Sunday Sweeps 11/7

It is officially holiday season which means lots of sweeps out there. List yours and enter others. Good luck to everyone!

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Be Smart About Your Health

I have been thinking a lot about health insurance lately. Health insurance is a huge benefit of my employment yet I have really failed to take advantage of using it the way I should. Aetna has an article about making the most of your health benefits here and I want to share the most important tips I learned with you.

1. Make sure you know what benefits you need. Consider what is important to you. Is having full prescription coverage your priority? If so then make sure that is they coverage you have if you are able to choose. Think about what your family needs each year. It is a priority for me to have well baby check ups covered because I know that is something I have to take my son in for each year.

2. Try to predict what health needs you will have. I know that I am getting near the age to have a yearly mammogram. How I got that old I don't know...:). But seriously it is important to think ahead to future medical needs and I know this is one I will have in the future.

3. If you have a choice in healthcare, make the most informed choice. If saving money is your priority then of course go with the plan that saves the most money. To some people keeping the same doctors they have gone to for years is the most important thing and they may be willing to pay a bit more to keep the same service providers.

4. Investigate other options. I wish I had more of an option with choosing the insurance my company provides, but unfortunately the only decision we can make is do you want insurance or not. My employer does give a monetary stipend to employees who decline insurance. This leave the option of taking the stipend and using it for private insurance. I have not taken advantage of this option but it is worth considering if you can find a better plan than your company provides and it is within your financial means.

5. Keep track of your health costs. Honestly I am guilty of not following this advice as well as I should. It is best to turn in receipts and statements right away for reimbursement if that is part of your plan. Don't leave it until the last minute or you may risk not being reimbursed if you cannot find what you need. It is also a good idea to keep track of the costs to try to estimate your future health care needs.

Healthcare is tricky business if you ask me. I have spent hours trying to wrap my brain around the best healthcare plans for my family. However I do think that spending that time upfront will save time and money in the end. It may save even more than that if being prepared and organized means you end up with better healthcare in the end.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Aetna blogging program, making me eligible to get a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

KT Tunstall Tiger Suit - New CD Review

I get so excited when an artist I already enjoy releases a new CD. It is so fun to hear their new music and hopefully find a new favorite song. I have been a KT Tunstall fan since her hit song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", so I was excited to review her new CD called Tiger Suit. Tiger Suit came out on October 5th and the first single "Fade Like a Shadow" is already a radio hit. The new CD does not disappoint. It is more upbeat than her previous two CDs but the storytelling is still apparent which makes the lyrics very genuine in my opinion.

This is the song list from Tiger Suit. You can listen to track samples on Amazon.

1. Uummannaq Song
2. Glamour Puss
3. Push That Knot Away
4. Difficulty
5. Fade Like A Shadow
6. Lost
7. Golden Frames
8. Come On, Get In
9. (Still A) Weirdo
10. Madame Trudeaux
11. The Entertainer

KT Tunstall has a tour scheduled that begins on Halloween night so check to see if she is coming to your area. I have not seen her live but reviews I have read of her live performances have all been positive.

I was provided a copy of the CD to review from One2One Network but I was under no obligation to write a positive review. As always, all opinions are mine and mine alone.

Free Kids CD Download from The Flannery Brothers!

To celebrate the release of their new album, The New Explorer's Club, The Flannery Brothers are giving a free download of their album Dance Songs For Silly Kids. I am not sure how long this will last but I just downloaded a copy and it worked well. Thanks to The Flannery Brothers and Congrats on your new album!

Sunday Sweeps - 10/10

It's Sunday which means it is time to promote your blog giveaways. Make sure to enter some too...good luck!

Capri Sun 100% Fun House Party

Thanks to HouseParty.com I was able to host a Capri Sun party! My first thought when I found out I was a hostess, was to have the party with my son's soccer team the Hurricanes. Every game a parent is responsible for bringing a healthy snack and drink for the team soccer players. I have always chosen to bring Capri Sun because they are so convenient. My favorite Capri Sun are the Roarin' Waters varieties because they contain no artificial colors or flavors.

The date set for the Capri Sun House Party was coincidentally my son's soccer team's first tournament of the year. The kids played their hearts out and at the end were thrilled to drink the refreshing Capri Sun I brought for them. Capri Sun and kid's soccer teams are a winning combination! The hit of the after game party were definitely the Capri Sun Frisbees and the kids had a lot of fun with them. All the team members and their siblings were also able to take home a Terra cycle pencil bag made from Capri Sun pouches.


If you are not familiar with TerraCycle it is a great program that reuses empty drink pouches and gives them a second life as bags, pencil cases and other fun items. If you are interested in starting your own Drink Pouch Brigade the process is simple:

1. Visit TerraCycle.net to sign up.
2. Collect empty pouches and send them to TerraCycle.
3. The pouches are made into cool school gear and other products, and your school or organization gets money.

I sincerely love this program. It keeps garbage out of the landfills and is a super easy way to raise much needed money for schools.

Thanks again to House Party, Capri Sun and TerraCycle for a great party. Go Hurricanes!

CSN Stores Upcoming Review

I am so happy to announce that I am now a CSN Stores preferred blogger! This means I will be able to have several upcoming reviews and giveaways for you here at Cute Stuff. I am loving CSN Stores because with over 200 stores there is something for everyone.

Are you in the market for an ottoman coffee table? This Handy Living Microfiber Cube Storage Ottoman is adorable and great for storage.

I will have a review coming shortly from CSN Stores. Do you think I chose the ottoman to review? You will have to stay tuned to see.

Sunday Sweeps - 10/3

Time to list your giveaways and enter others. Good Luck!

Perplexus Review

This is the Perplexus Game Maze. Perplexus is made by PlaSmart Inc. and is available at mass market retailers and at Amazon.com. We have been playing with Perplexus for a couple of weeks now and I can honestly say that it is very entertaining toy, but a bit frustrating at the same time.

One of the big advantages to Perplexus is that it is self contained. The ball and entire maze are inside a plastic sphere that does not open. No losing pieces! Perplexus is a one person maze game where you attempt to maneuver a tiny ball throughout a complicated maze. My son Gabe is 6 years old and he really enjoys playing with Perplexus. Gabe is an only child. However he is the kind of only child who never wants to play by himself. This can be challenging for parents who don't want to let kids watch too much tv but at the same time cannot entertain their child constantly. Perplexus to the rescue! This is the first game that Gabe has played with by himself for more than 5 minutes before tossing it aside and asking someone to play with him. In fact, the very first day we had Perplexus Gabe played with it for almost an hour. Believe me when I say that is an eternity for him.

I appreciate that Perplexus is completely player powered as there are no batteries. Players just move the ball around the maze by shifting the ball around. This is more difficult than it sounds but is fun and challenging. It seems to be great for kids to strengthen hand~eye coordination.

Perplexus is recommended for ages 6 to 106 and I agree with this recommendation. Gabe is 6 and although he can move the ball well he has a long way to go before he will be able to complete the maze. My husband and I are a bit older than 6 and we enjoy Perplexus as much as Gabe does. I must admit though that I can get a bit frustrated with Perplexus. After playing Perplexus at least a dozen times I am stuck on a certain number.

I was disappointed with the directions for Perplexus...because essentially there were none. Fortunately the idea is simple, to move the ball around the numbers in order. It took me several attempts before I realized that there are 3 start points so if the ball falls midway you do not have to start from the beginning if you don't want to. One way to make Perplexus more user friendly would be to somehow make the numbers on the maze easier to see. The numbers should stick out better so the player knows which way they should attempt to go.

Overall I would definitely recommend Perplexus. I appreciate that it is self contained and that we will never have to worry about missing pieces. This also makes Perplexus very travel friendly. Perplexus is a maze game that is child friendly but difficult enough to challenge adults as well.

Sunday Sweeps - 9/19

Please share your blog giveaways and enter some too! Good Luck!!

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to MoMoKG064 who was the winner of the Yoplait Back to School Giveaway! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I hope to have some more great giveaways soon so stay tuned!

Dr. Robin's Sunscreen "House" Party

I was super excited when I was offered the chance to host a Dr. Robin's House Party. Dr. Robin's Sunscreen a SPF 30+ sunscreen is specially formulated to protect babies and children from UVA and UVB rays. In honor of protecting the kid's from the summer rays I found it appropriate to have our "house" party at the beach.




I invited some of my son's friends and my niece and nephew to hang out at the beach. There were no worries about sunburn because we were all protected by Dr. Robin's sunscreen samples. Dr. Robin’s sunscreen is water resistant, gluten-free, and cruelty free. It is also free of irritating chemicals like phthalates, parabens and fragrance, which is great for kid's like my niece and nephew who have super sensitive skin. My son usually complains about sunscreen stinging his eyes but he had no complaints about Dr. Robin's sunscreen.



It is refreshing to use a product that is safe for kid's because the last thing you want to worry about when protecting children from the sun, is damage from the very product you use for protection.



Dr. Robin's sunscreen definitely protected the kids at our party. We all had a lot of fun. I think the hit of the party (aside from the surfboard) were the fun silly shaped bands provided in the party kit. The kids loved figuring out what each band was and seeing them go back to their original shape when they took them off. I must admit those bands are pretty fun!



After the beach we all headed over to my sister's house for some fun music. Our party kit included "A Family Album" by The Verve Pipe, and "The Disney Reggae Club" both of which the kids really enjoyed. To top off the night my brother in law treated everyone to a mini fireworks display!

Thanks so much to Dr. Robin's for allowing me to host a house party. The kids obviously had a blast and the adults got a chance to check out Kiwi Magazine which has a lot of great back to school ideas. I was also able to share coupons for both Beautyhabit and Glamour Junkie two fabulous companies that carry Dr. Robin's products.

Thanks to Dr. Robin's sunscreen we were all protected from the sun and able to enjoy one of the best days of the entire summer!

Back to School with Yoplait Go-Gurt (Review and Giveaway)

We love Yoplait Go-Gurt around here! They make such a convenient snack because they are individually packaged...so they are great for a treat on the go. Earlier this summer my son saw a commercial for Go-Gurt that encouraged trying them frozen. Since then frozen Go-Gurts have been my son's favorite snack!

I plan to throw Go-Gurts in my son's school lunches frozen and they will be ready to eat at lunch time. I especially appreciate that my 6 year old can open them himself and they are mess free because they are self contained.

I was lucky to receive a fun Back to School gift package from Yoplait Go-Gurt and My Blog Spark. Little man was super excited by the calculator and fan pen. You know he is going to be a big first grader this year so he was super thrilled for fun school supplies. One reader will be the lucky winner of the same package I received. The package is pictured below (a coupon for Go-Gurt will be included rather than the product itself).



Mandatory Entry
Share your back to school lunch tip.
Extra Entries
Follow Cute Stuff
Subscribe to Cute Stuff
Follow Cute Stuff on Twitter and tweet this giveaway - daily tweets available. Please leave tweet link in your entry.

Leave a separate comment for each entry. Giveaway will end on 9/13/10 at 11:59pm CST. Open to US mailing addresses only. *This coupon offer for free Go-Gurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Yoplait and My Blog Spark furnished this gift pack to facilitate this review and they are fulfilling the prize for the giveaway. I was not under any obligation to give a positive review and no financial compensation was provided. All opinions listed are mine and mine alone.

Sunday Sweeps 8/29

It is Sunday Sweeps time again. List your bloggy giveaways and enter some too. Good luck everyone!

Sunday Sweeps 8/15

Promote your blog giveaways below! Remember to leave the ending date so people can enter them in time. Good Luck everyone!

No Go BlogHer Blog Hop

One of my favorite blogs to read is called To Be Thode ~ Musings from a Mom of 5 and is authored by the wonderful Stefany. Stefany is not going to BlogHer this year and thought it would be fun for those of us staying home to blog hop a bit. I am excited to join in and meet some new bloggers at the same time!

1. When did you start blogging?
I started blogging about six months ago. I am still getting the hang of things and learning as I go along. I wish I had more time to write but I have a crazy high stress fulltime job.

2. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because it looked like a lot of fun. I was hanging out on twitter a lot and started entering blog giveaways. When I went to the blogs to enter giveaways I started reading the other posts and it seemed like a great way to connect with people so I thought I would give it a try.

3. What is one thing you are going to do this week that is WAY cooler than going to BlogHer?
Tomorrow we are heading up to my parent's cabin for vacation and everyone knows that Door County, WI is WAY cooler than New York City!

4. Share a post that you think says a lot about you or is your favorite. (share the link in YOUR post so we all can see)
I would love to share my recent post on Tips for Getting Reading to Go Back to School

If you are not going to BlogHer this year feel free to join the No Go BlogHer Blog Hop!

Tips for Getting Ready to Go Back to School

I love the end of summer and back to school season. It is such a great time of year. Weather wise it is my favorite time of year as well. In the Midwest it cools down a bit so it is fun to play outside but snow is still far in the distance. I also enjoy this time of year because of the anticipation of a new school year. It is so fun to go shopping with my son and pick out new school supplies. It is hard to believe that my little guy is going to be a first grader this year! Here are some tips for getting reading to go back to school.

Have fun with the last part of summer break! Ask your kids what they still want to do while school is still on break. I know Cutie wants to go miniature golfing and would be bummed if we don't fit it in before school starts.

Make sure you get all the kid's school supplies together. We got the school supply list with report cards at the end of last year but some schools don't sent theirs out until now. Watch the back to school sales because you can definitely find bargains on most of the required supplies. I like to buy extras this time of year to keep around the house. I also send extras with my son's supplies to help out kids at my son's school that may need it.

Get on the school schedule a few weeks before school starts. If you are like us we let our son stay up a lot later in the summer than during the school year. The transition back to the school schedule will be much easier if you start it a bit before school begins. You don't want a sleepy kid for the first few weeks of school.

Have a plan for school day meals. We always shop for the week ahead and plan out our meals. It is so important for kids (and adults for that matter) to have a healthy breakfast for a good start to the day. Our son's hot lunches at school are not always the healthiest options so we usually allow him to pick one day per week to have hot lunch. The remaining days we pack his lunch so we know exactly what he is eating. Whatever you choose best to have a plan and that way kids will know what to expect and you won't be scrambling at the last minute.

Talk to your kids about what to expect. We have spent a lot of time talking to Cutie about how first grade is going to be a lot different than what he is used to in kindergarten. Kids do better when they know what to expect and hopefully that will ease some anxiety they may be feeling. There are some great books out there that may help kids feel more comfortable going back to school. The one I listed at the top of this post is called Rules For School by Alec Greven and is published by HarperCollins.

Hopefully you and your kids will have a smooth transition back to school this year. In the meantime enjoy the end of summer...it is the best time of the year!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

A Guy's Guide To Life (Review)

I recently read A Guy's Guide To Life by author Jason Boyett. The premise of the book is how to become a man in 224 pages or less. Although the premise is supposed to be funny (Boyett acknowledges that a book cannot teach how to be a man), I found that the book does offer some very important lessons to guide young men. Even though I am a woman I was intrigued by this book because I am always looking for tips and insights into raising my son.

I will definitely be holding on to this book to share with my son when he is old enough to need it. Boyett shares big and small tips throughout the book that I found to be interesting. The writing style is light and includes 'Big Tips' throughout along with 'Pop Quizzes' to keep things fun.

If you are in the mood to read about fun things like boxers vs. brief or bigger lessons like how to be a gentleman and rules for dating, this is a perfect read for you. I also recommend it for parents raising sons because it can definitely be used as a conversation starter for some very important topics for young men.

I received a copy of this book to review from the Booksneeze.com program. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone. I was not under any obligation to provide a positive review.

Sunday Sweeps 8/1

I love entering giveaways. It is my favorite hobby!!! Feel free to link up your giveaways below and enter away!

Sunday Sweeps 7/25

Sunday Sweeps! Feel free to link up your giveaways below including the ending date. And don't forget to enter other people's giveaways if you see something that catches your eye. Good luck!

Chance to Win Kung Zhu!

A couple of weeks ago I posted how Cute saw the new Kung Zhus at Summerfest. Well now he (and everyone else) has a chance to win some. The Kim Pace Photography Blog is hosting a giveaway for Kung Zhus right now. If you are interested in participating hurry over because the giveaway ends today. Good luck!

Ten Tips For Ensuring a Safe, Healthy and Successful School Year

It is hard to believe that summer is more than half over and it is almost time to start preparing for the next school year. Airwear and my fellow TwitterMom, Beth Aldrich, are sponsoring an essay contest for consumers, encouraging parents and care-givers to share how they plan to help their kids live a healthy, safe and successful school year. Families can submit their thoughts by visiting LighterSaferGreener.com. One grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000, while 10 first prize winners will receive vouchers for Airwear lenses valued up to $400.

Here are my top ten tips to ensuring a safe, healthy and successful school year:

1. Make sure your child's school has all your contact information and your child's medical information. Double check to verify that it is up to date.

2. Take the time to get to know your child's teacher or teachers. They will be more open with you if they feel comfortable with you and know that you are invested in your child's education.

3. Talk to you child about bullies. Remind them that they should treat other kids how they want to be treated. Also make a plan with them for what to do if another child is bullying them.

4. If you child takes the school bus make sure that they get on and off the bus safely.

5. Start your child's school sleep schedule at least a week before school begins. They may be used to sleeping in during the summer but they will need to be well rested when school rolls around

6. Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast for a good start to the day. Eating a balanced, nutritional lunch is helpful as well.

7. Get to know your child's friends and their friend's parents. Communicate with them to make sure you are aware where your child is and what they are doing with their friends.

8. Talk to you child everyday about what happened at school that day. Try to ask open ended questions so they can't just answer yes/no or good/bad etc.

9. Help your child with their homework and check with the teacher on a regular basis to make sure your child is turning in all their homework.

10. Give you child age appropriate limits on television and video games. Use them as rewards for school achievement.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Airwear blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, visit http://airwear.twittermoms.com/about

Tips To Help Kids Embrace Summer Reading

I love summer and almost everything about it! Here in the midwest we wait a LONG time for nice weather and we take advantage of it when it comes. Our family spends a lot of our free time outside in the summer. This summer two of our goals for our son are to teach him to ride a two wheel bike and to continue to teach him how to swim. I also have to remember that it is important to continue teaching him to read. Summer is a crucial learning time because we want to discourage "brain drain" or loss of learned knowledge.

Here are my tips to encourage summer reading!

1. Go to the local library. Often libraries have free summer reading programs for kids. I still remember going to "brown bag lunch" library programs where we would listen to stories and eat our bag lunches. It is one of my favorite summer memories. Take advantage of the library programs in your area and of course borrow lots of books to read.

2. Lead by example. When my son sees me playing around on the computer all he wants to do is play video games. When he sees me reading a book he is always curious about what I am reading and asks me a bunch of questions about the book. I believe that kids learn a lot by watching their parents so set a good example and read more yourself.

3. Join a book reading club. Many places including Barnes and Noble and Half Price Books have children's reading clubs. The child reads a certain amount of book and is rewarded with a book or gift card.

4. Host or attend a book swap. This is one of my favorite things to do. Kid's donate books they no longer want or use and in exchange can take the same number of books home. The books they receive are not new, but they are new to them! Make sure to establish that books should be in good condition so it is fair for all participants. My son's school has a book swap every year and it is always a huge success.

5. Make it fun! Find ways to make reading fun for your child. This may vary from some kind of reward system to a fancy new book reader. I have seen on several blogs I read that VTech has a new book reader for kids that looks really neat.
I Can Read! BooksBecome an I Can Read! Member
Summer is a time for lot of fun but also a chance to encourage kids to continue to read and learn. Hope you are having a great summer so far!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Sunday Sweeps 7/11

Time to link up your blog giveaways! Leave your giveaway information below including the ending date. Good luck everyone!!!

Get Touch'd! Review

Every busy mommy needs some "me" time. My favorite "me" time is to take a long shower or bath and use yummy smelling products. Using nice bath and body products is one of the ways I indulge myself. And the bonus is that it is calorie free...unlike the chocolate I also occasionally indulge in. :)


I was given the opportunity to review Touch'd Bath Butter. Touch'd describes their bath butter as 'A creamy, cleansing product with the consistency of butter, making it luxurious. Sweet Almond Oil and Grapeseed Oil make this versatile, which can be used as a moisturizing boy cleanser or as a shave cream.' Touch'd bath butter worked well for me as both an overall cleanser and as a shave cream. I appreciate products that can fulfill more than one function and this bath butter certainly does that. The smell was very fresh and relaxing. The consistency of Touch'd bath butter is dense enough not to spill out of the container. This is an advantage for me because I tend to be clumsy and spill products.

So if you are in the market for yummy smelling bath products condsider Touch'd.

I was given a complimentary sample of Touch'd Bath Butter to facilitate my review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Friendly Friday 7/2

Many thanks to the ladies at Thanks, Mail Carrier, Frugal Novice and Healthy Home Blog for sponsoring Friendly Follow. A fun and friendly way to get to know other bloggers. There are several other blog hops on Fridays including The Social Parade from Smart and Trendy Moms. I have really enjoyed getting to know so many bloggers over the past several months. I would love for you to follow Cute Stuff and let me know where I can find you as well. While you are here please check out my Balloonatiks DVD Review and Giveaway. It is a cute DVD and there are low entries right now so you have a great chance to win. Have a Happy Friday!

Party with the Zhu Zhu Pets at Summerfest!

Thanks to MomSelect, myself and my extended family were able to attend the Zhuniverse Tour at Summerfest. Summerfest is the world's largest music festival and I am lucky enough to have it right in my own city of Milwaukee, WI. This year Summerfest was the host of one of the stops on the Zhuniverse Tour.



When Zhu Zhu pets emerged last year my son Cutie wanted one for Christmas, so dutiful parent I am, I waited in line at Toys R Us one morning and got him one. He loved it!!! Honestly I think what won him over initially was the Zhu Zhu pet commercial...he loved the little jingle on it. So when the Zhu Zhu pets came out with their own song and dance (the Zhu Zhu Flo) Cutie and all his cousins were excited to dance along. The Zhuniverse experience at Summerfest included a dance stage but unfortunately the kids did not get a chance to show off their skills because the rain had made the stage too slick for their awesome dance moves. Thankfully there were a lot of other fun activities that the Midwest rain could not put a damper on.



The kids were able to power a life size hamster wheel!



Here is my niece finding out what Zhu Zhu pet she is most like. After the child takes the quiz and gets a photo taken, they are given an access code to find their picture online. Below is Cutie's final product...he is most like Azer. How adorable is this?



The newest line of Zhu Zhu Pets are called Kung Zhu. The Zhuniverse tour had the entire collection set up for kids to try out. There was a really neat looking life size inflatable hamster habitat but that was closed due to the rain as well. There were so many other fun activities that the kids didn't even notice. The King Zhu obstacle course was a hit with all the kids.



And of course the Zhu Zhu Pet DS game was loved by children and adults alike! Check out my sister's gaming skills.



The Zhuniverse Tour continues on this summer so check to see if it will make a stop near you. My family had so much fun with all the family friendly activities. The Zhuniverse event was definitely a highlight of our summer!




Disclosure: I was provided with admission tickets to the Zhuniverse Tour at Summerfest in order to facilitate my review. I was not financially compensated nor was I under any obligation to post a positive review. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone. Thanks so much to MomSelect and Melanie Yerman for this opportunity.

"Thank You Mom Reunion Contest" - Vote For You Favorite!

I am so grateful that my mom lives less than two miles away from me. She is always there to help out, especially with babysitting. I think it is important for my son to grow up having a close relationship with his grandmother. Unfortunately not everyone lives as close to their mom as I do to mine. Visiting may be difficult due to financial constraints when families are separated by great distances.

Proctor & Gamble have a great way to celebrate moms called the "Thank You Moms Reunion" contest. It is a contest to reunite moms and children for special events such as birthdays and graduations that they may have otherwise missed.

“Thank You Mom Reunions” will bring together 105 moms with their children, who are unable to do so on their own. (15 per month for a 10 month campaign). Since Mother's Day, participants have been submitting their stories online to be considered for a reunion with their mom or mother figure for the June contest. Thirty finalists have been selected and consumers will choose the 15 winners. Winners will receive a $1000 travel voucher and portable digital video camera to capture their reunion and are encouraged to share the video on ThankYouMom.com.

So if you have a touching story and would like to submit an entry, go ahead and submit one for the July voting round. In the meantime visit the Thank You Mom homepage and vote for a story that touches your heart. You can vote once per day. Help make someones dream come true!

Disclaimer: By posting about the Thank You Mom contest, my post is eligible for a gift card via random drawing by One2One Network. I was not paid for this post and all opinions stated are my own.

Balloonatiks (Review and Giveaway)

I love finding new children's entertainment that is appropriate for my son. I like it even more if it does not send me screaming out of the room in annoyance. The Balloonatiks to the rescue! The Balloonatiks are five ordinary teens mysteriously transformed into rubbery, shape-stretching super heroes sworn to protect Hot Air City against any evil-doer. Sound like fun? They definitely are!

I was give the opportunity to review Balloonatiks Collector's Set DVD. The DVD contains two episodes: Meet Deflator and Pop Goes the Balloonatiks. My 6 year old son was laughing practically from the beginning to the end of the episodes. He told me that he likes it when the characters say "Hubba, Hubba We Are Made of Rubba" and the deflating jokes. It was refreshing to see him so fully entertained by a story with a good moral base instead of sillyness from under the sea.

The Balloonatik's DVD is for sale at Amazon.com but if you are super lucky you could win one right here at Cute Stuff.

Mandatory Entry: Simply check out the Balloonatiks website and let me know who you would give the DVD to if you are the lucky winner.

Extra Entries: (leave a separate entry for each):
- Follow Cute Stuff on Google Friend Connect
- Be or become a feed or email subscriber to Cute Stuff
- Follow Cute Stuff on twitter
- Tweet this giveaway and leave the link to your tweet. This can be done once per day.
- Like Balloonatiks on Facebook

The giveaway will end at 11:59 CST on July 9th. Please leave a way to contact you in at least one entry.

Thanks so much to Balloonatiks for giving me this review opportunity and the chance for a Cute Stuff reader to win as well. I was given a DVD to facilitate this review but I was not under any obligation to give Balloonatiks a positive review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Rayovac Powers Your Summer

Rayovac is sponsoring a Rayovac Powers Your Summer Promotion. Just in time to fill all your fun toys with fresh Rayovac batteries! Rayovac is asking participants to share how you plan to power your fun this summer. In exchange you will have a chance to win great prizes like camping supplies, a camera and of course Rayovac batteries.

In conjunction with Rayovac Powers Your Summer Promotion,Rayovac and 5MinutesForMom will sponsor a Twitter Event. The Twitter Event will feature more than 20 fun giveaways from Rayovac ranging from a summer supply of Rayovac Batteries to $50 Target Gift Cards. Here is the Twitter Event information:

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Summer Promotion Twitter Event
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #rayovac
Follow: @Rayovac_Battery, @5minutesformom, @CirclePRMary

If you have never gone to a Twitter Event I highly recommend them. It is fun to chat with people and of course I love the chance to win great prizes. I hope to see you there!

The first 99 bloggers to promote the Rayovac Powers Your Summer Promotion won a prize package from Rayovac.

FREE 8x10 Collage Print at Walgreens

Walgreens is offering a FREE 8x10 collage print through Saturdary June 19th. I love when Walgreens has such fabulous freebies!

Sunday Sweeps

Do you have a blog giveaway going on right now? I would love to help you promote it! Leave your giveaway information below including the end date. Good luck everyone!

Friendly Friday 6/11

Many thanks to the ladies at Thanks, Mail Carrier, Frugal Novice and Healthy Home Blog for sponsoring Friendly Follow. A fun and friendly way to get to know other bloggers. There are several other blog hops on Fridays including The Social Parade from Smart and Trendy Moms. I have really enjoyed getting to know so many bloggers over the past several months. I would love for you to follow Cute Stuff and let me know where I can find you as well. Happy Friday!

Cute Stuff Disappeared on Me

Hi everyone! I had quite a scare the last couple of days because my blog up and disappeared!!! I contacted blogger and got no response from them. I found out on Twitter that the same thing happened to many other blogs without any reason or explanation. Then just as mysteriously the blogs have reappeared.

I use blogger because I know what I am doing on it (for the most part anyway). This recent scare has me thinking about switching to another host. Anyone have any advice on this subject? I must admit I am still figuring these things out as I go along. I am just glad Cute Stuff came back because I have some fun reviews and giveaways in the works for you all!

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner!

Thanks everyone for entering my CSN Stores Giveaway. It was my most popular giveaway yet!!! Random.org picked Susan1215 as the lucky winner.

susan1215 said...
http://twitter.com/susan1215/status/15150631409

Congratulations Susan...have fun on your CSN Stores shopping spree! I am jealous!!!

Friendly Friday (6/4)

Welcome to another edition of Friendly Friday! Since Friday Follow has ended the lovely ladies at Thanks, Mail Carrier, Frugal Novice and Healthy Home Blog have started Friendly Follow. A fun and friendly way to get to know other bloggers. Please let me know if you are a new follower because I would love to follow you back. Have a great weekend!!!

Follow Me Back Tuesday (6/1)

Review Retreat, Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's and Boobies, Babies and a Blog sponsor Follow Me Back Tuesday. I almost forgot it was Tuesday! It seems like a Monday due to the holiday yesterday but I am oh so glad it is Tuesday!!! New visitor or seasoned regular...welcome to Cute Stuff! Happy June everyone. :)

Chocbite Review

I was given the opportunity to try the service that Chocbite provides. Chocbite is a website where you have the chance to build your own chocolate bar...practically anyway your want it! Doesn't that sound like fun?!?! I thought it was a blast. The most difficult part was choosing between all the delicious toppings that they offer. I chose butterscotch pieces, caramel bits, heath pieces, peanut butter chips and macadamia nuts. Can you say yummy?!?!?


Chocbite also offers specialty Chocbars taking the guesswork out of yummy combinations. One of the specialty bars that sounds interesting to me is the Mexican Chocbar. The Mexican has piquin pepper, spicy mango, jalapeno salt and cayenne on it. I am not big on spicy but I know a lot of people who would love this unique combination.

Chocbite Chocbars make a great personalized gift. A fantastic idea for father's day! They also have gift certificates available if you are not quite sure what combination to make that special someone.

The generous folks at Chocbite have offered Cute Stuff readers a discount on their yummy chocolate! Use the code CHOCBITE20 for 20% off any order. And even better this code is good through the end of this year.

I was given a Chocbite Chocbar to facilitate this review. All opinions in this post are mine and mine alone. Thanks so much to Chocbite for the chance to sample their yummy product.