Tag Archives: Mommy Ramblings

September 5, 2014 · 12:40 am

“NEST” By Esther Ehrlich–Book Giveaway!!!

                                                                             Pen ran

NEST by Esther Ehrlich

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Debut author Esther Ehrlich delivers a poignant and genuine middle-grade novel NEST (Wendy Lamb Books / On sale September 9, 2014 / $16.99 US / Ages 8–12), a memorable story about a girl, a tragic change, and the healing power of love and friendship.

 

It is 1972. Home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein; her older sister, Rachel; her psychiatrist father; and her dancer mother. But then Chirp’s mom develops symptoms of a serious disease, and everything changes. Chirp finds comfort in watching her beloved wild birds. She also finds a true friend in Joey, the mysterious boy who lives across the street. Together they create their own private world and come up with the perfect plan: Escape. Adventure. Discovery.

 

Esther Ehrlich’s lyrical writing is honest, humorous, and deeply affecting. Chirp and Joey will steal your heart. Long after you finish NEST, the spirit of Chirp and her loving family will stay with you.  READ The first 59 pages of the book HERE by clicking Look Inside.image003

 

«“A stunning debut, with lyrical prose and superbly developed characters, this novel is an emotional roller coaster that effectively conveys a family’s visceral tragedy.” —School Library Journal, Starred

 

«“Ehrlich’s novel beautifully captures the fragile bond shared by Chirp and Joey and their growing trust for each other in a world filled with disappointments and misunderstandings.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

 

«“A poignant, insightful story of family crisis and the healing power of friendship.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

 

“Ehrlich writes beautifully, constructing scenes with grace and layers of telling detail and insight.”—The Horn Book

Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!  One lucky blog reader will win a copy of NEST!  Thank you to Penguin Random House for the review book and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

NEST by Esther Ehrlich Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.  Good Luck!!!

 

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September 3, 2014 · 1:58 am

Time Is No Match For Any of Us!!!

The school supplies are labeled, the backpacks are packed and the lunch boxes are full of healthy lunch snacks.  Yet, as the kids lay nestled all snug in their beds, I am begging and pleading for time to slow down.  You see this mom is not ready for summer to end, seems it just started and now it’s the end!  It doesn’t seem fair, how could it be over?  We didn’t even do most of the things on our list, I feel full of mommy guilt and I’m shaking my fist!

This thing we call time is spinning too fast, in the blink of an eye, our kids grow right up.  The time we thought we had passes us by, before we know it they’ll be moving on and saying goodbye.  Childhood is far too fleeting and bittersweet for my taste.   You see,  I know how quickly it passes, this is my second time through it and so I know how it goes.  First time parents think they have years and years and the time will go slow and not disappear.  However, those of us who have been here before, know all too well, how quickly time goes.

We moms who were young enough to start over again with a new set of babes share a secret between us.  We will tell you don’t blink because if you do, a lifetime will pass and you won’t believe it’s true.  It’s scary and real, but we have to accept it, life is too short and over too quickly.  We try to hold on kicking and screaming to push back the hours, days and the months. We want to just slow it all down but we know it’s futile, we don’t stand a chance but we try nonetheless in our warrior stance.

So, I’m not thrilled that another school year is thrust upon us. Unless some magical power comes over me tonight and somehow I am able to win the fight and turn back the time and start summer again, I will have to grin and rejoice at the dawn of the day and send my children along to start a new year.  It’s harder than hard since my baby starts school and I just want to hold him and not let him go, but I know that he has much to learn and explore.  The best thing comes at the end of the day, I can hold him as he shares all he did that first day.   I will hold him and smile and laugh as he does. He will not see the tears fall from my eyes, instead I will secretly  wipe them and treasure the moment and everything in it.

I urge you my friends to understand that no matter your age or the stage you are in, it will pass all too quickly without warning and leave you wondering just where the years went.  You won’t have an answer, you will not even believe how fast time can fly.  It’s then you will understand all too well that we’re not in control. We live a life, then it’s over and hope those left behind are filled with great memories of love from that sweet time we did share.   So love on your family and friends while you can because time, is not something that can be bought, stopped or stalled.  Time is the constant we know will keep moving, so live every day to the fullest you can because time waits for no one and isn’t your friend.


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September 1, 2014 · 12:00 pm

2014 “Spa For Ma” Blog Hop!!! Giveaway For A Mohawk Valley Trading Prize Pack-Enter Here!!!

Welcome to the 4th annual Spa for Ma Giveaway Hop hosted by Measuring Flower and Homemaking Hacks! I have teamed up with some incredible bloggers to bring you prizes that help mom to get some much awaited R&R after the kids head back to school!

If you’re unfamiliar with what a giveaway hop is, here’s how it works. After you enter my giveaway below, you can “hop” on to the next participating blog to enter their giveaway as well. You can find links to all the blogs towards the bottom of this post.

Also, don’t forget to enter to win the grand prize! It is for an incredible $300 gift card to Kohl’s! Enter HERE!

Mommy Ramblings is having a great giveaway prize sponsored by Mohawk Valley Trading worth $125.00

Spa For Ma Collage

This special Spa For Ma Prize Pack will include:

  • Three bars of Handmade Soap ($13.50) consisting of one bar each of:

The total retail price of this prize pack with s/h is $125!!!   Would you like to win it?  If so enter the giveaway below and then hop on over to all the other blogs and enter to win their great giveaways for more chances to win great prizes!!!

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August 30, 2014 · 9:11 pm

Enter To Win a $15 Fandango Gift Card Giveaway!!! #LifeOfCrime

Life of Crime, the new caper comedy from legendary author Elmore Leonard starring Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins, Will Forte and Isla Fisher is coming to theaters, on demand and iTunes August 29th! To celebrate the release of Life Of Crime we are having a giveaway for a $15 Fandango gift card!!!

 

 

When a pair of low-level criminals kidnap the wife of a corrupt real-estate developer, they get both more and less than they bargained for in Life of Crime, a dark caper comedy based on legendary author Elmore Leonard’s novel The Switch. Starring Jennifer Aniston, John Hawkes, yasiin bey, Mark Boone Junior, Isla Fisher, Will Forte and Tim Robbins, Life of Crime is packed with the outrageously eccentric characters, black comedy and unexpected twists that earned Leonard a reputation as one of America’s sharpest and funniest crime writers.Mickey Dawson (Jennifer Aniston), the wife of crooked real-estate developer Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins), is kidnapped by two common criminals (yasiin bey and Jon Hawkes), who intend to hold her for a $1 million ransom and extort her husband with inside information about his illegal business dealings. But Frank, who is holed up in the Bahamas with his mistress, decides he’d rather not get his wife back, setting off a sequence of double-crosses and plot twists that could only come from the mind of master storyteller Elmore Leonard.
To enter for a chance to win a $15 Fandango Gift Card, just enter the giveaway below using the Rafflecopter widget. Open to US residents.  Good Luck!!!

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August 29, 2014 · 3:01 pm

Free Healthy Habits Booklets From The Girl Scouts & Together Counts!!! #HealthyHabits

This post is sponsored by the Together Counts/Girl Scouts of USA as always my words and views are 100% my own.
GS LogoGS Together Counts

 #HealthyHabits

I was a girl scout starting as a Brownie  when I was a girl, my daughter was too and I was her Girl Scout Troop Leader. I have such fond memories of my time as a Girl Scout and my daughter does as well.  Earning badges was such a fun time and we had a blast while mastering life long skills that would serve us well no matter where life led us.  I was blessed to see it from both sides, as a scout and as a scout leader.  The relationships built during that time are still with me today and have enriched my life.  The Girl Scouts is a wonderful organization that goes above and beyond for Girls.

Did you know that  Together Counts and Girl Scouts of the USA Healthy Habits Journey  are partnering in the Together Counts Program.  The Together Counts Program is active  nationwide and provided by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to inspire active and healthy living via physical activity and nutrition, a fundamental underpinning of efforts to reduce obesity. The principle behind the program is called Energy Balance, which just means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we expend.

o   Energy In: the calories you get from eating and drinking.

o   Energy Out: the calories you burn from physical activities

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Healthy Habits Journey Program & Booklets

The Girl Scouts created three “healthy habits” booklets in conjunction with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, These booklets can be a great resource  for volunteers to use in conjunction with their Journey Adult Guides. The free booklets help guide girls on their Journey as they learn to lead active, healthy lifestyles. Through the use of these free resources for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors, Girl Scout volunteers and families can guide girls in fun, easy ways to achieve “energy balance.”

The three Healthy Habits Journey booklets available for download include:

o    Between Earth and Sky with Healthy Habits 

o    WOW! Wonders of Water with Healthy Habits

o    Get Moving! with Healthy Habits

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I really think it’s wonderful that the Girl Scouts involvement with The Healthy Habits Journey Program & Booklets will go far in helping girls learn early on the importance of staying healthy, fit, exercising and eating well.  With the technology we have today it’s all too common to see kids and their families plugged in and leading a couch potato lifestyle.  I think these booklets will have a big impact in getting the girls and their families to take a closer look at their energy balance and doing active and fun activities together.  You can download all three booklets HERE.

Come To The Twitter Party To Learn More About

If you want to learn more about the Girl Scouts Journeys Healthy Habits booklets and how you can encourage healthy, active lifestyles, plus have a chance to win a $50 VISA Gift Card, attend the Healthy Habits Twitter Party on September 9th from 9-10 pm est.  Log onto your Twitter account and follow the hashtags #HealthyHabits and #GNO. Hope to see you there!

For the latest information and to connect on social media with the Girl Scouts and Together Counts you can connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and their website and blog links below:

  • Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Facebook Page
  • Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital on Twitter
  • Together Counts Website
  • Together Counts on Twitter
  • Together Counts Blog
  • Together Counts Pinterest


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August 27, 2014 · 11:50 pm

Save $1 At Walmart on New Dove Men + Care Deodorant!!!

My husband starts his day with a yawn and stretch and a mad dash for the coffee maker.  He does that after he has hit the snooze button a few times.  Does the man in your life need a little something to energize him and get him ready for the day?

Dove Men+Care Fresh Awake antiperspirant deodorant provides long-lasting freshness in an energizing scent. It’s specifically designed for men with a clinically proven non-irritating formula.  Now men can jump-start their day with the  unique combination of one of the most effective ingredients for 48-hour protection against odor and wetness plus 1/4 moisturizer technology.  Click HERE to print a $1.00 Off Coupon For Dove Men+Care deodorant at Walmart.

 

 This post sponsored by Global Influence as always all my words are 100% my own.

 


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· 9:40 pm

Big Apple Circus-All New Metamorphosis Show-Coming To Lincoln Center!!! Win 2 Tickets For Opening Night-October 17th!!!

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My five-year old recently asked me when we could go to the circus again.  About a year and a half ago we went to see The Big Apple Circus in Lincoln Center and the kids had a blast.  Okay, the parents had a blast too!  It was so much fun and it was the first circus for our youngest 2 kids.  As if they heard that question, I am thrilled to announce that The Big Apple Circus will be coming to Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park in New York City Oct 17 – Jan. 11.

Fly away to their magical All-New Show, METAMORPHOSIS. Be transported to a realm of enchantment and illusion, a dreamscape domain where no one sits more than 50 feet from ringside, and nothing is impossible! You will be thrilled by the Flying Trapeze, the razzle-dazzle of the Rolla-Bolla, the dynamo of the Diablo, the risky rhythms of the Risley team, the cunning conjurors of the Quick-Change, and the incredible flexible limbs of the Contortionists. See and hear the musical merriment of our featured clown and camels, horses, playful pooches and more. Come immerse yourself in the wonder, joy and astounding magic of METAMORPHOSIS! The show runs 2 hours with intermission.

Save up to $25 off tickets with promo code: BIG APPLE at www.bigapplecircus.org 

I cannot wait to attend opening night with my family, my kids are going to be so excited and again so are their parents! We are also going to giveaway  2 tickets for opening night to one of our lucky blog readers!  Just enter below if you live in or around the NYC area and can make it on Opening Night! (Please note the tickets are for opening night October 17th at 6:30 pm and will be in the winner’s name and cannot be transferred or sold.)  Good Luck!!!

Big Apple Circus Metamorposis

Win 2 Tickets To The Big Apple Circus-All New METAMORPHOSIS Opening Night October 17th in Lincoln Center!!!

Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.  Good Luck!!!

 

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· 1:37 pm

A Quality Bunk Bed Plus a Soft, Single Mattress Equals Sound Sleep

*The article below is a guest post by Jennifer Cartwright.

Good-Quality-Sleep

Achieving the rest we need involves much more than our physical mindset alone. A soft, single mattress is perfect for those who want to experience sound sleep and therefore achieve a healthy lifestyle. Of course, there are several reasons behind this observation and it is important to appreciate the numerous benefits that such bedding will offer. Thankfully, we do not have to be expert chiropractors to understand some of the basic principles and qualities to look for. Let’s have a closer examination.

The Comfort of Your Body

Although many of the most respected sleep advice articles mention proper exercise, reducing stress and meditating, very few recognise how important a firm (and yet soft) mattress can be in obtaining quality rest.

I would suggest on checking out Buyer’s Guide to Bunk Bed Mattress that way you will know exactly what to look for. There are hundreds of choices out there, so make sure you go with a soft/plushy mattress feel but this also will depend on what type of sleeper you are, so make sure to do your research.

As quality sleep is so important, traditional mattresses that contain box springs should be avoided. They will not accommodate for the natural contours of your body. This can lead to a restless sleep and even back problems. If possible, a type of material known as memory foam is the best choice. As it will evenly distribute your weight, you are more likely to achieve the proper amount of rest.
Memory-Foam-Mattress
Bunk Beds

Although it is an unfortunate fact, some of us have trouble sleeping next to another person. Perhaps our partner is very restless or we simply cannot get comfortable. In this case, purchasing a high-quality bunk bed is an ideal solution. In fact, you will be surprised to learn that some individuals actually sleep better when they are higher up. It is likely that you will not know this until you try it out.

coolest Bunk Beds

The best beds will offer the same mattresses as described above alongside a sturdy frame and the possibility of safety bars on the top bunk. Thankfully, there are a number of styles and designs to choose from. These include countless types of wood finishes and even metal frames.

Getting a solid night of sleep is essential in warding off illnesses, maintaining a healthy mental outlook and functioning in our daily lives. Choosing the right type of single mattress combined with a quality bunk bed can help you to enjoy the sleep that you so desperately desire.

**The views & opinions expressed in any guest post featured on our site are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions & views of Mommy Ramblings.


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· 2:16 am

Save UpTo 70% On Back To School Shopping At The All New Nordstrom Rack!!! #NordstromRack

This post is sponsored by Nordstrom Rack but my word and opinions are as always 100% my own.

Closer and closer to school starting for us and it’s so bittersweet for me.  I don’t want the summer to be over.  I don’t want the days to grow shorter and colder and I definitely don’t want to head into the winter that everyone is predicting will be one of the worst!  As much as I try though, I can’t stop time.   With the kids heading back to school it’s important to make sure they start the year off right.  Did you know that the all-new nordstromrack.com has the top brands and latest styles for up to 70% off!  They really do, and they make it easy to dress to impress with designer brands at clearance prices.

Some of my favorite picks for my boys for back to school on the site were:

The Tucker + Tate “Townsend” Straight Leg Jeans in Toddler and Little Boy Sizes.  The jeans were only $12.97, that is 64% off the regular price

Tucker + Tate

 The Tucker + Tate Conrad Plaid Shirt is only $12.97 and 65% off the regular price!

Tucker Tate Conrad Plaid Shirt

The ASICS Performance Tees were only $9.97 which is 38% off the regular price.  This one so aptly describes either one of my little guys!

Ascics Performance Tee Full Speed Ahead

 

Volcom ‘Stripeedo’ Hoodie was 14.97 a whopping 70% off the regular price!

Volcom Stripeedo Hoodie

The Stride Rite Racer Light-Up Sneakers were only $16.97!  That’s 67% off the regular retail price.

 

Stride Rite Light Up Sneaker

 

And for mom, I saw so many great options to wear and accessorize for Meet the Teacher night at school.

My top picks for me were:

The Sienna Rose Fringe Sleeve Tunic Blouse for $35 is great for pairing with nice pants or jeans and is 37% off the regular price.

Fringe Trim Tunic Blouse

MOTHER ‘Daydreamer’ Skinny Flare Leg Jeans were 75% off the regular price of $196.00 which means they were only $49.00!  Score!!!

Mother Daydreamer Jean

 

The Sweet Trotters ‘Suki’ Flats were 63% off the regular price and were a steal at $36.97!

Suki Trotters Flat

The Indio Leather Demi Handbag in ocean is a must have for me and at 50% off the regular price, why not?  A gorgeous leather bag for $64.97!

Indio Leather Demi Handbag

 

 

I cannot get over how much I can save when shopping with Nordstrom Rack over retail prices.  I don’t have to sacrifice on quality, brands or style to save big and that means a lot to this mom!   With the great discounts at Nordstrom Rack over retail prices, I don’t have to empty my wallet to step out in style!
Win A Gift Card:
Enter The Giveaway  below to win a $250 Gift Card to Nordstrom Rack!!!  Can you imagine how far that money will go!!!

 

 


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August 26, 2014 · 9:03 pm

Win an Autographed ONE DIRECTION “Looks Collection” of Makeup In Our Giveaway!!!

The Wait is Over! Makeup by One Direction, the world’s biggest pop band, is now available at Macy’s!  The irreverent attitude and colorful style of a new generation takes on a glamorous form in Makeup by One Direction. We want to celebrate the launch by giving you a chance to win a Looks Collection of makeup in a collector tin  autographed by the band!!!  Much like the One Direction band members themselves, this prestige makeup line is fun, bold and a tad mischievous, featuring vivid shades, premium formulas and chic, collectible packaging and components.

“The Looks Collection” comprises three keepsake tins inspired by One Direction’s globe-conquering albums, “Up All Night, “Take Me Home” and the latest chart topper, ‘Midnight Memories.”

One-Direction-Make Up-Tin

Each tin comes complete with everything you need to show off your personality. Are you a rock n’ roll girl, a fun party girl or the girl next door? We have just the right collection for you and illustrations to help show you just how to get your perfect look.

One-Direction-Make Up Collection

Midnight Memories – for the rocker girl look

All your beauty essentials are housed in a LIMITED EDITION collectable keepsake tin with removable sleeve, complete with ONE DIRECTION doodle stencils to decorate your keepsake tin and make it uniquely your own! To see more about the makeup collections click HERE!

ONE-Direction-makeup-Collection-Tin

Take Me Home – for the gorgeous, girl-next-door look

Stay in the loop by liking One Direction on Facebook!

Giveaway is going to be added soon.

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*Post Sponsored By Brand Backer


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