Site Name: Coupons and Freebies Mom

Site URL: http://www.couponsandfreebiesmom.com/

Prize Description: very easy entry to fill out a form to win a Kindle Fire!

Entry deadline: February 29, 2012

Open to: Open Worldwide

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.couponsandfreebiesmom.com/kindle-fire-giveaway-form

Site Name: Mom~E~Centric

Site URL: http://www.momecentric.com

Prize Description: General Mills Cereal

Entry deadline: February 10, 2012

Open to: 18+ US

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.momecentric.com/2012/contests-2012/we-are-cereal-in-this-house

Site Name: Obvious MARvelous

Site URL: http://www.obviously-marvelous.com

Prize Description: Win a Cody Simpson fashion doll

Entry deadline: February 19th, 2012

Open to: US

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.obviously-marvelous.com/2012/01/28/cody-simpson-doll-review-giveaway-219/

Site Name: The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug

Site URL: http://www.jmanandmillerbug.com

Prize Description: Win an Ozeri Kandle eReader Light! A must have!

Entry deadline: February 11, 2012

Open to: US, Canada, 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://jmanandmillerbug.com/2012/01/ozeri-kandle-ereader-light-review-and-giveaway.html

Site Name: Colorado Moms

Site URL: http://coloradomoms.com

Prize Description: a set of 2 Kickboard Scooters (1 Mini Kick for ages 2-5, and 1 Maxi Kick for ages 5-11)

Entry deadline: February 5, 2012

Open to: Cont. US 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://coloradomoms.com/giveaways/maxi-kick-kickboard-scooter-giveaway/

Site Name: Printfirm

Site URL: http://blog.printfirm.com/

Prize Description: 500pcs.Business Cards for one winner
Size: 2” x 3.5”
14pt Cardstock UV Coated
6 Business Days Turnaround
Free Design
Free shipping

Entry deadline: February 25, 2012

Open to: 18+ USA ONLY

Enter this giveaway here: http://blog.printfirm.com/500-business-card-giveawayends-122512

Site Name: Blessings Abound Mommy

Site URL: http://akblessingsabound.com

Prize Description: Enter to win a Snapfish Gift Card!

Entry deadline: February 9th, 2012

Open to: US

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.akblessingsabound.com/2012/01/giveaway-gerber-life-college-plan-project-open-book-picture-mosaic-25-snapfish-gift-card.html

Site Name: Obvious MARvelous

Site URL: http://www.obviously-marvelous.com

Prize Description: Win a Baby Brezza Temp Controlled Water Kettle

Entry deadline: February 16th, 2012

Open to: US

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.obviously-marvelous.com/2012/01/26/baby-brezza-temp-control-water-kettle-review-giveaway-217/

Site Name: Mommy Octopus

Site URL: http://mommyoctopus.com

Prize Description: $150 Cash

Entry deadline: February 3, 2012

Open to: US 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://mommyoctopus.com/2012/01/ebates-150-giveaway-to-a-mommy-octopus-reader/

Site Name: The Night Owl Mama

Site URL: http://www.thenightowlmama.com

Prize Description: Artistry Time Defiance Skin Care line and the Intensive Skincare Renewing Peel

Entry deadline: Feb. 12, 2012

Open to: US, 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.thenightowlmama.com/2012/01/artistry-time-defiance-skincare-system-review-and-giveaway-amwayartistry.html

Site Name: Sweet Silly Sara

Site URL: http://sweetsillysara.blogspot.com

Prize Description: 1 15″inch Alphabeast. Letter Z “Zipperzoom”.

Entry deadline: February 3, 2012

Open to: US 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://sweetsillysarasara.blogspot.com/2012/01/alphabeasts-make-learning-fun-review.html

Site Name: Adventures in Mommyhood

Site URL: http://www.adventuresinmommyhood.net/

Prize Description: A Spa Giftcard

Entry deadline: February 13th, 2012

Open to: US

Enter this giveaway here: http://www.adventuresinmommyhood.net/2012/01/trop-50-true-resolutions-review.html

This morning I was awoken from a dead sleep at about 5:30 AM by a loud CLANG! CLANG! BANG! CRASH! Just like in “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas”, I jumped out of bed and ran to see what was wrong. No, it wasn’t a late visit from Santa! As it turns out, an old laptop and some computer parts in Jai’s workshop fell out of a storage cabinet spontaneously and fell down the stairs – talk about random. What a week this has been!

I’m a “Morning person”, but it would have been nice to sleep until a little later since I was working until late last night. However, the upside to being startled awake at the crack of dawn is that I got to see this beautiful pink sunrise. Here’s to a great morning!

Site Name: The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug

Site URL: http://www.jmanandmillerbug.com

Prize Description: Win a beautiful Enchanted Cottage Bouquet from Teleflora!

Entry deadline: February 10, 2012

Open to: US, 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://jmanandmillerbug.com/2012/01/win-a-beautiful-teleflora-arrangement-for-someone-you-love.html

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Eating healthy is a hot topic these days, especially as it pertains to kids. With everyone’s schedules being more hectic than ever, preparing healthy food can become a challenge. And of course, kids aren’t usually renowned for their love of vegetables! So what can you do to make sure that your kids eat right now and develop the skills they need for a healthy lifestyle in the future? I’ve shared a few of my tips below, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter as well:

• Create healthy versions of old favorites.

Your kids might hate broccoli, but who would ever turn down a slice of pizza? Health up old favorites like the reliable pizza and pasta by using whole grain substitutes, doubling up on veggies, and using smaller amounts of low-fat cheese. Brainstorm with your kids on ways that you can make their favorite meals the healthiest that they can be, and ask them for suggestions. This will lay the building blocks for creative cooking in the future and expose kids to different ingredients so that they can develop a wider palate.

• The food processor is your friend!

Amaze your kids by finely grating veggies like carrots, cucumber, and celery to include in casseroles or pasta sauce. You’ll be surprised how hard it is to taste veggies when you “Sneak” them in! Children will also love to assist you in making delicious smoothies for breakfast by picking out their favorite fruits. Behold, the power of the food processor!

• Play with your food!

Playing with your food is usually discouraged – but what if it could be a good thing? Call your kids into the kitchen and have them help you make fun and memorable meals. For example, Parenting.com has instructions on making everything from “Pear Penguins” to “Bug Bite Sandwiches”. What kid wouldn’t want to eat food this fun?

Healthy eating is a reward in and of itself, but one lucky family will get an extra bonus for cooking together – in the form of $20,000 in cold hard cash! Uncle Ben’s is proud to sponsor the “Ben’s Beginners™ Contest”, a competition designed to encourage families to start cooking together. To enter, submit a video of you and your children cooking a healthy rice-based dish and upload it to the Uncle Ben’s Facebook page. The winner will receive $20,000, a cafeteria makeover for their child’s school valued at $50,000, and an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show! Contest runs now through February 26th. To learn more and enter, click the “Like” button below to become a fan of Uncle Ben’s on Facebook and follow the link for further details.

Eating healthy isn’t always easy, but it’s important to get started so that your children get the nutrition they need now as well as they skills they will need in the future to be healthy adults. Allowing your kids to be involved with what they eat helps teach them about healthy eating habits and encourages them to experience new dishes and appreciate the joy of cooking from a young age. So tell me, moms and dads: What do YOU do to get your kids involved in the kitchen?

Site Name: Punk Rock Momma

Site URL: http://punkrockmomma.com/

Prize Description: Enter to win your very own Kidorable Umbrella for your son or daughter. Contest open to US residents 18+

Entry deadline: February 3rd, 2012

Open to: US

Enter this giveaway here: http://punkrockmomma.com/2012/01/kidorable-is-so-adorable/

Site Name: Grandma’s Guide to Life

Site URL: http://www.grandmasguidetolife.blogspot.com

Prize Description: Enter to win a fun and unique personalized message to send to your favorite guy or gal! SendaFrizbee.com puts a smile on your face!

Entry deadline: February 10, 2012

Open to: US, 18+

Enter this giveaway here: http://grandmasguidetolife.blogspot.com/2012/01/sendafrizbee-review-giveaway.html

Do you like the new meme that I created? I made this as a joke after a very chaotic day dealing with a broken furnace. Our furnace bit the dust at about 10 PM last night and starting pumping out cold air, much to my dismay. While I shivered underneath my Snuggie and lamented how much it would cost to replace the furnace, Jai started doing some research on how to repair it himself. He’s unbelievably clever at figuring out how things work and can troubleshoot everything from a computer to leaky plumbing; but I feared that this might be something too specialized for us to do it ourselves, especially since we have gas heat.

After some searching, Jai found this very helpful video:

Watching this gave Jai the confidence to go under our crawlspace and open up the furnace to see what he could find out. He saw that the hot surface ignitor had a crack in it, so he removed the part and went to a local plumbing supply store to buy a new one for $44. One hour later, the new hot surface ignitor is installed and we have heat once again! Oh, what a relief to be able to fix the problem so quickly and not have a huge bill to worry about. Jai is a genius! I wanted to share this video with you in case any of my readers are in a similar boat – it’s great information and saved us a packet of money!

Thanks to QuickMeme’s Meme Generator for helping me to create the masterpiece above. Hat photo credit goes to the unknown photographer who took the original “Scumbag Steve” photo. Furnace photo credit goes to Jai, who took this photo of our very own scumbag furnace while writing down part numbers!

Site Name: The Eclectic Element

Site URL: http://www.theeclecticelement.blogspot.com

Prize Description: Win a SpaFinder Gift Card

Entry deadline: February 14, 2012

Open to: USA only

Enter this giveaway here: http://theeclecticelement.blogspot.com/2012/01/resolutions-tropicana-trop50-and.html

Site Name: Dynasplint Cares

Site URL: http://dynasplint.org

Prize Description: an Under Armour PTH Victory Backpack

Entry deadline: February 2, 2012

Open to: US and Canada

Enter this giveaway here: http://dynasplint.org/2012/tibial-plateau-fracture-the-rom-challenge/