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GIVEAWAY: Set of 3 Puzzle Books #C2S12

May 8, 2012 By 106 Comments

Picture Puzzles V2 thumb GIVEAWAY: Set of 3 Puzzle Books #C2S12Sudoku Book Cover thumb1 GIVEAWAY: Set of 3 Puzzle Books #C2S12Logic Puzzles V2 cover thumb GIVEAWAY: Set of 3 Puzzle Books #C2S12

I love puzzles, not sure what it is about them but I almost always have puzzles going somewhere.  It could be a real puzzle spread out on the kitchen table or the folding card table… or is could be a Sudoku or Logic puzzle going on my Kindle or XYBoard.  OR it could be a book of Sudoku, Logic, Fill-It Ins, or Word Find Puzzles!  They keep my brain active. LOL!

Seriously, when I am cooking supper I usually work a puzzle or two, when I am sitting at the Park with the boys, when I am out at the Pool, etc. I think that Puzzle Books are great for keeping the kids’ minds active during the summer months, what about you?

When Idiots Guides asked if I was interested in reviewing some of their newest puzzles, there was no way I was turning them down!

One Lucky 3 Boys and a Dog Reader will win their very own set of puzzle books!

The set includes:

    REQUIRED COMMENT: What is Your Favorite Type of Puzzle?

BONUS #1: Follow @IdiotsGuides and @momof3boys3702 on Twitter and RT this contest. The easiest way to retweet is to simply click the green ReTweet on the top right of this post. YOU MAY TWEET ONCE DAILY

BONUS #2: Like The Complete Idiot’s Guides and 3 Boys and a Dog on FaceBook then share this post by clicking the FaceBook share button at the bottom of this post.

Other bonus entries:

  • #1. Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done)
  • #2. Sign up for my NEW Weekly Newsletter.
  • #3. Subscribe to my RSS feed.
  • #4. Put my button on your blog.
  • #5. Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!) Be sure to leave a comment here saying which post.
  • #6 – Vote for me at Picket Fence by clicking the button on my sidebar. Be sure to leave a comment saying you did! YOU MAY VOTE ONCE DAILY!

CONTEST ENDS: at Midnight CST on May 22nd

OPEN TO: USA Only

*DISCLAIMER: I was sent items by The Complete Idiot’s Guides to help facilitate my review. Any opinions stated are strictly my own.*

Filed Under: Giveaways, Homeschooling Tagged With: , , , , ,

GIVEAWAY: The Story of You Digital Baby Book

April 27, 2012 By

index3 300x143 GIVEAWAY: The Story of You Digital Baby BookOne thing I have been very good at when it comes to marking milestones for my kids is that I do actually write them down. The problem is that I haven’t actually sat down and put together baby books for any of my children and all the information is scattered around in various locations (in case anyone doesn’t know, I have 4, the oldest is 7!). I started scrapbooking when my first child was six months old and I have about 2 years of her life paper scrapbooked, then I had baby number two and I started on his paper scrapbook, then I switched to digital scrapbooking. By that point, I was so far behind for my first two kids, that by the time number three and four came well, let’s just say I’ve been a little busy. With my third child though, I have managed to prepare a photo book for each of his 2 years and I will continue to do that for him but I don’t have an actual baby book for any of my children.

The Story Of You will change the way parents create and share Baby Books. This app guides you through the creation of a digital baby book that journals your baby’s milestones and special moments. With the use of your digital photos, videos and words, a narrative of your baby’s first years comes to life in a way to truly take you back to those special moments that can now last a lifetime.

I am in love with this app! It’s perfect for me because we as a family have been aiming to use and have as little paper in our house as possible and so to have a digital version of a baby book fits right in line with that goal. Plus, it’s always “right” in front of me so when I have a new milestone to record I just hop into the app, click on the appropriate child’s book and enter in the milestone. Another great thing is I don’t have to worry about making an error or using my best handwriting. If I mess up the date or spell a word wrong I simply backspace and redo, love, love, love! icon smile GIVEAWAY: The Story of You Digital Baby Book

storyofyouArrival 300x219 GIVEAWAY: The Story of You Digital Baby BookAs you are creating your book you can easily switch over to view the book in an interactive mode and see how it is coming along. What I was really pleased with, is that on some of the pages there are entries that don’t apply to us — for instance, with my fourth child we didn’t have a baby shower so there isn’t a need to have a baby shower section — so although it is there to be filled in, when you look at the book itself those pages aren’t included, something you don’t get with traditional paper baby books. When you are ready you can share your book with up to five family or friends who also have a Mac or iPad and you can add five additional recipients for $0.99.

EditBookBLUE 300x219 GIVEAWAY: The Story of You Digital Baby Book

It’s a new app and they have a lot of growth but they are listening to their users and have an update coming later this year which will have a printing interface and more customization of the look of the themes. I can’t wait to see what the update brings.

This app would make a great gift for any new parents or even for people who already have kids and are looking to easily record milestones in a digital format. The Story of You is available in the App Store for $5.99. Please note that there are separate versions for the Mac and iPad.

Win it!

Five lucky 3 Boys and a Dog readers will win either an iPad or Mac version of this software!

REQUIRED COMMENT:  Tell me in the comments below if you’ve completed all your kids baby books, or are you like me and you record milestones in the hopes of one day filling out them out in a nice baby book.

BONUS #1: Follow @momof3boys3702 on Twitter and RT this contest. The easiest way to retweet is to simply click the green ReTweet on the top right of this post. YOU MAY TWEET ONCE DAILY

BONUS #2: Like 3 Boys and a Dog on FaceBook then share this post by clicking the FaceBook share button at the bottom of this post.

Other bonus entries:

  • #1. Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done)
  • #2. Sign up for my NEW Weekly Newsletter.
  • #3. Subscribe to my RSS feed.
  • #4. Put my button on your blog.
  • #5. Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!) Be sure to leave a comment here saying which post.
  • #6 – Vote for me at Picket Fence by clicking the button on my sidebar. Be sure to leave a comment saying you did! YOU MAY VOTE ONCE DAILY!

CONTEST ENDS: at Midnight CST on May 11th

OPEN TO: Anyone who has either a Mac or an iPad
(you’ll need to specify which when you are notified of you win)

*DISCLAIMER: I was given this app to help facilitate my review. Any opinions stated are strictly my own.*

Filed Under: Early Years, Giveaways, Parenting, Parenting and Family, Review and Giveaways, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ah the Joy of Giving Away Books! #OfficeRedo

April 24, 2012 By 3 Comments

6955953374 70a6a7cff0 Ah the Joy of Giving Away Books! #OfficeRedo

So, I finally broke down and did it!  I got rid of boxes upon boxes of books!!  I have a Kindle and the boys have read just about everything in this house.  Soon, very soon, I will buying them all Kindles, so what do we need the books for?  We don’t!  So, I donated a few boxes of kids’ books to the school library and all the other books that I wanted to get rid of to the local library!  I feel so very good!  I have more to go, but for now, I am very happy and feel free and relaxed.

I even shut down my PBS account and donated those!  Seriously, I had about 1/2 a dozen boxes full of books go out of my house in the last week!

What have you gotten rid of recently to free yourself from clutter?  How do you feel about it?

*Image courtesy of Flicker*

Filed Under: Organizing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Giveaway: The Story of Hanukkah Howie (book)

January 12, 2012 By

hh 2 JacketFront 2x3x300dpi Giveaway: The Story of Hanukkah Howie (book)Ever had a bad hair day?  My kids are notorious for those, water, hair gel, etc., usually fixes the uncompromising hair for my kids but in this story, the mom isn’t so lucky!  The Story of Hannukah Howie is a great little story about the adventures of a small Jewish boy who grows up with hair with a mind of it’s own but in the end it turns out to be  a really special gift.  What seemed like just another bad hair day, is what makes Howie eventually become a special boy.

As a mom and teacher, I really enjoyed reading this book to my kids.  We got to learn about the religious practices of another culture and I thought it was perfect because it was during a time when our family was celebrating Christmas.  So we got to compare and contrast the two holidays.  Why would a Christian family want a Hanukkah book?  Simple, Jesus Christ was Jewish!  It also gave me an opportunity to also teach that our Christian faith was grounded on Judeo-Christian principals.  This light little story aided in this process at our home and the added feature was how well the story was written.  It felt like listening to your favorite grandmother telling you a real story about a little boy with bad hair who turned out to save Hanukkah and bring cheer to others!  The rhyming feature in the book gave it that great added touch everyone enjoys in a read aloud.  The text was also predictable so the kids were able to chime in ever so often to keep them engaged in the story.  The illustrations helped in this aspect as well.  In a very clever fashion this book teaches about Hanukkah but in a subtle and gentle manner.  Actually, Howie reminded me a little of Santa Claus a little!  :) So whether your family is Jewish or not, I recommend this great little story!

About the Book:

Have you ever had a bad hair day? Well, imagine eight bad hair days in a row — and at just the wrong time. Our hero, Howie, has very strange spiked hair, but only during the eight days of Hanukkah.  By day eight, in fact, there are “… nine spikes in all, four at right, four at left, one in center so tall”. Howie’s Mom gradually realizes that Howie’s hair looks like a menorah — the nine-candled centerpiece for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. But just when she wonders what she can do, Hanukkah ends and the spikes disappear.

Was the hair-spiking a one-time event? Not a chance. Each year at Hanukkah, Howie’s hair springs into spikes. Since they are impossible to control, over the years both Hannah and Howie search for possible remedies. Readers learn that “…the only solution that seemed to be there… was for Howie to cover his very strange hair.”

This clever book, besides being hugely entertaining,  presents a gentle message that, regardless of our personal appearance and our differences we each have a role in this life – we each have a place in the family of man.  For Howie, his hair and its particular uniqueness ends up being the crown jewel of his personality!

Howie 1024x291 Giveaway: The Story of Hanukkah Howie (book)

Buy it!

Interested in adding this great book to your family library, buy it today!

Win It

One lucky reader will win a The Story of Hannukah Howie Book of their own!

REQUIRED COMMENT: Visit the The Story of Hannukah Howie website, look around, then come back and tell me why you would be interested in adding this story to your family library.

BONUS #1:

Follow @momof3boys3702 on Twitter and RT this contest. The easiest way to retweet is to simply click the green ReTweet on the top right of this post. YOU MAY TWEET ONCE DAILY!

BONUS #2:

Like 3 Boys and a Dog on Facebook, then share this post by clicking the Facebook share button at the bottom of this post.  You also want to follow them on Facebook, because they let you know of events related to this book.

Other bonus entries:

  • #1. Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done)
  • #2. Sign up for my NEW Weekly Newsletter.
  • #3. Subscribe to my RSS feed.
  • #4. Put my button on your blog.
  • #5. Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!) Be sure to leave a comment here saying which post.
  • #6 – Vote for me at Picket Fence by clicking the button on my sidebar. Be sure to leave a comment saying you did! YOU MAY VOTE ONCE DAILY!

CONTEST ENDS: at Midnight CST on 1/26/12

OPEN TO: US & Canada

*DISCLAIMER: I was sent items to help facilitate my review. Any opinions stated are strictly my own.*

 

Filed Under: Early Years, Giveaways, Holidays / Seasons, Homemaking / Housekeeping, Homeschooling, Just for Kids, Parenting, Parenting, Parenting and Family, Reviews, Teachable Moments Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Giveaway: I See Me Personalized Book

January 7, 2012 By
I absolutely love personalized books, so when I saw this one right before my little girl turned one, I was THRILLED!

102 Giveaway: I See Me Personalized BookAbout I See Me Books (from their website)

Welcome to I See Me! where we provide the highest quality, most personalized children’s books available. We opened for business in May of 2000, after a year of active product development. My husband Allan and I received a personalized book as a gift for our first son in 1998. While we loved the fact that it was personalized, we thought that the illustrations could have been much better and the story more customized to the child. Thus I See Me! was born.

Allan, who is a graphic designer, and I developed the first book My Very Own Name as a team. Our goal was to produce an educational book that would teach young children how to recognize letters and spell their names. After I developed the concept and wrote the book, we brainstormed together to develop the characters in the book. Allan found and hired the illustrator, and designed the book, while I wrote the business plan.

We are pleased to say our books have become popular among celebrities including Courteney Cox, Brooke Shields and Jessica Alba.

Our mission is to increase self esteem in children through personalized books that celebrate the uniqueness of each child. The goal of our books is to show each child how absolutely unique and special he or she is, to teach the child how to spell his or her name, and to build vocabulary skills.

We hope that you enjoy the books!

–Maia Haag, author and CEO of I See Me! Inc.

About the Author and Illustrator

Author Jennifer Dewing has always been a kid at heart. She started her career in the Toy Industry in 1995, developing children’s products ranging from Matchbox cars to Madeline dolls. In 2006 Jennifer became a member of the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her recent personalized picture books “Who Loves Me?” and “A Christmas Bear for Me” have won Mom’s Choice Gold awards and Creative Child awards. She is currently working on more personalized titles for I See Me! and enjoys reading her work to her own “focus group” of three kids at home!

Illustrator: Maria Carluccio
Maria Carluccio loves to mix things up. Her collages incorporate both an old, vintage appeal with a fresh modern sensibility. She has enjoyed a seasoned career as a textile/product designer as well as a children’s book author/illustrator. She has received multiple awards for her work from the New York Society of illustrators and 3×3 Magazine. She draws her inspiration from her surroundings in nature where as well as from the textural objects she collects. Her work has a unique sophistication, which she attributes to the range of papers, textures, and details that fascinate her. Maria currently lives in Westchester County NY with her daughter, dog, cat and turtle.

Christmases 2011 26 300x224 Giveaway: I See Me Personalized Book

My Thoughts

I absolutely LOVE this book!  It is so adorable!  The cover has my little girl’s name on it and the next page has information about my baby!  Each two page spread has people that she knows and loves!  There are a ton of bright colorful pictures that are very well done too!  I also like the end where it brings it all together!  I think this is a fantastic book for kiddos, because it has their name in it, people they know are in it, and there are pretty pictures to look at!  This way they are learning to recognize their name and other’s names!  Plus there is rhyming which is always helpful for children and repetition!  I would highly suggest this book as a birthday or Christmas or any other speical holiday book!  They can even come with a personalized lovey blanket for $49.95 for the set!  Cute!

Christmases 2011 29 300x224 Giveaway: I See Me Personalized Book

Buy it!

You can buy your own here for $24.95!  It’s worth it for this fantastic hardback book!

Win it!

One lucky winner will win their own personalized book (worth $24.95)!

REQUIRED COMMENT: Visit the website, look around, then come back and tell me something you learned.

BONUS #1:

Follow @iseeme and @momof3boys3702 on Twitter and RT this contest. The easiest way to retweet is to simply click the green ReTweet on the top right of this post. YOU MAY TWEET ONCE DAILY!

BONUS #2:

Like I See Me Books and 3 Boys and a Dog on Facebook, then share this post by clicking the Facebook share button at the bottom of this post.  (You really want to follow them on Facebook, because they let you know when there are sales!)

Other bonus entries:

#1. Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done)

#2. Follow my blog.

#3. Subscribe to my RSS feed.

#4. Put my button on your blog.

#5. Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!) Be sure to leave a comment here saying which post.

#6 – Vote for me at Picket Fence by clicking the button on my sidebar. Be sure to leave a comment saying you did!  YOU MAY VOTE ONCE DAILY!

CONTEST ENDS: at Midnight CST on January 21st, 2012

OPEN TO: US

*DISCLAIMER: I was sent a book by I See Me books to help my review.  I was not paid!  Any opinions stated are strictly my own.*

 

Filed Under: Giveaways, Just for Kids, Parenting, Review and Giveaways, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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