Feb 05
Everyone,
Who wants $45 to buy WHATEVER you want? I know I do! But I thought you probably would buy something more fun than me (we’re out of diapers, again…sigh) so here is $45 to spend on something fun from CSN Stores!
What are CSN Stores? It’s only the place where you can buy everything under the sun. From adjustable bar stools, to filing cabinets (which we got over the Christmas break) to even flea and tick medication for your dog. Seriously, they have everything! Shipping is fast and check out is easy. Although picking something to get is not!
Giveaway Rules:
This is an easy one. Just follow this blog. (You’ll see the little widget on the side…click to join those lovely people and enter this giveaway.)
Then come on back and comment to tell me you entered. You can even tell me what you want to buy with the $45 gift card*. Easy as pie.
Giveaway will end one week from today, on Friday Feb 11, 2011 at 10pm EST. (Sorry west-coasters…this girl has got to sleep and I think I’ve given you plenty of time to enter!)
Good luck and I can’t wait to see what you get!
Safire
*Giveaway doesn’t include shipping costs.
Safiregiveaways
Jan 15
Everyone,
I think I need a vacation. How about you guys? And 4 nights in a $7,000 luxury suite sounds like my kind of vacation! Throw in a personal chauffeur and an exotic car rental (my personal favorite is a cherry red convertible…except I may want to drive that one myself!) round trip airfare, and that sounds like a trip of a lifetime!
Chances are, you might be able to win it in the “Trips of a Lifetime” sweepstakes, sponsored by JustLuxe. And if you do win, expect me and my lovely family to crash with you for a night.
JustLuxe is the largest affluent lifestyle guide in the world, and they’ve teamed up with some of the most prestigious hotels in the world to offer luxury vacation giveaways every month. Featured destinations are Paris, Greece, St. Lucia, Vienna, and others. Where will you go? I’ve always wanted to see Paris! And Greece sounds beautiful. Maybe the beach would be better?
The grand prize winner will get a 4 night stay in suite at the Halekulani Hotel and Resort in Honolulu. Beach does sound really good! Paying for this kind of trip yourself would cost more than $30,000.
Head to JustLuxe to enter.
I hope you win that trip!
Safire
PS- There is a button on my sidebar in case you want to tell all your friends about it to enter.
Safiregiveaways giveaways
Sep 15
Everyone,
Today we took a break from being tourists to just rest. (Rest is a relative term here.) The boys rested. Butterfly went to school. Grandpa rested.
Nana and I went shopping.
Well, all of us went shopping first at IKEA. Except for Butterfly who was in school and Juice who was working. Man I love that store. I would buy everything I could in that store if I had money. As it is, I bought meatballs and a stool for the sink in the bathroom downstairs. Big spender!
The boys took a nap and Nana and I went out to the mall. We’re looking for Christmas outfits for the kids. No such luck, though. We are a little early for it. But I start planning out my Christmas now. I even have several presents bought. Does anyone else do that?
After dinner, we took the kids to the park to get their picture taken. And ice cream.
Pretty restful day if you ask me!
Safire
PS- Today’s giveaway is all about doing something with your kids while you are NOT going out to be a tourist. Butterfly loves to play games. And this game that Pressman Toys sent me, is just up her ally!
You see, it’s a code breaking game for young kids. In this vertical version of MASTERMIND designed for kids, players secretly stack their animals into a tower. By asking yes or no questions, they try to find the order of the animals. The game can be played at three different levels. You can even mix up the difficulty levels. Juice and Butterfly play this way: Butterfly has 6 animals that Juice needs to find, and Juice has 4 animals that Butterfly needs to find. Both are happy with the level of difficulty. The first player to break the code of his or her opponent wins!
Want to be a winner yourself? Comment below! Let me know what was your favorite game as a child. I personally loved The Game of Life.
For an additional comment: vote for my picture here! Then come back and tell me you did. Thanks a million!
Happy Commenting!
PPS- Just so you know, I was given this game by Pressman Toy for free to review and I get to keep the game at the end of my review period, which I’m really happy about because we play it ALL THE TIME.
Safiregiveaways, grandparents giveaways, grandparents, shopping
May 29
Everyone,
Today I had a blast at the Casual Blogger’s Conference! I only wish I had bought the 2 day pass instead of the one day pass. I seriously felt like I learned a ton. And my favorite part of these things? Making new friends!! But it was a very long day after a very late night last night. And since I love bullets, here’s some of the things I remember:
- Laughing so hard at Matt Townsend and his “puffy pants” story. Also, I loved hearing about relationships from such a talented and engaging speaker.
- Getting my picture taken with Cameron Rafati. He is TALL. Even for me! Plus, he is a talented singer. (Click on the link to get 2 free songs of his!)
- Some amazing photo tips from my good friend Lolli, and also Ann Montgomery. I have a lot of practice to do with my new (for me) camera.
- Learning all about BlogFrog and thinking I will hop on that boat. See more about that a little later when I figure it all out. I also got to meet the co-founders, which was really cool.
- SWAG. Enough said. Plus, I have SWAG for you! Just leave a comment and I’ve got a few goodies to giveaway! I can’t fit everything in my suitcase to go home so I thought I’d share!
- Spending time with my friend Valinda and meeting several people I’ve stalked read online for awhile.
Now, I’m off to go watch Juice fix my mom’s dryer. I love being married to MacGyver.
Safire
Safireconferences, giveaways, Lolli, me time, trips to Utah CBC, friends, giveaways, Lolli, SWAG, trips, Utah
May 17
Everyone,
We love the rain here. We love the sound it makes, the smell it makes, and the free ice cream scoops it makes. Wait, does it rain ice cream here in Maryland? Well if you go to Bruster’s while it’s raining it does!
Did you know that Bruster’s (aside from having amazing ice cream) that you get a free second scoop when it rains or snows? I bet you get a free second scoop if it’s hailing or sleeting as well, I’m sure. We LOVE Bruster’s not only for their free second scoops, but for their free baby cones for the kiddies under 32 inches, their free doggy sundaes for our puppy who LOVES ice cream, and for the free cone after you buy 9.
Tonight we didn’t tell the kids where we were going when we got in the car. As we pulled into the parking lot, all three of them because to scream, “Ice cream!” It was super cute. After several minutes in the rain deciding what to get, we took our wet selves back to the car and the kids proceeded to slime the car with goodness. Yum yum!
Today’s winner for the $25 dollar AMC gift card is Stephanie R. for her wonderful tweet! Thanks Stephanie! I’ve DMed you and will send it out ASAP. Plus, everyone should go look at her website for some awesome money saving tips. I’ve enjoyed reading through it and got some good deals already. Congrats!
Don’t forget, we still have several giveaways open! Tomorrow’s $10 Land’s End gift card will end at 8 pm EST. I went to Sears today and there was a TON of Land’s End stuff for under $10 there! You can comment more than once, you know, for all the giveaways. Good luck!
SEED Power Travel Kit
Ergo Baby Carrier
Hand Beaded Necklace and Earring Set
$10 Lands End Gift Card
Safire
Safirearound our town, blog contests, giveaways, ice cream ice cream, winners
May 11
Everyone,
First of all, check out my feature on the Multiples and More Blog! This was so much fun to write and I’m happy to be a part of their community!
This morning I took Butterfly to the doctor. Not because she was puking (no more instances of that and she actually ate dinner tonight) but because it was her 5 year old check up. It was also her before kindergarten check. We spent almost 2 hours at the doctors this morning. Remind me when the boys turn 5 to schedule them on different days!
So. Butterfly is a big girl. We all knew she had amazon woman tendencies and this doctor’s visit was no change. She is hanging off the top of the charts at 125% or so. She is as tall as an average 7 year old, and weighs close to an average 8 year old. She is 61 lbs and 48 3/4 inches tall. One tall beautiful girl!
They tested her ears (totally fine) and her eyes (she got tired about halfway through and refused to do them unless promised stickers and suckers). Her eyes are at 20/40 vision which the nurse said was in normal range but the doctor wants to send me to a pediatric eye specialist. Um, no. I’m getting the feeling that my pediatrician is a little alarmist when it comes to anything out of the ordinary. I’ll wait until next year when I can put her on my eye insurance and take her to my optometrist. One nice thing about this eye test is that we see she knows all of her letters and can read them when they are fairly small.
While the doctor was listening to her breath, she asked Butterfly to draw a picture of me on the paper. I had hair, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, cheeks, body, limbs and shoes. Also, I had curly hair in the front and long hair in the back. Okay then. She passed all of her mental milestones with flying colors. She can also hop on each foot, do jumping jacks, and stand on one foot while touching her nose and count to 10. She’s 5, not drunk. Sheesh!
She also had to pee in a cup which was an ordeal. She was all nervous and couldn’t do it, couldn’t do it. Then when I moved the cup and asked her to just relax, she peed! I caught a tiny bit in the cup so we were saved. She probably has a UTI, however, and they want me to take her to the lab and have her pee in a cup there just to be sure. Lovely. She does have to go a lot so I imagine she probably does. But to take everyone to the lab, and get her to pee with all of us jammed in the bathroom is going to be interesting.
Also, my doctor likes to send us to the lab for tests.
She had her finger pricked for several tests. She also got her chicken pox vaccine and that was it. She didn’t cry for either jab and was rewarded with 2 stickers and a tootsie pop. She was thrilled.
She said that she would put them on her “Best dress!” when she got home. That didn’t last but she did get the nurse to smile at her comment.
Would you like to get a “best dress” for your little girl? Today’s giveaway comes courtesy of my good friend Lolli over at Better In Bulk. She has graciously donated a $10 Land’s End gift card to one of my lucky readers. You could get your little girl a polo pleated dress like Butterfly. Or even a new swimming suit for her. Or a pair of pajamas for yourself. We buy almost all of Butterfly’s clothes from Land’s End. They are true to size and wear really well. I even love their shoes for her. And their tights are the best for the best price. Plus, if you win, I have a free shipping code to send you as well.
To enter this giveaway you just need to leave me a comment. For an additional entry, you can go read my Guest Post on Lolli’s blog and comment there! Please do, it’s looking a little lonely over there. Just be sure to thank Lolli for this giveaway when you do comment.
Happy commenting!
Safire
PS- The doctor’s office charged me $10 for filling out her required forms for school. 10 whole dollars!! I’m highly miffed. Do they do that in your neck of the woods?
PPS- The legal disclaimer that neither Lolli nor I am affiliated with Land’s End at all. We just love their stuff and thought you would too.
SafireButterfly stats, giveaways, reviews
May 10
Everyone,
Today our big girl Butterfly turned 5 years old. She is now one whole hand! I asked her today if she feels any different than she did yesterday and she said, “Of course! Now I’m 5 and am going to school! I get to be a big girl!” She is very happy to be starting kindergarten in the fall (August 30th!) and I am anxious. I’ve never had a kid in school. I’m not sure what to expect. Although everyone survives it and she will love it.
Her favorite color is in flux right now. She has loved blue for over a year. But then it changed to orange, then red, then pink, then purple. She’s loving hearing all the stories about her when she was a baby. One of the stories she wants me to tell her over and over is the one where every color was purple. This story has made her change her mind from blue to purple as her favorite color.
She loves to eat (except when she’s sick, which she is tonight!) Her favorite foods are pizza, macaroni and cheese, and Doritos. If she doesn’t like it, she still has to eat 4 bites before she leaves the table. It was because she was 4 years old. Now I guess we’ll do 5 or none at all. Not sure how to proceed with this one because 4 was a struggle.
The past 2 weeks or so she has been asking me to wake her brothers up during their naps so she can play with them. She LOVES to play with other people. In fact, she’d rather play with people now rather than by herself with toys. She’s cross and pouts at the park if there are no kids to play with. She’s not shy about introducing herself to other girls and I think she’ll make friends easily at school.
It’s a good thing she makes friends easily because she also loves to boss people around. Me included. I feel like my house is run by a small empress with an iron fist. She is opinionated, bossy and loud all day long. I swear my ears will start to bleed some days with the noise level she brings to the house. I feel for her teachers.
She knows her address, her phone number, and can spell her name forwards and backwards. She chooses to write it backwards on most things lately. She starts with the y and ends with the B. But it all ends up in the right place. It’s like she’s writing from right to left so that things are read left to right. Does that make sense? She is not reading much, but can recognize a lot of words and has whole books memorized. She even has whole movies memorized.
Speaking of movies, I think they are her most favorite things in the whole wide world. She would rather watch a movie than do anything else. Last night, for a big birthday treat, we stayed up past her bedtime and watched a PG movie together with popcorn. This is one of her first PG movies ever. She LOVED Enchanted but hid all through the end. She also told me that she only liked the beginning where the animals talked. She still doesn’t like live action movies as much as cartoons. And her favorite thing to watch is Voltron. Thank you Netflix streaming for allowing me to share my childhood cartoons with my own children. (Seriously, Voltron is the same story over and over. Didn’t catch that one when I was little!)
So to celebrate my baby girl’s birthday and her most favorite thing, I have a $25 AMC Theater gift card to give away. That way you too can go see a movie that you’ve never seen before either! Take a blanket to hide under if you think it might be too scary. Or cold.
To enter, just leave me a comment! For an extra entry, you can follow me on twitter and tweet about the contest, including @safirecat in the tweet (so I can count them). Tweet and comment as many times as you would like. The contest ends one week from today and will be open until then.
Check out yesterday’s giveaway as well and make sure you comment there! That book is really really good.
She opened family presents today. She got a big kid bike from us and a helmet from Nana. Also, a horn and training wheels from the boys. And Uncle MusicMan and family gave her a fun magnetic dress up doll. She is in heaven. We tried to go out to dinner “by the lake” and get something chocolate but the restaurant was closed due do some structural problem. Bummer. We went to a pizza joint instead. Service was SLOW. And Butterfly threw up promptly when we got home. Poor girl. I hope she gets better soon. (Pirate also threw up again today, but while we were at McD’s in the middle of my errands. Needless to say, we left very promptly and did not run my errands.) Please pray that we will all be better in time for Butterfly’s party on Saturday!
Safire
PS- Here’s the legal stuff that says that I am in no way affiliated with AMC. I’m just being nice with the gift card.
Safirebikes, blog contests, Butterfly, Butterfly birthdays, giveaways, reviews, Uncategorized
Aug 07
Everyone,
Joining in on my friend Lolli’s best shot of the week blog round up. I had several favorites from the battlefield we went to earlier in the week (see here) but I really liked this one a lot.
Mostly because Pirate is trying desperately to climb up the cannon like his sister did. And mostly because he really really really wanted to see the bird’s nest we found inside the cannon. It could have been just a bunch of leaves and twigs and pine needles that blew into the end of the cannon but Butterfly was convinced that it was a bird’s nest.
She is obsessed with birds lately. Especially the little tiny ones that come and hop around us when we eat outside in hopes of getting some food. She loves to see them eat, fly, play, whatever. She is constantly gasping and pointing at birds lately. I’m excited for the fall when the geese start arriving in huge swarms. She’s going to be in heaven.
I’ve considered buying her one of these:
It would be a lot of fun in the winter to be able to watch the birds eat out of our big front window. We have a family of cardinals and oriels that I’d like to see more of. I imagine even the boys would get a kick out of it.
You readers are in luck! The nice people at Teak and Wicker and More have graciously allowed me to give away a bird feeder up to $55. Your choice! That can buy you a very nice bird feeder to put in your yard and think of us. Teak and Wicker and More has some pretty awesome stuff too. Makes me really wish that summer wasn’t coming to an end. Can you imagine lounging on some nice patio furniture? How about hanging out in a hammock? Teak and Wicker and More have lots to choose from. Go check it out!
To enter please do the following:
- Visit Teak and Wicker and More’s patio furniture section and leave me a comment with your favorite item.
- Join in this week to my friend Lolli’s “Give me your best shot” picture round up and receive 2 extra entries.
- Follow my blog for an extra entry (sorry, new followers only).
- You can blog about the contest using this paragraph: “Living In Maryland is having a great giveaway by Teak and Wicker and More who can service all your outdoor needs from patio furniture to greenhouses.” Do this and you can get 5 extra entries!
If you don’t have a blog, just leave your name and email address in the comments.
Contest will run for a week and end on August 14th at 10pm EST. I will (hopefully) pick a winner that night and announce the lucky duck the next day.
Good luck!
Safire
Safiregiveaways, picture taking
Dec 05
Everyone,
It’s not that time of year. No one is thinking about it. Well, except maybe my BFF Mink. Why her and what is she thinking about you ask? She is due to have her second baby girl (which I like to think that I named, thank you very much) any day now. Not only is she excited to have a baby the same year I had mine, she is excited about the tax credit.
Yes, she is! If you know Mink, you know this is totally true. And to tell you the truth, I am excited about my double tax credit coming up. I have a general rule with the tax stuff I get for the kids. Two rules actually. 1) That credit goes straight into a college fund for them. It may not be a ton, but at least it will be something. 2) The first year I get the credit, it’s mine. Pay back for having suffered through pregnancy and delivery. The boys first tax credit is earmarked for a new kitchen table and chairs since they pushed us over the edge. And I’m going to go all splurgy and buy one that the Amish have made. With a take out leaf, a bench on one side, and 4 chairs. And then we are never going to eat on it because it will be too beautiful.
Back to Mink. Her new baby girl will be born at the last “minute” for tax purposes. And even if you aren’t having a baby at the last minute, you will still at least get some tax relief. Such as:
- Any new baby in 2008 could deliver a $1,000 child tax credit. This keeps going until they turn 17.
- Be sure to file a new W-4 form with your employer to claim an additional withholding allowance which may help boost your take-home pay.
- There’s also a tax credit, worth as much $11,650 in 2008, to help offset the cost of adopting a child.
My good friend Karen knows all about that tax credit and adoption. Go check out her blog and her beautiful baby girl!
So, all of you friends like Mink out there, you can even get more from your December baby! Turbo Tax is having a contest called America’s Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction. Parents or legal guardians can go to www.CutestTaxDeduction.com and submit a photo of their newest last minute tax deduction. One lucky baby, born between Dec. 1-31, 2008, will win a United States savings bond worth $5,000 (up to $10,000 upon maturity). I bet you didn’t know your December baby could be worth so much!
You can check out a video of last year’s winner here.
There’s more here, though. So what if you didn’t have/are going to have a baby in December this year. Did you have one the same time I had mine? Or after? You can win a turbo tax romper that says, Tax Deduction, on it. (size 6 months) Right here! Just leave me a comment and tell me what you plan on using your new tax money for. Or if you know someone who needs a romper (maybe you know Mink!), you can leave a comment telling me what you do with your kid credit. Because I’m nosey like that sometimes. I will randomly pick a winner the day after Mink has her baby. (She is due on the 19th I think…or that may be the day her doctor is inducing her.) Anyway, the point is this contest is going to run from now until her baby girl is born, whatever day that may be.
Good luck everyone! (And I bet you are thinking about taxes now!)
Safire
Safirecontests, giveaways, Mink and Spider
