and enjoying the series. The video is so amazing and just wondrous to look at. So many amazing places on Earth and the animals that live her. One of our favorite parts is on the Pole to Pole episode showing the Birds of Paradise. This one little guy looks like an alien and jumps around, amazing. It's hard to believe it is even a bird when you look at the still photo like this. The episodes on caves is so breathtaking in some parts, but Hubby loves the icky part of this one also with all the bats and their "stuff" and interesting creatures living in the caves. I could go on and on with favorite parts of the box set.

I should also mention that this is one of those videos that is fine on a regular TV, we've watched it a lot on a standard tube type TV. However, you might remember that I got a flat-screen TV several weeks ago and the difference of the image on that TV is amazing!

If you enjoy nature type shows I'm sure you will love Planet Earth. It really is spectacular! This would be a fantastic gift for yourself or for other friends and family. Age won't even matter I don't think, both young, old, and every age in between should enjoy this.

You can find it on Amazon with Free Super Saver Shipping. You can also view all the Planet Earth products available on Amazon.

For all of my fellow homeschoolers there are limitless possibilities in using this set for school. From just watching it to reporting about it, using it as a jumping off point for more in depth study, introducing a topic, and just on and on. A very valuable addition to any homeschool family library!

Take This Job and…

Some of you knew that I had been working from home for the same company for the past several years. Today was the end of that. It was nice, I worked on my own schedule and even with homeschooling T I was able to fit it all in, although it was a tight fit sometimes. Last year though things started going downhill with a change in ownership and just a lot of stuff. I have really been struggling with the job since then. I kept thinking things would improve with time and all would settle, but it just has gotten worse. Today was the straw that broke the camel’s back because I honestly don’t feel I should be crying about a part time job and be so stressed out about it. Dear Hubby has been struggling at his job lately and even he said today enough was enough and the garbage I was dealing with at my job was more than he had to take and for the money it just wasn’t worth the aggravation. I’ve been in that shaky Jell-O insides mode all afternoon and I’m hoping it goes away soon!

So I’m trying to let it all go. I’m trying to let go of the negative feelings, let go of the stress, let go of the worry, let go of all of it. Deep breaths Robyn, just take deep breaths….

Banana Nut Cheerios Giveaway & Review

I love the word banana, it's just fun to say. It's even a fun fruit to eat, unfortunately it's not a fruit I like. However, Hubby and T both like bananas and both like Cheerios and both like banana nut bread so when I was offered the chance to try out the new Banana Nut Cheerios I cheerfully accepted.

The guys both liked it, just as I thought they would. I even tried a nibble and it was too bad considering it was banana. The flavor is very natural tasting and not a fake taste at all. They stayed crunchy for just the right amount of time too. Perfect, just like our regular Cheerios and the Honey Nut Cheerios we already enjoy on a regular basis.

On top of tasting good, there are some good for you things about Banana Nut Cheerios. It is made with whole grain, a good source of calcium and vitamin D and may reduce the risk of heart disease as part of a healthy diet. You have got to love when something that tastes good and that the family enjoys can be a healthy thing too!

You can visit www.banananutcheerios.com to learn more, get some great recipes, and even download a coupon.

The Giveaway:
See all of these goodies in the picture? That is what I got and now I have the chance to spread the love and share this same great package with 3 of my readers! That's right you will get the fruit bowl with banana hook, 2 cereal bowls, the loaf pan, plus a coupon for a free box of Banana Nut Cheerios if you are one of the winners!

Required Entry: Leave a comment below telling me which Banana Nut Cheerios recipe sounds best to you (click here to see the recipes).

Extra Entry: The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Blog about this giveaway on your own blog (please don’t copy my entire post onto your blog though). Leave the direct link to your post in your comment for an extra entry.
• Subscribe via email to my feed and let me know in your comment for an extra entry.
• Follow me on Twitter @RobynsWorld and send a tweet about the giveaway. Leave a direct link to your tweet (instructions here) in your comment for an extra entry. Here is a tweet you can use (or make your own):
  Win a Banana Nut Cheerios prize package from @RobynsWorld http://snurl.com/bncsprk Plz RT

Rules: Only one of each entry method listed per person. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those with US mailing addresses, ages 18+ only. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Friday March 6, 2009. I will pick the winners and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

This giveaway has ended
Visit the main giveaway page for the winners
and all of the open giveaways still available!

Raising Freethinkers

I’m very lucky to get some nifty products, services, and sites to review here on my blog, but sometimes I just really go crazy, good crazy, about something. That has happened with a book that I was asked to review thru the Family Review Network. It’s Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief. This is a must read book for parents in my opinion!

This book is a wonderful guide to nonreligious parenting. For families like mine, who are not religious, this is a great find. (We are not alone – a recent survey shows 1 in 6 US residents now consider themselves to be non-religious.) Raising Freethinkers offers suggestions for teaching your children to be question askers and have the ability to answer their own questions. It gives ideas for helping them understand the world we live in without just blindly accepting the “rules” of some other person or group. Honestly though, even if you are religious this book can give you a lot of insight into helping your child reach their fullest potential.

Each of the chapters gives an introduction on the topic, some Q&A, then some actual activity ideas to do with your kids, plus resources for even more information and help on that topic. Even though T is older there are still so many useful things in this book that I have already started using. It was also interesting to see some of the techniques and ideas we have been using his entire life talked about – confirmation feels good now and then. This isn’t a parenting book that is better for a certain age group at all, it’s for all parents. Heck, even grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other caregivers would all benefit from this book.

As a homeschooling family many blindly assume we do it for religious reasons, but this is not the case with our family (and many others). This book fulfills homeschooling needs for us even for that reason. There are just ideals upon ideals of ways to help T open his mind and question the world around him. Along with being able to help T it can help me also. I firmly believe that every single day is another day to continue learning and growing as a person. Just because I am an adult (when did that happen?) doesn’t mean I can’t keep learning and working on being the best possible person I can be. Parenting is a tough road, but if I close up and don’t keep my own mind open then how can I expect my son to be able to be open minded either?

The book is available at Amazon (click here to order) and other online stores as well as regular stores. I would also encourage you to ask your local library to order this book to share with others in your community.

Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief
Authors: Dale McGowan, Molleen Matsumura, Amanda Metskas, Jan Devor
Pub Date: 2009
ISBN: 9780814410967

More on Liquidation Sales Sucking

Remember I posted my thoughts on liquidation sales recently? Many of you knew about the pitfalls about liquidators and for some of you it was startling news.

I just ran across this story from Boston about a couple who spent $1,100 on a big screen TV at their local Circuit City liquidation and got it home only to find it was shattered. Of course, with the "all sales final" policy the liquidator basically said tough patooties to them. Apparently, there have been some reports as well that signs in some of the stores stated that boxes were NOT to be opened in the stores so you could even check the items before you left the store. You can read the full story on Boston's WCVB site.

Remember, you really need to be careful at any of these "liquidation sales" you come across on big ticket items. If you can't afford to be out that money don't spend it at those stores in case there is a problem.

Another Reason We Homeschool

There are many reasons I enjoy homeschooling and think it is what works well for T right now. Today I have an example of one of those reasons that I thought I would share.

We have been studying the relationship between the sun, moon, and Earth in science this past week. It’s not a big unit, but some general info that he hadn’t learned before. Now while I’m not a huge believer in grades, T likes and needs grades on many things. I’m also not big on tests, but it is a way for me to gauge what he is retaining and understanding. Yesterday he had a short test about the sun, moon, and Earth. He got a 70%. When he was done I had him go back thru his notes and lessons to correct what he had missed and review so he could try again with the test (new questions this time). Today he took the test again and once again got a 70%. He was frustrated and we briefly went over the questions. We decided that he needed more time with this topic which he finds fairly interesting. We will be doing some more hands on things over the next couple of days including making a more complex model to help visual all of it. After a few more days we can try the test again and I’m guessing he will do better then.

Now, had he been in our local public school this is not what would have happened. He would have had the test on Monday, gotten a 70% and then moved on to another topic. There would be no going back and trying again, no more review of the lesson, and surely not any projects like building another model at that point. In my book that doesn’t cut it. If you don’t understand you don’t just leave it and move on. By the way I’m not trying to attack the public school system; it just is what it is though. I have a lot of respect for many teachers and know they really have their work cut out for them.

With homeschooling we have the ability to take as much or as little time on a subject as T needs. While I thought this would be a quick unit it turns out I was wrong. No big deal, we just will spend more time with it. In the process not only does T learn more about the subject but he also learns to have patience and put more effort into something when he needs to. Just one of the many reasons I am happy to be a homeschooling family.

I Don't Want To Miss...

I mentioned last week everyone here had the sniffles, we are all ok now. However, as T gets older him becoming sick really will start interfering with his social life. When the kids are younger it’s not quite as big of a deal and we talk about prevention a lot but then that sort of falls to the wayside as they grow up. Well, as teens they have more important activities going on that getting sick right beforehand really screws up. Think about the big dance and missing out because of the flu or a cold? Yikes!
Head on over to I Don’t Want To Miss… for some great info for both parents and teens. You will find a nice reminder list of those basic things your teens, and you, should do to help prevent the spread of germs. There is also a Q&A by Dr. Harley Rotbart which includes a list to determine if something is the flu or a cold. Did you know that it is now recommend that healthy kids from 6 months all the way up to their 19th birthday get the flu vaccine? I had no idea about that to be honest. According to a national survey I am not alone though because it showed only 16% of parents with teens were aware of the new recommendation.

If your teen is creative and into videos have them make their own 1 minute PSA about cold and flu education and prevention and they could win some cool prizes. Prizes include a performance at their school from Brooke White, an autographed guitar, or autographed photos. They have to get their video in by Wednesday March 11.

Thanks to Mom Central for sharing about I Don’t Want To Miss... and thanks to Clorox for sponsoring the site and contest!

Family Game Night Party!

I love board games! Growing up my parents and extended family always played board games and card games with me and it was great. It was a chance to visit with the family and just enjoy spending time together. As an adult I still love games now, and even Hubby and T will play along also. However, T is more reluctant in large groups. We do play games regularly as part of our homeschool curriculum, just with the 3 of us for family fun time, and even my extended family gets together about once a month to play games together.
Since I’m all about the games I was happy to find out that Time To Play Mag has a new Family Game Night feature which highlights the importance of finding affordable and meaningful ways to spend time with your family. Right now they have a very nice list of games up they have reviewed. I’ve played many of them - ok so I counted and I’ve played 14 of the games they have reviewed. Do I get to move ahead 2 spaces for that or something?

To help launch all the fun Time to Play Mag is having a Twitter party this Friday night, February 27, to officially kick things off. Their hostess is, of course, @ResourcefulMom Attend the party with us and you have a chance to win a Grand Prize Goody Bag prize pack, one of ten Door Prizes, and one of four West Coast After Party prizes! How do you win the prizes, head on over to Resourceful Mommy’s blog and get all the details on how to enter (don’t worry – it’s easy). Follow along at the party watching for #timetoplay on the tweets and including it on your own tweets too!

Yes, I do plan on being at the party so you can follow me on Twitter @RobynsWorld. If you do not follow me go straight to jail and do not pass Go and do not collect your $200!

Carpet Fresh - No Vacuuming Required!

Do you ever need to freshen up in the house and quickly? It happens to all of us, houses just have different lingering smells. Especially with kids, pets, etc. all wandering around. We have carpeting in two rooms and some large area rugs also, so when Mom Central asked me to try out the new Carpet Fresh I said sure!

There is something different about this new Carpet Fresh – there is NO VACUUMING REQUIRED! Woohoo! You just have got to love that, especially when someone is coming over quick and you know that you don’t have time to drag the vacuum cleaner out. All you need to do is turn the can upside down and spray. A foam comes out so you can easily see where you have sprayed and it dries in just a couple of minutes. How simple is that? T has a typical teenager’s room so we tried it out on his large area rug. He smelled the carpet first and thought it was a little stinky unpleasant. We sprayed on the Carpet Fresh in within minutes it was dry and now the rug had a pleasing fresh scent to it. I should mention that T’s rug is black and the Carpet Fresh doesn’t seem to leave any visible residue on it at all. It says it is safe around pets, except for birds. Neither of our cats seemed to mind it at all.

The only negative thing about the Carpet Fresh is the dispenser for me. The need to mark the top a little better about where to put your finger, I got myself the first time. Also, I wish it were a bit lighter as far as the amount of foam. Other than that I think it’s a great product.

You can visit the Carpet Fresh Fresh Solutions page for more details on how the product works and download a coupon also.

Thanks again to Mom Central and Carpet Fresh for the chance to try out this new product!

Free Quiznos Sub

My family has been on a sandwich kick more than burgers for quite some time now when we do eat fast food. One of our favorite spots is Quiznos, our local store owners are so friendly and do a great job.

Right now they have a Million Sub Giveaway going on, so head on over and register for a Free Quiznos Sub coupon before they reach 1,000,000. I just signed up for mine and the count was just over 15,000 but I'm sure they will reach their target very quickly so act fast.

More Giveaways

Here are a few more giveaways for you all to enter from around the blogosphere (I like that word). Remember to take a look around the blogs when you go to enter and you will find some interesting reading. Also be sure to follow the rules, this is a big problem on many blogs.

My own giveaways, as always, can be found on the My Giveaways page (look just below the top graphic on my blog and you can always find the link there too).

• A Wrestling Addicted Mommy (ends 2/23)
  Win a GoPicnic Sampler Pack
  
• Amanda (ends 2/27)
  Win Pizza Hut Tuscani Lasagna
  
• Amanda (ends 3/6)
  Win a Crest and Oral-B Prize Pack
  
• Amanda (ends 3/2)
  Win a $35 iwrapped GC
  
• An Island Review (ends 2/27)
  Win a Glade Sense & Spray
  
• An Ordinary Life (ends 2/28)
  Win a Bissell Versus Bare Floor Vacuum Cleaner
  
• An Ordinary Life (ends 2/28)
  Win a green amethyst and sterling silver bracelet
  
• Sweeties Sweeps (ends 2/28)
  Win a Tucker bag
  
• Champagne Living (ends 2/28)
  Win a Tucker bag
  
• Mom on a Mission (ends 2/28)
  Win a Mark Lip Gloss Palette
  
• Three Different Directions (ends 2/24)
  Win a jar of Wild Oregon Blackberry Jam and Wild Huckleberry Jam
  
• Fractured Toy (ends 2/21)
  Win items from Mississippi Clayworks
  
• superdumb supervillain (ends 2/25)
  Win a Keurig Mini Brewer
  
• The Funky Monkey (ends 2/27)
  Win a Pickled Tink charm necklace
  
• The Dirty Shirt (ends 3/7)
  Win a back scratcher
  
• As They Grow Up (ends 3/12)
  Win a year of Rudi's Organic Bakery Bread
  
• As They Grow Up (ends 3/5)
  Win Rosa's Gourmet Fudge
  
• Meghan's Mindless Muttering (ends 2/25)
  Win a Rain-X Car Care Kit
  

Computer Friends

I Love My Computer Because My Friends Live In It!

Yo-Plus Review & Giveaway

Yogurt is one of those foods that I try to like, but sometimes I don’t. There are so many different varieties out there and the tastes vary a lot. Yoplait is the brand I tend to favor the most personally though (I love the Key Lime Whipped variety) and so when I was offered the chance to give Yoplait Yo-Plus a try I was pleased. The other day I received a great Yoplait cooler tote bag, a water bottle, nutrition journal and a coupon for a free 4-pack on Yo-Plus.

I picked the Blueberry Acai flavor and I’m so glad I did, it’s delicious! Let’s face it, no matter how good something is we still want it to taste good and this does. Sometimes yogurt has that very tangy aftertaste, but I found this to be much smoother and milder. The actual taste was very similar to a blueberry muffin. T even gave it a taste and gave it a thumbs up which surprised me considering he normally only eats vanilla yogurt.

On top of the great flavor Yo-Plus is a great help to your digestive system. It has the probiotics as well as vitamins A and D, and even 3 grams of fiber in each serving. I’ve always had various stomach issues since I was a little girl and so I do try to find things like this to help things stay on the right track for me. I think eating a Yo-Plus daily would be very beneficial to me.

On the Yo-Plus website right now you can print out a coupon for $1.00 off. They even have a money back guarantee (details on their site) that if you don’t love Yo-Plus they will refund your money. The website also gives you some easy-to-understand explanations of how and why Yo-Plus works.

The Giveaway:
Yoplait is generously providing three more packages just like I received to three of my readers! Each winner will receive the Yoplait cooler tote bag, water bottle, nutrition journal and a coupon for a free 4-pack on Yo-Plus. Just follow the instructions for your chance to win!

Required Entry: Leave a comment below telling me which flavor of Yo-Plus sounds the best to you (click here to see the varieties in a new window/tab).

Extra Entry: The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Blog about this giveaway on your own blog (please don’t copy my entire post onto your blog though). Leave the direct link to your post in your comment for an extra entry.
• Subscribe via email to my feed and let me know in your comment for an extra entry.
• Follow me on Twitter @RobynsWorld and send a tweet about the giveaway. Leave a direct link to your tweet (instructions here) in your comment for an extra entry. Here is a tweet you can use (or make your own):
  Win a Yoplait Yo-Plus prize package from @RobynsWorld http://snurl.com/yoplus Plz RT

Rules: Only one of each entry method listed per person. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those with US mailing addresses, ages 18+ only. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Friday February 27, 2009. I will pick the winners and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

This giveaway has ended
Visit the main giveaway page for the winners
and all of the open giveaways still available!

IHOP Free Pancakes

February 24 is National Pancake Day and you can get a free short stack of 3 buttermilk pancakes at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) that day. The pancakes really are free but they are asking that you consider making a donation to the Children's Miracle Network while you are there. Find out all the details of IHOP National Pancake Day.

Child Labor?

New Prizes!

A couple of prizes from blog giveaways arrived this week. Just wanted to share with you all and thank the bloggers and sponsors as always.

First was The History Channel 14 DVD Boxed Set of The 60's from the Mom Central Valentine's Day Shopping Guide & Giveaway. Everyone in the house is excited about watching this. T even suggested we study the 60's next for history and we can use the DVDs as part of class. Thanks Mom Central!

Today the mailman knocked on the door with a long rectangular box. Inside was my Rain-X Car Care Kit that I won over on Mommy Brain Reports. The kit contains a set of Rain-X Latitude wiper blades for my Durango, a bottle of Rain-x X-treme Clean, and a bottle of Rain-X 2-in-1 Glass Cleaner + Rain Repellent. Woohoo! Hubby was excited when I told him about this one since he is the car guy and he already knows he likes Rain-X products. If I know him, he will be out cleaning windows on my truck and his van as soon as he gets home. Thanks Mommy Brain!

People always ask me about how I win this stuff and how they never win and what is my trick. There is no trick. Simply follow the rules and enter. The rule part seems to be the tricky area for most folks. You really have to slow down and read the rules on how to enter so you are eligible to win. I promise if you do that you will be able to win just as much stuff as I do. Good luck!

70% off at Amazon's Toy Outlet

A heads up that Amazon has updated their toy outlet. Savings range from 25% off to 70% off! Even though T is older we still use games quit a bit for homeschool as you have read here in the past. Plus we have family game night about once a month with the extended family as well. Happy shopping!

Recycling Hurts!

Ok I know recycling is what we need to do. I understand how important it is and we are really trying to get the hang of it here at our house. Yikes though – it hurts! Hubby and I both cut our hands tonight while trying to clean out cans to put in the recycle bin. I didn’t think blood would be a part of all of this. I snickered a tiny bit when Hubby cut his finger because I was thinking how the heck did he do that since we use the safety can opener. Then I saw all the blood and felt bad. Not more than ten minutes later after he is bandaged up I cut myself on a soup can. Ack! I think we are going to have to try to be more careful.

Blog Labels/Tags: How-To Video

Another how-to video tonight. This one is about using labels/keywords/tags when you browse around blogs.

Cricut Anyone?

Just saw an infomercial for a Cricut Expression machine today. Looks pretty interesting, but also pretty pricey. Surely a few of you have bought or used one of these machines and could give me your input on how much you like or dislike them. Let me know what you think!

Twitter How-To Videos

I've had several of you ask for my Twitter help. Here are a couple of screen capture videos to help you. They came out a little blurry, but I think you will get the idea still.

This first one is the basic idea of using the Twitter page



This second video is about changing your avatar, background, colors, etc.

A cute cold?

Uh-oh! Everyone in the house (me, Hubby, and T) all have the sniffles. I hope we all aren't getting a cold! Time to break out the zinc and vitamin C I guess. Hopefully, it's nothing major and will go away quickly since none of us feel really bad at this point.

I would rather have these germs instead of the real thing though. Seriously, I love those stuffed "germs" - they are a hoot! The blue ones are the cold germs (rhinovirus). They are all called Giant Microbes and there are tons of different ones available. If T were a bit younger maybe I could have convinced myself they would be perfect for our homeschool classroom, but I'm thinking he might not be too pleased with stuffed animal type things in our classroom at this point. Still, they are awfully cute for being germs and all....

Scanalog Review & Giveaway

Do you have tons of magazines and catalog lying around because there is something in them you want to save? Have I got a great computer program for you! Scanalog helps you scan and organize the pages from magazines or catalogs. Then throw the magazines into the recycling bin and get the clutter out of your house!

I received a copy of the Scanalog program from the company through the Family Review Network to review and share with all of you. Installing it was a breeze, no complications with it on my computer running Windows XP (it doesn’t work with Macs). The only other thing you need is your own scanner. Just open up the program and click the scan button to get started. It will bring up your own scanners software program and you scan the image as normal. I found that 300 dpi was a good resolution to you for this. Once it’s scanned, the Scanalog program will pop back up and ask you to enter the source (name of the magazine, book, catalog, etc.), the title of the article, keywords, and notes, etc. It also creates a partial thumbnail of the scan; you can move the box around to pick the area you want to use for the thumbnail. If you have multiple pages for one item just click the button and it will let you scan more for that item. If not, click finish and it will take you back to the main program. There you can view all of your items. The program also includes both a book and catalog section where you can list books you would like or items from catalogs and include the pertinent information without a scanned image.

The program is broken down into 11 master categories and each of those can hold 18 subcategories. You can search by your keywords or browse by categories to view your items. You can create your own subcategories which makes the program work for you just the way you need it to. My favorite category is Food & Wine since I tear out recipes all the time. Several of the pages I had torn out and saved were instructions on techniques of cooking so I made a subcategory called Techniques under Food & Wine to suit me. Other favorite categories are Crafts, Home Decoration, and Parenting.

It’s quick and easy to scan items in. If you have a big stack of stuff like I did, just set a number of items or a certain amount of time to do once a day until you get through all of them. In no time you will have everything scanned in and you can get rid of those stacks of magazines and catalogs lying around. I found that I only wanted maybe 10 pages or so on average from each, but the entire magazine or catalog could be 100’s of pages. That’s a lot of extra waste sitting around the house! No more for me, I’ve scanned everything in and that big pile of magazines and catalogs is in the recycle bin. WooHoo! Some reclaimed space in the house!

THE GIVEAWAY!
Kim at Scanalog has been kind enough to offer one of my readers their own copy of the Scanalog software, a $49.95 value! Just follow the entry instructions for your chance to win.

How to enter:

Required Entry: Leave a comment below and let me know what type of thing you most often want to save from magazines or catalogs. As always make sure your email is viewable in your profile or leave it in your comments if it’s not.

Extra Entry: The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Blog about this giveaway on your own blog (please don’t copy my entire post onto your blog though). Leave the direct link to your post in your comment for an extra entry.
  
• Subscribe via email to my feed and let me know in your comment for an extra entry.
• Follow me on Twitter @RobynsWorld and send a tweet about the giveaway. Leave a direct link to your tweet (instructions here) in your comment for an extra entry. Here is a tweet you can use (or make your own):
  Win Scanalog for your PC from @RobynsWorld and get more organized http://snurl.com/scanalog
  

Rules: Only one of each entry method listed per person. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those with US mailing addresses, ages 18+ only. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Monday February 23, 2009. I will pick a winner and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

This giveaway has ended
Visit the main giveaway page for the winners
and all of the open giveaways still available!

Winner Announcement & More Giveaways

The Pledge Furniture Sweeper for Pet Hair giveaway ended last night. Congratulations to Diana Hayes from http://cookerati.com who is the lucky winner! Make sure to drop by her Cookerati site - it's fabulous!

Now, if you really still want to try to win your own Pledge Furniture Sweeper here is a list of my fellow Family Review Network members who still have giveaways going on for them. Good luck!

• 3 Ps in a Pod - Ends 2/16
• Feels Like Home - Ends 2/17
• Busy Mommy Product Review - Ends 2/17
• Mom Giveaways - Ends 2/18
• 1stopmom - Ends 2/18
• She Scribes - Ends 2/18
• A Daycare Life - Ends 2/18
• The Not-So-Blog Blog - Ends 2/18
• 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires - Ends 2/19
• A Nut in a Nutshell - Ends 2/19
• A Wrestling Addicted Mommy - Ends 2/19
• Mudpies & Mary Janes - Ends 2/20
• SAHM Reviews - Ends 2/20
• Pajama Mom - Ends 2/20
• My Sentiment ExactLee - Ends 2/20
• Momstart - Ends 2/21
• Go Graham Go! - Ends 2/21
• Just a Mom's Take on Things - Ends 2/22
• Something Snappy - Ends 2/23
• Happy Healthy Families - Ends 2/23
• Chocolate Fingerprints - Ends 2/25
• Rockin Mama - Ends 2/27
• The Mud Bug - Ends 3/2

Happy Anniversary Hubby!

In case Hubby is reading - Happy 17th Anniversary! I love you!

Happy Valentine's Day

Free Song Download

A freebie amazon.com song download just for Valentine's Day. Hurry, it will expire at 11:59 PM PST on February 14, 2009. Enjoy!

I Just Saved…

You know the commercials that say I just saved $xxx on my auto insurance? Well guess what? I did that too! It wasn’t with the company that runs those commercials though (those folks were actually more than I am paying now). I’m not mentioning any names because I honestly think that many are going to experience different rates with different companies.

Normally, I wouldn’t have considered switching. I had been with my insurance agent since 1995 and he and everyone in his office has always been great. Very helpful, very friendly, they know who I am when I go in, etc. The thing is though the company my agent works for keeps raising my rates even though I don’t have any claims (knock on wood). Last month we had gotten the renewal for my husband’s vehicle and the rates had gone up, then the other day I got mine and the rates had gone up again on mine too. This was a significant increase between the two of us. So I did a little research and found a company that seems to consistently rank well in a number of different consumer ratings. I called, I inquired, and in the end I’m going to save almost $700 a year! That is a big savings.

When I called my agents office to let them know I was switching they asked why. I was very honest and told them it was nothing personal and they had always been wonderful, but it was strictly a financial matter at this point. Had it not been for the current economy I probably wouldn’t have even thought about switching. They asked me if I would mind sharing my new rates (same coverage) and when I told him the difference even he said “Wow!”

So I am hoping I am as happy with the new company as I was, except for the rates, with the old company. We shall see. Hopefully, we won’t have to make any claims to find out! I know many of you are looking for ways to save some money these days so my suggestion today is look at your auto insurance and see if you are getting the best value for your money.

Wordless Wednesday

Negative Tree
(See more Wordless Wednesday and share your own)

WARNING - KittyNextDoor SPAM - NOT ME!

It seems several of my readers have gotten an email like below. This references my blog but I have absolutely nothing to do with this at all. Please do not respond to the email whatsoever! I'm checking into it, but not sure if there is really much I can do about it - but if there is something that can be done I will.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Katie Dorat
Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 5:28 AM
Subject: Hello
To:

Hi my dear friends,

I'm coming this way to tell you that I have a giveaway and would like to you to participate.
I see your contact at the http://robynsonlineworld.blogspot.com, and want to invite you for my own.
The way it will work is pretty easy: You first have to send me a e-mail saying if you want to participate, after you can send me an e-mail, per day, until 27/02, which will count as a entry, please just one entry per person and per day.
After that, at 28/02 there will be a draw, aand five winner will be choose, to win a 200 $ Card Gift from Amazon.
And much better, no purchase is necessary, it is absolutelly free to participate.

IMPORTANT: The winner have 72 hours to claim the prize or another winner will be choose.

This giveaway is associated with:

www.planusa.org/
www.makeachildsmile.org/
www.unicefusa.org/
Organizations which help childrens, I'm affiliatte with them, and promoting this giveaway is a way to call the attention of the USA, and World governement, by gatting many people unit for a cause. Many people are helpinng, since it is just to pass a e-mail, never were so easy.

Well the requirements are:
-Must be 13+, so you can use the Amazon Gift Card.
-Can just send an e-mail per day, which will count as a entry per day.
-There is no necessity to writte big things at the diary entry, just say Hi.
-The contest will end at 27/02, the draw will be at 28/02
-The winner will be notified by e-mail.

There is a important thing I need to say, every one who accept to participate in this giveaway can't participate at the http://robynsonlineworld.blogspot.com, come on people, I hope you understand, would be unfair to be cadastrated in two giveaways.
If you already put a comment at that site you just need to, in the last post of February of Robyns Online World, post a comment saying "I am not participating in this giveaway anymore" If you want to say anything else you can, but the first line is really needed.
Just will be accepted entries of people who I see the comment at that site.
Please understand that it isn't to be a bad thing, It is just the rules of the sites which I'm affiliatte with.

You don't need to worry, this isn't a fake, I'm just a mother of two beautyfuls treasures who wants to help a important cause in the world, you are free to join the cause either.

It is easy to participate and you can win a great prize, and also help people.

Thank You Very Much.

Katie.

Again - this is not anything I am a part of nor do I condone! Please do NOT reply to that email if you have received it.

ACK!

Best Weather Resource

I know there are tons of places online to get weather information from. We are one of those families that pays a lot of attention to weather. Hubby would actually love to be a meteorologist, I keep up because I am a little (stop laughing everyone who knows me) afraid of storms, and T has just grown up with our fascination and so he is interested as well.

Our favorite place online for weather information is always the NOAA's National Weather Service. We find it's updated so much more than any other local or national sites. It's easy to use. If you just want a simple forecast they have it, but if you want more in depth information you can find that too.

We have our page for our zip codes forecast bookmarked and on our home page for our family intranet. This way it's quick access for all. Just click here and in the upper left corner enter your zip code and click go. This will bring up you local forecast - now bookmark that page. Instant access to up to date local forecasts whenever you like.

For you other homeschool families this is a fantastic resource. Along with the local weather there are tons of maps, historical data, information on types of weather, and just so much more!

Ack! Cookie Sample Recalled!

Ack - just got a recall email from Kashi saying the cookie sample they sent me is now included in the recall for all the peanut stuff. Ummm, that cookie is LONG gone - I got it back in October! I guess after all these months I'm going to be ok even though I ate it.

I could live without peanuts personally, but poor Hubby is not enjoying all of these peanuty things being recalled. Peanuts I think are his favorite food, particularly peanut butter which he puts on just about everything! Poor Hubby.

Kindle 2 Has Arrived!

Amazon has announced the latest generation of the wireless reading device, the new Kindle 2. So what is so great about the Kindle 2? It can hold over 1,500 books! It's only about 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines and weighs about 10.2 ounces (lighter than a paperback) no matter how many "books" you put on it. There are no monthly fees, services plans, or hunting down Wi-Fi hotspots since it uses 3G to download books. The reading display has been improved with 16 shades of gray for easier reading. The battery life is 25% longer.

This is a very cool gadget that I think readers will enjoy. Go take a wander around at amazon to look at the new Kindle 2 and watch some of the videos and see what you think. You can order one now of course and get free shipping!

Hmmm, I have a birthday coming up in a couple of months. Maybe I should drop a hint to hubby about this for a gift?

Easy Apple Crisp

They ate it so fast I didn't get a picture tonight - sorry about that! They enjoyed the blackberry crumble so much that I thought I would try something similar tonight. We had a few apples in the fruit bowl so that's what I grabbed. This Apple Crisp is just as simple as the last one so even if you think you can't cook give it a try. The topping is crisper on this (if you eat it right away) than the topping from the blackberry crumble. The graham cracker crumbs give it a different taste than most which have oats.

3 apples (I used Gala because that's what I had)
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 stick butter, divided
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and slice apples thinly. Toss gently with the lemon juice. Take about 1 tsp of the butter and use it to grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish. Layer in the sliced apples into the baking dish.

In a bowl combine brown sugar, white sugar, flour, graham cracker crumbs, and cinnamon. Stir to mix. Cut the butter into small pieces and cut into sugar/flour mixture. You could use a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers (this is my method). Just keep going until the butter is in small pieces coated with the dry mix. Then sprinkle it all on top of the apples. Bake for about 50 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Giveaway Reminder

Just wanted to give you all a quick reminder about my current giveaways. There is the Comment & Win #5 for your chance to win a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card and the Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair Giveaway. I've got a few more lined up that will be coming up soon as well. Remember to keep track of all of them on the main giveaway page.

Give Your Guy a Hint

We all know that Valentine’s Day is coming up in less than a week. However, sometimes men just don’t notice or maybe they just are procrastinating, I’m not sure. I do know though that some men are wonderful romantic and get it, some men are ok at the whole event, and then there are others who struggle. My Hubby falls in this last category usually.

It’s not to say that Hubby doesn’t try, he does, really. I think that he honestly just doesn’t get it though and I honestly think my expectations are too high also. I am the dreamer type – I want that incredibly romantic dream that you see in the movies type thing. To be truthful though, that really isn’t us to start with so why I would expect it to be different on Valentine’s Day or on our wedding anniversary (the day after on Feb 15) I don’t know.

What I have learned is that Hubby needs hints, and well sometimes, I just have to even hit him over the head with it even! I have to do this with just about any holiday with him. I used to resent it, but now I’ve come to realize it’s partially my fault. What helps him do better and me feel better about hints/hits is that I offer multiple ideas up to him. This way he actually picks things out of a group so I am partially surprised still.

So how to leave hints and hits? First think about what you want. Then find sources for it – some guys require a little more help than others. You know how yours is already, do what he needs. Be as subtle as you like or as obvious as you like, whatever works for you and your guy!

Some ideas to get you started:

• Want flowers? Find pictures of what YOU like. Not everyone wants roses (they are my favorite though all year round). Find advertisements in the newspaper, online, etc. and print them out, cut them out, or email them to your guy. Again, be as specific as he needs. If you want him to stay in a certain budget then give him pics of things with the prices on them. If you print something out hang it on the fridge, the mirror, put in his underwear drawer, etc.
  
  
• Would you rather have some jewelry? There is such a vast array of jewelry available and you need to let him know what you like. Do you wear only gold, only platinum, or only silver? Make sure he knows! Don’t like the tacky heart shaped stuff that is everywhere this time of year, make sure he knows it. Again, pictures will help tremendously! If your guy is internet savvy try making a wish list on a jewelry site and emailing it to him even.
  
  
• Would a romantic dinner out be more to your liking? Pick your favorite spots, pick up menus if you can, leave the phone number if you need reservations. Say things this week at dinner about how wonderful a night off from cooking would be, or how you would so enjoy the fabulous pasta at such-and-such restaurant.
  
  
• Want some sexy lingerie? It seems what men think looks good on us and what we think looks good and we feel comfortable showing off are two different things. Sizes are important here – be sure he knows what size to buy. Call your favorite local store and ask if you can make a wish list with them and then send him in on his own to pick what he likes out of your list.
  
  
• Even if your budget is $0 this year, you can still give hints. Would you enjoy spending the night in and having a romantic picnic dinner in the living room and slow dancing? Get the picnic basket out for him so he knows where it is. Put in your favorite CD. Whatever it is – just help a guy out.
  

On top of showing him what you DO want, sometimes you need to show them what you do NOT want. It’s ok to include pictures with a big red X on it also to show him what you really don’t want. I mean honestly you may want candy and you are thinking a big heart shaped box of Godiva truffles and he just buys a box of those antacid conversation hearts. Not the same thing at all!

Some of you may be thinking it’s the thought that counts and don’t be so damn picky! I agree that it is nice the guys want to get us something, but they also really do want us to be happy with what they get for us also. Some of them just need a little help. We all want Valentine’s Day to be a good day and really enjoy what we give and get for each other. Part of your giving is helping him be a good getter!

Remember though, in the end, all you need is love!

Bloggers Call to Action

My friend Connie over at BrainFoggles posted her Bloggers Call to Action this evening and I think it's fantastic! While I have been lucky that I haven't really experienced some of the negative stuff within the blogging community, I do know that it exists because I've heard so many others talking about it on Twitter and posting about it on their blogs.

The gist of this Call to Action - be supportive and kind to each other! The list originally is from Connie's friend Drew, she passed it along on her blog, and now I am passing it along here on mine:

1. Don’t take part in gossiping about other bloggers
2. Don’t be negative about other blogs and the people behind them
3. Visit 3-5 random blogs this week
4. Leave a genuine comment
5. Search the blog and tweet or stumble an older post
6. Compliment the blogger on what they are doing well

I know you all have it in you, show the love by your actions and try to complete the list above. I know you can do it! Please comment below with your own link also if you post about this on your blog.

Liquidation Sales Suck

I’m not sure why so many people get excited about liquidation sales these days, in general they suck. I keep seeing people on local email groups, on twitter, and around the internet, plus in real life who were all excited about the possible deals they would find when Circuit City announced their closing. I heard liquidation right away and knew that it would be a waste of time to visit the closing stores. Now I don’t claim to know all the ins and outs of how these things work, but this is what I’ve concluded from the liquidation sales I’ve seen the past 15 years or so.

First a store announces they are closing. You might have a week or so of the actual store having a sale with some decent sale prices. However, most will be all sales final. Then you start hearing a bunch of advertisements for their GIANT liquidation sales, HUGE going out of business, ready to make a DEAL, and all those other very excitable ads. Don’t forget about those people you see holding the stack of signs on every street corner in the area also. At this point another company has come in, the liquidator company. I’m not sure if they have bought everything themselves or if they just get a big percentage or what, but effectively you are no longer buying something from the original company, now you are buying from the liquidator. These people are snakes (the people in charge at least that are brought in). They hike up the prices and then mark down and so the sale price is the regular price or just a small fraction lower. Then they bring in their own merchandise also. This merchandise is junk stuff they already have that is low in price to start so they can advertise something that sounds great for a super low price – like a 42” flat screen TV for ONLY $300. You get there and it’s some junk brand you have never heard of and all the rest of the brands are about the same price they always have been or maybe a regular sale type price. Again though, the catch is also that all sales are final. If you are buying something like a DVD or CD that isn’t as big of a deal, but if you buy something bigger then it becomes an issue.

I’m sure there are some fantastic bargain hunter people out there who can find a few good deals here and there at liquidation sales. The vast majority of us though will never find those amazing bargains that they try to trick you into believing are there in the advertisements. What’s even worse is that many people who don’t research what they are buying get screwed but think they have gotten a good deal. I’ve had some family members and friends think they got a great deal and they don’t realize until after the fact what they bought was actually just a junky version of what they wanted. Then they end up spending more money to buy a replacement and have no way to return the original purchase.
Just beware of the liquidation sales. I’m sure with the economy right now we are going to see more and more of this for a bit. Try to do your homework and be a savvy shopper!

The Messy Desk Week 2

I'm working on getting that messy desk of mine cleaned up. I posted the pic last week and posted a challenge to all of you to share your work areas also. Some of you were horrified, others of you said your desks were just as bad if not worse.

While I tidy my desk often, it ends up messy again quickly. This week I started actually going thru the items and getting rid of stuff which is making a huge difference. It is taking much longer to clean this way though. My local Freecycle group members have been happy though I think because I gave away a lot of stuff there. There were plenty of things that went into the recycle bin also. So here is a newer picture and you can see there is some improvement, but remember it's a work in progress! I'll keep you all up to date as I move along.

WEEK 2 - A little better

WEEK 1 - Yikes!

Mad Libs Card Game Review

I love Mad Libs, always have. I started doing them in elementary school and my friends and I would just roll with laughter. As I got older we did dirty Mad Libs and laughed even harder! As a mom I started doing Mad Libs with my son in early elementary school to help teach him the different types of words. It has always been such a fun learning tool. Then I spotted the Mad Libs Card Game and thought that it would be a hoot to play. We incorporate games into homeschool as much as possible to keep things fun. Well, I bought it, we played it, and not so much the hoot I thought it would be.

It’s really not very similar to the Mad Libs fill in the blank type pads we are all used to. Instead the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are already printed on the playing cards, although there are some blank ones where you can pick your own words. Each player gets 10 cards and you have to make sentences each round of certain lengths. While the resulting sentences are silly, it’s just not quite the same as regular Mad Libs are. Maybe it’s the lack of anticipation of picking the words to fill in and hearing a story read back to you. It does still have some educational potential for learning about nouns and verbs and such. However, you are missing those connecting words which make sentences sound so much smoother.

If you have a chance to play someone else’s copy by all means try it. If you see it at a garage sale for 25¢ or so it’s worth it. Should you spend retail of about $6 on the game, probably not. Sorry Mad Libs folks, the card game just isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. Don’t worry though; I still love the original Mad Libs just as much as always.

Wordless Wednesday - Things On My Cat

"Things On My Cat"
Photo by T
(join in Wordless Wednesday here)

Mom Central's Valentine's Day Giveaway & Gift Guide

Mom Central has another Gift Guide & Giveaway going on with more fabulous prizes! Check in each weekday now thru Valentine's Day for your chance to win. You need to click on each individual prize you are interested in and leave your comment there in order to be entered.

Thanks Luxaholics!

The mailman brought another goodie today! This one from Stephanie at Luxaholics. She held a giveaway on Twitter and that is how I won. See, I'm telling you that you need to get on Twitter, lots of fun and prizes! (You can follow @Luxaholics too)

My prize was this fabulous smelling Crabtree & Evelyn Cleansing Body Polisher with lemon and coriander essential oils. I can not wait to try this out!

Stop by and visit the Luxaholics website also for how to live the luxe life for less. All sorts of fabulousness going on over there!

Thanks Hooked on Houses

Thanks to Julia @ HookedOnHouses for my latest prize, an Amazon.com gift certificate! If you haven't visited her blog it is a must visit. She has some great regular features and tons of great pictures of all types of houses. One of my favorite features are when she shows pics from great houses in the movies. It's a great blog to daydream on. Thanks again Julia!


P.S. Julia is on Twitter also, follow her @HookedOnHouses

Teen Safety Online

Keeping our kids safe seems to be getting more and more complicated. We are still learning how to protect ourselves online as adults and as parents we need to learn to protect and educate our children also. It is imperative that parents stay up to date on technology to understand what is available and not just bury our heads in the sand and pretend our kids would never search out questionable things online or be foolish enough to meet a stranger in real life. As the mom of a teenager this is a big part of my job as parent – helping T understand how to be safe online and keeping a check on things.

NetSmartz, a leading online resource of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, has developed NSTeens to help educate, engage, and empower our teens and tweens as internet users. Their website includes some great tools including bios, comics, and videos covering things like social networking, cyberbullying, and offline consequences.

If you have a teen or tween please take some time to visit NSTeens together and watch the videos (they are cartoon at first, but then real life teens responding), read the comics, and see the other resources available. Talk about it, share your feelings, look together at the pages they may have set up on MySpace, Face Book, or other places and make sure they are trying to be safe. It really is very important!

This is also a great resource to pass along to your friends and family who also have kids of their own. Even if you are aware, what about the parents of your teens friends? What kind of access do they have when they are at someone else’s house? Share and help all of us!

Thanks to Mom Central for letting me know about NSTeens!

Giveaways from the Blogosphere

I know, I know, I've been slacking off on my lists of giveaways for you all. Sorry about that. Here are a few to keep you busy. Good luck as always! Oh - and don't forget you can always find my own giveaway (and past winners lists) on the main giveaway page.

• Glimpse Reviews (ends 2/6)
  Win a set of reusable bulk shopping bags
  
  
• Unexpected Bliss (ends 2/3)
  Win a $100 Visa Gift Card
  
  
• Unexpected Bliss Reviews (ends 2/4)
  Win a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card
  
  
• The Dirty Shirt (ends 2/9)
  Win a Card Cubby
  
  
• The Dirty Shirt (ends 2/3)
  Win a Honestech Audio Recorder Deluxe
  
  
• The Mom Buzz (ends 2/9)
  Win a Dirty Sue Martini Gift Set
  
  
• Mommy Mandy (ends 2/10)
  Win one of 3 $20 Pizza Hut Gift Cards
  
  
• Feels Like Home (ends 2/2)
  Win a strand of pearls!
  
  
• Feels Like Home (ends 2/4)
  Win one of 2 $50 credits for Flora2000
  
  
• SAHM Reviews (ends 2/5)
  Win a SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer
  
  
• A Wrestling Addicted Mommy (ends 2/8)
  Win a Kittyng Kit
  
  
• The Queen Speaks (ends 2/22)
  Win an assortment of polymer clay embellishments
  
  

Review & Giveaway - Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair

Do you have furry members of your family? We have two wonderful cats, Peaches and Lottie, who are very furry members here in our home. Keeping up with the cat fur is always a battle. Now we provide them all sorts of other places for them to lounge and sleep, but they sneak up on the sofa and chair fairly often. This is evident by the fur they leave behind. Peaches has mostly white and her fur seems to “stick” the most. The fabric is a tan microfiber material. I was offered the chance to review Pledge’s Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair to see how well it would pick up the cat fur.

The sweeper is a lightweight plastic item that you move back and forth in quick short strokes. When you go one way it picks up the fur and when you move the opposite directions it removes the fur from the brush. The working part looks like 2 lint roller brushes sort of, the top side is the collection area. It definitely picks up the fur because there is some in the container now that I’ve used it on the couch and chair. It did not pick every single piece of fur up, but it got just as much as a tape-type lint roller would. I like that it is lightweight and fairly small and requires no electric or batteries to work.

For me it was a little hard to hold. The top is contoured to fit a hand, and even has little raised areas to help with grip. My hands just didn’t fit well in this area though and kept sliding up and I would lose my grip. I had to hold it at the actual base instead which is a bit uncomfortable. Hubby tried it also and found the contour grip area to work find for him.

Doing a search on Google I see these look like they sell for around the $5 to $6 each range. A pretty fair value I think for the tool. The sweeper is a disposable tool; there is no emptying it out. Once it is full you dispose of it. It does state that it will pick up as much pet hair as 145 sticky roller sheets which seems believable based on what I have seen.

GIVEAWAY: Pledge has offered another Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair as a prize to one of my readers! To enter just leave a comment below telling me the name or names of your furry pets and if you have a picture up leave a link so we can see them too (picture is optional).

Rules: Sorry, but this one is only open to those in the USA. You may enter one time only (as always if you cheat and enter using other people’s info or fictional people I will ban you from all my giveaways). You must have your email visible in your profile OR include it in your comment to win. You have until 11:59 pm central on February 14, 2009 to get your entry in. I will select one winner and email them. They have 48 hours to claim their prize or I will move on to another winner. Good luck!

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program by SC Johnson, who also supplied the product for review and giveaway.

This giveaway has ended
Visit the main giveaway page for the winners
and all of the open giveaways still available!