Yowza!

I don't usually do more than one post a day but... I can't give up on my giveaway lists. And there are a few that I bookmarked to share with you that I'm not entering so I wanted to make sure I shared those before I forget.

SO, a little list happiness...

For baby:

• Win a Sleepy Wrap carrier at The Cloth Diaper Report - I already have one so I'm out of this one, but you could be the lucky one this time! Ends January 15th.
• Win an ErgoBaby carrier at My Wee View. Ends January 15th. Again I'm set for carriers, I think, but you might want to get in on this one!
• Win a Mother-Ease OS cloth diaper and pink diaper cover (size medium) at Coupon Mommy of 2...Now 3. Ends January 10th - maybe? Or perhaps the 17th? It just says the '1th' so those are my guesses!
• Win a Mommy's Touch Easy Clean Diaper at Take Time to Smell the Rose. Ends January 17th.
• Win a Fuzzibunz OS diaper from Thanks Mama at the Thanks Mama blog, Cloth Diaper Talk. Ends January 17th.
• Win a Dropper Stopper at Creative Madness. Ends January 18th.
• Win a PlanetWise wet bag at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. ends January 14th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Ladybugs and Tonka Trucks (isn't that a cute name for a blog?!). Ends January 15th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Hot Mama gown (for hospital and breastfeeding) at My Silly Monkeys. Ends January 20th.
  
• Win a Bravado lingerie set (Sublime Nursing Bra & Matching Panty) at {Natural} Mommie. Ends January 15th.
• Win a jar of Fresh Organics Bubble Bath Petals at Simply Stacie. These look so pretty! Ends January 17th.
• Win a Timono at Fabulous Fun Finds. What's a Timono? Go find out! Ends January 10th.
• Win 15 samples of Mineral Basics makeup at Emmy's Boos and Rawrs. Ends January 19th.
• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven at Wishing Penny! Ends January 13th at noonish.
• Win a set of 3 eye shadows (a collection, or your choice) from Orglamix at Today's Diva. Ends January 15th.
  

For anyone:

• Win yummy tea and a Starbucks card to celebrate Dairy Free Betty's 100th post! Ends January 11th in the morning.
• Win a jar of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter at Sweeps4Bloggers! That sounds delish! Ends January 12th.
• Win a No-VOC Memory Foam Pillow from Relief-Mart at dkMommy Spot. Ends January 13th.
• Win a tin of Golden Moon Tippy Earl Grey Tea at Mommy 2 Two Girls. Ends January 14th.
  

and don't pass by the opportunity to win a Prego Planner right here on my blog!

Prego Planner Review - and a Giveaway!

***This giveaway is CLOSED***
The winner is: *Mirage* (confirmed)

As you may know if you have been reading along, DH and I have been trying to start a family for a while now. The first time I was pregnant, I was using a pregnancy planner that I picked up at a major chain of bookstores. There were about three options, all ugly, none with the kind of customizable format I was looking for. I used it, but I wasn’t happy with it. (You might remember my complaints about it here.) It was downright embarrassing to pull that ugly beast out at my midwife appointments. The second time, of course, didn’t get far enough to use a planner.

Next time – hopefully in the near future – I will be using the Prego Planner. I was lucky enough to win one over at Jo-Jo’s Place, and as soon as I saw it I knew this was what I’d been looking for.

The Prego Planner is not only stylish (I picked the zebra design – love it!), but functional as well. It has lots of room to write, tabs keep you organized, and I really love that because it’s a binder format, I can add my own pages. If I run out of room to write, no problem. If I want to add anything random – like an extra sleeve for ultrasound pictures or documents (it comes with one sleeve already), or, as we get ready for pregnancy #3, charting pages – no problem.

The planner already contains a lot of useful pages. There is a 12-month calendar that you can write your own dates in. Pages for your important contact information (from your health care practitioner to the people you want to call once the baby is born!), as well as a place to write your questions for your next appointment. Lots of checklists and even a gift list so you don’t forget to send your thank-you notes. The tabs make it easy to flip to the section you need.

What I really like is how customizable it is (and did I mention, not ugly?!). At 7.5x9”, it will fit in my handbag. It’s not irritatingly cutesy – it is designed for women, not children. It has lovely quotations from mothers at the beginning of each section. I can’t wait to use it!

The Prego Planner is available online, of course, as well as in a ton of stores in the US. Lucky for us Canadians, they have just begun distribution in Canada! You can now buy the Prego Planner at these stores:

Springy's, at 1048 Barton Street East in Hamilton, Ontario
Bloom Maternity at 4937B Sherbrooke Street west in Westmount, Quebec
Rolz and Sassy at 791 Queen Street East in Kincardine, Ontario
Bug and Blossom at West Market Square at 509-1851 Sirocco Drive S.W. in Calgary, Alberta
Blossom Maternity at 112 Wyndham Street North in Guelph, Ontario
My Bump at 944 Kingston Road in Toronto, Ontario

For the most up to date info on the Prego Planner (including events, reviews and giveaways of this great planner from around the web), become a fan on Facebook (search "Prego Planner").

Heather – the mother behind it all – has been generous enough to offer one of my readers a Prego Planner of her own! Whether you are planning for a baby, pregnant, or know someone who is expecting, this would make a welcome gift for those mothers-to-be.

(No, that's not Heather in the photo - it's yours truly - excuse the still wet hair and poor quality! I wanted to give a better sense of the size and how it looks in real life!)

The giveaway: A Prego Planner of the winner’s choice.

How to enter:
Visit Braelyn Bounty Bug, and tell me which planner you would choose, OR something you learned from the website. Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile!

Extra entries (leave an extra comment for each):

• Follow Braelyn Bounty Bug on Twitter (@BountyBug)
• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog - leave the URL
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to the Prego Planner website – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Let me know - would this be something you'll use yourself, or will you give it to someone lucky that you know who's expecting!
  

Eligibility: Open to US and Canadian residents.
Ends: January 19th at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be emailed and announced on this post and a separate post on my blog. If I don't hear back within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

This review was based on a product that I received as a prize from another blog. No payment was made for this review. Prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.

Hmmm

I'm thinking about spoiling myself a little with this...

a watercolour sky pointed me to this set of videos that feature a super talented and extra pretty make up tutor....

*love* the colour palette she uses - but being 33, mostly home all day alone, not having lovely eyelids, not to mention not having makeup skills - I think all those bright colours are too crazy for me.

I used to be that kind of crazy. I used to use eyelash glue to stick rhinestones under my eyes like the lovely photo of Björk on her Debut album.

Now, I'm just... well, old, I guess. Phooey.

Anyway I've been looking at tired old me in the mirror and thinking something has to be done about this. And besides a few other people raving about makeup brushes lately (I seem to recall a few ravey posts when ecoTools brushes were making the blog rounds and, more recently, the Lancome blog), especially as opposed to the old finger painting method, I think it's high time at my ripe old age to get myself some brushes.

For goodness' sake - I'm a painter. I'm actually fairly skilled with brushes. Why on earth don't I have a set for makeup?

Anyway... Having never delved into the whole makeup brush thing, does it seem like a good deal? That set is $39.95 (US, I believe). I'm not sure how relevant this is, but I saw a Quo set the other day - it was a holiday set and the 50% off price was $52. I also like that this has a case, since I tend to just toss things in my drawer (disaster for brushes), and I don't want to add to counter clutter with a holder.

I averted the Stila Crush Crisis (barely). This time what I'm craving is (cough) double the price.

Crazy? Too impulsive? Have a better suggestion?

It's been a hard day's night...

Yesterday's event-laden schedule for Cadbury: He got up early with DH and had his breakfast, then headed back to bed. After sleeping in, we went out to shovel the driveway. That is, he played frisbee while I shoveled half the driveway - he got too cold and went inside to lie down while I finished off the shoveling. Then he had another snooze by the fire for a while. I went to work and he wandered off to bed.

Hours later, DH came home and we all hopped in the car to go to the vet, where Cadbury was poked and prodded, diagnosed with a staph infection (a pretty common skin problem with dogs), given some pills for that, and had a veterinary assistant rudely poke him in the leg with a needle to draw blood. Then another car ride home, where he got peanut butter treats (his new pills enrobed in peanut butter - shh, don't tell him) and his dinner. The rest of the evening was spent snoozing, until bedtime (his self-determined bedtime is about 7:30 pm).

He's a lab. He sleeps a lot. He has skin troubles. He's about 5 lbs overweight at 85 lbs.

Today we got his test result back. He has canine hypo-thyroidism. Who knew dogs could get thyroid problems?! Apparently, it's pretty common. So now he'll be on two pills a day for the rest of his life. And hopefully it will improve his immune system, give him more energy, and help him lose those extra few pounds. Luckily, the pills aren't too pricey - about $27 for three months' worth.

But think of the cost in peanut butter!

A few giveaways for today...

For baby:

• Win a Tiny Tush Elite diaper (3 winners!) at Dirty Diaper Laundry. Ends January 18th.
• Win a Bumkins diaper bag at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends January 13th.
• Win a Fleurville Re-Run Hana diaper bag in Ogo Print from Toads & Tulips at My Silly Monkeys. Ends January 18th.
• Win a Mrs. Smith's diaper bag at Simply Stacie. Ends January 16th.
• Win a Squishy Fish onesie or tee at Canadian Natural Mama. Ends January 18th.
• Win a Sherpa sleeper from Snug Organics at BabyLuxe {daily}. Ends ?
  

For the ladies:

• Win BearPaw boots at Newly Wed, Newly Bred. Ends January 17th.
• Win a pretty jujie handbag at (oh, hello friend.) Ends January 10th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $100 to shop at CSN Stores at Running Just as Fast as I Can. Ends January 8th at noon.

OH! And some exciting news - I'll be posting a review and giveaway right here tomorrow! This is for a product that will be great for those planning a pregnancy, expecting a baby, or if you know someone who is! Curious? Come back tomorrow to see and enter for your chance to win!

I got nothin'

Nothin' much to write about, that is.

I'm feeling a little mopey today. A little sorry for myself. Which is not fun to be or to hear about.

As an aside, here's a little call to arms for Canadians from the WSPA. I just wrote a letter to the Hon. Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. If you feel like writing a letter, I urge you to do so. The WSPA has some suggestions to help write your letter, but if you feel like simply cutting and pasting, I would be happy to forward the letter I just wrote to you to adapt to your own needs.

Now let's skip directly to giveaways :)

For baby:

• Win a Dear Baby keepsake box at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. Ends January 12th.
• Win an Evenflo Symphony 65 Convertible car seat at Mommy Goggles. Ends January 22nd.
• Win a clothing item of your choice from Kuki Kids at My Wee View. Cute stuff! Ends January 15th.
• Win an organic quilted ErgoPouch at My Wee View. Ends January 15th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at New Age Mama. Ends January 13th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Lamaze Mom-to-Be gift set at Baby Makin{g} Machine. Ends January 9th.
• Win some Sothys bath products at Parent Reviewers. Ends January 9th.

For anyone:

• Win an audiobook of Jeffrey Deaver's Watchlist at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends January 9th. Have I not mentioned a million times that I love audiobooks? I listen to them all the time as I paint.
  

Going eggless

I'm doing it. I'm cutting out eggs. Well, if they're in products (like pasta, for instance), I'll still eat that. But I'm going to try not eating eggs, quiche, baking with eggs, that sort of thing. I think baking is the biggest place where I eat eggs anyway - I don't really like them straight. I'll miss quiche. But I'm going to give it a go.

Here's why... (in a convoluted post)

So today I baked for the first time without eggs in a recipe that called for them. The result? Judge for yourself:Don't they look delicious? Oh, they are! And they're just as puffy and rich tasting as any time I've baked this recipe before. The only difference is that for each egg, I substituted 1 Tbsp of ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp of water. Easy. Plus, I didn't get slimy egg white on my hands. I didn't have to crunch up the shells for the compost. And the flax adds lovely omega-3 fatty acids.

Works for me.

Just one quick giveaway for today -

For baby:

• Win a gDiaper gPant and inserts at Chelsea Said So. It's a 24 hour giveaway and ends tomorrow so hurry on over!
  

2009 recap part 2: 'No Mail' Days

(This will make more sense if you you read Part 1!)

Of course, life doesn’t always run smoothly and sometimes prizes don’t get shipped or get lost in the post.. I do follow up, if that happens, by email, but sometimes things just don’t show. If this happens to you – you’ve waited the 4-6 weeks or so, and no happy package in the mail, here’s what I do to follow up. (If it wasn't a blog contest, skip to step 3!)

1. I first email the blogger who ran the giveaway, including the ‘you’re a winner’ email, and explain that you have been waiting for the prize but it hasn’t come. Be polite. Be patient. Be understanding. The blogger, after all, usually isn’t the one who sends the prize out –it’s usually the sponsor who is responsible for shipping. So she has to get in touch with the sponsor, wait to hear back, get back to you… and she’s got other stuff going on in her life.
2. If you don’t hear back within a week or so, drop her another quick note. Say you’re just following up. Be nice.
3. If you still don’t hear back, try contacting the company that sponsored the giveaway (if there is one). Look for the email address of Customer Care, or PR on their website. Include your previous emails with the blogger. Explain the situation. If you have a blog, you might want to mention that you’d be happy to review the product (if it comes!) on your blog (only if you’re actually going to). Again, be nice.
   

If you still don’t hear or receive anything… well, you’re probably out of luck. I have had one situation where my email was bounced around within a company and they finally got back to me months later. Five months later I received the prize. I’d given up at that point. It was so worth emailing the company, though – this was the great Decleor skin care products I mentioned earlier. But mostly… by the time you have followed up 3 times, if you haven’t gotten your prize, you can forget about it.

Here are some of my disappointments from 2009 – things I won that never came:

• I won some Japanese fabrics from Lovely Little Handmades back in February that didn’t come. I was pretty excited about the fabric because I do love sewing. I am pretty sure Kerri was shipping them herself, and if they got lost in the mail I can totally understand not wanting to get more fabric and pay again for shipping.
• I won a Bazzle Big Bib from Mommy’s Quiet Time in April. Stefanie (the blogger) was so nice and kept re-contacting the company, who promised to send it out asap, but… it never came. Eventually I felt like it wasn’t worth bothering Stefanie any more – it wasn’t her fault – and just gave up.
• I won a Kleen Kanteen from Dexter’s Super Savvy Mommy in April, but when I sent my address in response to the ‘you won!’ email, I got the message that the company wasn’t shipping to Canada. The giveaway rules didn’t exclude Canada (or I wouldn’t have entered, obviously). That was a little disappointing.
• I won an audio book at A Novel Bookworm in June, from Hachette audio, which never came. I did follow up but with no result. I was looking forward to that because I listen to audio books at work all the time.
• Also in June, I won three items from Womb to Bloom (one through the forums, two in a live giveaway event): a Sweet Pea baby hat, PSI band, and a hospital maternity gown. None of which ever came. I did try following up with the forum moderators, who at first assured me they would look into it and also said they’d send them out personally, but I still didn’t receive anything and they stopped responding to my (very polite and patient) messages. A triple disappointment!
• In June again, I won Posh Pads (nursing pads) from A Kindred Spirit’s Thoughts. I got to the point of contacting one of the company owners, who told me that they have trouble shipping to Canada as “things get lost” (in my experience, mainly, they don’t… international shipping, as a business owner who ships frequently, and as a recipient, has been incredibly reliable). She said they were sent the first time, she said she’d send another set, but… nothing came.
• A Clene changing mat from Bellaziza’s Favourite Things. Again not the fault of the blogger, this just never came from the sponsor. I wasn't even sure who the sponsor was so it was hard to follow up (the product links led to the Amazon page).
  

There are a bunch more things from November and December that I am still waiting on. Hopefully they come !

I just want to mention that although I was disappointed in not receiving these prizes, I don't hold the bloggers responsible. No hard feelings! The sponsors are generally the ones who didn't come through for me, and whether things really did get lost in the post, or just didn't get sent, I would have hoped that they would have responded positively to my messages and followed through. I know prizes aren't a company's first priority. But if you're going to sponsor a contest (and get the word of mouth promotion from that), you should be prepared to hold up your end. A happy winner spreads the word - I know I do on my blog!

And if any of these sponsors should end up reading this - get in touch! I'd love to take you off the 'naughty' list and let my readers know that you did come through!

Meanwhile I do have one more long-term prize that finally showed up - I won an Expectees shirt at Things Moms Like in July, and it finally came in December, after several emails. It's cute. (And I am certainly hoping that 'practice makes pregnant' so that I can wear it with pride!)

Ultimately, out of 113 contests won, I didn’t receive 8 prizes. It’s not so bad.

Have you ever been left hanging by a prize not received?

2009 recap Part 1: Happy Mail Days

My name is Emily, and I am a giveawayaholic.

I’ve been entering giveaways for over 10 years and with all that entering, I do actually win some here and there. Some of my favourite wins from years gone by include a $5,000 gift card to HBC (from a local radio station’s online contest – that was awesome!), a KitchenAid stand mixer, a Sony digital camera, a bunch of clothing, skin care products from Decleor and Peter Thomas Roth (both really luxe and pricey, which I would never have treated myself to!) a big box of chocolate from Lindt… The random reward keeps me entering! (Pavlov’s dog, anyone?!)

I do keep track of my wins, and in 2009 the approximate retail value of everything I won was $6,265. (The year before, $7,512!). Crazy, right? It’s just a hobby. I don’t watch much tv, I don’t spend much time talking on the phone, or shopping, and since I don’t have kids (yet?!), I have the time. And while it’s partly about winning, it’s also mostly about learning about new products out there, and thinking about how they would fit into my life. Most of the time I spend entering giveaways is really time spent dreaming.

I only enter giveaways that I actually want to win! And I was the lucky winner 113 times last year. (To put that in perspective, I am entered in about 450 contests right now – that’s kind of low for me as a lot of contests ended December 31st. Not all of those are blog contests, by the way!). They say you can’t win if you don’t enter. From my perspective – if you enter, and enter, and enter some more, you are bound to win at some point.

So here are some of my favourite wins from 2009:

• In March, the $500 worth of Icebreaker clothing. I won this directly from Icebreaker in a contest on their website. They make lovely merino wool clothing that is super warm (yet breathable), thin and soft. I was worried that the wool would be itchy, but it’s not at all. For $500 worth, I chose the Courtenay jacket (they were out of stock of the jacket I initially wanted), Amazon Scoop shirt, Lily Pants, and two Bikinis. I wear my Icebreaker clothes all the time.
• Clothing from Boob. I won a top at Sweet Sticky Reviews (a blog I can no longer find), and then another top at Lipstick to Crayons. Let me just say their customer service is amazing, and the clothing I received is great quality and also very flattering. Obviously with the two lost pregnancies I haven’t had a chance to fully enjoy the maternity & nursing wear (although I confess I wear one of the nursing tops often because I like it!), but I can’t wait to wear them to their full potential!
• Lovely swaddling blankets from Miracle Blanket (directly), Beba Bean (won at Simply Stacie), and aden+anais (won at Celebrity Baby Clothes). Again, all great quality. I tested the Miracle Blanket out on my best friend’s daughter at two months; it was easy to use and she was a happy baby.
• See Kai Run shoes. I won three pairs (at Seeryus Mama, Minnesota Mama’s Must Haves, and Daily Essentials and Deals), and our future baby will be well-shod. The shoes are so cute, well-constructed, and have great packaging too.
• The Booby Trapper nursing cover from Oh My Baby. This is Canadian-made and has the great feature of two (not one) ribs that make it the best cover I’ve seen. My best friend has this on a lengthy borrow and is using it to nurse her little one.
• Baby carriers: An Evenflo Snugi Sway carrier (for newborns) from Mommy Goggles. I just love it. Can’t wait to use it. The Sleepy Wrap from The Bragging Mommy (for newborn to one year) and the Boba Carrier from Dirty Diaper Laundry (for 1-4 years). I am set for carriers.
• Cake lingerie (nursing/maternity lingerie) that I won at Now What Baby. (Most of their contests seem to be now US only so I was very lucky to get in on this.) Cake is an Australian company, and the bra, briefs, two nighties and sleep shorts that I received are the nicest lingerie I have EVER owned. The nursing bra is simply amazing – soft, so pretty and functional. I can’t say enough good things. I love this lingerie.
  

These are my most favourite things from the last year. Of course there are more - too many to go into detail (and some of which I have reviewed already), but nothing I have received has disappointed. And the majority (in quantity, not necessarily in value) of what I have won has been baby-related – with the stash I have ready for baby, he or she had better come soon!

Have you won some wonderful things? I'd love to hear about it!

This better be a happy new year

...because I can't take another crap year like the last one.

So here's to 2010 being productive, exciting and full of new beginnings!

_________

Yesterday the mail brought a lip and cheek stain from Balmshell that I won over on Sparkled Beauty (thanks!). So my crush on the Stila crush has abated somewhat as I play with my new product. The Balmshell one has cool packaging - a little swab in a clear jar on one end, and an anti-bacterial sponge on the other end for smearing on the cheeks, so you don't get blushing fingers. The colour I received was Scandalous Scarlet, which is a deep alizarin crimson in the jar and lighter (more sheer, anyway) on the lips.

I had some on last night and hubby didn't notice. But this morning I put some on and in the light of day today, the comment was, "What have you got on your face?!" Yes, I married a man full of compliments and admiration. He next told me he didn't think the colour was right for me. Then he said maybe he's just not used to it (I do have pretty pale lips and rarely wear colour so that is probably true).

I like it. It's maybe a little more towards fuchsia than I would pick but because it's sheer I can keep it light. The weird thing is, I got some on my finger and it did stain my finger a lot more than it looks like it's staining my lips. :) new makeup toy.

________

I was thinking I might do a recap on the year in terms of giveaways - I do enter an awful lot of them, and I do win some as well. I was thinking to share my favourite things I've won in the last year, and maybe sharing a little disappointment with things that I won that simply never showed up. Any interest? Or shall I just go on with things?

________

And a bit of catching up on giveaways that are on now:

For baby:

• Win a Boon Flair high chair at {Natural} Mommie. Ends January 13th.
• Win a JellyBean Baby premium AIO cloth diaper at Organic Girl. Ends January 12th.
• Win a Kalencom Ozz diaper bag at Fun and Funky Mommy. Ends January 10th.
• Win a Mrs. Smiths diaper bag at Organic Girl. Ends January 14th.
• Win a Bummis Infant or Baby Organic Cotton Prefold kit at Dirty Diaper Laundry. Ends January 11th.
• Win a 3-pack of Snappis at Organic Girl. Ends January 12th.
• Win a package of Aleva Bamboo wipes at Canadian Natural Mama. Ends January 10th.

For the ladies:

• Win Sothys home spa products at Parent Reviewers. Ends January 9th.
• Another chance to win some nice Sothys products at The Give-Away Diva. Ends January 8th.
• Win a pair of Muk Luks at My Wee View. Ends January 8th.
• Win a handbag of your choice from Handbag Heaven at Leslie Loves Veggies. Ends January 11th.
• Win two random shades of Benefit's Love Your Lips lip gloss (three winners!) at Today's Diva. Ends January 26th.
• Win your choice of product from the Cream Perfume company at Emmy's Boos and Rawrs. Ends January 6th.

For anyone:

• Win a $110 pre-paid Visa card from Kodak at Jabbering Jessi. Ends January 10th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Ecostore USA at My Silly Monkeys. Ends January 13th.
• Win a pair of Ozone socks at Joyful Reviews and Giveaways. Ends January 7th.
• Another chance for a pair of Ozone socks at Simply Stacie. Ends January 12th.
  
• Win a tin of popcorn from The Popcorn Factory at A Simple Kinda Life. Ends tomorrow, January 2nd.
• Win a tin of Golden Moon Tea at New Age Mama. Ends January 6th.
• Win a Snorg Tee at Organic Girl. Ends January 12th.