TO THE WINNERS OF

Dolcetta Designs Photo Card Creation

 Misty VanEpps #7

AND

Joanie Leeds and The Nightlights “I’m a Rock Star” CD

Candie L #18

 Robyn #5

The winner is required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted.
3. If any winner does not claim her prize by the 18th March 2010, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED!

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Once again, congratulations to our lucky readers who have won a copy of Chicken Soup : True Love each. They are:

1. Pamela Berube
2. Steve Andrie
3. Victoria Krukowski
4. Charity Hantla
5. Diane Stokes
6. Kris Johnson

It does not matter if you’re not a teacher, because there must be a time in your life that you have been a student or former student somehow. Thus, I am sure many of you will appreciate Chicken Soup For The Soul: Teacher Tales because this title will bring back a lot of memories of that person who held a special place in your heart during those school days.

Written by a majority of teachers  (all of the 2009 State Teachers of the Year and the 2009 National Teacher of the Year), Chicken Soup For The Soul : Teacher Tales pays tribute to the noble profession – TEACHING. It is both deeply touching and heart warming to read about how each of these teachers make that extra effort to influence, encourage and inspire their students, despite the trials and tribulations of working with children of all ages, some of which may even be academically handicapped.

My favourite include the story about how a teacher thought she was going to receive a complain from a student’s parent but instead she received a visit from a very grateful Mr.Wagner who thanked her for changing his son’s perception towards school. In the parent’s own words “Our boy is a happy boy again”.

“Secrets Students Keep” is one of the more touching story from the book. The teacher’s sensitivity and ability to emphatize with her student Sam was probably one of the best thing she could do for him during that day of tragedy. And if you’re just wondering, yes, I made good use of my Kleenex

Teachers who are feeling the pressure of the job should pick up a copy of this book as it will definitely give you a sense of renewed passion and fresh vision for changing your students’ lives. This book is also a great way to say thank you to those special teachers in your lives.

Now, you’ll have a chance to own it or to give it away to that deserving someone in your life. We have six copies to be given away to our email subscribers who reside in US.  All you need to do is subscribe to our feed via email. It’s that easy, no catch!

Disclosure : Review copy as well as giveaway copies courtesy of www.chickensoup.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are solely my own.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

A couple of weeks back, I received a music CD of Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights’ “I’m a Rock Star”. Since both the younger boys were with me, I quickly popped into my Mac, and the first song, “I’m a Rock Star” rocked on. Now, my youngest son is very much into guitars (and drums) right now. He’s barely 2, but when I say he’s into guitars, he’s INTO it. He’ll pretty much take up anything and pretend he’s strumming a guitar.

So, when this song played on, he kept on shouting, “KEE-TAR! KEE-TAR!”. Let’s just say, this song, along with “More Cowbell”, “Popcorn” and “Jump Jump” has been on the repeat list on my iPod Touch. Luckily, there are different genres (hip hop, jazz, folk to classic rock) within the album, which makes it lively, and strangely, colorful especially when the soccer-mom has to do the mundane school run. But, we must remember, this is for the kids (or so I tell myself).

About Joanie Leeds :

Steadily growing as one of Manhattan’s most recognizable kids singer, Singer/Songwriter Joanie Leeds has worked as the UWS Manager and most popular teacher at Gymboree Play and Music programs, and also as the music specialist for the JCC Nursery School of Manhattan. Currently she teaches at two Upper East Side Nursery schools (Central Synagogue and 5th Ave Synagogue) as their music specialist and freelances at a few other schools in the Manhattan area. Branching out and going on her own, Joanie can be seen all across the city at your special events and birthday parties!

Buy it! : This infectious hand-clappin’, finger-snappin’, thigh-slappin’, and a whole host of body movements, album CD “I’m a Rock Star” has been written and sung by Joanie Leeds and it’s only released on March 23rd. The full length DVD “City Kid Live” will also be released in March as well. Her album “City Kid” is also the “Parent’s Choice” Recommended Award Winner 2008! I pretty sure that “I’m a Rock Star” will win yet another award next year! All CDs and DVDs are available at her website, joanieleeds.com, iTunes and Amazon.

Win it! : How fantastic is this? Our wonderful sponsor will be giving away TWO of Joanie Leeds’ “I’m a Rock Star” CD to two lucky readers! You guys will be rockin’ with Joanie in your living rooms soon! Here’s what you need to do:

One mandatory entry – Visit Joanie Leeds’ website and tell us one fact about Joanie.
Three additional entries – Be our Facebook Fan, leave your FB name and Share4
Three additional entries – Tweet, tweet, tweet! Leave your twitter ID please.
Entry is open to all shipping addresses.
Giveaway closes on 8th March 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Dolcetto Designs is a wonderful, family owned company based out of the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada that creates some of the most wonderful photo greeting cards on the market.  Thanks to Parent Reviewers, I was recently given the opportunity to learn more about this great company and even sample some of their work.

About Dolcetto Designs:

After searching for birth announcements for her first child and coming up empty handed, Shari- designer and owner of Dolcetto Designs, decided that she would have to create her own cards.  She wanted something that would reflect her own style and be something she would be proud of giving out.  During the process of creating that first card she realized her passion and soon began creating cards for every occasion.

Dolcetto Designs was birthed out of her belief that everyone should be able to have beautiful birth announcements, invitations, thank you cards, etc, regardless of the individual budget. Their goal is to provide beautiful products with great customer service at affordable prices.

Ordering a photo card from Dolcetto Designs is as easy as choosing as design from their fabulous gallery (each can be customized with colors, fonts, etc), uploading a picture with their easy to use Photo Uploader, choose a quantity, and check out.  You will receive your first proof via email within 24 hours and the entire process can take less than 2 days.

Dolcetto Designs has a full array of wonderful products to offer their customers. I was so excited to be able to sample first hand the wonderful creations of Dolcetto Designs. Considering that my little ones are not so little anymore, I asked Shari to create a birth announcement for my newest niece, Elle. I emailed her a picture and a little bit of information and within hours she sent the most beautiful card. I was so wonderfully surprised with the ease of the process and so amazingly delighted with the end result.

Dolcetto Designs offers cards for all occasions:

• Baby Photo Cards
• Baptism/Christening Photo Cards
• Birthday Invitations
• Wedding Photo Cards
• and Holiday Photo Cards.                                                        (photo courtesy of Jessica Sims Photography)

Buy It!: Take time to browse the great selections of cards offered at Dolcetto Designs.  You can purchase any of Dolcetto Designs wonderful creations on their website.  They will ship printed products throughout Canada.

Win It!: Dolcetto Designs has generously donated a photo card creation for one of our lucky readers. Here’s how to enter:

• One Mandatory Entry- check out Dolectto Designs and leave a comment telling us which product is your favorite.
• Two Additional Entries- follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please leave a separate comment and include your twitter id and the tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- blog about this giveaway and include a link.  Please leave a separate comment and include the blog post url.
• Entry is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends on 3rd March 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

Good luck!!

Right, I’ve read about it from a member of our panel of reviewers and I know for a fact that many other bloggers have came across companies not sending prizes out to their winners. BUT we’ve been pretty lucky so far. For the past 1 year plus, we’ve worked with some of the most professional companies and PR reps around….that is of course, until we ran a review & giveaway for this company, Ultimate Cloth.

Since our giveaway post went live until now, I’ve sent several emails to the company representative who sent us his PR pitch as well as directly to the email contact listed on its’ site but not a single email was responded to.

Though our contests & giveaways terms states that we are not responsible for non shipment of prizes by sponsor, it peeves me that our readers who have won will not be getting the prizes.  So, we have decided to remove the review and giveaway post which Su did earlier on. Parent Reviewers absolutely refuses to endorse companies that cannot hold their end of the bargain.

TO THE WINNERS OF

ID Me Labels School Combo Pack

Danetta #43

AND

SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion 

Mariel #60

The winner is required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted.
3. If any winner does not claim her prize by the 23rd February 2010, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED!

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The winners of our January 2010 email subscriber draw are:

1. Jane Maritz
2. Candace Trino
3. Sarah Champeau
4. Kay Heitfeld
5. Pending reply from winner
6. Pending reply from winner

And for the month of February 2010, our giveaways are 6 copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul : True Love.

From the beloved, bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love is the latest addition to their popular collection of love stories, featuring 101 heartwarming and humorous love stories from people of all walks of life.

This title is  not only meant for the young but suitable even for a mature hopeless romantic  like me Though I am a pretty big fan of Chicken Soup For The Soul series of short story collections, I have to admit that I don’t read every one of them from cover to cover BUT True Love drew me in from the start and kept me reading page after page. Each story is so personal and unique and most important of all, they are REAL….stories you can relate with…..not those sappy, saccharine, and predictable made for the movies kind of stories. These are heartwarming, humorous, and poignant stories that I believe, may even be reflective of  some readers’ own relationships. It is an excellent book to find inspiration whether you’re just starting out in a relationship, going through a difficult one or simply want to find reassurance that there is such a thing as “ever lasting love”.

True Love includes chapters about love which develops over time with a close friend,  commitment, intimacy, and the unmatched beauty of old relationships that have been rediscovered. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, True Love will definitely be an ideal gift and perfect token for family members, a beloved spouse or just anyone who is passionate about love.

YOU CAN WIN THIS AWESOME TITLE COURTESY OF CHICKENSOUP.COM RIGHT HERE AT PARENT REVIEWERS. JUST SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED VIA EMAIL….WE’RE GIVING AWAY 6 COPIES. NO CATCH, IT’S THAT EASY!!!

* Prizes will be shipped to North America only.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

If there’s anything I absolutely can’t do without is, moisturizers. In Australia, it is reknown for its’ strong sunny weather. During summer, UV levels are constantly at the “Extreme” levels, which means, my skin is constantly in danger of getting drier and burnt to crisp. Having the love for the beach, doesn’t help it at all! YIKES!

I was more than happy to try out the SkinMD Natural : Face, Hand & Body Shielding Lotion on every part of my body. Yes, even my crocodile feet. I say, crocodile, because it is probably the most neglected part of my body, hence it is super dry, crackly and ….my sandals curl in disgust when they see my feet! After just a few days of trial, I noticed a remarkable difference. My skin (especially the feet), was very much smoother and it didn’t look like parched land (screaming for water) anymore!

I’m also very excited to learn, that SkinMD Natural has launched a new product with the sunscreen of SPF15! Slapping on sunscreen on a daily basis, is an absolute must for me, although I really hate the sticky feel of it, I don’t normally have a choice. The sponsors were so kind to send me a sample sachet, and I was so relieved to find that it was exactly like their original SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion. It just felt silky smooth upon application and none of that sticky icky feeling. This is one lotion, I’d slap on my kids anytime (they’re always giving me a hard time, telling me how yucky some sunscreens are!)!

Buy It! : SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion is extremely easy to apply. A small dollop on any part of your body goes a long way. If it is drier than normal, apply every few hours. Within a few days, there will be a noticeable difference, and you’ll feel it too. If used continuously, your skin will thank you, and you’ll look better.

It has also been recently awarded the “National Home Gardening Club Member – Tested & Recommended Seal of Approval”. SkinMD lotions are available in most pharmacies, or you can use their store locator here . I really love their website, it is so informative. Every ingredient is listed and they actually tell you why it’s in there!

Win It! : The sponsors are generously giving away 1 SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion to a lucky reader. All you have to do is :

One mandatory entry – Visit SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion and tell us one of their ingredients.
Three additional entries – Be our Facebook Fan, leave your FB name and Share4
Three additional entries – Tweet, tweet, tweet! Leave your twitter ID please.
Entry is open to all shipping addresses.
Giveaway closes on  15 February 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

Parent Reviewers is celebrating the love of books every month at our Facebook Fan Page. If you love books as much as we do, join in our new contest!

Hurry, contest ends in a couple of days!!! Ships to all addresses!

Read here for more info and be a fan of Parent Reviewers!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

When I was little and my mom still had to send me to school with an extra set of clothes she used this little “fabric pen” (that was supposed to be waterproof) to mark my name on my clothes. Unfortunately for her the pen never stayed put and she always had to re-mark the clothes.

Nowadays my son heads off to school with not only his stuff marked with his name but also his clothes and let me tell you – those names are not coming off!

I got a chance to test both clothing labels along with all-purpose (think dishwasher safe) from a company called I.D. Me Labels. I promptly tagged my son’s extra clothes (jeans, t’shirt and underwear) and threw them in the hamper (they have to sit 24-hours before they are washed). I also tagged his backpack with a neat little alien Bag Tag (which lists his name and phone number). I even put a couple stickers on a sippy cup and his snack box – the cup eventually went through the dishwasher and the label is still sticking tight!

I love these labels – they really stick and they come in all different colors, fonts and styles. The combination pack that I received included several (each) of the All-Purpose Icon Labels, Streamline Labels and Stick on Clothing Labels. I also received a couple of the Bag Tags! I got to choose not only what the labels would say (of course) but also colors and even the font that I wanted to use. You can even order labels with a custom photo of your child which is really super cool.

BUY IT :  I.D. Me Labels are all weather-resistant, microwave and dishwasher safe. They even offer free shipping on orders over $50.00 (US only) so you can order tons of labels, get organized and keep track of your child’s stuff! I.D. Me Labels are available at their website.

WIN IT : Thanks to I.D. Me Labels, we’re giving away a School Combo Pack worth $59.95.  To enter and win, just following the requirements below:

• One mandatory entry – Visit our sponsor I.D. Me Labels and pick your favourite choice of label.
• Three additional entries – Follow us on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please leave your Twitter id.
• Five additional entries - If you blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Please leave your post url in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  9th February 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0