mamasaysmine

If you’re one of the first 100 people at your local Victoria’s Secret with this coupon tomorrow (June 1), you can get a free pair of panties. 

And really, who doesn’t need a nice new pair of undies?

(the coupon is also good for $10 off of a $50 purchase)

For my money, nothing says summer better than Dairy Queen.  When I was pregnant with Hurricane Eva, we lived within walking distance of a Dairy Queen… I believe most of my pregnancy weight gain was actually DQ soft-serve, not baby (even though I didn’t gain much weight, that was A LOT of soft serve).

In honor of that hot HOT pregnant summer, I’m giving away a $5 Dairy Queen gift card. To enter, just leave a comment with your favorite ice cream flavor.  This giveaway will end Sunday, June 7 at midnight.  

Want an extra entry?  Blog this contest and leave me the link.

Good luck, mamas!

ps.  Enter my other giveaways:

Vera Bradley Luggage tag here  
3 copies of the book Hollywood Car Wash here 

What’s one thing I can’t live without every summer?

A great book to read at the beach. (or, in my case, at the swimming pool in the backyard) My criteria? Nothing too heavy, but it has to be well-written and worth reading.

Hollywood Car Wash by Lori Culwell fits that perfectly! It’s the story of Amy Specer, your average drama student from the midwest who becomes an overnight sensation when she is cast as the lead in a night-time drama. The reader gets swept along with Amy as her “handlers” change her name and her face… do all the free clothes make it ok? For awhile, Amy thinks so… she’s helping her mom pay off medical bills from her dad’s long illness. This is a great story about how far people will go to make it in Hollywood, and what it takes to step off the crazy train.

As I was reading this book, I kept asking myself if it was based on a real person - the author is definitely a Hollywood insider and there’s enough celebrity gossip dropped in to make the book nice and juicy. There IS a rumor circulating that the Amy Spencer character is based on Katie Holmes (Amy’s breakout show IS similar to Dawson’s Creek… and her fake boyfriend is VERY Tom Cruise-ish…). True or not, I loved this book!

Another cool sidenote - the author, Lori Culwell, has written for Salon.com and has also published a tech book about websites. Plus, Hollywood Car Wash was originally self-published. How cool is that?

The awesome publishers at Touchstone have given me THREE copies to share with you! To enter, just leave a comment with your favorite summer read.

Want extra entries? Blog this giveaway and leave me the link.

Giveaway ends at midnight, Monday, June (how is that possible???) 1.

Happy reading, mamas!

(ps. enter my other giveaway here!)

Happy Memorial Day!  In honor of summer (whether or not the weather cooperates - it’s in the 60’s here tonight), I’m doing a week of giveaways, each one focused on one of my favorite parts of summer!

Whoo hoo!

Kicking off the week is a fabulous Vera Bradley luggage tag in Pinwheel Pink (my personal favorite print, in shades of pink and green).

I love summertime travel, although our destinations and activities have certainly changed since the arrival of Hurricane Eva. (less exploring in Spain, more exploring the zoo)

Even if you’re just heading to the grandparents, a fabulous luggage tag will put a smile on your face! (and so will the free babysitting)

To enter, leave me a comment telling me your dream vacation! Mine? Now that we have a child, I’d love to do a Disney Cruise. A self-contained hotel with entertainment for my daughter and chocolate for me sounds about perfect.

Want an extra entry? Blog this contest (make sure you link back here!) and leave me the link. Giveaway ends at midnight, Sunday, June 7.

Good luck, mamas! Come back tomorrow for another giveaway!

Residents of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming are eligible to win a $500 Casey’s gas card by visiting traveliowa.com (the link is on the right hand side). PLUS, you can get a free 2009 Iowa Travel Guide (priceless, really). The giveaway ends May 31, 2009.

Coco Bonbons is one of those boutiques that could lead my family into financial ruin. Their clothes are truly that cute.

Happily, through May 31, you can take 60% off your order (yes, that’s right, 60%) with code WAREHOUSE.

My pick?

This fabulous dress. Only $14.60 after the discount!!

Happy shopping!

Summer weather has finally arrived in my neck of the woods, and I am so wishing for this bike.

Really, how beautiful, how retro, how cool can you get?

Want you own? Go <a href=”MADSEN Cargo Bikes“>here.

And thanks to Madsen Cycles for sponsoring a cool blog contest!

I’ve blogged before about how much I love my local True Value Hardware store, but I’ll do it again.

It’s clean, organized and I can always find someone to help me.

Plus, in my mailbox today was a coupon for free paint. Yes, free paint. Buy one gallon, get one free, up to 5 free gallons. Yes, mamas, that is a TWENTY FIVE DOLLAR SAVINGS.

This sale begins tomorrow (May 20) and goes through May 25.

I haven’t found the coupon online, but there IS a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase here.

Now, go pick some paint colors!

We ended up buying an extra paper yesterday to get more Lowe’s coupons (did you see?  $10 off a $50 purchase AND $25 off a $250 purchase - we had to buy a lawn mower & edger, plus some other stuff, so these are being put to good use), AND I just got a ton of P&G coupons in the mail, so I have an over-abundance of coupons, which I am happy to share.

To enter, just leave me a comment telling me something you love about your life. It’s that easy.

This giveaway will close at midnight, Sunday, May 24. Good luck!

Oh my oh my oh my. 

Although I generally insist on only buying gifts from the registry, this could be an exception.

Bowen Birdhouses will build a custom birdhouse for you off of a photo that you upload. How easy and cool is that?

Click here for details, and pick up one for me while you’re at it.