My Favorite Giveaways

Here are a few favorite giveaways I've found around the Internet today...I've entered, why don't you??

Old Barn Rescue Wall Graphics for Your Home

Nuddle - Blanket of Hollywood

Clog Outlet Giveaway - win some CUTE shoes!

Crave Laptop Backpack and Compaq Mini Netbook!
Ends tonight!

Win 1 of 3 $25 Home Depot Gift Cards

Free Bible

Joe Gibbs' official website, Game Plan for Life, is offering a free Bible - no strings attached! Just go here and ask for yours!

Given his unique rise to the top of two different sports NFL Football and NASCAR racing, Coach Gibbs is often asked to speak and share his personal testimony with crowds. Men especially want to know what it takes to be “successful” and “relevant.” The Game Plan helps men to find true success and relevance in their own lives. However, it is less about Joe, than it is about who men are, why they were created and what they can really do with their lives.

Serving others through Christian ministry has always been close to Joe Gibbs' heart and in 1986 he helped found Youth for Tomorrow, a residential youth home, private school, and counseling center for at-risk teenage girls and boys in the Washington metropolitan area. More than 800 young people have been touched by the center.

Obsessed with Snuggies

The Short One is a walking infomercial for Snuggies. I promise he is. You know, those things that are like blankets with sleeves? Seriously...what happened to just wrapping a blanket around you? I'm not knocking them, I just don't really understand the concept. All I know is, my son wants one. He wants one bad. He's four, why does he want a Snuggie? He has asked for it time and time again for his upcoming birthday. I mean, easy gift...I saw them on clearance at a Target about an hour away for $12...it's just the fact that...is that REALLY what you want or are the infomercials brainwashing you? On the way home today he told me that he wanted Snuggies for himself AND for the dog. Uh - the 140lb dog?! He said, "Yes, mama, we can both get a Snuggie AND we'll get a pair of socks with it...did you know that? Did you know that you can take your Snuggie ANYwhere?? In the car, to the movies, anywhere!"... is my four year old son seriously buttering me up for a SNUGGIE??? He just told me they were SO good I could put him to sleep in it. And that he would take the color "rockin' blue". Oh my...I mustn't fail him. In search of Snuggies, here I go...

Children's Place: Great Deals and FREE SHIPPING!

Children's Place has always been one of my favorite places to shop for my little one. I usually get his Easter outfits there and I always take advantage of their sales! Right now they have some GREAT deals and free shipping through tomorrow, 2/26! If you scroll down to the bottom of their page you can take advantage of their Winter Blast sale - clothing from $2.99!! They also have their knit tops on sale for $5 - you can't beat it! Use promo code FSFEB2010 to get your free shipping...and still better yet?? Go through Ebates and get 3% cash back! I SO love great deals!

Hurry, hurry! Sizes will go FAST at these great prices!

Easy Roast for Busy Nights

This is my all time favorite, SIMPLE slow cooker roast recipe. I love it for those nights filled with school events, t-ball practice, soccer and the works! It's great to come home and have a dinner that's home "cooked" and waiting on you. You can use a shoulder roast or rump roast, whichever you prefer - both work great. I usually put my roast in the crock pot the night before, place it in the refrigerator and pull it out the next morning before I leave for work - that way I just have to turn it on and go!

1 roast
1 packet Au Jus Gravy
1 c. water
Onion, carrots, potatoes (optional)

Place the roast in your crock pot, pour one cup water over the roast and sprinkle one packet of Au Jus Gravy mix over the roast. Cook the roast on low heat for 8-10 hours. If you prefer onions, carrots and/or potatoes with your roast, you can add these to the crock pot and allow to cook all day as well. I usually get everything mixed up and in the crock pot, set it in the refrigerator the night before and take it out and begin cooking it before I leave for work the next morning. The Au Jus makes for a great flavor and after a day of work and after school activities - it's nice to come home to a cooked meal and a great smelling house!

Want an easy cornbread to make with it? I have a great recipe from my mom...easy and YUMMY!

2 c. buttermilk
2 c. Cornmeal mix
1 tbsp. oil
1 egg

Mix all ingredients well, pour into a well greased iron skillet. Cook at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes until dark brown and golden. Enjoy!

The Short One Goes for a Ride

I got a phone call at work today. My husband. "When you see D's hand, I want you to know what happened. I caught him, but his hand is sliced open"...always great to start a conversation like that...So it seems while my husband had his hands full of boxes to ship at the post office, on his way to load The Short One into the car for preschool, he pressed the button to open the garage door and The Short One grabbed onto the handle of the door - you know, the one you can use to open it manually if it isn't working. Well, believe it or not, it took him all the way to the top of the garage, feet dangling about my husband's car, eyes as big as his head (I'm told). Needless to say, the boxes were tossed as my husband darted under my son to catch him...he was afraid to stay, afraid to let go...but finally my husband coaxed him into letting go and he caught him, but his hand was cut on the way down. Now, that I've seen his hand and know that he's okay, I find it comical, picturing him dangling there...because he wasn't hurt - but he could have been! I very seriously doubt he will do it again. My husband said he tries most mornings to grab the handle and I suppose with my husband's hands full of boxes, he saw an opening...a fun ride. Little did he know it would take him all the way up so quickly, to the "tippy top" as he told me when I got home this afternoon. Want me to be honest? Now...the more I think about it, the harder I laugh. ;) So, if you have a little guy, watch out for that handle on the garage door...it may appear "enticing"...

Free ADT Pet Alert Window Cling

ADT is currently offering a free Pet Alert Window Cling.

One of the hallmarks of responsible dog ownership is keeping pets safe and planning for unexpected emergencies. As part of this public awareness campaign we are pleased to distribute ADT pet alert ‘window clings’.

My in-laws recently lost their home and the entirety of their belongings in a house fire. While we always hope and pray it won't happen to us, you just never know. This is a great way to alert the fire department in case of a fire - especially if you're not home and your pets ARE, which was the case for my mother-in-law. They lost four dogs in their fire. If you have pets, this is a wonderful freebie!

Get your ADT Pet Alert Cling here.

Free Photo Book for Troops!

Here's a GREAT freebie for those loved ones overseas. You can send a free photo book to anyone with an APO/FPO or MPO mailing address! The photo book will be a 5x7, 20 page soft cover album and will hold 50-60 photos. The USO even pays for the shipping! It’s a $17 value, ABSOLUTELY FREE. It's designed to be lightweight and fit neatly into fatigue cargo pockets and is a great way to share memories of home with those far away. What a cool freebie!

If you want faster shipping or additional pages, you CAN request both of those things for additional charges - but up to 20 pages with economy shipping is ABSOLUTELY FREE! Loving it!

Just fill in your information here and your Coupon Code will appear on the next page. You will also receive a copy of the code in an email confirmation for your records if you wish to use it at a later time.

The number of photo books being given away is limited, so hurry on over!

Thank you USO and Rocketlife - VERY cool!

Public or Private School - THAT is the Question!

Let's debate for a moment...public or private school? My son will begin kindergarten next year and I'm having a VERY difficult time deciding where to send him. You would think it would be an easy decision since I work for a public school, but alas...that makes my decision more difficult! If I take him to school with me, he would have to leave between 6:15 and 6:30 each morning...and not get home until 4:30. It would make for a long day and he wouldn't even be with me - I work in a 3rd-5th grade school. He would be at the K-2 school which is on campus, but still not the same building. It would enable me to be close for school events, parties and field trips...but make it difficult to return at night and on weekends for special school events, programs, sports and birthday parties. If I send him to the public school directly across the street from my home, he would get to "sleep in", but I don't know much about the teachers there and he would still have to be in an after school program until I could pick him up in the afternoon. Not to mention our school calendars are different - he would have spring break during a different week, different weather days and start/finish days.

We HAVE looked into several private schools, one we "like" another we LOVE. However, the one we love is rather pricey. I'm not even sure we could do it. Their schooling is phenomenal and their ratio is between 5:1 and 5:8 - AMAZING! Their graduate rate and scholarship rate is out of this world and the extra curriculars are great. It's down town from where we live and my husband could drop him off there in the mornings, but he would still be in after school. The private school we could afford has a better Bible program, but not a great ratio (better than public school) and their Math program STINKS. I can say this because I taught it for years and I'm not sure I could actually PAY someone to teach it to my child. It will remain nameless so as not to step on any toes. ;)

After talking to LOTS of friends and family members, I get mixed feedback. From someone who taught in private schools for years, sent her child and now teaches in a public school...she says "don't waste your money". From another who sent one child to public and one child to private - two schools I'm actually looking at - she says the difference between her two children and their experiences is AMAZING and she wishes she had sent them both to private school. From yet another, I was told she removed her child from private school because it was no better than the public school down the road. From yet another, his children graduated from the "better" of the private schools and one is now an attorney, another is at a Fine Dance Academy in New York. What to do, what to do?? The stories and advice go on...

And so my husband says, and I believe, if it is God's will, he will make a way and provide - which I believe. The problem I am having is differentiating between what I want and what GOD wants...I need Him to write it across my forehead! AND to make things more difficult, schools begin registering next month...and private schools will fill up quickly... HELP!!

I would love to hear your stories and advice...at this point, I keep wavering and honestly...I don't know what I'm going to do. I just want what's best for my son...and...I would LOVE to hear your opinions.

So the question is...public...or private?

A Giveaway from Made by Meegz

I found one of my all time favorite Etsy Shops recently...Made by Meegz! Since my husband bought me a new camera for Christmas, it has become one of my FAVORITE things to do - take pictures!! I'm so glad I found Made by Meegz! Megan is one stylish designer and I'm in love with her camera straps! Trust me, no matter WHAT kind of camera you own, Megan has something for YOU! Make your camera yours, spot it in a crowd, put a Made by Meegz strap on your camera and it will set you apart - in your own world of style!

Megan's SLR camera straps are a fun addition to any camera. "Depending on your height, photographers can wear the shorter (32 inch) strap around their neck or shoulder and the longer strap(38 inch) around their body for less stress on the neck and back."

Made by Meegz is the home and creator of the "super functional Quick Release strap. This strap is great to take off to switch to another strap depending on your mood & location. They are also great to get rid of that annoying strap when shooting on a tripod. Finally, you can just take off the strap all together and clip the two ends of the nylon webbing together to carry your SLR with a small handle. You can't go wrong with the QUICK RELEASE STRAP"...there are just so many great accessories to pick from at Made by Meegz!

The good part? You never have to worry about the safety of your camera: The nylon webbing on these straps has been tested at 600 pounds. The fabric strap and plastic has been tested at 100 pounds. Sounds pretty sturdy to me!

Megan takes custom orders, so if you can think it, she can create it! You can also find wrist straps, lanyards and key chains at Made by Meegz!

I recently asked Megan to tell us a bit more about her shop. Here's what she had to say:

What is the inspiration behind your Etsy Shop?
The kids are growing up so I have more time now -- gives me "purpose" as a SAHM -- and I am REALLY enjoying sewing.

Also(as printed on my sidebar of www.madebymeegz.com):I'm so excited to have this new site. I have always stayed at home to take care of our kids and even though it's been what I want to do, I've always felt like I was missing something.

This site is helping me to have the best of both worlds. I made a camera strap for a photog friends birthday earlier this year, she loved it, and the camera straps have just blossomed from there.

I'm loving designing and creating unique straps for YOU!

What is your favorite item in the shop?
Any reversible strap -- TWO in ONE!

What is your most popular strap?
Garden with Style and Splash of Red

Thanks, Megan!

Megan is giving away ONE item of your choice to a very lucky Champagne Wisdom reader - yay!!

How to enter:
Just leave a comment below telling us what you will pick from Made by Meegz if you're the lucky winner!

Want extra entries? We've got them! Get one extra entry for each thing you do below - be sure to leave a separate comment for each:
*Follow Champagne Wisdom
*Subscribe via email to Champagne Wisdom (3 entries)
*Follow Chmampagne Wisdom and Made by Meegz on twitter and tweet this giveaway - leave the link. You can do this daily.
*Tell Megan another type of fabric or design you would love to see in her shop.
*Follow Made by Meegz on Facebook
*Visit the Made by Meegz website and tell me something else you learned
*Grab a button - either Champagne Wisdom's button, the Made by Meegz button on her website, or both! TWO entries per button!
*Enter any of the giveaways over at 2 Little Muffins and let me know which one

This giveaway will end at 9:00pm central time...March 7th. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it available in your blogger account. Thanks and good luck!