This year we are having a July 4th Virtual Backyard Barbecue here at 5 Minutes for Mom. We’d love for you to join us by linking to your blog posts and pictures from your 4th of July celebration.

From pictures at the parades, to fun stories about taking your child to their first fireworks show, we’d love to be a part of your 4th of July.

Please link to your 4th of July posts and pictures using the Mr. Linky below and take some time to visit other participants. Let’s mingle, comment and have fun! Our Virtual Backyard Barbecue will run through Friday, July 10th, to give you plenty of time to link up and visit other participants.

I have a great 4th of July barbecue in store, sponsored by Hebrew National. I can finally cook up and eat the Hebrew National hot dogs that have been sitting in my fridge calling my name. YUM! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and videos at my barbecue, and will be back tomorrow to share my 4th of July festivities with you. I can’t wait!

The lucky winner of our Hebrew National $1,000 Fourth of July Barbecue of Your Dreams, Cybergwen, will also be busy entertaining guests at her incredible July 4th bash. Gwen, we hope you have an amazing 4th and we can’t wait to hear all about it.

Win a Breville Indoor Grill

To make our July 4th Virtual Backyard Barbecue even more exciting, we have a Breville Professional Indoor BBQ Grill, retail value $249.95, to give away to one lucky commenter.

I was sent one of these AWESOME grills to review and I must tell you, it is wonderful!!! So far we have made eggs, grilled sandwiches and chicken on our Breville Grill. It is large, with plenty of room to cook for each of our family members at once. It is also VERY easy to clean, since it has a non-stick surface. I LOVE IT!!!!!

Breville Professional 800 Collection® Professional Grill - Die cast stainless steel professional grill which converts easily from a closed contact grill to an open BBQ grill with the flick of a switch.

Features

• Heavy duty die cast stainless steel
• World’s first, Grill Lock Mechanism - use as a contact grill or an open BBQ grill
• Premium non-stick Quantanium scratch resistant cooking surface
• Powerful 2400 watts
• Adjustable Grilling Height Control
• Variable temperature control
• 15 minute timer
• Base Plate Tilt Dial
• Flat and ribbed plates
• Dishwasher safe drip tray
• Two year product guarantee

By commenting on this post, you will be entered to win the Breville Professional Indoor BBQ Grill. You can earn additional entries for the following:subscribe to our Feed, sign up for our 5M4M Newsletter, add our 5 Minutes for Mom button in your sidebar, write a post and link back to this contest on your blog, and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, or email! (Just make sure you leave extra comments letting us know. Your comments are your entries.)

Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian shipping addresses and will end on Friday, July 10th. We will announce our winners on Saturday, July 11th.

Our Hebrew National July 4th Virtual Backyard BBQ Linky

Alright, here’s the linky. I can’t wait to start mingling with all of you. Happy 4th of July!

Say It Forward – Carnival of Loyal Commenters is a new weekly carnival at 5 Minutes for Mom.com where bloggers feature their loyal commenters!

To read more about how to participate in Say It Forward and to get the button codes, click here.

And make sure you visit the links in the Mr. Linky here every Friday. These are the FUN blogging folk YOU want to be friends with. Go to THEIR sites. Read THEIR blogs. And of course, leave COMMENTS.

Oh-We can see the friendships forming already. It’s a beautiful thing!

Say It Forward - Week 24: This week’s loyal commenter is Leann from Phoenix the Blogging Mama.

Leann is a mom to four children with her husband, who was also her high school sweetheart. Life is always exciting at Leann’s house. What with eye surgery for her oldest, or the second time her daughter broke both wrists, Leann stays on her toes.

She also keeps a great sense of humor despite the craziness of life as evidenced by her delight in sharing the day her husband nearly ate an earthworm. Despite the fact that life can sometimes be difficult, Leann chooses to remain upbeat and positive.

Leann describes herself and her family this way: Let’s start with me. I go by many different names, Leanne, Mom, Phoenix and sometimes “Hey Lady!” Jeremy, aka Hammerhawk, is my man. He is my High School sweetheart and the love of my life! Our oldest, Cameron, (so sweet and helpful) is almost Twelve. Princess (the logical one) is our second born, she is Eight. Spunky (and let me tell you that name suits her!) is the third born, she is Six. Last, but certainly not least, is T-man (the Bub) he is Four.

Thank you, Leann, for sharing your family, your laughter and your life with us, your readers.

And, of course, thank you for being such a loyal commenter here at 5 Minutes for Mom! Please display this Loyal Commenter badge with pride.

—-

If you are selected as a Loyal Commenter either by our site or another blog, you can display this Loyal Commenter badge with pride. Also feel free to give the badge to the commenters that you select each week.

<br /> <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/category/feature-columns/say-it-forward/" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k210/5m4m/buttons/columns/sayitforwardlc125x125.png" border="0" title="Mom It Forward Award" alt="Mom It Forward Award"/></a>

Thank one of your loyal commenters on your blog and then add the link to your post below.

This past May, I visited SeaWorld and Busch Gardens during the Manta Media Day trip sponsored by SeaWorld and IZEA. In February, I had reviewed Discovery Cove at SeaWorld with my family, (passes provided by Discovery Cove for review purposes,) but this was my first visit to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

For a dolphin-loving, photo-taking girl like me, SeaWorld is bliss! I just wish I lived in Orlando so I could take my kids regularly to experience all it has to offer. (Florida residents can enjoy the park year round for the price of one single day admission!)

To me, the magic of SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Busch Gardens comes from the combination of education, rehabilitation and inspiration.

I love that the parks are educating the public about wildlife and the importance of protecting wildlife and preserving their natural habitats, as well as doing critical rehabilitation work with rescued animals.

And inspiration? Well, it is life changing for a child - even an adult! - to interact with wild animals. SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Discovery Cove allow us to see wildlife we would never otherwise have the chance to see. It is simply inspiring to observe and experience these incredible animals with whom we share our world.

Through all of the work I saw at the parks and the interaction of the staff with the animals, I saw respect and concern for wildlife. The animals are treasured and treated with care and consideration. (In this shot, Gwen Bell interacts with a penguin at SeaWorld.)

Although some may argue that parks are taking animals out of their natural habitats for the mere purpose of entertaining people, I believe that the opportunities these parks are creating for educating, rehabilitation and inspiration are helping make the world a better place for all wildlife — and for our planet!

When I was at the parks, I heard about SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Adventure Camps, where campers get to care for, study and interact with animals.

I was so impressed to hear that more than 150 former Adventure Campers are now employed in the zoological departments at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. Yes, the education and inspiration these camps offer are definitely life changing!

If your child would love to have a career with animals, check out this video about how Adventure Camp was the beginning of these animal trainer’s careers:

In addition to Adventure Camps, there are lots of programs set up for the public to interact with the animals, such as the “Trainer for a Day” experiences.

SeaWorld Orlando’s Marine Mammal Keeper Experience

Work side-by-side with marine mammal experts and understand what it’s like to care for these amazing animals during a day. Get an intimate look at feeding and behavior patterns and work with the animals just like the pros do. (Must be 13 years of age or older to participate. Can be substituted for Beluga Interaction which is 10 and older.)

Keeper for a Day at Busch Gardens

Spend a day assisting in the care and feeding of some of the world’s most exotic animals. Discover the satisfying sense of purpose that comes from knowing you’ve contributed to their care and learned a little bit of the language that connects all species.

No matter what kind of work you return to when you leave, you’ll take away a special connection to these animals and their cousins in the wild after getting to be a keeper for a day - one we hope will inspire you from that day forward. (Must be five years of age or older to participate.)

Thanks to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, one of our readers can win the opportunity to be a “Trainer for a Day” OR “Zoo Keeper for a day” at EITHER SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, OR Busch Gardens Tampa.

(All travel to the city will be the winner’s responsibility. SeaWorld will honor the prize within 1 calendar year of winning.)

If you want to win, just leave a comment below.

Don’t forget you can earn additional entries: subscribe to our Feed, sign up for our 5M4M Newsletter, add our 5 Minutes for Mom button in your sidebar, write a post and link back to this contest on your blog, and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, or email! (Just make sure you leave extra comments letting us know. Your comments are your entries.)

Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian shipping addresses and will end on Friday, July 17rd. We will announce our winners on Saturday, July 18th.

Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC) operates 10 Worlds of Discovery, including five in Florida — SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove in Orlando, and Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa. Other Worlds of Discovery include the SeaWorld parks in San Diego and San Antonio, Busch Gardens Europe and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Va. And Sesame Place near Philadelphia.

Additionally, BEC created the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, a non-profit, private charitable foundation committed to supporting wildlife and habitat conservation, research, education and animal rescue programs worldwide. Learn more at SWBG-ConservationFund.org.

P.S. My Busch Gardens photos and my SeaWorld shots from the Manta Media Day, are at our Flickr account.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom co-Founder, Janice Croze.
Thanks to IZEA and SeaWorld for sponsoring this media trip.

So I wanted to remind you all about the giveaway we have running right now where you could win one of two Strider Running Bikes!

A Balance bike or Running bike is a small bicycle without pedals that kids can ride before they are able to ride a traditional two-wheel pedal bike. Kids learn amazing balance and have so much fun!

Julia started riding her balance bike when she was 2 and rode it almost every day until she was 4. For her 4th birthday we gave her a pedal bicycle and she got on and rode it immediately without any training wheels.

Even though she rides her pedal bike like a pro, she still loves her balance bike and also rides it almost every day. (Julia and Sophia both LOVE being outside and riding bikes. Trying to get them to come in at the end of the day is a battle.)

We are giving away two Strider Running Bikes from our Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles store.

As we explained in our first post about this Strider Bike giveaway, we’re running this giveaway a little differently…

Here’s how to win:

To enter this giveway on your own blog OR Facebook profile OR Myspace page OR LiveJournal page, write a post or a note telling us a story about your first bike or how you learned to ride a bike. Just tell us a little story or tidbit related to you as a little tyke with a bike AND link back here to this post AND link to our store’s Balance Bike page.

Then add your link here in this Mr. Linky. Copy the url of your blog post or your post on one of those social media sites.

If it’s a Facebook profile, you’ll need to add us as Friends so that we can come read your story. We are:
http://www.facebook.com/susan.carraretto
http://www.facebook.com/janice.croze

IMPORTANT: We will draw the two random winners from the Mr. Linky entries instead of the comments.

Remember to watch our RSS feed and/or check back here to see if you won. If we don’t hear from you within a week, you forfeit your prize.

Add Your Link Here

This is the same Mr. Linky as in the original post. You can add your link here or on the original post and it will show in both places.

Remember to watch our RSS feed to see if you win.

We can’t do everything, but we can do something…

In this installment of Blogs Can Change Lives, we want to say “THANK YOU” to all the military families around the globe.

We wish we could slip an HP Mini in every soldiers bag before they sling it over their shoulder and board their plane. But, we can slip it into ONE soldier’s bag — one special soldier who may need an extra boost of encouragement for themselves or their family.

HP is providing one HP Mini 1000 for us to giveaway. Because the Mini is designed for people on the go, we want to give it to a member of the military so they can keep in touch with the world they had to leave behind.

The HP Mini 1000 retails starting at $299.99 and at less than an inch thick and weighing little more than 2 pounds, it won’t weigh a soldier down!

We asked you for nominations and the winner is…

Angela, from MommyPR.

Angela is a WAHM who is attending Capella University,studying for her BS in Marketing.

Her husband is a SGT in the US Army as a Airborne All Wheel Mechanic and is heading to Iraq in days. They have two adorable girls ages 6 & 2. They currently reside in Washington state, but have lived a number of places… their last was in Italy! Angela is the owner of Mommy PR (www.MommyPR.com) and calls herself, “a true nerd at heart.”

Even with these two photos Angela sent us I am in awe of what her family has gone through. The first photo here was taken last July when her husband returned from his 15 month Afghanistan tour. The photo below was their FIRST time together for a family photo!

When she found out she and her family had been selected, Angela wrote to us:

“I can not even begin to express my gratitude to 5 Minutes for Mom and HP. We are so thankful for this prize. Times are tough right now with all families, and buying a second computer for this deployment was just out of the question. This will be used to its fullest.

I can assure you this will go to great use. Not just for our family, but for someone else down there without a computer as well. Last deployment, my husband did not have his own either and thankfully a wonderful soldier lent him his any chance he wanted. I am so grateful for that. I know we will do the same this time around as well.

I cannot even put into words my thoughts about this. Huge hugs are being sent!”

We are so grateful to Angela, her husband, and their family for serving and sacrificing for their country! Thank you to ALL of the military, all over the globe, working to make a safer world for all us!

And thank you to HP for helping change lives through their technology and generosity!

On May 17th, we began to take submissions for our Kodak Father Of The Year challenge. With the help of Kodak representatives, we have narrowed the submissions down to 10 lucky finalists.

One of these 10 finalists will win an incredible prize package for their Father Of The Year:

• #1 brandy w
• #5 Kim @ What’s That Smell?
• #6 Jenna @ Pretty In Punk
• #9 Alex
• #30 Maitland
• #18 Carissa
• #19 amy p
• #29 Jeanne
• #50 Transparent Mama
• #52 Shannon

A Kodak Z16 Pocket Video Camera is on its way to each of our 10 finalists so that they can film a two to three minute video bringing their initial Father of the Year Award entry to life.

All eligible entrants will be judged by a panel of Kodak representatives and 5MinutesForMom.com editors. The winner will be announced on 8/14/2009.

Our Kodak Father Of The Year will win:

A Grand Prize valued at $2,220 USD. The grand prize package includes:

• Accommodations for the winner plus a guest (one room) for the duration of the Children’s Miracle Classic
• Two tickets for each day of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic tournament
• Roundtrip airfare for two to Orlando, FL
• Round of golf for two at a Disney Golf course
• Kodak golf-related product package

Read The Official Rules Here

Congratulations again to our 10 finalists. We can’t wait to see your videos.

Dawn and I reviewed the book, and recorded a little chat with the author, so click on over to 5 Minutes for Books to read our thoughts on this book. And if you have a little more time, download or listen to the podcast as well.

We also invite you all to join us @5M4B in a twitter-sation with Lenore on Wednesday July 15 from 10 - 11 pm ET, just use the hashtag #freerangekids to join in. You can read the book and share your experience, listen in to see what “the movement” is all about, or even express your reservations.

Intrigued? Don’t forget to check out mine and Dawn’s personal thoughts on the book at 5 Minutes for Books.

Jennifer Donovan contributes to 5 Minutes for Mom and manages 5 Minutes for Books

As much as we love Canada, we admit we cross the border to get to Target (and a whole lotta Outlet stores).

Canada is a wonderful country and we are very blessed to live here. But c’mon… no Target?

Sorry for the poor photo quality… Janice took this photo on her iPhone as she crossed the border to go shopping. And sorry Canada for our shopping betrayals.

Now it’s your turn… Please click over to add your Wordless Wednesday link and to visit more WW posts. (Due to the Mr. Linky slowly down the loading of our site, we have to move it off the home page. Sorry for the extra click!)

Written by Susan.
Remember to sign up for our RSS Feed.

I took these pictures on our last Sunday evening in my mother-in-law’s garden. After two decades in their home, my in-laws are downsizing to a townhouse.

I will miss the backyard that was large enough for the kids to play. I will miss the vegetable garden where the kids helped plant potatoes. I will miss the living room where Santa made an extra stop each year. And I will miss the roses…

I’m still procrastinating on several of my enormous household tackles… which is slightly shocking since as you can see in this video, the situation is rather urgent. I have tackled the play room and I am proud to say that the toys are still finding their way home most days. But the upstairs laundry disasters still rage war.

But, today I’m exposing how disgustingly dirty I have let my daughter’s stroller become. (Look how sparkly clean it was when both the strollers and our babies were brand new.)

It’s hard to see how dirty the stroller was in the photo below, but just imagine the sticky, yucky mess of a toddler’s stroller where she routinely munches snacks, sips milk and spills everything.

This was a bit of a family tackle. My mother noticed how badly the stroller needed to be cleaned, I stripped it apart, soaked and washed the fabric and my husband hosed down and scrubbed the stroller’s skeleton.

We accidentally put way too much soap on the fabric when trying to clean it and we had buckets full of soap suds in the washing machine. It reminded me of the Brady Bunch episode when the youngest boy tried use the washing machine and filled the house with soap suds. (I guess I seriously dated myself there. Yes, I am old. LOL)

Here’s a before and after photo:

I definitely am much happier that my daughter now has a much cleaner ride!

Would you like to post as a guest tackler? Submit your guest tackles to be featured here at 5M4M. You can write Susan at tackleittuesday at gmail dot com. Remember, we are here to promote your site!

Each week on Tuesday, we are posting before and after pictures of a project or trouble area that we tackled this week.

Find out more about Tackle It Tuesday here.
The project can be little or big – whatever you want.

Basically, Tackle It Tuesday is about giving ourselves incentive, deadlines and satisfaction in getting our household tasks done.

(It doesn’t even have to be housework… just whatever is on your To Do list.)

If you tackled a project this week, just add a comment and add your link below.

Happy tackling ladies…

Our BlogHer 09 Sponsors

We are so excited to announce that Toshiba is sponsoring our 5 Minutes for Mom team at BlogHer 2009!

A few years ago, my husband and his business partner bought Toshiba laptops. They were impressed with the affordable prices of Toshiba laptops and the positive feedback they had heard, and so for them it was an obvious choice. I had never used a Toshiba laptop and so I was curious to see how it performed — and I have not been disappointed.

My husband (and I) love his Toshiba! It has been a dependable machine, (that I borrowed for a few weeks when my previous laptop crashed, taking all my data with it!)

So, we are thrilled to have Toshiba as our BlogHer 09 sponsors!

AND we are even more excited that Toshiba is including the BlogHer 09 attendees in the Toshiba fun at BlogHer…

A Special BlogHer Contest

During BlogHer, we will be having a special Twitter contest — The Hunt for the Traveling Toshibas — where attendees find one of our bloggers with a marked Toshiba laptop, (our bloggers will be wearing Toshiba t-shirts!) She will hand the blogger her business card (or leave her name, email and twitter handle) and send out a tweet using the hashtag, #TravelingToshiba, announcing she has found one of the Traveling Toshiba laptops.

The BlogHer attendee’s business card and tweet will enter her in an exclusive giveaway for a Toshiba Laptop. There will be three marked laptops and attendees can enter on all three!

The prize laptop will be the Satellite L515, one of the laptops used in the hunt!

Yes, the winner will leave BlogHer with a NEW Toshiba laptop!

Their New Line

On June 23rd, Toshiba launched the latest models in its top-selling line of Satellite laptops.

Toshiba has always had great price points for their laptops, but this year they have made it top priority to build laptops for today’s economy. With this new line, Toshiba packs in premium features and performance for all kinds of budgets. Now you can get the features you really want — style, long battery life and eco-efficiency — in an affordable laptop.

Everyday Value

• L Series – The new look and screen sizes were designed for budget-smart consumer and “Back-to-School” shoppers. The new features include high definition displays, Fusion™ Finish look, Toshiba PC Health Monitor, power saving eco-utility, ten-key keypad, discrete graphics and processing power. - starting at just $549.99

Multimedia and Mobility

• U Series – Ideal mobility laptops that feature the latest advancements in mobile technology and are perfect for people who want a laptop that emphasizes their personal style.
• M Series – Great for home users, students and casual gamers, these mainstream laptops have a perfect balance of performance, mobility, size and cost.

Widescreen HD Entertainment

• A Series – Great for mobile loyalist and tech enthusiasts, these mainstream laptops are built for productivity and HD entertainment with sophisticated and elegant design.
• P Series – Designed with digital media enthusiasts and mainstream PC gamers in mind, the laptops are perfect desktop replacements for power entertainment.

Mini NB205

This summer Toshiba is also meeting the demand for mini-notebooks!

Toshiba recently launched its new Toshiba mini NB205, its first mini notebook designed for comfort with extra-long battery life, full-size keyboard and touchpad and choice of colors.

The new Toshiba Satellite Laptops and mini NB205 are now available for purchase through www.laptops.toshiba.com and select retailers.

Thank You Toshiba!

We want to thank Toshiba for sponsoring our trip to BlogHer and our “Hunt for the Traveling Toshibas” contest at BlogHer.

We can’t wait to see who is going home from BlogHer with a new Toshiba laptop!

Our lucky winner is comment #14 CyberGwen. Congratulations!!!

Please check your inbox for an email from us. We want to get you your gift card right away, to give you time to shop for your 4th of July backyard barbecue.

Still More Chances To Win With Us On Twitter, July 1st

We hope that CyberGwen, as well as all of you, can join us on Wednesday, July 1st, for our Hebrew National Twitter Party.

We will be talking all about cookouts and parties with Elizabeth Norton @Elizabeth_N from the Party Planning Professor. At the party she will share tips and ideas on how to make your 4th of July celebrations better than ever.

During the party, we will also be giving away 10 Hebrew National grilling sets and Hebrew National discount coupons.

So mark your calendars so you don’t forget - Hebrew National Twitter Party, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 from 9:00 p.m. ET – 11:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to use the hashtag #HebrewNational

Using your Twitter Handles, please RSVP at the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post, for the Hebrew National Twitter Party.

Mingle at our July 4th Virtual Backyard BBQ Carnival!

Be sure to join in on the fun during our Hebrew National July 4th Virtual Backyard BBQ!!!!

Yes - we can all celebrate the 4th of July together virtually! Starting at 12am ET, July 4th, you will have your chance to link up your 4th of July party posts from your own blog.

Our virtual backyard barbecue post will remain open until Friday, July 10th. That means that all week long, you will be able to head over to our 4th of July post and link up your party posts.

You will want to be sure to comment too, because one lucky commenter will win a Breville indoor bbq & grill.

Also, be on the lookout next week for my 4th of July party post, where I will share with you videos and pictures from my very own Hebrew National backyard barbecue.

Thank you Hebrew National, for all of the fabulous 4th of July festivities!

RSVP HERE for the Hebrew National Twitter Party on Wednesday, July 1st. Please RSVP with your Twitter Handles.

Looking for summer reading recommendations for you or the kids? Come browse around 5 Minutes for Books!

I’m thrilled to welcome 5 Minutes for Books reviewer Lisa today for her first guest post here at 5 Minutes for Mom:

Wife and mother, Bible teacher and blogger, Lisa loves Jesus, coffee, dark chocolate and, of course, books. Read more of her reflections at Lisa writes….

And so it falls to me to attempt to review a book I really, really liked by an author I really, really like. I think I’ve told you before that writing reviews of books I really, really like is way harder than one would think. I mean, really, how many superlatives can one use without losing credibility altogether? Think on it and get back with me. I need to know.

Meanwhile, let me tell you about my most recent favorite read (I have to say “most recent” because like most bibliophiles my favorite read changes from week to week and book to book). Sometimes a Light Surprises is Jamie Langston Turner’s newest novel and, like the rest of her books, belongs in my beloved “Southern fiction” genre.

The review quoted on the back cover of the novel describes Turner’s writing as “elegant…detailed…and richly textured.” Yes indeed. I love a good story well told and Sometimes a Light Surprises does not disappoint on either count. It is a good story, interesting, intriguing, and not neat-n-tidy but satisfying just the same. It is well told, beautifully written with honest and complex characters that are both believable and likeable.

He had drawn the curtains tightly around his soul–could he trust that glimmer of hope quietly beckoning to him? Ben Buckley has never gotten over the loss of his wife. More bewildering than the mystery surrounding her death is the radical change that occurred in her shortly beforehand–a “conversion,” she had called it. Baffled, angry, and still feeling guilty for the way he’d withdrawn from her during those final weeks, Ben now lives behind the protective walls of severed relationships and rigid routines. An unlikely young woman knocks on the door of his narrow world. Her simple honesty and childlike faith are incomprehensible to him, but in spite of his misgivings Ben finds himself on a journey he never would have begun on his own

Turner writes with an obvious English teacher prejudice (and no wonder, she’s been a teacher for 37 years, currently a professor of creative writing). In each of her novels, the main character’s story is intertwined with some literary element, poetry for example. Sometimes a Light Surprises is no different; protagonist Ben Buckley is fascinated with idioms and their origins, trivia that is interspersed throughout the novel–not overtly but as part of Ben’s conversation and characterization.

A smart, Southern novel, a good story well told, Sometimes a Light Surprises is a wonderful read.

Intrigued? Publisher Bethany House has provided an excerpt here.

Leave a comment if you’d like to win a copy. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s column.

#66 Staci A. won the 3 Summer Bridge Workbooks. If you didn’t, I highly recommend that you check them out. I love mine!

I had never seen the TNT original drama Raising the Bar, until I was sent an advance copy of an episode that’s going to run this Monday June 29 at 10pm ET/PT. It’s called “No Child’s Left Behind,” and it deals with a man who is arrested when an innocent photo he posted online of his son in the bathtub is picked up by an icky website. Check out a clip here of the lawyers discussing the issues behind the case:

TNT rightfully thought that this was an issue that Mom Bloggers (or anyone involved in social networking) might want to take some time to think about, so they sent out a few advance copies so that we could spread the word.

This is the first time I’ve seen this show, and I love it. I love that the show raised the issue in a way that caused me to think about my practices of sharing pictures (and other parenting issues for that matter) — without sensationalizing the whole issue. It was tasteful, and the aim did not appear to be to make every parent who chooses to use a blog or a social networking site to keep friends and family apprised of their families as they grow. When news (or should I say “news”) is so often used to exploit families or scare parents to death about the large number of things out of our control, it was refreshing to see a program using a fictitious case to simply raise the bar of awareness about this issue.

As I said, I hadn’t seen this show until I watched that episode a couple of weeks ago, but after seeing that one, I quickly caught up on the first two episodes of the season online, and watched the third one when it was on last week. (I’ve tried to watch TV episodes online before, but it’s been sort of frustrating. The TNT site loads them quickly with very limited commercials).

Whether you tune in regularly, I recommend that you watch TNT Monday June 29 at 10pm ET/PT (or set your TiVo or whatever you do to squeeze in a few shows that don’t involve singing cartoons or dancing problem-solvers).

Then come back here and let’s talk about it!

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Contributing Editor Jennifer Donovan, who also manages 5 Minutes for Books and blogs at Snapshot

As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Mister Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Welcome To My Loonyverse has started a new Sunday meme called “Safe Sunday.” This is to take a stand against child abuse and to help save our children - one child at a time. Read more about the meme and add your link here.
• Sarah from Rhinestones and Telephones is having a Summer Fabric Swap! You have until June 30th to sign up, and until July 14th to mail out your fabric. This is an International swap - previous participants of the fabric swap have included people from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and all over the U.S. Go here for complete details.
• Genny from My Cup 2 Yours has started a new feature on her site called Mom-Mondays. Read about life as it relates to mommy-hood, and feel free to share your own Mom-Monday story.
• Have you ever had the person in front of you in line buy your meal or coffee? Or had a gift anonymously sent to you? Check out the new blog Anonymous Gifts. It’s all about helping others and all the nice, anonymous things you can do for them. What a great way to spend your time and spread some love!

CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES

• ecostore USA is having a video contest. Create a 30 second video of yourself using their lemon cream cleanser, and you could win a $500 Visa gift card! Full details on how to enter can be found at their Facebook Fan Page as well as their blog.
• Church Hill Classics is running a “Frame Your Graduate! Photo Contest.” This is the perfect contest for moms, because we they accepting any grad photos, whether they’re from college, high school, elementary or preschool. What a great way to share and brag about your kids!

  Entries are accepted through July 20, 2009 10am EST, and you can win up to $200 in U.S. Savings Bonds and a custom frame. All grad photos are welcomed – except professional portraits, which are not permitted. For more details and to enter online, visit Church Hill Classics.

• Do you like pickles? Vlasic Pickles is in search of “The Cutest Crunch,” and is asking for photo submissions through October 31, 2009. To enter, simply log onto www.vlasic.com and submit one original photo that you think captures the cutest pickle crunch. Photos must utilize Vlasic Pickles, must be submitted by someone 18 years or older and must only depict the entrant and/or spouse or children; no other non-family members may be depicted. Entrants must review and agree to the photo upload terms on the Vlasic® website. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York City, $1,000 and a one-year supply of Vlasic Pickles. For more details, check out the official rules.
• Johnson & Johnson is doing a sweepstakes to give 20 bloggers the funding to attend the BlogHer conference (for those already registered). All you have to do is visit BlogHer and go to the “Sponsored Content” or “BlogHer Conferences” sections and you’ll be able to sign up to win $1200 in cash! Contest runs until July 7th. Check out the official rules here.
• Jodi from Beacon of Hope is a finalist in a contest to win a years worth of spa treatments and receive the awesome job of becoming the Sego Lily Spa Blogger. In order to make it all the way though, she needs your vote! Vote for her on herSego Lily post, then come back to Beacon of Hope and leave a comment saying you voted. You’ll be entered to win a “Pamper Me” package full of goodies from Bath and Body Works, as well as yummy chocolate! Contest ends July 3rd, 2009.
• AllAmericanDirect.com wants you to win a LG 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV! Simply fill out the Sweepstakes entry form and you’ll be entered to win! Contest ends June 30th.

BLOG GIVEAWAYS

For Everyone

• A Contest Blog Two weeks of banner advertising (6/28)
• Tara’s View Of The World $50 gift certificate to Tiny Prints (7/10 Worldwide)
• Healthy Moms Gel Nano Mouthguard (7/2 US Only)
• Mom’s Focus On Cyber World EarDoc (7/15 US & Canada)
• Melinda Joy Janey Mac wall decals - $20 gift card (7/18 Worldwide)

For Women

• Glimpse Sunglass case and mini-wallet (6/29 Worldwide)
• Sandier Pastures Turquoise Jewelry from Abella Galleries (6/30 Worldwide)
• Healthy Moms Slim Series Express workout videos (7/1 US Only)
• Mom’s Focus On Cyber World SheerTan Starter Set (7/15 US Only)
• Mom’s Focus On Cyber World Ageless Fantasy Perfume (7/15 US Only)
• Mom’s Focus On Cyber World Laundry Mom Tee (7/15 US & Canada)
• Melinda Joy Gem Drops products (7/22 Worldwide)

Baby Essentials

• honestbaby Evenflo Symphony Car Seat
• A Heart for Home Wooden Teething Toy (7/6)
• Mom’s Focus On Cyber World NoThrow (7/15 US & Canada)
• Adventures in Babywearing solarveil sling (6/30)

Just For Kids

• The Laughs Will Go On $20 gift certificate to Soft Star Shoes (6/29 Worldwide)
• Tara’s View Of The World Membership to Jumpstart.com (6/30 Worldwide)
• Mom’s Focus On Cyber World SafetyTats (7/15 US & Canada)
• 5 Minutes for Special Needs Step 2 Giveaway (7/10 US & Canada)

Books for Grown-Ups

• Not Entirely British Confessions of a Completely (In)Sane Mother (7/1)

Books for Kids

Would you like to share a fun giveaway or a worth our while post? Please add it to the Mr. Linky below. You can come here any time this week to add in your link. Don’t miss out on the fun. Be sure to visit throughout the week as the linky grows, and more sites are added.

If you would like to have a post on your blog featured in 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere, please send us an email with the actual link to your post at features5minutesformom at gmail dot com and we’ll see if it can be arranged.

You can find Marissa writing away at Mama Sparkles.