Sunday, January 31, 2010

**CLOSED**Giveaway: Revamp your Junk Drawer with Rubbermaid

I'm sure you have a drawer in your house where you store all your "junk". If you're like me, maybe you have more than one. The one in my kitchen is a dark abyss, things vanish in the junk drawer and materialize later...just when you don't need it. Batteries..junk drawer. Twist ties...junk drawer. Outlet adapters...junk drawer. I had a junk drawer overload a few weeks ago; my drawer was so packed that it causes one of the sides of the drawer to break. My husband had to pull out the drawer, empty it, and fix the side since it had a "blow-out". He made the gentle suggestion that I might want to clean out the junk drawer. Blasphemy, I *need* everything in that drawer...maybe.

Truth be told, it was time to purge. One of my loftier goals for 2010 is to become better organized. No more search-and-destroy missions in order to find an important paper. No more hanging on to clothes that are no longer in style nor do they fit. No more drawers so packed that you have to sift through everything in it in order to find what you're looking for.

Little known trivia fact: You can only request a copy of your social security card 10 times in your life. How do I know this? Because I'm on copy number four....three cards are floating around somewhere in my house. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to locate the other three during 2010.

One place I know where they aren't is my junk drawer because, thanks to the folks at Rubbermaid, I reorganized my junk drawer. Rubbermaid sent me one of their new Junk Drawer Organizers to try. It came at the perfect time; I was feeling the need to accomplish something on this cold, snowy weekend since I wasn't feeling up to braving the elements and venturing out of the house.



Once I got started, it wasn't as bad as I feared. I did manage to throw out a few things; some pieces-parts that I didn't have a clue as to what they went to or why I saved them. The rest was a breeze. The 6-piece Rubbermaid drawer organizers actually interlock and you're able to move each piece to a configuration that you like. The bottoms have feet so they won't slide around in the drawer. Each unit has a rubber bottom that looks like a patterned drawer liner so it's easy to clean when it gets dirty.



Much nicer, no? The Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Organizers aren't just for junk drawers either. They'd be perfect for crafts, office supplies, cosmetics, and medicines. They're a neat solution for your untidy problem. In addition to tips & tricks on the Rubbermaid Solutions Center, Rubbermaid has even created a easy tutorial if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at tackling the task of revamping your junk drawer:

1) Set aside an hour of time and clear off a working space (your counter, the floor, a table) that is large enough to hold all the items in your drawer.
2) Take a deep breath
3) Create four piles to place things into:
A) Belongs somewhere else
B) Trash (this pile could actually be your trash can or trash bag)
C) Donate (just in case there is something in there you would actually give away)
D) Keep
4) Go through the drawer and put the things in the appropriate pile
5) Trash the trash pile, take things to your car that you will donate (so you'll actually donate them), put the things that belong somewhere else away
6) Come back to your keep pile. Start to group like things together (pens with pens, small tools with other small tools, medicine with medicine, batteries with batteries, etc.
7) Containerize these items. Put them into the Rubbermaid drawer organizers.
8) Reward yourself for a job well done. I would personally suggest a massage but a tasty cup of coffee or hot chocolate might be good too.
9) Check back in a few weeks to make sure everything is still in its place. Organization is not a one-time thing but a process that is best worked on constantly.


Rubbermaid wants to help you get organized, too. They've offered to send one of my readers a 6-Piece Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Organizer set just like I received so you can turn your "now, where is it?" into "it's right here".

Mandatory Entry:

1) Tell me something you keep in your junk drawer. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit:

2) Follow Rubbermaid on Twitter. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter name).

3) Follow Rubbermaid Two on Twitter. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter name).

4) Become a Rubbermaid Facebook Fan. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name).

5) Follow my blog (left sidebar) or take credit if you already do. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

6) Tweet the giveaway, can be done daily. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your tweet url).

Easy tweet you can use:

Revamp your junk drawer giveaway; win a @Rubbermaid drawer organizer set. Ends 2/15 http://tiny.cc/pBRBo



7) Sign up for the Rubbermaid Club. It's free and you'll receive money saving coupons & rebates, special birthday savings, organizational tips and new product information. (3 entries, leave 3 comments that you signed up).

US residents only. Giveaway ends on Monday, February 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and notified by email. Please leave me a way to contact you if your email address is not visible in your blogger profile. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with shipping information before there's a do-over. Prize will be shipped directly to the winner by Rubbermaid, I am just the middle-man.


Friday, January 29, 2010

Here's the Skinny from The Divine Miss Mommy

Swing by The Divine Miss Mommy and comment for a shot at winning one of 5 Sam's Club gift cards good for purchasing a Sam's Club Plus membership or using to buy your favorite products at Sam's Club...like Skinny Cow ice cream! Deadline: 2/10.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Monday Giveaway Round-Up

Rant, Rave, Roll has a cute St. Eve girl's cozy (wearable blanket) to giveaway. Deadline: 1/31.

Read the review of the new Lincoln MKT and comment to win a $500 Visa gift card at Quadville's Favorites. Deadline: 2/24

Three Kid Circus also has a $500 Visa card; read her Lincoln MKT review and comment to win. Deadline: 2/24.

Views from the Pants also reviewed the Lincoln MKT (watch out for zombies) and has a $500 Visa card to giveaway. Deadline: 2/24.

Win $200 and stay connected with Sprint at Fabulous @50. Deadline: 2/9.


Child Wild Reviews
also has a $200 Visa card from Sprint to giveaway. Deadline: 2/9.

Win a comfy lounge gift set from Eden Home at Jolly Mom. Deadline: 2/5.

Leslie Loves Veggies has a Magic Bullet to give away to 5 lucky winners. Deadline: 1/31.

Win $60 worth of great beauty products in the Pink & Posh Valentine's Giveaway. Deadline: 2/6.

While you're there, make sure you enter the Pink & Posh Red Satin SAG Awards giveaway for a gift bag of goodies from Degree Women. Deadline: 2/14.

Pink & Posh also has an I Love NY Flip Camcorder to giveaway. Deadline: 2/14.

Mommy Goggles has 5 $100 Sam's Club gift cards to giveaway courtesy of Skinny Cow Ice Cream. Deadline: 2/10.

Outnumbered 3 to 1
also has 4 Sam's Club gift cards to give away courtesy of Sam's & Skinny Cow. Deadline: 2/17.

Be quick and enter the Sam's Club giveaway at The Diary of a PoshPreneur; win one of 5 $100 Sam's Club gift cards to buy yourself a whole lot of Skinny Cow ice cream! Deadline is Monday.


The Mom Reviews
has a $25 Macy's gift card to give away in honor of their Go Red for Women campaign against heart disease. Deadline: 2/5.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Review: General Mills Cereal

My husband and I will be married for 15 years this April 29. When we first got together, he's frequently stop at my house on his way home from work. Every day, he'd have a bowl of cereal for a "snack". We joke now that my husband fell in love with me for my cereal because I always had at least three different boxes...cereal is something I always have on hand and a lot of.

When my oldest sons were in school, cereal was a mandatory breakfast item before they left the house. I never felt good unless they left the house with something in their stomach before school and cereal was filling, quick and simple. Studies also say that children who eat breakfast before school perform better on tests, are less likely to be tardy or miss class, make less trips to the school office, and have fewer discipline problems than children who skip breakfast. Now I only have to police my 13 year-old daughter in the morning but it's an easy job. She loves her cereal and usually has a bowl before she even gets herself dressed for school. Sometimes she's so sleepy when she pours a bowl, I've found the cereal box in the refrigerator after she's left for school!

Cereal also provides important vitamins, minerals and fiber. Cereal is the #1 source of whole grains in a child's diet. Cereal eaters also tend to consume less fat than their counterparts. Studies have shown that people who eat cereal in the morning for breakfast tend to weigh far less than those who don't eat cereal or even skip breakfast entirely.

And heck, it just tastes good! It's one of my favorite after-work snacks before I go to bed. I work second shift and if I tend to eat dinner earlier or eat a light dinner, I need something to eat before I go to bed and cereal always fits the bill. It's filling without causing tummy-trouble when I lay down; the last thing I need when I go to bed is heartburn.

General Mills and MyBlogSpark sent me coupons to buy try four General Mills Cereals for free. There are four of us in the house now: me, my husband, my 22 year-old son and my 13 year-old daughter. I let each of use pick our favorite cereal using our free coupons. My daughter chose Lucky Charms which is one of her favorite cereals. My son loves Cinnamon Toast Crunch, one of the cereals I almost always have in my cart when I grocery shop. My son is a large boy: 6'1" and 280 pounds. He doesn't just eat a bowl of cereal, my son has a trough. I've actually seen my son walked by a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, grab a fistful and eat it straight without any milk.

My husband wanted to try something different so he picked Strawberry Chex and declared it a keeper. Strawberry Chex isn't a frosted cereal and it had a nice, light strawberry flavor to it. I picked the Banana Nut Cheerios since I'd never had them before. Another winner from General Mills; while I always add a teaspoon of sugar to my cereal, I could have easily gone without and still enjoyed the Banana Nut Cheerios. It reminded me of my Nana's banana nut bread. My daughter also gave the Banana Nut Cheerios a try and said she'd like me to buy it again. Two thumbs up for Banana Nut Cheerios.

General Mills is committed to further reducing sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain. Less sugar and more nutrients means far healthier kids..and adults.

You can print a coupon good for $1.00 of one box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms or Trix General Mills Cereals by clicking here. The coupon is good until 02/23/2010. Take advantage of the countless benefits cereal has to offer courtesy of General Mills.

My thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills for providing me with the free coupons to try their cereal and the information on their commitment to better health for children.

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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Giveaway Round-up 01-14-10

New year and some great giveaways out there:

The Crazy Consultant is giving away a Hugs and Kisses Scentsy warmer. Deadline: 02/01

Moms Focus on Cyber World is giving away a Scentsy warmer and 3 scent bars. Ends 01/15.

Win a $200 Visa gift card courtesy of Sprint & Blogher at Cheeky Monkey Play. Ends 2/9.

BooMama has a $100 Visa gift card to give away courtesy of Eggland's Best Eggs. Deadline 2/8

Picky-Palate also has a $100 Visa card from Eggland's Best. Deadline: 2/8.

In honor of her 100th post milestone, Lori at Everyday Blessings is giving away a Lowe's gift card. Deadline: 1/23.

Check out the Quilt Creator giveaway at The Cloth Diaper Report. You could win your own twin-size Country Store quilt in Vintage Red colors. Deadline: 1/31.

Win a $50 gift card from Gift Card Mall at What's That Buzz. Deadline: 2/2.

Multi-Testing Mommy has a Price-Pfister faucet giveaway. Deadline: 1/31.

Win a Select Comfort Plush Blanket at The Art of Being Mom. Deadline: 2/6


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Winner! OXO-Staples Giveaway



and the winner is Jennifer from Eighty MPH Mom:

Jennifer-Eighty MPH Mom said... 53

I tweeted your giveaway!
http://twitter.com/EightyMPHMom/status/7067887768

mandjregan at gmail dot com

Congrats Jennifer! Sending you an email.