A Review and Giveaway

iCaughtSanta.com

review — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:12:33 +0000

Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when a child receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in his or her very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos.

In three simple steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof… or share it via Facebook and Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don’t have kids yourself.

Here’s a 50% off coupon code for you to use if you decide to purchase SANTA50

Merry Christmas!

The Black Shard ~ Book Review

review — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:45:57 +0000

The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox is the sequel to The Magic Warble. Both books are excellent for younger readers who love a good story. My 8 year old daughter adores these books. As soon as this one came in the mail she couldn’t wait to get her hands on it. At 253 pages long I was even surprised when the very next morning she told me she had finished it and was wondering if there would be a third book in the series. I had to laugh because she is way to much like her mother in that aspect! She can’t wait for the next one in a series.

The book picks up where The Magic Warble left off. A couple of years have gone by and Kristina can’t decide if her memories of Bernovem were real or just a dream. She misses her friends and animals that she met there. Kristina has decided to go to a summer horse camp. She is miserable. Two of her least favorite people are at the camp and giving her a hard time. They decide to play a trick on Kristina that ends up sending all three of them back to Bernovem.

Kristina’s friend Werrien who is the prince of Bernovem asks Kristina to sail with him back to his home land. Werrien becomes obsessed with a black shard that is really a seeing stone. I don’t want to go into to much more detail on the plot because I don’t want to spoil the story for you. I highly recommend getting a copy for yourself. This much I can tell you, you will not be sorry you did.

The Black Shard is meant for the middle school reader. As an adult I enjoyed reading this book as much as my daughter and I think it would appeal to boys just as much as girls. There are gnomes, fairies and dwarfs in the book that will appeal to everyone. I enjoy Victoria’s writing style. It’s fun and captivating. Her attention to detail and ability to have her characters grow from one book to another was seamless. The story kept me guessing and excited to continue reading which can be hard to do in a young adult book. As a mother of a young child who reads well above her age and grade level I appreciate that there is nothing inappropriate in The Black Shard. Yes, the characters are in high school but a kiss is easily explained to an 8 year old and I was not worried about having her read this book before I did. She appreciated that I didn’t read it before handing it over also.

I did not think to ask Victoria if there would be another book in the series so I don’t have an answer for you on that. The ending is fairly open and it would be nice to see a third book added to the story.

If I hadn’t been given the opportunity to review this book I know that I would definitely have bought The Black Shard as a Christmas gift for my daughter. The Black Shard will be in our library collection for many years to come because I know I plan to reread it and hope to have my youngest daughter fall in love with it just like her older sister did. If you’d like to purchase this in time for the holidays you can buy it on Amazon or check for it in a bookstore near you.

I was given a copy of The Black Shard for review purposes. My review is my honest opinion and was not influenced in anyway.

Kroger Milk $25 GC ~ Giveaway

review — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Hurry into your nearest Kroger store from now until November 26th and get free milk or receive $3 0ff your shopping order when you purchase any four participating General Mills products. It doesn’t get much more simple than that! Some of our favorite General Mills products are Cheerios and Nature Valley Bars. I can always depend on my youngest daughter to ask for a bigger glass of milk than her older sister when she eats either of those. I know that an extra gallon of milk is essential in our home during the holidays.

As always make sure to check your local Kroger store to make sure this deal applies in your area. Kroger family stores include kroger, Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s Jay C Food Stores, HIlander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy. This deal excludes General Mills meal and baking products including ; Betty Crocker, Old El Paso, Progresson, Hamburger Helper, Macaroni Grill, Wanchai Ferry, Yoplait.

Giveaway: One lucky reader will win a $25 Kroger Gift Card good at any Kroger Family Store.

Mandatory Entry: Leave me a comment saying which General Mills Products you would stock up on if you win.

Bonus Entries:Please leave a separate comment for each entry. I verify each comment so if you don’t see it right away it’s because I have to approve it.

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Open to US only

Contest ends 11/30/11.

Thanks so much and Good Luck!

Disclosure: The Kroger gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.