The Night Owl Mama

What To Expect When Your Expecting Movie Sweepstakes with Lots of Prizes #WhatToExpect

Tricia — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:48:07 +0000

I have four children and before each one of them came I fantasized about having another baby. What he/she would look like? Who they would act like and if they would like me better than they would like “daddy”. Oh don’t be so shocked. Every pregnant women thinks that. Don’t they? Having baby is like a good comedy isn’t it? But most of the time you just want to know What to Expect When your Expecting.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOUR EXPECTING OPENS IN THEATERS MAY 18!!

Inspired by the perennial New York Times bestseller of the same name, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING is a hilarious and heartfelt big-screen comedy about five couples whose intertwined lives are turned upside down by the challenges of impending parenthood.

Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan find that their high-octane celebrity lives don’t stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy’s husband, Gary, struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, who’s expecting twins with his much younger trophy wife, Skyler. Photographer Holly is prepared to travel the globe to adopt a child, but her husband Alex isn’t so sure, and tries to quiet his panic by attending a “dudes” support group, where new fathers get to tell it like it really is. And rival food truck chefs Rosie and Marco’s surprise hook-up results in an unexpected quandary: what to do when your first child comes before your first date?

A kaleidoscopic comedy as universal as it is unpredictable, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING finds humor and uplift in all the unexpected trials and triumphs of welcoming a child into the world. The film stars Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone and Joe Manganiello.

O My gosh could you just imagine? I loved the look on her face at the end. That was priceless. I am looking forward to seeing this film. Looks like it will be a lot of great laughs. What do you think?

~ * ~ * ~ GIVEAWAY ~ * ~ * ~

WIN IT: There will be 6 Winners: 5 Runners up and 1 Grand Prize Winners drawn here on the Night Owl Mama

Main prize (1 winner) – One shirt, one Anna Kendrick poster, swag from promo partners
(1) Fisher Price Smilin’ Smart Phone
(1) Character Poster
(1) Fisher Price Animal Characters Diaper Bag
(1) Palmers Skin Care Product

Second prize (5 winners) – One shirt, one Brooklyn Decker poster, small *swag from promo partners
Character Posters
Belly Bud
Oshkosh Clothing

To enter to win simply Log into the Rafflecopter Below with your Facebook I.D or your email address so that I can contact you if you win. Follow the requirements leaving a comment below when asked. There will be several options for getting extra entries. Do one do them all to increase your chances of winning. Please read official rules. OPEN TO U.S Readers Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

disclosure: I was not provided with compensation for running this promotional Giveaway or taking the time to promote. I offered to do so for the benefit of my readers. Enjoy.

National Learn to Swim Day is Saturday May 19

Tricia — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:23:20 +0000

National Learn to Swim Day is Saturday, May 19. Timed to National Water Safety Month and the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, National Learn to Swim Day is an effort to raise awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim, and provide resources to parents for teaching their kids the important skill. I have 4 children and only 2 of them can swim. My younger two still need to take lessons or we need to teach them this summer. As a Swim Team member I want to spread the important news and safety tips so that you can take steps to educate your children on the importance of pool safety and learning how to swim.

According to the Red Cross, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years old. Statistics show that children ages 1 to 4 drown most often in home swimming pools. Children were often out of sight less than 5 minutes and under the care of one or both parents at the time of many home pool drownings. That scares me to death. We have a pool in our yard and take the necessary precautions from the opening of our pool until the end of summer and closing the pool. We try to teach our children the importance of staying from the pool when no adults are present and the dangers of the swimming pool when adults are not around.

The American red cross shares home safety tips that I hope you’ll take the time to read and share with friends and family.

Any where there is water there is a risk of drowning.

Remove the risk and prevent access
Use physical barriers to prevent children from accessing any source of water
Use safety locks on toilets and keep bathroom doors closed and toilet-bowl covers down if there are small children in the home
Empty cleaning buckets immediately after use
Empty kiddie pools immediately after use
Install barriers around your home pool. Pool alarms and covers provide additional layers of protection

Know the water hazards in your community and make sure children stay away

These hazards could include—

Drainage ditches

Garden ponds

Creeks and streams

Wells and cisterns

Canals

When visiting another home, check the site for potential water hazards and always supervise children.

PRACTICE WATER SAFETY

Teach children to always ask permission to go near water

Never leave a young child unattended in a bath tub and do not trust a child’s life to another child or to aids that help a child sit upright in the tub.

Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket around water.

When swimming, set specific rules for each individual based on swimming ability.

Designate a person to watch over children whenever they are in, on or around any body of water

Know how to respond to an aquatic emergency

If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability

Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number

Enroll in Red Cross water safety, first aid and CPR courses to learn what to do

Have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a
first aid kit.

Our children have always worn swim vests from the very first day they enter the pool even if they could stand up. The possibility of them slipping and going under the water is just too scary. We have to take every precaution we can to keep our children safe this summer. Make sure they are wearing the proper size life vest for their height and weight. Never leave your children unattended or with another child that you think can be cable of watching them always be sure to take the child with you or have another adult present.

There are many ways to get involved with your community on National Learn to Swim Day. Ideas for participating locally include introducing children to the water with at home swim instruction, hosting a group swimming lesson, visiting a community pool as a family, or enrolling children in swim lessons at a local YMCA or Boys & Girls Club. Please encourage your readers to take advantage of this special day.

For more information on National Learn to Swim Day and SwimWays, please visit TeachMetoSwim.com.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Swimways Swim team and have received products to review. Post information was shared with me to inform my readers of this very important day. no other compensation has been received.

Kids will love to Paint and Decorate with Gelarti (Review)

Tricia — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:21:45 +0000

Kids get bored easy. When they are bored they tend to make bad choices. Choices like watching television, eating junk food, and playing video games all day long. My daughter loves to draw, color, paint anything crafty, so I love to hand her crafts to keep her busy. Gelarti™ is a unique line of gel stickers that children paint and decorate using specially formulated paint pens. Gelarti encourages kids to use their imaginations to design, create and swap their very own colorful and reusable stickers.

Gelarti is New from Australian toy company, Moose Enterprise.

The removable stinkers are great for putting on your wall, window, favorite glass, on or around a mirror. Decorate and enjoy, remove and place on any dry, clean surface to reuse again. Easy to color. Easy to peel off. Just pick a sticker, pick a color, paint and your done. She liked that the stickers peeled off and were easy to use.

What she really enjoyed was using the stickers to customers her very own special glass. She said these would be great for parties. If everyone had a different themed kit and they could paint their Gelarti stickers decorate their glasses and then they can drink out of them and won’t worry about drinking out of someone else’s. She’s pretty clever. Isn’t she?

They stuck to the glass great. What’s best of all is that you can see through them so even if you put them on the window the decoration is shown on both sides. Over time the color on the paint-able stickers faded a bit but my daughter said she liked it because she can repaint the color or just color again and even change it if she wanted. We also noticed that they didn’t stick to the wall very well but stuck to glass, mirror so much better. Our walls are painted with eggshell paint finish so possibly that could be an issue. My 11 year old daughter really liked Gelarti and can’t wait to see what other kits are available.

Gelarti is available in 3 forms:

Scene Pack: Available in Four themes: Butterfly, Rock, Mermaid and Forest Friends. 4 sticker sheets, 2 original paint pens, glitter pen
Activity Pack: Comes with a Marbeling tool to create unique designs. 8 Sticker sheets, 3 original paint pens, 2 glitter paint pens, 1 swing tag, 1 Birthday card, 1 activity book
Designer Studio: style your stickers and add embellishments, too. Designer studio, 6 sticker sheets, 3 original paint pens, 1 glitter pen, 1 marbling tool, 12 gems, 6 embellishment pieces

Available at your local Toys “R” US

MSRP: Reasonably priced from $9.99 – $24.99

disclosure: I was sent a sample to test and share my thoughts. Thoughts are 100% our own and honest opinion.

FREE Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich May 21 at Chick-Fil-A Dinner party and Your Invited!!

Tricia — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:34:33 +0000

On Monday, May 21, Chick-fil-A will host a dinner party in the Chicagoland area – and it’s free! All eight Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Chicago area and suburbs – including the restaurants in Merrillville, Ind. and Racine, Wis. – plan to give away free Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches to guests. Woot! Don’t you just love a Free Meal? I know we do!

At the Loyola Water Tower campus location, guests will be required to present a voucher to receive their sandwich between 4 and 6 p.m. Vouchers will be passed out during the week of May 13.

At the other seven locations, however, no vouchers are required, and sandwiches will be given away between 4 and 8 p.m. just in time for Dinner!! – and don’t forget the important part they are F-R-E-E!

All eight Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Chicago area and suburbs – including the restaurants in Merrillville, Ind. and Racine, Wis. – plan to give away free Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches to guests.

List of Participating Chick-Fil-A Locations

Chick-fil-A in Merrillville
2385 Southlake Mall
Merrillville, IN 46410
(219) 769-6810
Chick-fil-A in Lombard
717 E. Butterfield Road
Lombard, IL 60148
(630) 586-0830
Chick-fil-A in Wheaton
301 E. Loop Road
Wheaton, IL 60189
(630) 668-8350
Chick-fil-A at Loyola Water Tower Campus
(4 to 6 p.m. only, vouchers required)
30 East Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 266-8888
Chick-fil-A in Schaumburg
935 E. Golf Road
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 517-1173
Chick-fil-A in Orland Park
15605 S. La Grange Road
Orland Park, IL 60462
(708) 460-4663
Chick-fil-A at Fox Valley Center
4435 Fox Valley Center Drive
Aurora, IL 60504
(630) 820-1660

Chick-fil-A in Regency Mall

5802 Durand Ave.

Racine, WI 53406

(262) 554-5009

So if your a huge fan of Chick Fil-A or even if you have never had a chance to sink your teeth in the a Chick-Fil-A Sandwich like me now is your chance to get a sandwich for free. Mark your calendars and I’ll be heading to our local Chick-Fil-A and hope to see you there!

Disclosure: No compensation was given for sharing this deal with my readers. Enjoy

Dollar Generals “Mom’s Are Everyday Heroes” Prize Pack Giveaway

Tricia — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:49:53 +0000

When we think of true every day heroes we think of Firefighter’s, Police Officers, Doctors, Nurses, Teachers (yes I added teachers!), etc.. But what about those everyday heroes that go unnoticed. Dollar General® is teaming up with Procter & Gamble® to honor moms – the true Every Day Heroes who have made sacrifices for their families and their communities. They want to recognize moms who do extraordinary things every day for their families.

Even though Mother’s Day has come and gone we want to celebrate moms for their every day dedication to their families! Dollar General is inviting customers to upload videos describing why their moms are “Every Day Heroes.”

By uploading a video you will have the opportunity to win a Trip for 4 to U.S Olympic Training Center

That’s not all. There’s also Instant Win Prizes! 500 $10 Visa Gift Cards, and 5 Panasonic Flat Screen Televisions

Videos can be submitted and viewed at www.dollargeneral.com/everydayheroes.

After you have taken a few moments to upload your video then stop back here to enter for an exciting Dollar general prize pack with exciting Procter and Gamble products such as the new Tide® Pods, Febreze® Auto Air Freshener, Always® Radiant, Tampax® Radiant, Secret® Coco Butter Clear Gel, Old Spice® Champion Deodorant and a Dollar General chip clip.

~ * ~ * ~ GIVEAWAY ~ * ~ * ~

Win It: One Reader U.S reader of the Night Owl Mama will win a P&G Prize Pack as featured below

To Log in to the Rafflecopter Below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Procter & Gamble provided the prize for your consideration, as well as any prize provided as part of a contest

My Name is “Mommy”

Tricia — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:48:51 +0000

My Name is “Mommy”! I earned the title with each one of my children. I went through hours of labor and pushing with my 1st. I carried one for 41 weeks and had an emergency c-section. I had another c-section with the next child and endured years of crying and carrying this child around because he would not go by anyone else. I spent days in the hospital with one child worried about if she was ever going to get well again and countless hours trying to find a formula that would ease her stomach so she would sleep better and not scream for hours on end after a feeding.

YEP!! I earned my mommy stripes. I’ve earned the name and carry it proudly. My name is “Mommy” and they better not forget it!!

Tonight I was kissing my smarty pants son G good night.
He says, “Tricia. Your on my arm.”
I said in a firm voice,
“What? What did you call me?”

He laughed.

Then I said, “My name is Mommy. Don’t you forget it. I earned it! You better use it.”

I tickled him.

He laughed again.

Then he said, “Mommy your on my arm. Get off.”

He learns quick. We both laughed.

Have your children ever called you by your first name? Do you like it? Or do you feel it’s a sign of disrespect?

Summer Drinks Inspired with Pure Leaf Iced Tea (Review)

Tricia — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:57:15 +0000

On a hot day I love a good refreshing tall glass of iced tea but I’m pretty picky when it comes to flavor. I have 2 that I favor but after taste testing Pure Leaf Ice tea it has quickly become my preferred overall choice. Pure leaf Iced Tea offers real brewed tea with a fresh brewed taste and I can certainly taste it. It’s all natural ingredients and flavor begins with the freshest tea leaves picked at their peak. leaves are then hand-selected from Africa, China, India and South America for their smooth and distinctive flavor by Pure leaf’s Master Tea Blenders. Pure Leaf is proud to be Rainforest Alliance Certified for sourcing tea sustainability.

Pure Leaf is no longer available in glass bottle and will now be serving up Iced tea in new 18.5 oz and 59 oz square PET plastic bottles. The bottles are 100% recyclable, and as someone who recycles I love that! The new square bottles are lighter in weight and can’t fit together more efficiently when packing and shipping to stores.

Pure Leaf 7 Flavors:

Unsweetened Iced Tea: Hand selected black tea leaves (0 Calories)
Sweetened Iced Tea: Hand selected Tea leaves brewed to fine flavor sweetened with all natural sugar (70 calories)
Extra Sweet Iced Tea: Reminiscent of southern sweet tea, all natural sugar is the highlight of this drink.
Iced Tea with Raspberry: bold tart berry flavor meets smooth black tea (80 calories)
Iced Tea with Peach: tangy-sweet peach flavored with fresh brewed black tea leaves ( 80 calories) also available in Diet (0 calories)
Iced Tea with Lemons: Natural Lemon flavor with traditional taste of fresh-brewed all natural black tea leaves (70 calories per serving) also available in Diet (0 calories)
Green Tea with Honey: delicate flavors of green tea and honey (60 calories per serving)

Taste tested 3 Flavors: Unsweetened, Sweetened, Lemon

Green Tea Cosmo

3 ounces of pure leaf green tea with honey

1 ounce orange juice

1/2ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce cranberry juice cocktail

In shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake well. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime peel if desired. (looking for alcohol related boost substitute 1 ounce vodka instead of orange juice

Derby Day Tea-Lep

3 ounces Pure leaf Sweetened Ice Tea

3 Lemon Slices

6 large mint leaves

In highball glass, add mint and then crush. Add two lemon slices and fill glass with ice and pure leaf sweetened ice tea. Too add alcohol add 1 ounce Kentucky Bourbon. Garnish with lemon slice

For more tasty drinks be sure to visit PURE LEAF Facebook page

My Thoughts:

I’m a tea drinker. I love to have it available for those moments when I am thirsty and look for something low in calories, refreshing, and will quench my thirst. I never tried PURE LEAF Tea’s before this experience and after trying out the Sweetened Iced tea and the Lemon flavor I have to say that I love them both! I tasted the unsweetened too and that was just too bitter for me. I had to add it to a half glass of lemonade just to sweeten up and enjoy it. For me the sweetened tea tasted so natural like freshly brewed tea with sugar. I loved the overall flavor during and after. My 6 yr old actually tried to sneak off with my glass. I love that it’s low in calories too and that the bottles are large enough to share with someone or drink half now and save half for later. The plastic bottles are eco-friendly and I don’t have to worry about dropping them. The overall flavor is something I prefer and would recommend to friends and family. I can’t wait to try the other flavors especially the Green Tea with Honey and Iced Tea with Raspberry they sound so refreshing.

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Lipton Pure Leaf. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating

Mother’s Day Pillsburry Ready to Bake Cookies Prize Pack Giveaway #MyBlogSpark

Tricia — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:45:46 +0000

There’s no greater joy than seeing the look on my kids face when I burn another batch of cookies yet again!! Okay, I’m kidding but I do love to bake when I don’t burn things. My children love to eat snacks and sharing a stack of cookies with a tall glass of milk gives us the opportunity to chat about things. Having conversation with my children gives me a chance to see what’s on their mind and keeps us connected. Today we baked some really cute “I Love Mom” Pillsburry ready to bake cookies. No measuring, no running around looking for ingredients just set the oven temperature, cut open the bag and place them on the cookie sheet. Easy Peezy! Even the kids can do it.

Pillsbury Ready Bake Cookies are:

Quick and convenient, Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies are ready to enjoy in 8-10 minutes and can be found at your local grocer
Celebrate Mother’s Day with everyone’s favorite Disney character, Mickey Mouse

Here’s how ours turned out. Please bare in mind that our oven temperature thingy is totally offer and if I don’t peek in there every 2 minutes or so… that’s it … I burnt it! Thankfully these turned out well with 8 min and take them out then place them on a cookie rack. This is my girl, she was my best helper.

All and all they were delicious. Perfect big mouth bites.

Make this Mother’s Day special with Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies. Visit http://bit.ly/PSCMDCoupon to download a printable coupon for $1.10 off the purchase of (1) package of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies today! There’s no better time like the present to bake a batch of yummy cookies.

~ * ~ * ~ 48 Hour GIVEAWAY ~ * ~ * ~

Win It: One reader of the Night owl Mama will win this Awesome Pillsbury Prize Pack

of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies
Cookie Jar
Cookie Spatula
Oven Mitt

Required Entry: Leave a comment below telling me what you received for Mother’s day and how you spent your special day

After required entry above is complete the rest may be done for additional entries. Do one do them all to increase your chances of winning.

Like Pillsbury on Facebook
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2 entries: Just Click the Step2 button on my side bar i’ll be posting another exciting Step2 giveaway this Week

Rules: Giveaway open to US mailing addresses only. Must be 18 yrs or older to enter. Giveaway ends May 15, 2012 at 11:59pm CST. Only 1 person per household may enter. Rules must be followed and required entry must be answered. All entries of winner pulled will be validated for winning. If I find that I can’t verify an entry or 1 is invalid I simply draw a NEW Winner. Winner is selected using Random.org and will be emailed and given 72 hours to respond. In the event of no response a new winner will be chosen. Prize fulfillment comes directly from participating pr and not from blogger. Owner and writer of this Blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment or lost or stolen prizes. Once I email the sponsor your information it is up to the sponsor to fulfill the prize. Sponsor has the right to refuse filling prize for duplicate winners from other blogs. In this case a new winner will be chosen. Prizes can take 4-6 weeks to be delivered. In the event that a prize is not received I will do all possible to contact the sponsor and work through for a solution. By entering this giveaway you agree to have read these rules. if you have any questions please contact me by clicking the red envelope on the side bar to email me

Disclosure: The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark. Thoughts added are 100% my own.

Happy Mothers Day: Special Timothy Green Mother’s Day Card Activity

Tricia — Sun, 13 May 2012 06:16:36 +0000

In honor of Mother’s day and all the Special Mom’s out there I want to wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day. There’s nothing more special than a home made card from the kids.

Check out this adorable pop-up card for Mom’s. Make one today!

Click card to look at and download pdf file to make.

Timothy Green In theaters August 15, 2012.

Jennifer Garner (one of my favorite actresses) stars in Timothy Green Here’s as special sneak peak for Mother’s day. Your gonna love this!!

“Like” THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oddlifemovie

At the top of my list to “Must see” for this August.

Disclosure: nothing provided for sharing content. I Love Disney and I know you do too.

Exciting Weekend Deals at STEP2

Tricia — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:00:41 +0000

Happy Mother’s day from Step2. They’re saluting all moms, grandma’s, aunts, and godmother’s with special, deeper savings on an oldie but goodie:

Toddle Tune Coupe at $49.99 for Mother’s Day weekend (through Monday).

My boys love their coups. We have 2 of them and they’re always racing up and down the driveway!! Can’t get enough. With summer weather not far behind put your little one behind the wheel for a little drive.

Also, Step2 just introduced new color palettes for 11 of their most loved toys. These “New colors!” ship free today through Monday, May 14 with coupon code S2FSCOLORS at checkout.

The following items are included in this free shipping sale:

Buckle up for some serious mom fueled savings!

No coupon code needed; not eligible for further savings.

Naturally Playful® Adventure Lodge Play Center with Glider
Naturally Playful® Adventure Lodge Play Center
Clubhouse Climber
Naturally Playful® Playhouse Climber & Swing Extension
Naturally Playful® Welcome Home Playhouse™
Naturally Playful® Countryside Cottage™
Naturally Playful® Woodland Climber™
Panda Climber
Adjustable Sand & Water Table™
Fun-Fold Jr. Picnic Table™
Fun Fold Jr. Slide™

Hurry get in on the great savings now. Come Monday Night they’ll all be gone.

Have a happy Mother’s Day from Step2 and Happy Mother’s Day wishes going out to all of you from me!

disclosure: I’m a Step2 test drive mom here to share great savings offered by Step2 this weekend and great products we love as a Step2 on going generation family