Talented but naïve, Amara Winter (multi-platinum selling artist Ciara) is a young gospel singer who dreams of pop stardom. Raised in a tight-knit community, Amara is discovered by agents who quickly propel her to the top with recording sessions and television appearances.  Soured by the sudden media attention, Amara’s preacher mother (Emmy Award^®-winner Lynn Whitfield, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story) implores her to stay grounded.  Amara faithfully pursues her music career even in the face of creating a strained relationship with her mother, and turns to her father (Grammy Award^®-winner Marvin Winans, I Can Do Bad All By Myself) and Sister Carrie (Grammy Award^®-winner Patti LaBelle, “A Different World”) for support.  On her way to the limelight, Amara must learn to navigate the often-treacherous world of celebrity and find a way to remain true to herself and to her family.

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Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment  is sending three Mom to Bed by a 8 readers each a copy of this inspirational DVD, MAMA, I WANT TO SING!

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Disclosure: I receive sample(s) from Wonder Forge for purpose of testing and review. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Please view our disclosure policy if you have any questions. Mom to Bed by 8 is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

August 2011 TomTom announced their newest line of car navigation devices, GO LIVE and we have finally got our hands on the GO LIVE 1535M. With a full review coming soon; I can tell you that I for one will make use of this much more than my husband. Sometimes I think my how to get there wires were crossed at birth. This is a sleek device that I label as a must have!

Press release details below

The connected TomTom GO LIVE 1535M device will combine the most comprehensive road and traffic information from TomTom HD Traffic, with the insight of travel-related apps. These new features will give people in cars the information they need on a dedicated device designed to offer the best navigation experience.

Using TomTom’s connected LIVE services, drivers can access the information they need while on the road by browsing through helpful travel apps from Yelp^®, TripAdvisor^®, Expedia^® and Twitter.  With these apps, users can read restaurant reviews, find hotel availability or automatically tweet their arrival time without ever leaving the car. Additionally, they’ll have access to updated fuel prices, weather forecasts, and Local Search.

“By giving people the most up-to-date traffic details as well as relevant local content provided by travel apps, TomTom is bringing a new level of connectivity to drivers by providing information in the most effective platform available,” said Tim Roper, president of TomTom, Inc. “We are excited to expand TomTom HD Traffic services onto our new range of connected devices at a more affordable price, as it can dramatically reduce time spent in traffic for our customers.”

As a connected device, the new TomTom GO LIVE device saves people time, money and stress by delivering real-time information and continuously monitoring and rerouting drivers based on current traffic conditions. TomTom HD Traffic provides the most accurate reporting available by capturing more of the actual traffic jams than ever before. Additionally, TomTom HD Traffic processes traffic conditions for all major and secondary roads within theU.S.road network and proactively delivers real-time traffic updates to devices every two minutes.

Features Overview

• Intuitive Voice Recognition with one-step address entry
• Bluetooth Hands-Free Calling^*
• Integrated Mount with flip-screen
• Crisp, sharp graphics and intuitive user menus

• Expanded driving view on5”touch screens

• Spoken Street Names
• Advanced Lane Guidance
• Maps of US, CAN and MEX (GO LIVE1535 M)
• Maps of US (GO LIVE 1530)
• Lifetime Map Updates** (varies by model)

Additional Features Available the GO LIVE 1535 M

• TomTom LIVE Services bundle, including TomTom HD Traffic (available in country of purchase)
• New Travel apps from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Twitter
• Other popular TomTom Apps like Local Search, Fuel Prices, and Weather Forecasts

About TomTom

Founded in 1991, TomTom (AEX:TOM2) is the world’s leading supplier of in-car  location and navigation products and services focused on providing all drivers with the world’s best navigation experience. Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has over 3,500 employees and sells its products in over 40 countries.

Our products include portable navigation devices, in-dash infotainment systems, fleet management solutions, maps and real-time services, including the award winning TomTom HD Traffic.

For the world’s most up-to-date route planner, including live traffic information go to www.tomtom.com/livetraffic

BUY IT: The TomTom GO LIVE1535 M is available Pricing from Amazon.com and tomtom.com. Prices start at $249 MSRP and include a free 12-month subscription of LIVE services will be available with each purchase.

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TomTom is sending one Mom to Bed by 8 reader a GO LIVE1535 M with 12-month subscription of LIVE services as part of the Great Gadget Event!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I receive sample(s) from Wonder Forge for purpose of testing and review. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Please view our disclosure policy if you have any questions. Mom to Bed by 8 is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

It is a perfect time to showcase your favorite Tech Gadgets. Kobiso and Madame Deals are proud to present the Great Gadget Giveaway where the grand prize is a Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N Router ($179.99) AND AfterShokz bone conduction headphones. You can enter here.

 Comedic Icons Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson Star in the Hilarious Outdoor Adventure Coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31!

Was your New Year’s resolution a pact to yourself to get outdoors and make 2012 your Big Year?  In this beginner’s guide we’ll direct you to where you can find online field guides, deals on binoculars, regional checklists and new birding buddies to go on trips with.  Grab a notebook and start practicing your birdcalls and soon you will be having the biggest year ever!

Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson portray three men from very different walks of life, facing a mid-life crisis, a work-life crisis and a no-life crisis.  In the biggest competition of their lives, they undertake an unforgettable trek through North America, engaging in hilarious and bizarre adventures and forming friendships that will last a lifetime!

Online Field Guides

Many hardcore birders like to have physical field guides that they can take with them, and many people employ the use of regional field guides, as they offer more specific advice. As you are starting your birding adventure, try using a site like http://www.whatbird.com/, which allows you to search for species in many different ways (including by region and by appearance). What Bird also has handy apps for e-readers and smart phones, which allow you to access their immense database on the go!

Binoculars

If you want to get serious about birding, you need a proper pair of binoculars. When you’re searching for your first pair, you need to pay attention to seven things: magnification, objective lens size, close focus, field of view, roof vs. porro prism, eye relief, and the 3 Ws (weight, waterproof and warranty). Go to http://store.onlinenaturemall.com/article-binoculars.html for help choosing the type of binoculars that are right for you, as well as suggestions on where to buy them for the best price.

Regional Checklists

The best way to start birding is to observe (and learn to recognize) the birds in your own backyard!  To do this, you should consult a checklist of the birds that appear in your region. One of the best sites to visit when looking for information on species in your region is http://www.wildbirds.com/FindBirds/StateProvinceChecklistsatWildBirdscom/tabid/198/Default.aspx. Wild Birds has each state in a United States (as well as most of Canada) represented on their site, with comprehensive checklists, reading lists and relevant links included.

Birding Buddies

The best way to find a buddy to bird with is to join different groups for birding enthusiasts. Two of the largest birding organizations in the United States are the American Birding Association and the National Audubon Society. Each of these larger, national organizations can steer you towards either region-specific sectors of their organization, or smaller birding clubs in your area. You could also use http://www.Meetup.com to find birders in your area, and local events or trips to take part in.

Disclosure: Feature provided in efforts to assist in the promotion of the upcoming release of The Big Year on bluray and DVD. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Please view our disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Get to know the Boxer Bots before the January 24th release of REAL STEEL on Blu-ray & DVD!

Ambush is a low-rent circuit bot. The best fight that Charlie can arrange for Ambush is literally against a piece of livestock.

Atom may not be in the biggest or the flashiest bot in the ring, but he is the most extraordinary. He is the “hero” robot.

Colored in gold and red, Midas sports a mohawk. He’s a brawler. He follows no rules. He’ll use whatever means necessary to win a fight.

Noisy Boy is a former league bot. When he started losing fights, he was exiled to doing boxing exhibitions in South America and Asia. He’s now back, but he’s no longer league caliber, so he’s fighting in underworld venues.

With a block-shaped upper body, Twin Cities is a vicious two-headed robot!

Zeus is the champ of the WRB. He is enormous. He is described as “The Death Star.” He is painted reflected black. He has piston-programmed punch mechanisms in his arms. Not only has Zeus never been beaten, but also, no other robot has even survived beyond the first round with him.

In celebration of Treasure Buddies releasing on January 31st, check out this photo gallery of fun photos from Treasure Buddies, and your other favorite Buddies movies in their best dress-up gear! Something about the cuddly pups in costume make me smile and my children giggle.

1. ShareBar (Download) – ShareBar encourages, you guessed it, sharing. It allows your readers to select the social media that they would like to share your content though, which makes it much easier for them (which means they do it more often). ShareBar slides up and down the page as you’re browsing, so you know where to find it if you want to share anything.

2. Broken Link Checker (Download) – This does just what it says, it checks for broken links. Not only will broken links confuse new visitors, it will make some of them not want to come back. Keep your readers engaged by fixing broken links.

3. All in One SEO (Download) – Optimizes your WordPress blog for Search Engines. Great for all bloggers to use, helps get you more traffic as well. HeadSpace2 SEO is a newer alternative to All in One SEO. More traffic = more reader interaction.

4. TweetMeme (Download) – The TweetMeme retweet button is for websites and blog publishers who want to encourage their audience to tweet their content on Twitter. The button shows a live count of the number of times your webpage or blog post has been tweeted. Making it easy for your readers to retweet your content is the quickest way for your posts to go viral.

5. CommentLuv (Download) – Great way to give back to your loyal readers! CommentLuv lists the last post that the commenter posted on their own blog, thus giving them a little “luv” for leaving a comment. Encourages comments, which is always a good thing!

6. Thank Me Later (Download) – Last but not least, Akismet is a must! It’s the best spam blocker out there and just like the plugins above, it’s free! Let Akismet fight against spam, while you use your time for more important things.

There are so many free plugins to choose from that you may get overwhelmed at first. Just focus on learning (and loving) a few at a time and you will do just fine. You can see more of my favorite plugins here.

Guest post written by Sadie Lankford, a passionate writer who teaches you how to make money with your blog (in plain English). Follow her on twitter: @sadie_lankford.

Everyone loves Amazon Codes. Join Kobiso to win $100 to Amazon? Complete the entries in the Rafflecopter below. You can come back and do a few each day or do them all in one sitting! Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I paid for a link to be included in this combined giveaway. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Please view our disclosure policy if you have any questions. Mom to Bed by 8 is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

The Share the Love Giveaway Hop is proud to announce that Tweetalicious will be joining the event as a grand prize sponsor!

The goal at Tweetalicious is simple: To give people a place to find, manage and use the best deals and coupons on Twitter from anywhere and at anytime. The site is an invitation only destination where members can discover great deals from brands they love and share with friends on Twitter.

Tweetalicious will be sponsoring the grand prize giveaway of a Kindle Fire as part of the Share the Love Giveaway Hop!

Registration is still open if you are interested in participating in the Share the Love Giveaway Hop. Don’t forget to come back on February 7th and hop around to win some fabulous prizes including a Kindle Fire from Tweetalicious! They are definitely sharing the love this Valentine’s Day season!