30 Seconds for Amazon Cash!

itsThoughtful.com is offering FREE $25 Amazon gift cards! All you need to do is sign up for the $500 Christmas Gift Contest on itsThoughtful.com. This literally took me 30 seconds. You will receive an email after your account has been created with a confirmation link you’ll need to click on. Now start spreading the word about their $500 Amazon gift card Christmas contest. You can share this giveaway via email, Facebook or Twitter. Refer 15 friends who sign up by December 20th and you’ll score a FREE $25 Amazon gift card!!!

Remember, sign up with the link above so you count towards my 15 referrals and be sure to click the confirmation link in your email! If you sign up, won't you please let me know?

Fine Print:
* Only referrals that sign-up between November 20, 2010 and 11:59 p.m. on December 15, 2010 will be eligible.
* All referrals must confirm their email address to be eligible.
* All winners will be notified via email on December 18, 2010 and posted on itsThoughtful.com. In addition, all gift cards will be emailed to the winners on December 18, 2010.
* Giveaway rewards (gift cards) are limited to four hundred. If more than four hundred users are eligible for the prize, itsThougthful.com will randomly draw four hundred winners. If a random drawing is required, every 15 eligible referrals will count as one entry.

FREE Thanksgiving Cards Through 11/19

As if scoring a free pair of glasses today wasn't cool enough, (well I did upgrade to a thin light lens for a small fee, plus handling and insurance) I just scored another great FREEBIE and you can too!

I posted before on how bloggers can score 50 free Christmas cards through Shutterfly HERE

Through 11/19 Tiny Prints is offering FREE customizable cards for Thanksgiving and you don't have to be a blogger! Have them sent to your home for free and you can address them and send them yourself or send them directly to your recipients and pay just 44 cents (the cost of a stamp) per card! Go HERE to pick out your card. Personalize it and enter code FREETHX. I sent 10 to the immediate family which are scheduled to be delivered by 11/23. (shh, no telling, ha)!

Although there doesn't seem to be a limit in the number of cards that you can order, it is just my personal opinion that ordering 50 or 90 is just not in the spirit of the promotion and may result in orders being cancelled. That said, it is up to you to decide how many you would like.

Mark and I are both homesick as we are not able to travel back for Thanksgiving this year. Although I would not have likely sent cards for Thanksgiving otherwise, this promotion helped make home seem not so far away and for that I am very thankful.

THIS JUST IN: View an online Thanksgiving Cookbook by Martha Stewart HERE for FREE!

Get FREE Glasses 11/18

Coastalcontacts.com is giving away another 10,000 FREE glasses tomorrow starting at 12:01 EST, Thursday, November 18, 2010. They did it last Friday too, and the glasses lasted until early evening. I'm really hoping to score a free pair.

I haven't had a new pair, or an eye exam since I was pregnant with Sophie 3.5 years ago. In order to increase my chances, I got an exam today (prescription and PD required), have picked out a few frames that I like, and will set up my account tonight. By tomorrow the site will be very slow, but if I'm prepared, my chances are good.

This is a facebook promotion. Go to coastalcontacts on fb and like their page to get the coupon code. Then at 12:01 EST on 11/18 place your order online. Pay shipping ($8-$15). See their page for all the frequently asked questions.

My last pair of glasses were semi rimless but this time I think I'll try for a dark plastic rim. Think "cute librarian." I have the pair below in my cart, just waiting for the promotion to start! You too can try on the frames with their virtual mirror program. Just go to Coastalcontacts.com and take a photo or upload one for yourself on their virtual mirror HERE. To anyone trying for a free pair, GOOD LUCK and let me know if you get one.

Amoxicillin and Hives

I took Sophie to the doctor 11 days ago for a sinus infection. Yesterday she finished a 10 day course of amoxicillin. This is what she looks like today. The pediatrician says it is most likely an allergic reaction to the medication. Apparently her daddy and uncles reacted the same way to it as kids. Poor girl even has it on her face, legs, and scalp. Treatment for hives = benadryl and time. *edited to add that Sophie also just had her MMR vaccine 11 days ago as well.

Little Drops of Joy

This has been an awesome morning thanks to my three boys. Over breakfast Alexander and I shared what we like about each other. I told him he is creative, has a great imagination, is kind, likes to learn, is fun, and he makes me proud every day. He told me he likes that I play with him especially when the girls are too busy, I make the food, help him carve his pumpkin and take him trick or treating, and I know how to get his favorite shows qued up on cable On Demand. If you ever need a warm fuzzy, I suggest you try this at home.

Then Mark serenaded me with an impromptu concert as he rapped "Same Song." That's Tupac before he got big and was in Digital Underground for those who don't know. Now THAT was a sure fire way to start my day right.

For some reason our fuzzy boy Fred the cat has insisted on crawling up and snuggling on my lap this morning. He hasn't done that in a while and I guess he just sensed that his mama would benefit from his sweet, furry, gentle love. He is so much better than a blanket on this chilly day.

Not to leave the girls out, I am so excited to share that Sophie is learning how to say "sister" which is awesome. Helena always greets me with a chorus of the sweetest "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" every time she sees me come in the door followed by a bear hug. Joy! I'm tucking that away for when she's 15 and just maybe will butt heads with her old mom.

Other things that make me smile are the fact that we were pretty much forced to buy new cell phones after mine bit the dust. We decided on early Christmas presents and each have an iPhone 3G. Yes, they are the old model but we were basically using tin cans and string before, so they are still very cool to us and because they are the older model they were CHEAP! My new joy is learning how to use this fandangled thing and finding fun free apps. Here are a few that I think are pretty cool. Anne Taintor (love these products) has a selection of free wallpapers for iPhones or iPods HERE. It's not an app, but is awesome all the same.

I also have been enjoying Pandora, a free personalized radio HERE that has already introduced me to new music, which I love!

Finally I have dowloaded an app I have yet to try out but am very excited about. It's a barcode scanner from ShopSavvy found HERE. You take a picture with your phone of the barcode and it checks the price of the item against other retailers locally and on-line.

People, I feel like the Jetsons and I'm loving it. If you have any favorite apps, please do share.

Finally, happy Veterans Day to the men and women who have or are currently serving in the military. From my family to yours we say THANK YOU!

The Greatest Gift

The whisper that began years and years ago is getting louder.

"There's so much I could ask for, but just one thing I need. All I really want for Christmas is someone who'll be here to sing me happy birthday for the next 100 years. It's ok if they're not perfect or even if they're a little broken. That's alright, cuz so am I."

We are not in a position to adopt an orphan right now, but there are ways that we, and you can help make the difference between life and death for a beautiful child who does not have a mom or dad to tuck them in at night. We will be participating for the 3rd Christmas in a row in the Christmas Angel Tree project through Reece's Rainbow, an organization dedicated to finding forever families for orphans born with Down syndrome around the world.

The Reece's Rainbow Christmas ornaments are beautiful and make a gorgeous addition to your tree. They have become a family tradition for us. If your heart aches as mine does for the thousands of orphans, especially those with special needs, who long for a family of their own, please consider making a donation to this amazing organization by purchasing an ornament this year. click HERE

50 FREE Holiday Cards for Bloggers from Shutterfly

I love (almost) everything about holiday cards. The kids and I get so excited to check the mailbox every day in December to see if we received any cards to hang on the wall. I especially love photo cards to see how much our loved ones have changed over the year. Click the Christmas Wish below to enlarge the poem we mailed with our 2008 Christmas cards to read exactly why I love holiday cards so much.

When it just really wasn't in the budget last year, I still managed to pull something together, even if it was just in electronic format. click HERE. This year I am determined to do Christmas cards. With hundreds of holiday card options at Shutterfly, click HERE for their Christmas card collection, HERE for their holiday photo cards, and HERE for their custom cards, my biggest dilemma is going to be choosing which one to use.

Although choosing a card with one large photo is appealing, I am partial to cards with multiple photos. I find myself drawn towards the more traditional or classic designs with red, black, and white coloring. I don't just look for multi-photo options and color schemes when choosing my holiday card. The message is important too. I prefer simple messages of love, joy, and peace.

Quite a few cards fit the bill at Shutterfly. I did find one that is just perfect. Our photos recently taken by my dear friend Cecilia will be perfect, especially if I use black and white photos. I love the colors, design, and the message which invokes a feeling of nostalgia. I can't wait to place my FREE order!

Then again, I just might go in a completely different direction as I really love this one too.

Are you a blogger?

Do you want 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click HERE to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

If you have Twitter or Facebook, help us spread the word: Hello Bloggers! Receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010