I was very bummed to see Amazon Mom disappear and become a paid service.  I currently have ShopRunner and love it!  I always love free shipping and 2 day free shipping is wonderful.  Right now, you can the ShopRunner subscription for 90 days FREE!  You can shop from Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Drugstore.com, or my husband’s favorite NewEgg.com.

You can get your free subscription on ShopRunner’s Facebook page.

Right now, you can download Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy for free on your Kindle or free Kindle apps.

Book Description: A storm the size of Texas brews when Gloria Powell and Kai Chang meet in a Dallas hotel. They have come to discuss the future of Lily, the daughter Gloria adopted from China and the sister Kai hopes to reclaim. Kai is a doctor who had to give up her little sister during the Cultural Revolution and has since discovered that an inherited genetic defect may be waiting to fatally strike Lily.

Gloria’s relationship with her daughter is tattered and strained, and the arrival of Kai, despite the woman’s apparent good intentions, makes Gloria fearful. Gloria longs to restore her relationship with Lily, but in the wake of this potentially devastating diagnosis, is Kai an answer to prayer…or will her arrival force Gloria to sacrifice more than she ever imagined?

Genre: Fiction, Christian fiction

For Valentine’s Day, we decided to do something special for our kids.  The last 6 weeks have been more difficult since mommy is on bed rest.  They do not quite understand it and so anything we can do to make this time special is what we are trying to do.  What I thought was simple became a huge deal to my kids.  Dylan and I decided that we would set up Tony’s Restaurant from the love scene in Lady and the Tramp.  (I can’t take credit for this idea because a PR rep actually pitched it to me.)

I was suppose to receive a Lady and the Tramp kit with paper products, the lantern that you see above, and some coloring pages.  These didn’t arrive in time for Valentine’s Day so we decided to create it ourselves.  The adorable lantern above can be found at DisneyFamily.com.  I printed it and it took me about 5 minutes to put together.

I also printed out this fun coloring page and maze for a place mat and added a few crayons to the side.  I turned off the lights and lit a candle.  The mood was set.

The kids immediately went to their chairs and began coloring.  Gracie just kept saying “This is for us?  We have never done this before.  Can we do it again?”  This little 4 year old babbled the whole dinner time about how much she liked it.  Gabriel took some time getting used to the candle and no light over ahead (he liked predictable).

Dinner was brought out and it was just a simple spaghetti and meatballs that I helped my husband create from my chair.  It literally took us 5 minutes to throw the sauce, seasonings, and frozen meatballs in the crock pot to simmer all day.  Both my kids ate all their dinner with no complaint – in fact, with much more gusto than normal.  If I had known that all it took was a candle, a few crayons, and a few simple decorations to make my kids night – I would have done before.  My husband even commented on how special this small dinner had made him feel.  It was very much like having a restaurant in our home.  We finished the night off with watching just the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp and the kids loved it.  My kids aren’t quite ready for the full movie but this small scene was so fun for them.

If you would like to create this same meal for your family, you can find the Lady and the Tramp downloads here.

Win It!!

One Empowering Mommy is able to win their own copy of the new Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition blu ray and DVD combo!

1.  Leave me a comment telling me your favorite dinner with your family.  Do this one first.

Extra Entries:

2. Subscribe to this blog by email. Leave me a comment letting me know you did so. This will be verified.

3. Grab my button (found in the sidebar) and post it on your blog. If you have an old button, make sure you grab the new one. This must be up when the giveaway closes.

4. Leave a comment on another one of my posts – must be a nongiveaway post. Leave a comment for each post you commented on.

5. Enter another Empowering Mommy giveaway. You may only use a giveaway one time for an extra giveaway.For example if you enter the iCute giveaway and leave it as your extra entry on this giveaway, you may not use the iCute giveaway as an extra entry on another giveaway. Let me know which giveaways you entered.

6. Follow me  on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please leave a comment with your twitter name letting me know you did so. You can do this once a day.

8. Become a fan (or like) of Empowering Mommy on Facebook.Please leave a comment along with your facebook name letting me know you did so.

9. Click the like Facebook button at the bottom of this post. You will find this right below the disclosure statement. Please leave a comment letting me know you did so.

11.  Follow Empowering Mommy on Pinterest. Please leave a comment letting me know you did so.

This giveaway ends February 25, 2012 at 12:oopm PST and is open to the US only. Make sure that you leave your email address in each comment. Leave a separate comment for every entry that you make so that these will count for you! Have fun and I look forward to announcing the winners of this great giveaway!

Disclosure:  I was sent a product free of charge for this review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the sponsor.

This is my sweet niece, Kaylee, and she is modeling a hair bow I just finished.  I say feather, her mommy says no.  I think Kaylee says feather too so we decided to poll the audience.  Feather or no feather? 

Right now you can buy Charlie Banana cloth diapers on Zulily for as low as $13.19 a piece.  I have never tested these diapers myself but I have heard great things about them.  If you are looking for a great deal on cloth diapers, this is definitely one that I would recommend.

I am thrilled to share this free book with you. I have read this book and it is excellent. It is only free for 24 hours and will expire at 11:59 PM EST Monday (2/13) so you are interested, get this right away. Right now you can download Have a New Husband by Friday: How to Change His Attitude, Behavior & Communication in 5 Days by Kevin Leman for free for your Kindle or free Kindle apps.

Book Description:  Have a new husband by Friday? Is that even possible? Dr. Kevin Leman says it is. The New York Times bestselling author and self-help guru shows even the most frustrated wife how she can have a new husband by Friday. Leman reminds any wife that if what she’s doing to get better behavior out of her husband isn’t working now, it never will. So it’s time for a change. That means it’s time to change her own patterns of behavior. Here’s how Leman suggests she handle it day to day:Monday: Secrets Revealed: Cracking the Male Code?Yes, you’re different species, but you can work together in harmony.Tuesday: Creatures from Another Planet . . . or Creatures of Habit?To understand men, you have to track ‘em to their den.Wednesday: Think about What You Want to Say, Then Divide It by TenHow to talk so your guy will really listen . . . and listen so your guy will really talk.Thursday: Think of Him as a Seal Waiting for a Three-Pound FishWhy making love to your man is a key to who he is and how satisfied he’ll be, and what’s in it for you. Friday: It Takes a Real Woman to Make a Man Feel like a Real Man.  How to open your man’s heart, revolutionize your love life, and turn him into the knight you’ve always dreamed of.

Genre:  Marriage, Self Help

Right now you can download A Lovely Day – A Valentine Picture Book for Children
for free on your Kindle or free Kindle apps.

Book Description: Kev has a surprise planned for Valentine’s Day. He has a gift for everyone!

This story of Kev’s exciting day is for parents wishing to teach their children the value of sharing, loving and giving. Bright illustrations and simple sentences in each page will encourage young readers to read this cheerful book.

Genre: Children’s Fiction, fiction, Holiday

Right now you can download The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site by Steve Weber for free on your Kindle or free Kindle apps.

Book Description: Want to know the most profitable, lowest-risk idea for your home business? It’s selling used books online, which is growing 33 percent annually, according to a study by U.S. publishers.

Here is the complete text (the Kindle edition was expanded & revised in February 2012) of the most popular book about online bookselling of all time: The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site

Learn how to start your business part-time, then work as little or as much as you want. This step-by-step guide, written by one of the most successful and highly rated sellers on Amazon.com and eBay, includes everything you need to know.

Genre: Business, Finance

Right now, you can download The Pastor’s Wife by Jennifer Allee for free for your Kindle or free Kindle apps.

Book Description: Maura Sullivan never intended to set foot in Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she tried so hard to leave behind: a husband who ignored her, a congregation she couldn’t please, and a God who took away everything she ever loved.Nick Shepherd thought he had put the past behind him, until the day his estranged wife walked back into town. Intending only to help Maura through her crisis of faith, Nick finds his feelings for her never died. Now, he must admit the mistakes he made, how he hurt his wife, and find a way to give and receive forgiveness.As God works in both of their lives, Nick and Maura start to believe they can repair their broken relationship and reunite as man and wife. But Maura has one more secret to tell Nick before they can move forward. It’s what ultimately drove her to leave him three years earlier, and the one thing that can destroy the fragile trust they’ve built.

Genre: Christian fiction, fiction

This week, one of my goals was to do Valentine’s Day activities with my kids. I may have to lay down all the time but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do things with them. That was my challenge this week and the very first project ended up being a flop but still lots of fun.

Yesterday, we decided to make heart shaped Cheerio bird feeders and they were a big hit!  The kids loved doing this project, it was easy, and everything stayed pretty clean. 

You need:

Cheerios or any round shaped cereal

Pipe Cleaners (3 for each bird feeder)

Scissors

Ribbon

Bend your pipe cleaners into heart shapes.  Make sure you leave the ends open.

Pour cheerios into individual size bowls and let your children “string” the cheerios onto the pipe cleaners.

No, no – don’t eat the Cheerios – you’ll need more of those. 

This project does help your child’s hand/eye coordination and worked well for my 2 year old even though it was harder for them than my 4 year old.

Finish putting cheerios on all of your pipe cleaners.  Leave a little bit of pipe cleaner free of cheerios.

Wrap the ends of the pipe cleaners ends around each other to close off the bottom of one of your hearts.  Attach the bottom of the another heart to the top of your closed heart.  You might break a few Cheerios in this process but it isn’t too hard.  Add the last heart to the top of your last heart in the same way.  Cut a length to tie the bird feeder to a tree.

My kids waited patiently for daddy to come downstairs so they could tie them outside.

Tie them to a tree and wait for the birds (and squirrels) to enjoy your new bird feeders.