Featured Birthday Freebies & Discounts, Product Reviews & Giveaways, Plus Frugal Birthday Tips

Thank you all for participating. This giveaway has been completed.

Having tried only one cereal bar in the past, I can honestly admit to not being a fan of them. However, I have long been a loyal customer of Chex cereals and thought the new Turtle Chex Mix Bars might be worth a try. Treats like this come in handy as snacks while we’re out camping, after school or even as a filler for those birthday goodie bags.

I was able to snag one before the rest of my family snagged the loot. Apparently they were a hit and I’ve been told these would be great for my kids’ sleepovers and we “so need to bring these camping.” I haven’t even told them that there are also Chocolate Chunk Chex Mix Bars.

The new Turtle Chex Mix Bars combine crunchy Chex pieces, pretzels and peanuts with chewy and indulgent ingredients like caramel and chocolate. They have less than 150 calories per bar and provide at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving.

Now for the really good stuff, I have the pleasure of giving away three Baskets of Indulgence which include a box of tasty Turtle Chex Mix Bars, chocolate candles, caramel lotion and spa essentials (loofah, hand massager, nail brush and spa towel) - pictured above.

I received one of these baskets, thanks to My Blog Spark, and can tell you that the lotion smells heavenly as do the candles - which can be dangerous to someone like me who loves caramel and chocolate. I really am trying to lose weight before the holidays!

So are you all ready to enter to win one of these baskets?

Giveaway!

Enter to Win a Chex Mix Bars Basket of Indulgence:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would do if you won this indulgent gift - save it for yourself or possibly give it as a birthday or Christmas gift?
2. Must have a valid email address within the United States (no International entries please)

Earn extra entries by:

• Subscribing to my RSS Feed via email or reader
• Blog about this giveaway
• Add the Free Birthday Treats button to your site (grab it from upper left sidebar)
• Leave an additional comment for each extra entry

Deadline: Midnight, November 15, 2008

I will choose three random winners from participants who have entered correctly and post it on November 16, 2008. I verify subscribers and button placement on blogs.

Each winner has 4 days to claim prize otherwise I will choose another.

Good luck to everyone!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

Thank you all for participating. This giveaway has been completed.

If you’re anything like me, your meals are planned mere minutes before dinner is supposed to be ready. I’d like to say that I fly by the seat of my pants and I can throw these wonderful meals together, but the sad fact is…I wasn’t blessed with that gift. After almost 22 years of marriage, I think this is finally sinking in with my husband and he has taken pity on me and started cooking more often.

This does not mean I don’t like to try. I actually love to team up with my husband or kids to cook meals. I just need help with meal planning so when Karen from Lily On the Fly, an award winning meal planning system, offered to send me the Hearty Meals for Hungry Families Starter Kit, I jumped at the opportunity.

This starter kit comes with a 36 card pack of hearty family favorites which include color photos of each dish (very handy!) and are color coded depending on what type of meal: dinner, dessert, appetizer, etc. I had my family sort through and pick which one they’d like to try. The kids loved this because not only did they have a say in what was for dinner, but they also got to help cook that meal. The ingredients for each meal is on the back of that card which makes creating a grocery list a snap, however, the cards are easily transported in a purse for those that plan on the fly, like me.  In fact, there is a handy Limited Edition Lily Carrying Case to keep the cards organized.

Once the shopping is done, use the clear 7-slot magnetic refrigerator holder (comes with the starter kit) to display that week’s meals. This way everyone knows what is for dinner any given night and they know who is supposed to be helping.

Now these recipes are meant to help save time so some ingredients might call for packaged mashed potatoes, instant rice or some other quick ingredient. For those wanting to stay away from processed items like that, you can certainly either create it from scratch or substitue. I’ve done both and the meals turn out fabulous. There are also add-on recipe cards for more variety and blank Create Your Own cards.

Lily On the Fly has partnered with Card Cubby to create the Little Lily Quick Dinner Solutions which comes with a Card Cubby Organizer, 10 Quick Dinner recipes, 5 Create Your Own cards and an 8-slot meal plan card holder.

I’ve found Lily On the Fly, which happens to be a mom-invented product made in the USA, to be a true time and money saver for our family. I don’t even want to think about how much money we’ve blown eating fast food. Makes me cringe!

With the holidays right around the corner, Lily On the Fly is offering a 20% discount PLUS a free 5 card holiday set of their totally cute cards that make a complete holiday meal. Just enter code FBT4Lily which is good through December 31st.

Would you be interested in a Lily On the Fly Hearty Meals for Hungry Families Starter Kit? I thought you might! Karen has graciously offered to give away a starter kit to one lucky winner!

Giveaway!

Enter to Win a Lily On the Fly Heart Meals for Hungry Families Starter Kit:

1. Visit Lily On the Fly, jot down (1) the three simple steps to getting dinner done using the Lily On the Fly system (hint: these are on the home page), (2) which Lily product line do you like best (Classic Lily Line or Little Lily Collection and (3) why you’d like to win.
2. Come back here and leave that information in a comment.
3. Must have a valid email address within the United States (no International entries please)

Earn extra entries by:

• Join Lily On the Fly’s Mailing List
• Subscribing to my RSS Feed via email or reader
• Blog about this giveaway
• Add the Free Birthday Treats button to your site (grab it from upper left sidebar)
• Leave an additional comment for each extra entry

Deadline: Midnight, November 15, 2008

I will choose a random winner from participants who have entered correctly and post it on November 16, 2008. I verify subscribers and button placement on blogs.

Each winner has 4 days to claim prize otherwise I will choose another.

Good luck to everyone!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

Guest Post written by Heather Reynolds from Birthday In A Box

Planning enough games and activities is extremely important when organizing a successful children’s party. Although snacks, cake, and decorations are also important, children can only eat and admire décor for so long, but they can play for hours!

There are two important things to keep in mind with party activities. First, plan to have a couple extra games or crafts on hand as back-ups. These ideas will rescue you if the children finish an activity more quickly than you expected. Second, even though you’ve planned a certain timeframe for each activity and have a game plan, be flexible! If the kids are enjoying a certain game and want to play it over and over, let them. The kids will be the best judges of whether or not a game or craft is working.

With these tips in mind, here are some games and crafts from Birthday in a Box to try at your next party. We’ve included some classic ideas as well as some more creative ideas for a wide range of choices.

Bird Feeder Craft - Great for Garden or Spring Parties!

Each child pulls a piece of yarn through a toilet paper tube and ties it in a knot. Have the children spread honey or peanut butter all around the outside of the cardboard tube using a plastic knife, then roll the tube in a paper plate filled with bird seed. Their completed birdfeeder can be taken home and hung in a tree!

Hula Hoop “Head” Off - Great for Beach or Luau Parties!

Divide the guests into teams of four, and have each team stand in a line, holding hands. Place a hula hoop in front of each line. When you say, “Go!” the first child in each line bends over and picks up the hula hoop without letting go of his or her teammate’s hand. Each child should then pass the hula hoop over his or her head and shoulders, step through, and pass it on to the arm of the next player in line while staying connected. If the children become disconnected, they must start over. The hula hoop needs to be passed down the entire line in order for a team to win.

Telephone - Great for Girls Only or Sleepover Parties!

Have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Have the birthday child start the game by thinking up a goofy line, such as “Purple cows sit in the pasture eating grass and making grape-flavored milk.” He or she should then whisper this line in the ear of the person sitting to his or her left, and so on around the circle until everyone has heard the phrase. The last player to hear the phrase should tell everyone what they think they heard, and then the birthday child should tell everyone the original phrase. The whole group will get a good laugh from the silly translation.

Marshmallow Robots - Great for Robot Parties!

Set out bowls of large marshmallows, small marshmallows, mini M&Ms, frosting, and pretzel sticks. Let each guest make a marshmallow robot using the pretzel sticks to hold them together. This is a craft they can eat!

Gathering Eggs Relay - Great for Farm or Dinosaur Parties!

Divide the children into two teams. Have them form two columns behind the starting line, with the members of each team lined up one behind the other. Give the first player on each team a spoon and an egg. Once the game starts, they can only hold the spoons by their handles.

At the start of the game, the two children at the front of each line walk or run to the goal line, turn around, and walk or run back to their teams - all while carrying the egg on their spoon. They then hand their spoons off to the next players in line.

If a child drops an egg, he or she must stop and pick it up. If the egg breaks when it falls, the child must wait to be handed a new egg. The first team to successfully complete the relay is the winner.

Freeze Dance - Great for Rock Star, Dance or Teen Parties!

Turn on the radio or play a favorite CD and have all the children start dancing. After a few moments, turn off the music and say “Freeze!” Anyone still moving is out until the next game begins. The game continues until only one dancer remains.

For more great ideas, visit the Party Planning Page at Birthday in a Box.

Wow! I completely overlooked my 100th post which was Beau-coup’s 4 day sale so I’ll celebrate on my 101st post!

For someone like me who struggles to write (give me a camera any day over writing), it is quite an accomplishment to know that I’ve already done 100 posts! I feel my writing has really improved and I’m finally finding my own writing style.

Thank all of you for stopping by, leaving some comment luv, entering the giveaways or dropping your Entrecard. I appreciate all the support!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working on a new look for my Free Birthday Treats website as well as adding lots of new free birthday offers. There are also a lot of new giveaways coming up from Lily on the Fly, Mighty Leaf, Zoobs, Karito Kids and Superstructs so be sure to stick around!

Many thanks,

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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I just received an email from my friends at Beau-coup - apparently they are having a 4 day site-wide sale with discounts ranging from $10 - $30 off purchases of $75 or more.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

I’m loving this product! Invented by fellow mom entrepreneur, Wendy Krepak, the Card Cubby organizes gift cards, coupons, reward cards, game cards (like Dave & Busters), business cards, frequent flyer or shopper cards and the list goes on. I never realized how many cards I carried around until I pulled them all out of my purse to put them in my Card Cubby. It’s no wonder I can never find anything in there! So this is what I was using before - just for my coupons:

Yes, my old coupon organizer was quite an eye sore and I was forever getting frustrated with it because the flap would continually flip back over making it tough to hunt through my coupons inside and the snap to close it broke off long ago. With the Card Cubby the flap is much longer and stays flipped open and the magnetic snap closure easily secures the contents inside.

The Card Cubby can even be used as a wallet. Just insert your photo id into the clear pocket and stash the cash and credit cards inside. There is even room for a cell phone, iPod or small digital camera. It’s compact size makes it so easy to carry around by itself or tuck it away inside your purse like I do. It measures 5″ wide by 3″ tall and holds approximately 80 cards.

Ah, but maybe passion pink is not your color. I chose it because I’m passionate about saving money and not misplacing my gift cards then not being able to find them before they expire! The Card Cubby is made of a soft, buttery material that is wipe-able and durable to stand up to all the use it will get! It’s available in eight different colors and designs. There is even a Wedding Edition Card Cubby perfect for brides and/or bridesmaids.

If all this isn’t enough, check out the Card Cubby Kool Tools page for extra items like a mini brag book or a Picopad. Wendy has even teamed up with Karen from Lily on the Fly to offer the Little Lily Quick Dinner Solutions. This collection includes 10 quick dinner recipes, 5 create your own cards, in a slim holder.

I’m thinking this would make an awesome birthday or Christmas gift for just about any woman: teachers, moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters or a best friend. The Card Cubby retails for $24.95 ($28.95 for the Caramel Leather) and for a limited time Wendy is offering free shipping and a 10% discount if you enter the code CC208.

Thanks to Wendy’s generosity, I’m pleased to announce that two lucky winners will receive a Card Cubby of their own - gift cards not included.

Giveaway!

Enter to Win a Card Cubby Giftcard Organizer:

1. Visit Card Cubby, jot down (1) what color Card Cubby you would choose if you won, (2) which Kool Tool you like the most and (3) why you’d like to win.
2. Come back here and leave that information in a comment.
3. Must have a valid email address within the United States (no International entries please)

Earn extra entries by:

• Subscribing to my RSS Feed via email or reader
• Blog about this giveaway
• Add the Free Birthday Treats button to your site (grab it from upper left sidebar)
• Leave an additional comment for each extra entry

Deadline: Midnight, November 10, 2008

I will choose two random winners from participants who have entered correctly and post it on November 11, 2008. I verify subscribers and button placement on blogs.

Each winner has 4 days to claim prize otherwise I will choose another.

Good luck to everyone!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email  

Weird Word Origins, World Mythology and Publishing Children’s Books

When my daughter was in 5th or 6th grade, her class along with some parent volunteers (I was one) went on a field trip to the Arizona State University to learn more about Mars and were treated to a presentation by a professor about word origins. The history behind words is really quite amazing.

In The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Weird Word Origins, Paul McFredries shares the history behind words like freelance which was coined in 1820 by Sir Walter Scott when he said: “I offered Richard the services of my Free Lances…” He was talking about mercenary knights of the Middle Ages who, in “bustling times” would sell their warrior skills to the highest bidder. By the end of the nineteenth century, the word had come to mean a self-employed journalist or writer. Nowadays it refers to anyone who is self-employed.

How about gadzooks, flibbertigibbet, yacht or scrimmage? Find out the history behind these and more with The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Weird Word Origins which retails for around $10-11 on Amazon.

Not only is my interest piqued by the history behind words, but also by the history and value of myths in society. In the introduction to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Mythology, the authors, Evans Lansing Smith, Ph.D. and Nathan Robert Brown, share that myths have nothing to do with fact or fiction, but with truth and how they have been used through out time to teach lessons, express emotions and the meaning of life.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Mythology explores legends and tales from all corners of the globe from gods and goddesses to modern day mythology in pop culture.

My son was quite thrilled to discover the Vomiting Creator (Bushongo) who’s acts of creation are quite involuntary when he begins heaving and retching up the sun, moon, stars and creatures, including men. Yep, definitely the kind of thing that boys find interesting.

Ancient legends from Egyptian, Celtic, Teutonic, Norse, Japanese, Mexican, Native American and many other civilzations can be found within the pages of this book, which retails for around $14 on Amazon as well.

By no means am I the writer in our family. That talent passed me by and has been placed in the very capable hands of my daughter and son. My daughter spends hours writing her stories and I’m sure will become a published author some day. My son spends more time drawing the pictures for his stories than writing the actual story, but I’m sure this will change over time and felt it’s never to early for them to learn how to publish a book.

When the third edition of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books arrived on our doorstep, my son looked at me and informed me that he was going to use this book to publish his book for other kids to read. I don’t know how the author, Harold D. Underdown, fit all these nuggets of information into this book, but it is jam-packed with everything one would need to know from the very start to the very end of publishing a children’s book.

This book addresses the common hurdle “I don’t know what to write!”, encourages writers to keep at it with the old adage “practice makes perfect” and seeking out a writer’s group for feedback. There are 33 chapters in this book with advice on how to write books children and parents will love, insider information on publishers and professional strategies. It retails for around $13, again from Amazon.

All three of these books were recently released in August of this year and are certainly worth another look so be sure to check them out.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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A member of the:

Whether you’re a first time or seasoned voter, why not take advantage of some of the freebies being offered to voters. Here are a few links that I’ve come across that list some freebies for voters on Election Day:

Sisterly Savings: Freebies: Just for Voting Freebies HeadQuarters

ABC15 - Phoenix: If you vote tomorrow, you’ll get free stuff at Valley stores

Wallet Pop: Election Day freebies abound for voters: Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Ben & Jerry’s and much, much more

There are many more links, but the majority seem to list the same freebies…Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Ben & Jerry’s and Chick-fil-A.

Interestingly enough, according to the Daily Breeze these voter freebies may be breaking the law in California. Visit the Daily Breeze to read the whole article.

Do you know of a voter freebie for tomorrow’s election day? Please share it with us!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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What a turn out! A total of 136 comments were entered for the Birthday In A Box giveaway! Although a few were entered after the cut off so they don’t technically count, but wow…you all blew me away and hopefully Nicole over at Birthday In A Box!

I feel it’s important to mention that I pulled a couple of numbers from Random.org, but because the participants didn’t enter correctly, I had to do it again, so please be sure to enter these giveaways correctly. I’m sure you don’t want to miss out on these awesome treats!

Now on to the winners! The lucky numbers pulled from Random.org were 2 and 40 which would be:

#2 - Corrie @ “Cents”able Momma

and

#40 - Lisa

Congratulations Corrie and Lisa and again thank you all for entering! Be sure to subscribe below so you don’t miss out on upcoming giveaways and more great deals!

A special thanks to Nicole at Birthday In A Box for providing the samples for our evaluation and for the two $25 gift certificates for the giveaway!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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Another Halloween is upon us and this year I thought for sure my teenage daughter would forgo the activities, but she is gracing us with another year of carving pumpkins, donning a costume and trick-or-treating. In fact, the whole family is dressing up this year, which has my son totally excited that this is going to be the “best Halloween ever!” Since Halloween only falls on a Friday once every 7 years, it is turning out to be a big party night at my BIL’s house.

Are you dressing up this year? If so, as what? That being said, I still need to figure out what I’m doing for my costume. Time for me to venture out of my office cave and get creative.

I hope you all have a spooktacular Halloween and be safe!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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