Permission Slips Book Review and Giveaway

October 30, 2009 By 22 Comments

I recently had the chance to read Permission Slips by Sherri Shepherd. Are you thinking “how do I know that name”? Sherri Shepherd is one of the co-hosts on The View and the author of Permission Slips.

A little about Permission Slips …

Covering topics such as “It’s Jesus or Jail,” “Marriage, the Hard Way,” “Children: The Gift You Can’t Give Back,” and “All the Things I Don’t Know…And All the Things I Definitely Do,” stand-up comedienne, actress, and ABC’s The View co-host Sherri Shepherd comically chronicles her struggles to keep up with the many roles-professional, wife, mother, daughter, and friend-that women must play in today’s world. Sherri urges women to pursue their most important dreams and to never give up, but also let’s readers know that it’s okay to give themselves “permission slips” when things don’t always work out the way they want them to.

My thoughts …
This book is a great easy read. Sherri’s humor carries over into the book for sure. My favorite Permission Slip that has in the book is …


When it comes to your children, you have permission to do everything wrong. Because according to them, you did anyway.

Sherri is right and that we all need a few permission slips in our lives. Even if it is just permission to pick up that piece chocolate and soda at the check out line you are standing in knowing full well you will down that chocolate as soon as you get in your vehicle!
I love how Sherri sprinkled the book with these permission slips. Most of them made me laugh and well we all need a little more humor in our lives!

Permission Slips is available at your favorite online or local bookstore so check it out!

My standard book review tips …
* Check your library for great new books. One of my friends is an avid reader and gets all of the books she wants to read from her local library free of charge!
* Share books between your friends. Start a little book swap so you don’t have to buy all of the titles yourself.

Hatchette Book Group USA has offered FIVE copies of Permission Slips as a giveaway to my blog readers!

This giveaway it TWO IN ONE so read below:

PART ONE:
I am going to try another Twitter contest since I had good feedback from the last one!
To enter to you win one of these books …
1) Follow me on Twitter.
2) Tweet the following … (must be this text to count!)

RT Follow @simplybudgeted & Tweet to Win 1 of 3 copies of Permission Slips
by Sherri Shepherd! http://bit.ly/4DrLKr #book #TheView ends 11/13

This twitter contest will be a little different. You can tweet once a day while this giveaway is going on. The more you tweet, the more entries you get. That is it.

PART TWO:
A traditional format giveaway here but you can only enter once.

Leave a comment stating what your permission slip needs to say! That’s it. Be sure to include your email or have it visible in your profile!

Details:
This drawing will end Friday, November 13th at 11:59 EST. I will pick the winners. The winners will have 48 hours to reply to my Tweet or DM with a DM that contains their address. The comment winners will be notified by email from simplybudgeted at gmail dot com and need to reply within 48 hours with their address. The prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. No PO BOX will be accepted as addresses.

NOTE: I was provided with a copy of Permission Slips from Hatchette Book Group USA to do this review. All opinions and thoughts about this book are my original opinions and thoughts.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Lifestyle, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Life Tagged With: , , ,

In search of some GREEN tips!

October 28, 2009 By 7 Comments

Do you live GREEN? Or try to live GREEN? Do you have a GREEN blog? Do you have a GREEN product you love?

Tell me about your tips, products, and sources for being GREEN.

I have several reviews with giveaways coming up that are very GREEN in nature. I have had a few GREEN tips floating around in my head for a few weeks now so I will saving them for this mini-theme.

My goal is convince you that you can make some practical, affordable changes to GREEN your life. Yes, I said practical and affordable so keep your eyes peeled for these posts!

Leave me a comment or drop me an email at simplybudgeted at gmail dot com with your tips, blog links, brands, pitches, or any other thoughts on this topic! I hope to hear from some of you on this to help make this mini-theme maybe even bigger!

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Simply Life Tagged With: ,

Are you VOTING in French’s Recipe Contest? Ends 10/31

October 28, 2009 By

Are you remembering to vote daily in French’s Recipe Contest? My husband entered a great recipe for Beef Skewers with Mango-Lime Rice and Peanut Dipping Sauce. mmmm. If you haven’t voted, go vote for his recipe here! Then check out my Vote and Comment Giveaway here. Remember voting ends 10/31!

Twittermoms.com put up a challenge to post a recipe in 140 characters or less. French’s has a new site frenchs140recipes.com where they are putting these inventive recipes up.

Here is the recipe I tweeted:

Recipe: Pineapple sauce: 20 oz crushed pineapple & 3 tbsp #frenchs yellow mustard. Cook down in sauce pan. Serve as garnish w spiral ham

TwitterMoms and French’s 140-character Twitter Recipe Contest
Check out French’s Cook-off 2009

Filed Under: Promotional, Recipes, Simply Food Tagged With: ,

"Make Time for Change" Campaign

October 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment


Have you heard of the “Make Time for Change” Campaign? I hadn’t until recently so I wanted pass along the details to you!

With the time changing this weekend, you get an extra hour in your day. What are you doing with that extra hour? Frigidaire is asking that you pledge to spend that extra hour with your child or helping children in your community. If you pledge to do that Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs! How great is that?! To top it off, as a thanks for your pledge you will be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven!

So go make your pledge and entry at the “Make Time for Change” Campaign!

Filed Under: Promotional Tagged With: , ,

E & S Boutique Hair Bow Review and Giveaway

October 28, 2009 By

** This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering! **

You might have seen my plea for help in finding hair bows for my girls awhile back. They were flower girls in their uncle’s wedding and the place I order shoes, socks, and hair bows from canceled my order because they couldn’t get it to me before the wedding. I took my plea to Twitter and Angie of E & S Boutique tweeted me back that she could work with me. I was game. I need bows. The next night Angie sent me several samples and asked me which one I wanted for the girls. I picked one that was white with a black center to match their dresses that were white with a black sash. Angie sent the bows priority mail and they showed up with several days to spare!

Here are the bows Angie made my girls …

Angie also sent me one her her beautiful flower bows. I don’t have pictures of it but it is this in white and I wore it in my hair to the wedding. It is truly beautiful for any lady who would like a bit of prettiness in her own hair!

Angie has offered one my blog readers a set of her hand crafted bows. Here are the giveaway bows:

My tip is that Angie posts her special offers through Twitter so follow her to get word of those special offers for extra savings!!

Details:
This drawing will end Wednesday, November 11th at 11:59pm EST. I will pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Head over to E & S Boutique and tell me one item from their site you like.

Additional Entries:

1) Follow EandSBoutique on Twitter. Lave a comment with your twitter name.
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT: Win a set of @EandSBoutique Christmas handmade hair bows! @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/2m0sVA #giveaway #etsy 11/11 Enter daily!

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!) Another Twitter entry option that is DAILY!!! Get tweeting for these entries!
4) Blog about this giveaway and provide a link to the blog post. Leave a comment with the URL to the blog post.
5) Add my blog to your blog roll call. Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
6) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
7) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
8) Enter one of my other giveaways or leave a comment on one of my other posts. Come back here and leave a comment here letting me know which one. (NOTE: This must be a new entry/comment dated after this is posted but it can be on any post.)

NOTE: I received the flower hair bow from E & S Boutique for review. I purchased the other bows received from E & S Boutique. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Kids, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Family Tagged With: , , ,

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Review and Giveaway

October 26, 2009 By 143 Comments

**This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering! **

When I came across Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron, I wondered if this was a cookbook for me. If you have been around my blog for even a minute, you know that I am not the chef nor cook in our family. My approach to the kitchen is that I use it when I have to and when I want to. That being said, I do try to help out at meal times and two nights a week dinner is on me for the family when my husband is at work. The problem I have those nights is that I get home from work to attacked at the door by three kids without time to even put my bags down. They demand my time (I am more than willing to give it!) If dinner those nights isn’t staged, started by husband, or planned, then it becomes the classic dinner of a bowl of cereal but now I have Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms!


Book description …
Make Ahead meals are not just for Moms who work outside of the home. It’s a way of cooking that helps all families, big and small. It all comes down to a little planning. Make a meal or two in advance when you have some extra time. Then you’ll be rewarded with quick, delicious home-cooked meals when you really need them!

When I opened Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, I was impressed by how simple it was. The font size is large which is great for referencing while you cook. It is so easy to read through the recipes. I will admit I got stuck in the dessert section for some time. You see baking desserts is the one thing I truly love to do in the kitchen. The brownie cookies (the dough can be frozen!) is one of the recipes on the top of my list to try. As I kept reading, it was great to see what could be frozen and how long to cook it when you need it. Some of the recipes are freezer recipes and other suggest that you can make part of the recipe the day before and then finish it the night you need it.
I have to say this is one of the few cookbooks I haven’t handed over to my husband and said “here ya go”. This is one that I will be using. It is just a matter of settling my brain down a little and figuring out what I will make first instead of wanting to make it all at once! I am thinking the Brownie Cookies are still at the top of my list though!;)

Tip: The budget savings from planning ahead using the recipes in Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms is great. The real bonus is the time savings you will have on those nights when just don’t have the time … or energy to get dinner together for your family!
So would I recommend this book? Simply put … Yes! You will want to keep it for yourself so buy an extra copy for your mom, sister, best friend, or neighbor for the holidays!

You can find Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms at Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com. For the real budget savings, you can get the eBook from Jane’s website for $12.95! (You can also get to Jane’s website for Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms via the button on my sidebar!)

The best part for you … Jane has offered one of my readers the chance to win a copy of Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms!

Details:
This drawing will end Monday, November 9th at 11:59pm EST. I will pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Head over to the Make Ahead Meals for Busy Mom‘s website and tell me the recipe you want to try from the Table of Contents.

Additional Entries:

1) Sign up for the Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Newsletter (it is in the sidebar). Leave a comment stating you signed up.
2) Follow the Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms blog. Leave a comment here.
3) Grab the Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms blog button. Leave a comment with the url where the button is!
4) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
5) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT: Win Make Meals for Busy Mom’s cookbook! @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/T0iwb #giveaway #cookbook #recipe #book ends 11/9 Enter daily!

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!) Another Twitter entry option that is DAILY!!! Get tweeting for these entries!
6) Blog about this giveaway and provide a link to the blog post. Leave a comment with the URL to the blog post.
7) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
8) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
9) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
10) Enter one of my other giveaways or leave a comment on one of my other posts. Come back here and leave a comment here letting me know which one. (NOTE: This must be a new entry/comment dated after this is posted but it can be on any post.)

NOTE: I received a copy of Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms from Jane Doinor to support writing this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Promotional, Recipes, Reviews, Simply Food Tagged With: , , , ,

Apples, apples every where! mmmmm …

October 26, 2009 By 1 Comment

I posted awhile back about my apple problem. We picked too many apples a few weeks ago so I asked for your apple tips!

I want to thank you for the comments with suggestions! @TessOrtego follows me on twitter and suggested to put 15 apples and a can of thawed frozen apple juice in a crock pot for 10 hours to make apple butter. I did this and burnt the heck out of it. So I tried again with 15 apples and 1 cup of water and stirred every hour or so for 9 hours. I added ground cloves and cinnamon then cooked it another hour. It was perfect that time. mmmm.

To continue to solve the apple problem, we have been dehydrating the heck out of apples. The older model dehydrated I inherited from my grandma still works! I can fit about 10 of the small Virginia apples in there at once. The problem is that my kids LOVE them. I seriously think they ate 9 apples yesterday between my 3 and almost 2 year old. That is A LOT of apples! aye. I have a hard time saying no to apples as snacks though! The dehydrating is running with apples in it for the third day in a row!

The next apple project on my list is apple bread. I begged @CutestKidEver to post her Apple Bread recipe last week. My goal is to bake some this week. Check out her Apple Bread recipe here.

I still need to make another apple cake because that is one of my all time favorite fall recipes. Do you have a favorite apple recipe? Leave it here in a comment and if I try it, I will post about it!

Filed Under: Recipes, Simply Food Tagged With:

Winners of Robin Meade’s Morning Sunshine Books Announced

October 26, 2009 By

Congratulations to @shopgurl, @njhhb, @CouponClippin, @oh_balls, and @hstamper who won the FIVE copies of Morning Sunshine! by Robin Meade! This was a Twitter entry contest and all you had to do was follow me (@simplybudgeted) on Twitter and tweet the message in the giveaway post to be entered to win. It seems that this was a hit so look out for another Twitter contest coming soon!!

The winners have 48 hours to reply to claim their prizes. A tweet and/or DM have been sent from @simplybudgeted on Twitter to notify you that you are the winner! If you need to email your address, put the giveaway in the subject in an email to simplybudgeted at gmail dot com.

There are still FIVE other giveaways going on right now so be sure to enter those too!

The Frugal Foodie Cookbook Giveaway ends 10/31
Vote and Comment Giveaway ($10 Target Gift Card) ends the day after 500 comments are made or Nov 1st, which ever happens first!!
USB Mouse Hand Warmer Giveaway ends 11/3
Unilever Beauty Products Giveaway ends 11/5
Hotslings Nursing Cover Giveaway ends 11/7

More reviews with giveaways and tips to be posted this week so watch for them!!

Filed Under: Giveaways, Promotional Tagged With: , , ,

Hotslings Nursing Cover Review and Giveaway

October 23, 2009 By 176 Comments

** This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering. **

If you were paying attention in my review of the Hotslings Milkdaze cami I mentioned that I had two products from Hotslings to review. This is that second review!

Hotslings sent me their nursing cover to review. I picked the Leaves Nior Nursing Cover w/ Black Bias Trim. (No, that is not me in the picture! It is a lovely Hotslings model!) The covered arrived and I left it in the package for a day. The next day I tossed the nursing cover into my purse on the way out the door with my three kids. I knew Little Dude would have to nurse while we were out. So we get to where we were going and I dug the cover out of my purse. I immediately notice that it is asymmetrical. I thought it seemed odd but I put the longer side on my side that I would be nursing from and we gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of coverage the cover gave me and that I didn’t have to adjust it at every little move by Little Dude. I did (and still do) switch it around to nurse from the other side. The one comment I made to Hotslings about the cover is I wish the bias edge at the top was a little stiffer so that I could see inside it a little easier. That being said, this has become my primary nursing cover. I use a nursing cover more for me than Little Dude. I would rather not show off my bare side or flash anyone as we get situated or wrap up at the end. I realize nursing covers aren’t for everyone but this one is a great one if you are looking for one. I personally love the fact it doesn’t look like an apron you are wearing around your neck.;)

I was also told the cover can be used as a shopping cart cover, high chair cover, or car seat cover. I haven’t tried any of those yet but I do love the multi-use personality this cover has!

So why did I review this product? In case you are new around my blog, nursing is one of my constant money saving tips for moms. Check out my post about the cost savings you get with nursing here!

Hotslings has generously offered to give one my blog readers one of their great nursing covers!

Details:
This drawing will end Saturday, November 7th at 11:59pm EST. I will pick the winners using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what Hotslings nursing cover print is your favorite. Pick wisely. If you win, this will be what you get!

Additional Entries:
1) Follow Hotslings on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
2) Become a fan of Hotslings on Facebook. Leave a comment stating you are a fan.
3) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
4) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT: Win a @Hotslings Nursing Cover! @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/1drFmU #giveaway #bfing ends 11/7 Enter daily!

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!) Another Twitter entry option that is DAILY!!! Get tweeting for these entries!
5) Blog about this giveaway and provide a link to the blog post. Leave a comment with the URL to the blog post.
6) Add my blog to your blog roll call. Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
7) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
8) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
9) Enter one of my other giveaways or leave a comment on one of my other posts. Come back here and leave a comment here letting me know which one. (NOTE: This must be a new entry/comment dated after this is posted but it can be on any post.)

NOTE: I was provided with a Hotslings Nursing Cover by Hotslings to do this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Parenting, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Family Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hello third column and thanks!

October 22, 2009 By 1 Comment

If you were looking around today and stuff kept changing here, I apologize. I had time and finally took the chance to add the third column I have been wanting for some time. My husband asked me why I needed a third column. My answer of “because I want one” wasn’t enough to satisfy him but at the same time he knew I was intent on making that third column.

I had brush off my old-school programming skills and admit that I know jack-squat about xml coding. LOL I have the blog set to a place where I can be ok with it. I am missing the white middle but I haven’t found a good solution to that yet. I will work on that when I have time. Over all my goal is to keep the whole page simple. I know some bloggers have awesome backgrounds and headers all of that but that isn’t me. Right now, if I can’t do it myself for this blog, it isn’t happening. I don’t make money off this blog and have declined opportunities to do so to keep it simple. That being said, I am also not willing to take something out of our personal budget to get new graphics here. Maybe some day all of that will change but for now. Simple is all that you will find here at Simply Living on a Budget.

The one thing I would like to point out is that I added the current giveaways widget to the new left sidebar so check that out! On the note of giveaways, I feel blessed. I am still a newbie at all of this but I have been blessed with some amazing opportunities. I know that most of you have found me (and probably stuck around) for the giveaways and that is ok. I hope you still read my tips that I pass along. I have to say, those are my favorite comments to read! That being said, more giveaways are coming. I don’t know how long I will keep up this pace of lots of giveaways at once. I might scale it back at some point but I hope to keep the reviews and giveaways coming as long as I get the offers and can support them.

Let me know what you think. I love the feedback. This blog is still as simple as it is because of early feedback I got so keep it coming. Enjoy that third column … or just tell me you do because it will make me feel good about my great … errr, lacking but some what ok programming skills! LOL

Keep enjoying!

Filed Under: News
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