Airplanes and Dragonflies: 15

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Saturday 8/1, Low Entry Giveaways! #giveaway #contests

Patterns of Evidence: Exodus - book (@5pm CST) - U.S. - A Day in the Life of Diapered Madness *GT

$20 Coupon To BagBlaze - U.S. - Hanging Off The Wire *RC

One Year of National Emerald Club Executive Status - U.S. - Road Warriorette *RC

General Mills cereal, 1 box of participating Betty Crocker fruit flavored snack, An exclusive Minions Buddy and a $25 Fandango gift card - U.S. - Keeping My Cents *RC

Paperback copy of "Those Secrets We Keep," by Emily Liebert - All 50 U.S. States - Books I Think You Should Read *GL

Friday, July 31, 2015

Friday 7/31, Low Entry Giveaways! #giveaway #contests

$50 Gift Card to thredUp.com (@8pm CST) - All 50 U.S. States - Thirty Something Supermom *GT

Three Family Games (@10pm CST) - U.S. - Hobbies on a Budget *GT

3-Months of Babbel.com Foreign Language App (@10:59pm CST) - Worldwide - Benoit Academy Homeschool *GT

Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery Blu-ray - U.S. - Daddy Waddy Weeviews *RC

Home on Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital HD - U.S. - A Frugal Friend

$25 TYRA Beauty Shopping Spree - U.S. - Party Planning Divas *RC

Master Lock Back to School Prize Package - U.S. - Three Different Directions *GT

Stop Giving It Away - book - U.S. - Susan Heim on Parenting *RC

$50 Moja Gear Gift Card - U.S. - Moja Gear *GL

Sleep Well CD - U.S. - Mom Loves 2 Read *GT

$100 AMEX GC - U.S. - Sweep Tight *GT

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Thursday 7/30, Low Entry Giveaways. #giveaway #contest

Safe Catch (@1pm CST) - U.S. - A World of Reviews, Giveaways and More *GT

One Year ABCmouse.com (@2pm CST) - Worldwide - Crumbs in the Couch *GT

Dermaflage Beauty Products (@10:59pm CST) - U.S. - Wrestling Addicted Mommy *GT

Young Living Lavender Essential Oil - U.S. - Our Piece of Earth *GT

Placemats, 3 designs - U.S. - Hanging Off The Wire *RC

$100 ShopYourWay GC - U.S. - The Rebel Chick

The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide - U.S. - Apartment Prepper *RC

One Sheet Jamberry Nail Wraps - U.S. - Party Planning Divas *RC

HomeRight PaintStick - U.S. - Erin Spain *RC

Dolby Ant-Man Prize Pack (Fandango passes to see the Ant-Man movie, Ant-Man T-Shirt, Ant-Man Backpack, Ant-Man Mini Playing Cards, Ant-Man Mini Water Bottle, Ant-Man Mini Note Cube, Ant-Man Mini Pen and an Ant-Man Mousepad) (2 Winners) - U.S. - The Mommy Factor *RC

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Gorillas in Our Midst - Children's Book #Review! #Gorillas

My Review:

Gorillas in Our Midst is a cute children's book. It's for children ages three to six years old, although everyone will love it. They will love seeing the adorable, beautifully done, illustrations by Richard Fairgray, who is legally blind, which makes them even more amazing! This book is cute, funny and overall, easy for my six year old daughter to relate to. Reading this book might even make you want a banana! Gorillas in Our Midst is now available for purchase at your local book stores nationwide and online too!

About the book:

Gorillas can be hard to spot, because they are masters of disguise and really good at hiding. Gorillas often have jobs where they get to wear masks—that’s why so many gorillas are surgeons, astronauts, scuba divers, and ninjas. There are adult gorillas and kid gorillas. There are even gorillas that go to school with you. You may think you’ve seen a gorilla swinging by before, but it’s much more likely that he was an orangutan—orangutans are terrible at hiding. You will know when there are lots of gorillas living in your midst because the grocery stores will be entirely out of bananas. In fact, you should always carry a banana with you, because you never know when there might be a gorilla around.

Richard Fairgray is New Zealand’s most prolific and highest selling comic writer and artist with over 150 titles to his name. His main focus has been comic books, but he has taken time out during his life to work on films, to perform stand-up comedy, to teach high school, and to stick labels on honey jars. He has been working exclusively in comics for the last six years with long-time collaborator Terry Jones. Their main work together is the on-going series called Blastosaurus. Though Fairgray is legally blind, he is the illustrator of this book. http://www.newsarama.com/3544-life-imitates-art-legally-blind-creator-brings-comic-to-us.html

Disclosure: I received a copy of Gorillas in Our Midst in exchange for my review post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

Ally-saurus & the First Day of School - Children's Book #Review & #Giveaway & Twitter #Contest! (U.S.) Ends 8/16 #Allys1stDay #BackToSchool

Ally-saurus & the First Day of School is an adorable new picture book from Richard Torrey that celebrates the boundless imagination of children. When Ally roars off to her first day at school, she hopes she'll meet lots of other dinosaur-loving kids in class. Instead, she's the only one chomping her food with fierce dino teeth and drawing dinosaurs on her nameplate. Even worse, a group of princess-obsessed girls won’t let her sit with them at lunch. Will Ally ever make new friends?

With colorful illustrations that expertly capture the diverse personalities of Ally and her classmates, Ally-saurus & the First Day of School encourages young readers to embrace their differences while also preparing them for new experiences, such as a big move, a new summer camp, or, as in the book, a new school. Add in a charming heroine, a delightful surprise ending, and Walter—a boy in love with his bright, yellow lunchbox—and you have a fun and hilarious read-aloud story that will leave children eager for more of Ally and her imaginative new friends. Ally-saurus & the First Day of School is now available for purchase at your local book store and online at websites like amazon.

My Review:
Ally-saurus & the First Day of School is an adorable book! Ally goes to school thinking that everyone else likes dinosaurs like her. Then she learns that everyone is different and that her classmates all like different things. She comes to find out at lunch time, that some of the other kids like to Roar too, like dragons and lions! By the end of the day, Ally becomes friends and playmates with her new classmates.

I feel that this book can help little ones going into PreK and Kindergarten and even into 1st grade overcome the feelings that come with starting school for the first, second or third time. We all get nervous, even us parents! This is a Must Own book for everyone!

In honor of the new school year, author Richard Torrey is offering teachers, librarians, parents, and picture book lovers the opportunity to win one of three signed copies of his latest picture book, Ally-saurus & the First Day of School (Sterling Childrens Books, May 2015). To enter the contest, Rich is having contestants wish Ally-saurus luck on her first day by tweeting at her using Hashtag #Allys1stDay.

Rich will also be sending tweets to various U.S. and Canadian school districts from his own handle, @richtorrey, to wish them a happy first day on their first days of school. The contest will end after the very last first day of school on September 9th (lucky NYC and Seattle!). Ally-saurus & the First Day of School is the perfect book for any child starting a new school year, and Mr. Torrey would love to give as many people as possible the opportunity to win a copy for your personal, public, or classroom library.

Enter below using the Rafflecopter form to win your own copy of "Ally-saurus & the First Day of School!" Giveaway open to residents in the main 48 continental United States only.

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Disclosure: I received a copy of Ally-saurus & the First Day of School in exchange for my review and giveaway post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

Joseph and the Colorful Coat: The Brick Bible for Kids #Review! #Lego

The famous story of Joseph and his coat of many colors makes its LEGO debut as part of The Brick Bible for Kids series! Jacob had twelve sons, but Joseph was his favorite. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, especially after Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful, colorful coat. One day when they were out tending their flocks Joseph's brothers turned on him, tore off his colorful coat, threw him in a well, and then sold him into slavery. The brothers told Jacob that Joseph had been killed. But Joseph survived, and in Egypt he was able to interpret Pharaoh's dream about a famine and soon became a very powerful man. But when Joseph's brothers cam to Egypt many years later and asked this estranged brother for food, would Joseph forgive them?

The story of Joseph and his coat of many colors provides an important lesson on forgiveness. Enjoy reading one of the Bible's most beloved stories illustrated in LEGO bricks as a family.

Brendan Powell Smith is the author of five other books in The Brick Bible for Kids series as well as several adult books. He has produced over five thousand illustrations retelling over four hundred stories from the Bible. You can visit his website at www.brickbibleforkids.com.

My Review:
The book says it's for children ages 3-6. But I feel it's more for children 8-10, and into Legos, reading and learning about God. There is a lot of words in this book to explain the story. My seven year old son wouldn't read past the fourth page. I liked the story and the illustrations. The story is about Joseph and the Colorful Coat and what happens to him and the lesson his brothers learned in the end. I can't wait to purchase the rest of the books to add to our Bible stories!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

The Fifth Letter - Book #Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 8/13 #TheFifthLetter

According to our Supreme Court corporations and people are both entitled to certain fundamental rights. Per the Monday SCOTUS rulings about raisins and hotels, corporations won even more beneficial constitutional protections. Are corporations people too?

“It’s time for people to take political action in the United States,” declares author and scholar Dr. Vivian Carpenter. In her new book, The Fifth Letter, Dr. Carpenter has done the research, and uses this incredible story to inform how Corporate Personhood is an evolving—and dangerous—threat to our individual basic rights. An accomplished scholar whose previous research was founded by The National Science Foundation and The Ford Foundation, Dr. Carpenter channels her platform to the U.S. Citizens through a riveting account of what could happen if this issue stays under the radar.
Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham said it well, “Frequently political novels are a genre for truth telling. Dr. Vivian Carpenter’s description of inside Washington rings true. The Fifth Letter takes us forward to a United States Supreme Court foreshadowed by the current court’s personalities and political tilt. This novel will engage and educate readers.”

A fascinating, informed, and engaging personality, Dr. Carpenter now has immediate availability for interviews and feature/profile opportunities around the release of The Fifth Letter to talk about:

Who is a person with inalienable rights in America?
Examples of corporate personhood influence and consequences to Americans
How individuals can fuel healthy debate around inalienable rights and what it will take to level the playing field with corporations
How corporations have superior rights to individuals, in turn weakening our national security

Excerpt:

Our economy is in decline because of the ruthless pursuit of rational self-interest on Wall Street, Main Street and Union Street.

Our economic transformation must go forth on a platform of enlightened self-interest. Everyone must wake up and take action. Everyone matters.
We are a group of enlightened souls with passion in our hearts that drives us to fight for what is morally right—We share the spirit and passion of General George Washington. That spirit compels us to act in the face of great danger.
If you won’t issue the fifth letter, you’ll leave us with no choice. This is war.

About The Fifth Letter:

A highly impressive work of fiction built around deep research of American history and our inalienable rights brings to life Vivian Carpenter’s debut political thriller, The Fifth Letter. The story of courageous Katherine Helena Ross, the first black female Supreme Court justice caught between her conscience and political expedience when forced to consider the most important question facing the U.S. Supreme Court today: Who is a person with inalienable rights?

Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham said it well, “Frequently political novels are a genre for truth telling. Dr. Vivian Carpenter’s description of inside Washington rings true. The Fifth Letter takes us forward to a United States Supreme Court foreshadowed by the current court’s personalities and political tilt. This novel will engage and educate readers.”

The protagonist, Katherine, struggles to do what is right— facing death threats, manipulation, and personal challenges along the way. Inspired by her mother’s 1940s memoir, Katherine finds the courage to turn the spotlight on, and help the public understand the most important issue facing Americans: inferior individual rights.

Recognizing the need for radical change, Carpenter explains, “The Fifth Letter is about us. All of us. I hope it will open the doors of your mind.”

About the Author:

Vivian L. Carpenter is a writer, motivational speaker, and teacher. She holds three degrees from the University of Michigan: a BSE in industrial engineering and operations research and MBA and a Ph.D. in business administration. As an academic, she has won several awards and grants for her scholarly work in institutional theory from the National Science Foundation, Governmental Accounting Standards Board, Kellogg Foundation and Ford Foundation. As a business professional, she served as a Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Michigan, was Director of Academic Programs at FAMU’s School of Business and Industry (SBI), and served as chairperson of the board of MotorCity Casino in Detroit, Michigan. She lives in Tallahassee, Florida and Birmingham, Michigan.

The Fifth Letter is available for order via all major online retailers, including Amazon ($15.99 paperback, $29.99 hardcover, $9.99 eBook) or www.thefifthletter.com.

Enter below using the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win your own copy of "The Fifth Letter!"

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.