Mother’s Day was recognized across the United States this past Sunday and individuals all over celebrated their mothers and showed them how much they loved them.  My boys made amazing cards for me that expressed to me how much they love me and that I have made a positive impact in their lives.  I love my boys so much!  They mean the world to me!  So, I was really excited to feature a new children’s book called Because Your Mommy Loves You.

Because Your Mommy Loves You was written by Andrew Clements and illustrated by R.W. Alley.  The book is ideal for children ages 4 and up.  You can purchase Because Your Mommy Loves You in bookstores or online, retailing for $16.99.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this sweet companion book to Because Your Daddy Loves You, a little boy and his mom go on a hiking trip and camp out under the stars. Mommy is as calm and reassuring, but also goes far to foster her son’s independence in an encouraging and loving way. As heartwarming as its predecessor, this read-aloud book is sure to become a family favorite.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Clements is the author of many best-selling books, among them the middle grade novel Frindle. He lives in Westborough, Massachusetts, and can be found at www.andrewclements.com.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

R. W. Alley is the illustrator of many beloved picture books, including the Paddington Bear series. He lives in Barrington, Rhode Island. Visit him at www.rwalley.com.

GIVEAWAY

3 lucky readers on The Mommy-Files will win a copy of Because Your Mommy Loves You!!!

EXTRA ENTRIES

- Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
- Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
- Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
- Follow me through Google Connect (on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
- Subscribe to my blog (email subscription) – 1 ENTRY
- Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
- Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
- Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES

- Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
- Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I received a copy of “Because Your Mommy Loves You” to facilitate my review for this campaign.  The giveaway was sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Do you love to shop for clothes?  If so, you’ll want to participate in a nationwide “Hauls of Fame” contest on Facebook, launched by Kohl’s!  The Kohl’s Hauls of Fame Contest encourages consumers to shop to win and brag about the great values they’re getting at Kohl’s.

Kohl’s initially introduced “Shop to Win,” featuring three world-class athletes – Dara Torres, Mia Hamm and Lindsey Vonn.  The campaign embodies the emotions an athlete feels during competition – the surge of adrenaline, the thrill of victory and the rush of accomplishment, and parallels that to the excitement of being a savvy customer and finding the best deals on fashion solutions for the entire family.

If you’re wondering what an iconic athlete would buy at Kohl’s, you can see haul videos created by Dara, Mia, and Lindsey on Kohl’s Facebook page, under the Hauls of Fame Contest tab.

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a Kohl’s $100 gift card!!!

WIN IT!!! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

- Tell me in a comment what you would buy and feature in your “Haul of Fame” if you were to win the $100 Kohl’s gift card!!!

EXTRA ENTRIES

- Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
- Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
- Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
- Become a Fan of Kohl’s on Facebook - 1 ENTRY
- Follow me through Google Connect (on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
- Subscribe to my blog (email subscription) – 1 ENTRY
- Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
- Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
- Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES

- Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, May 28th, 2012! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
- Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I received a gift card from Kohl’s to facilitate my review for this campaign.  The giveaway was sponsored by Kohl’s.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

At Fitness Alliance, you’ll find high quality, effective programs that will guarantee results.  These are the only programs that Fitness Alliance includes on its site.  These programs show results and allow you to work out in the comfort of your own home.  Working out in your own home is both convenient and budget friendly.  You save money that you might otherwise be spending for a gym membership. Plus, each of the programs include a personal trainer to help guide you through the program – through your own television in your home.  Programs such as the P90X Workout, Insanity Workout, Slim in 6, and Turbo Fire have helped over 20 million people get into amazing shape!  How have they done this?  Because they work!

Fitness Alliance has a 30-day Money Back Guarantee, where your 100% satisfaction is guaranteed.  If you’re not happy with your purchase, simply send it back – no questions asked.  You can pay for your purchase with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, or Paypal.  Be sure to check out Fitness Alliance today and start a workout program that will get you in the best shape of your life!

This is a sponsored post from our friends at Fitness Alliance.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, stuffy head – all are signs of allergies.  Allergies make life very challenging, and as a mom to three busy boys, I need something that will act quickly and be effective at the same time.  Allegra is here to help!  Allegra and an everyday beauty regimen helps me to go from feeling drab to feeling fab.

For this shoppertunity, I headed to my local CVS in Arroyo Grande.  This CVS is one of the bigger stores on the Central Coast, but I had an easy time finding the medicine section.  I didn’t have to go very far when I found a large Allegra display at the end of the aisle.

Allegra was available in both formulas for adults and formulas for kids.  There were different sized packages and different prices.  The best deal I found was the 30-count bottle, normally $22.79, for only $17.99.  Through May 31st, you can get a 30-count bottle of Allegra for only $17.99 with your CVS card.  Plus, if you look around the aisle, you might get lucky like I did and find a $2.00 off coupon.

My job for this campaign is to talk about how allergies affect my everyday beauty regimen and my experience with Allegra.  First of all, allergies leave me feeling yucky and not very attractive.  I mean really, who feels attractive when they’re sneezing, sniffling, and constantly wiping a runny nose, right?  Well, Allegra is fast-acting and effective and definitely helped me to go from feeling drab to feeling fab!  Some of my makeup necessities are concealer (to help conceal the redness around the nose caused from wiping constantly with a tissue) and lipstick (giving you that color that will brighten up your face).

My beauty regimen is to wash my face in the morning and night (removing eye makeup at night).  I then apply moisturizer, followed by foundation.  I use concealer on blemishes or circles.  I add blush, eyebrow powder, eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara.  I then finish off my look with chapstick and lipstick.  Wah lah!  Fab!  Thank you Allegra for a great product that leaves me feeling fabulous!

Be sure to check out the Allergan Makeover Game!  Follow Allegra on Twitter and Facebook.

Also, take a look at my Google+ Story for this shoppertunity!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Yesterday was Sammy’s birthday, but we celebrated it today at our local Chuck E Cheese.  My little boy is now 4 years old!!!  Crazy how the time flies by!  Well, I have been talking with my boyfriend’s mom for a little while now about the cake she wanted to make for Sam’s birthday.  She made him the most awesome character cake I’ve ever seen!  It was 3 layers with fondant on the outside and a special surprise on the inside of the bottom layer (Mater).

Sammy was so surprised when she showed him the cake!  He immediately pointed out the different characters that made up the cake.  He pointed to Mater at the bottom, Lightning McQueen, and Dr. Z.  He couldn’t believe this cake was made just for him!

Now for the bottom layer of the cake.  It was described to me over the phone, but when I saw it in person, it wasn’t anything close to what I imagined it would be!  It was more awesome than I imagined it would be…..and tasty!  I have never tried making a cake like this before, but it was pretty awesome and I would love to try it out some day.

Sammy was really excited to open his gifts and couldn’t wait to play with them.  He definitely had a really good birthday party this year!  Thank you to our family and friends who came and celebrated with us!

The cake was designed by Helen Swarts and inspired by Emi’s Confections.  Helen did an amazing job and I can’t wait to see other cakes she makes in the future!

This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

I loved this video!  It’s funny how we grow up and we are ready to be out on our own, but that doesn’t necessarily mean our mothers are ready for us to be out on our own.  My mom has been there for me through some very difficult times and while there are ways I want to be different from her, there are many ways in which I am like her (for the good).  The same goes for the daughter and her mother in this video.  Mother’s Day gives me the opportunity to tell my mom how much she means to me and that without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today.  I love you mom!  Happy Mother’s Day!

For Mother’s Day, eBay is celebrating by “Creating New Memories” – a concept that embraces celebrating all the great memories moms has given us and all the memories we will give her (when we shower her with gifts and love from eBay).  When it comes to mom, we want to celebrate her with our heartwarming, funny, ridiculous, crazy, and unbelievable memories.

Through May 13th you can enter for a chance to win some great prizes at Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!!!

Through May 12th, be sure to check out eBay’s Flowers Promotion!  Buy ProFlowers through eBay and get $10 spend on eBay.  Check out http://www.ebay.com/evt/mothers-day-gifts.

Check out eBay for Mothers Day gifts the perfect gift for your mom this Mother’s Day!

This was a sponsored post with eBay.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

The flowers came in gorgeous colors in a square-shaped vase.  The vase made it easy to set anywhere in our home and display for all to see.  You can choose from a variety of arrangements to send on Mother’s Day to that special mom in your life!

Not that receiving the flowers wasn’t awesome enough, I was able to “Pay It Forward” for Mother’s Day and select four other bloggers to receive floral arrangements as well!  All four were super excited to receive the email notifying they had been selected by me and, those who received their flowers, loved them!

Who else out there wants to receive or send a FREE Better Homes and Gardens Flowers by FTD arrangement for Mother’s Day?  Now is your chance to enter to win one on The Mommy-Files!!

Be sure to check out the Mother’s Day Getaway Sweepstakes on the FTD Flowers Facebook page where, among other prizes, one Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to Morgan Bay Beach Resort in St. Lucia.  Prize includes a 4-night stay in a one-bedroom (double occupancy) Oceanview Suite with Morgan Bay’s all-inclusive program for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, unlimited beverages, all on-site activities, nightly entertainment, and more!

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a $50 coupon code to redeem a Better Homes and Gardens Flowers by FTD Mother’s Day arrangement!!!

WIN IT!!! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

- Tell me in a comment who you would send the floral arrangement to!!

EXTRA ENTRIES

- Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
- Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
- Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
- Become a Fan of Better Homes & Gardens FTD Flowers on Facebook - 1 ENTRY
- Follow me through Google Connect (on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
- Subscribe to my blog (email subscription) – 1 ENTRY
- Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
- Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
- Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES

- Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, May 27th, 2012! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
- Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I received a floral arrangement for Mother’s Day from Better Homes & Gardens FTD for Flowers to facilitate this review.  The giveaway was provided by Better Homes & Gardens FTD for Flowers.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

I frequently check my Facebook, email, and Twitter accounts throughout the day and was surprised the other day by a tweet I received.  It was congratulating me on being one of the “Top 10 U.S. Mom Bloggers on Twitter.”  I couldn’t believe I made a list like that!  I was even more excited to see many of my blogging friends on the list as well!  How cool is that?

A big thanks to everyone who has been there to support me and especially read my posts!  Happy blogging to all and to all a good night!

This is not a compensated post.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. 

In April, I had the awesome opportunity to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum.  I grew up with a mom who worked for Disneyland and had lots of experiences with Disneyland growing up, but didn’t know much about the family background.  The Walt Disney Family Museum was definitely a great experience.  There was so much that I learned about Walt and about the birth of one of our favorite amusement parks – Disneyland!

Here are some of the fun facts I learned on my trip:

- Walt Disney was born in 1901 and passed away in 1961.

- The first time Walt was paid for his artwork was when he was a boy.  He was paid a quarter for a drawing of a horse he made for a doctor.

- Walt served in the military in France where he continued to draw.  He would draw pictures for the soldiers to send home with letters they sent to their family and friends.

- Walt loved to shoot videos of his family.  He loved using special effects with his camera.

- Walt arrived in Hollywood in 1923 with mismatched trousers and $40 in his pocket.

- The first mouse that Walt drew was Mortimer Mouse, later renamed Mickey Mouse.

- The cartoon short, Steamboat Willy, was 7 1/2 minutes long – made up of 10.5 thousand frames.

- Snow White is the first film to be released with its own score (musical soundtrack).

- Donald Duck was the Disney character featured in the most cartoons – even more than Mickey Mouse.

- The first action film Walt created was Treasure Island.

- Walt came up with Disneylandia, a series of miniature dioramas depicting historical Americana.  He shelved the idea.

- At the Walt Disney Family Museum is the bench where Walt sat down at Griffith Park, as he watched his daughter on the carousel and came up with the idea of Disneyland.

- Walt Disney wanted a train to go around his park, so he sketched Griffith Park for his train layout.

- 3 Disneyland attractions were featured at New York’s World Fair – Carousel of Progress, It’s a Small World, and the Great Monument of Lincoln.

One of my favorite parts of the Walt Disney Family Museum was the model of Disneyland.  It was so much fun looking at the miniature parts of Disneyland.  There were lands and rides that I could identify that are still at Disneyland, and even some that are not!  There are even rides that I remember as a kid that have been replaced by newer rides, such as the rocket ships or the people movers.  What’s even cooler is that if you get down to the ground level of the model and crouch down, you can see Walt and his daughter holding hands.  You have to get down and look through the gates of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.  It’s pretty awesome!

The Walt Disney Family Museum is open on Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 Disney/Pixar provided me with an all-expenses paid trip to screen “Brave,” “Chimpanzee,” and “La Luna,” as well as visit the Walt Disney Family Museum.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

I was recently introduced to Elmer’s Painters Paint Markers and was excited to create a craft with my three boys using the paint markers.  My boys are so creative and I knew they would have fun creating their own shirt and drawing their own pictures to wear around town.  In this campaign, each blogger chose the medium with which she/he wanted to use the markers on.  I chose fabric.  Originally, I wanted to decorate aprons, but had some difficulty finding them for my kids.  So, I went with the next best thing for fabric – shirts.

I purchased the shirts and markers at my local Walmart and let my kids go to town designing their own shirts.  They had fun coming up with their own unique patterns and pictures and they were very excited to tell me what they created.  When using the Elmer’s Painters Paint Markers with kids, be sure to supervise them.  The paint markers are a bit tricky to open up in the beginning, as each marker is individually wrapped.  But with some patience and a pair of scissors, you’ll get them open in no time.  Be sure to shake the marker with the lid on, to avoid splattering ink on shirts or tables.  In order to get the marker to really soak up the ink, press the tip on a piece of paper or extra piece of fabric, until the tip is filled with the colored ink.

Elmer’s Painters Paint Markers are available in the craft section at Walmart.  They are available in a variety of colors and retail for $1.97 for each individual marker.  I decided to purchase the 5 pack in fine tip, which included brown, orange, pink, yellow, and purple.  If I bought them again, I would be sure to include blue and green, as those are colors my boys kept asking to use.

Be sure to follow Elmer’s on Twitter and Facebook.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.