I know, I know, I’m sooooo late in posting this. Things have been pretty hectic lately and I’m so behind in lots of things. Please accept my apology for being late but better late than never

And our May 2011 email subscriber winners who have won a copy of Chicken Soup For The Soul : My Dog’s Life each, are:

1. Asha Marie Pena

2. Sheila Stroh

3. Pending for selected winner to email back (please check your mails – it may be you!)

Some of you have guessed correctly! This month, we’re giving away  three copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul : My Cat’s Life. Interested to read what it’s about? Here you go:

101 Stories about All the Ages and Stages of Our Feline Family Members

From kittenhood through the twilight years, our feline companions continually bring joy, love, and laughter to the lives of their “staff.” This collection of 101 new stories captures the experience of living through the natural life cycle with our cats — from the laugh-out-loud antics of kittens and tear-your-hair-out escapades of teenage cats to the more mature adult years and final stages of life. Stories cover each age and stage with all the fun, frustrations, special bonds and routines involved. The book also holds a special chapter about grieving and recovery when our feline friends leave us.

If we’ve piqued your interest, remember, it’s so easy to win. All you need to do is be an email subscriber and you’ll be entered into our monthly draw.

Disclosure : Giveaway copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul books are courtesy of www.chickensoup.com

TO THE WINNERS OF

Wordlock Padlock & Bicycle Lock Giveaway

 Pauline M #61

 AND

Stepping Stones Together Membership Giveaway

 Catherine #3

The winners are 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 17th June 2011, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED.

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I’ll be the first to admit, that teaching is not for me. I get incredibly impatient and wonder why on earth, does my child not recognize the word, despite him seeing it so many times! When I first learnt about Stepping Stones Together, I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if I (not my son, me) was ready. As I explored this Beginning Reader Program, I became a little bit more confident that it may work, looking at at how it was structured.

About Erika Burton (founder of Stepping Stones Together) :

Erika Burton, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Stepping Stones Together, LLC, a new, low cost, online beginning reading program for children ages 3-7, whose mission is to make positive changes in the academic achievement of children. Burton, a Glencoe resident and mother of three young children, founded Stepping Stones Together to empower parents with tools and knowledge needed to instill a lifetime foundation of love and commitment to reading while creating an invaluable bond with their child. Stepping Stones Together will donate a portion of their proceeds directly to the Myeloma Institute, which will help support the institutes’ efforts to advance the treatment and potential cure of Multiple Myeloma, a type of cancer affecting more than 50,000 Americans.

Stepping Stones Together is a personalized beginning reading program consisting of:

• A choice of 30 high interest themed stories from our beginning reading library, which is comprised of 3 difficulty levels.
• Over 100 reading comprehension questions designed to build your child’s reading comprehension skills, along with thinking, reading fluency, speaking and writing abilities. (early reading benefits)
• A daily writing program linked to your child’s daily reading to extend your child’s reading and writing abilities.
• Extension games that encourage your child to use their newly acquired reading skills as well as explore the benefits and joys connected with being a reader.
• A personalized behavior incentive chart for each series of stories to motivate your child to record their daily progress.
• A personalized certificate acknowledging their achievement after completing a leveled series every 10 days. Each reading series is comprised of 5 stories at a given level read twice. E-alerts to keep you on target with the program, which are directly linked to your personalized profile.

Subscribe to it! : As there are 3 difficulty levels, I naturally started my 5 year old at the easiest level. At this point, I knew that he has been aware of print words and he recognized that alphabets do make up many kinds of words. This program provides a simple guide for the parent on how to use the books. On a overall basis, this guide aims to positively reinforces the child’s confidence in reading by letting them predict what the book is about, by looking at the illustrations. I think this helps a great deal. By looking at the words (and illustrations), and sounding out beginning letters, I found my son was able to say the words, a lot more confidently, than if it was just a wordy-book.

My 5 year old enjoyed alot of the books and especially, the illustrations. He particularly liked the ones with the ‘Super Heroes’ and ‘Dexter the dinosaur’. AND! He also (finally!) managed to differentiate between the ‘b’ and the ‘d’, thanks to a little video guide included in there.

We’re still halfway through the program, but I have to say, he has been progressing very well, and he really enjoys reading the books from Stepping Stones Together! This program does aim to ensure that your child is reading within 90 days, with parental involvement.

I personally found that ever since we started this program, we do like to snuggle up for our reading time and him, being a middle child, does enjoy this lil quiet time that I ordinarily would not have found time for. I’m glad I did, even though it meant less time for everything else!

The Stepping Stones Together Program is priced at $19.99 for 90 days or $39.90 for a full year’s membership. There is also a preview where you can read the demo books.

Win it! : Stepping Stones Together is generously giving away one lucky reader, a 1 year membership and all you have to do is :

• First mandatory entry- Tell us one fun fact about Erika Burton!
• Second additional entry- follow Stepping Stones Together on facebook (and tell them we sent you) or twitter. Leave us a comment including which you did and a valid email address.
• Third additional entry- follow Parent Reviewers on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave us a comment including your twitter id and the tweet url.
• Giveaway ends June 5th, 2011.
• Giveaway is open to all (as it is online, so you’ll definitely need your PC and internet!) 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.

Good Luck!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

My son is in love with spyware. He is convinced that he is going to be a spy when he grows up and he has a whole collection of great spy gear. The one thing he has continually asked for that we have yet to get him is a padlock. He is determined to lock up all his gear so that no one can find it, however we have been hesitant due to the difficulty of remembering the combinations. I was sure he would lock them up and never be able to retrieve them.

Until now… we were recently approached by a great company-Wordlock to review a few of their products. I knew at first glance that we had found the answer to our problem. Wordlock has a great variety of locks from padlock and bicycle locks to commercial locks there is something for every need you might have. The BEST part of the Wordlock locks are that the passwords are…. WORDS!! Not a bunch of numbers you have to memorize in some crazy order, but words that you can choose which makes locking and unlocking these great locks so easy.

Not only are they easy to use, but the two locks we were sent for review are extremely durable. They are heavy duty locks that are practically theft proof. I felt very confident that anything we locked with these locks would be very secure. AND…. best of all, my little spy is very pleased that he has his very own lock with his very own word combination to keep all of his great spy gear safe.

Wordlock Padlocks:

Remember the old days? “Right three times past zero…left two turns to…” Forget it! Wordlock is the new style of friendly, easy-to-use padlocks for recreation, storage, travel and commercial uses. Perfect for school lockers or the gym, toolboxes, sheds, job sites and anywhere else you need a solid, secure indoor/outdoor padlock.

Wordlock padlocks provide maximum security against theft with a 2 5/8 inch hardened steel shackle and body. With 100,000 different letter combinations, you can pick words that are easy for you to remember but next to impossible for anyone to guess. If you have several Wordlock padlocks of the same style, you can set them all to the same word in a matter of seconds. And since all our locks are weatherproof, they can stand up to the toughest environments. That’s extra strong, extra secure, and extra simplified.

• 100,000 possible letter combinations
• Maximum security 2 5/8 inch hardened steel shackle
• Rated to 3,000 pounds of pull strength
• No removable parts or extra wheels to keep up with
• Available in four colors: Red, Black, Pink, Silver

Wordlock Bicycle locks:

Hey, “bike” is only one of our favorite four letter words, but the fun doesn’t stop there. You can set your bike combination to all kinds of words. Easy to read, easy to set, but hard to forget.

Wordlock bike locks have four letter dials and cable made from curled, heavy-duty braided steel that extends to reach around the bike rack at the store, school, park or downtown. No bike racks around? No problem. At 5 feet long and nearly a half inch thick, our locks reach around benches, trees, fence posts, whatever you have to work with. And they’re weather resistant and built secure, so they’re tough on crime while still user friendly for kids and adults alike. They’re so user friendly you’ll be thinking of our other favorite four letter word “love.”

• 10,000 possible letter combinations
• Heavy-duty braided steel cable
• All weather, color vinyl coating
• 60 inches long x 0.4 inches thick (1524mm x 10mm)
• Mounting bracket included
• Available in four colors: Red, Black, Pink, Blue

About Wordlock:

Wordlock maintains the highest standard of security for personal and commercial locks without using any keys or arbitrary number combinations. Instead, Wordlock uses your memory’s natural preference for keywords and the alphabet, allowing you to set and change your own combination from thousands of possible word and letter combinations.

Traditional locks require keys, or they make you spin a dial and remember confusing sequences of numbers. Those days are over, thanks to new advances in lock technology created by Wordlock. Security, creativity and usability come together in the original family of Wordlock padlocks, bike locks, travel locks and cable locks. Easy to set, never forget.  Because what good is a lock if you can’t remember the combination?  For more information, check out Wordlock on Facebook!!

Buy It: Wordlock locks are available on their website or at your local Target, Kmart, Walmart, Sears or Ace Hardware.

Win It: Wordlock has generously donated one padlock and one bicycle lock  to one of our lucky readers. To enter:

• One Mandatory Entry- go visit the Wordlock website and let us know which great product/color you would choose. Leave us a comment including your email address.
• Two Additional Entries- “Like” Wordlock on Facebook and leave us a comment including your facebook id. (For every 10 people that “like” Wordlock they will donate $1 to the American Heart Association- so let’s do as much as we can.)
• Three Additional Entries- Follow Parent Reviewers on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave us a comment including your twitter id and the tweet url.
• Giveaway ends May 30th, 2011.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only 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.

Good Luck!!

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

TO THE WINNERS OF

Biozet Attack Ecosmart Laundry Detergent

Claire Orr #28

AND

The Magic Bowl: Potty Training Made Easy (DVD+Book)

Andrew Dankleff #2

The winners are 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 27th May 2011, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED.

Congrats to our winners for the month of April 2011 who won a copy of Chicken Soup For The Soul : New Moms each. They are:

1. Becky Horn

2. Amy Delong

3. Pending for winner to revert back

And for the month of May 2011, all you pet lovers will love what we’re giving away. Check out the sneak peek below:

About Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog’s Life:

101 Stories about All the Ages and Stages of Our Canine Companions It’s a dog’s life. This collection of 101 new stories focuses on all the memorable ages and stages of our lovable canines’ lives. Starting in puppyhood and covering a range of middle and senior years to the twilight and end when our dear friends leave us, this book captures the entire experience of living through the natural life cycle with our dogs. All dog lovers will laugh, cry, and recognize themselves and their furry friends in these heartwarming and inspiring stories of puppy antics, teenage rebellion, adapting to an aging dog and, finally, having to say goodbye.

Remember, it’s so easy to win. All you need to do is be an email subscriber and you’ll be entered into our monthly draw.

Disclosure : Giveaway copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul books are courtesy of www.chickensoup.com

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

–

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Two weeks ago, I received a bottle of the Biozet Attack Ecosmart Laundry Detergent, with the 310ml refill and immediately put it to test. Mind you, I have three boys and I know just how much dirt boys can get into, in just one short play in the park or playground.

Normally, I’d scrub out as much as I could, before throwing it into the wash, but decided to try out BioZet Attack Ecosmart and it’s ‘cleaner and greener’ ultra concentrated effectiveness.

About Biozet Attack Ecosmart :

Biozet Attack Ecosmart liquid is tough on stains, yet kinder to our environment. With biodegradable surfactants, and no added phosphorus, fluorescers, or bleaching agents, you can see why. And with a low sodium content, it’s also grey water suitable. Plus the low suds formula means you can use a single rinse cycle, saving water, electricity and time. An easy tear & pour refill pack is also available, reducing packaging and landfill.

The ultra concentrated formula requires only 19mL (20g) to be used per wash; the smallest amount of liquid required for use by any liquid laundry detergent provider in Australia.(Source: Lanfax Laboratories independent test report 2011)

Buy It! : I was impressed with how little I needed to use for one big wash. I have a 8L top loader washing machine, and I just used one shot for 1 full wash. I wasn’t so sure that it would really get my clothes clean, with so little. After using it on a regular basis for 3 weeks, I have to say, it works. My boys’ clothes went in grubby, came out cleaner than a whistle. I still find it amazing that with so little, it was so so effective.

And the best part is, it’s lawn friendly  too! Since we’re all about recyclying our waters, it pleased me to bits that I could re-use the greywater (from the rinse cycle) to water my plants. With the refill recyclable pack, it’s really a win-win situation for everyone.

It is available in most supermarkets and has for both types of washing machines – top and front loaders. I realised that I poured more than 20 caps, which meant that I used so much less than I thought I would have. So, I’ve already refilled my bottle (yes, it was easy to tear and refill!), and am now, will have to go to the Woolies tomorrow to get me more refills!

Win It! : Yes.. one lucky reader gets to win a bottle and a refill, and all they have to do is :

• One mandatory entry – Tell us why you would want to try Biozet Attack Ecosmart Laundry Detergent.
• Two additional entries – Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win a Biozet Attack at parentreviewers.com“  with a link back to this post. Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. You can do this daily until the giveaway closes.
• Two Additional Entries- Are you a subscriber? You get 2 extra entries just for that! If not, best you subscribe right now!
• Two Additional Entries- Be a Biozet Attack Fan, and let them know we sent you.
• Giveaway open to Australian shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends May 8th 2011 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: I received a complimentary Biozet Attack Ecosmart via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

TO THE WINNERS OF

Handy Manny Motorcycle DVD

Me ‘N my Monkeys #34

AND

Morning Sickness Soothers

Kim

The winners are 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 21st April 2011, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED.

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Congratulations to our March 2011 Email Subscriber Draw Winner:

 Angela Livingston

She has won herself a set of three Inventia Collagen + Nano Gold Crystal Masks, worth $63.

This month, our sponsor www.chickensoup.com has sponsored three copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul : New Moms to be given away, just in time for Mother’s Day. Simply enter your email address to subscribe to our feed and you will stand a chance to win our monthly draw. No catch. It’s as easy as that!

Here’s a peek at what this title is all about:

101 Inspirational Stories of Joy, Love, and Wonder

Becoming a new mom is the most amazing event. This book celebrates the physical, emotional, and spiritual experience of having a child and creating a family. New and expectant moms will delight in these heartwarming, insightful, and humorous stories about raising babies and toddlers. This book is full of stories by other moms sharing the wonders of early motherhood, from waiting for the baby, whether through pregnancy, adoption, or surrogacy, to those early weeks and first few years, and everything in between!

Disclosure : Chicken Soup For The Soul : New Moms are sponsored by www.chickensoup.com