Saturday Social Blog Hop .... Getting a Head Start this Week

Welcome to Saturday Social.  Yep, I missed last week, just got busy and didn't get a chance to post, so I apologize.  Let's make this the best Saturday Social ever... let's spread the word and get everyone to join in!
I don't like blog hops that have tons rules that you have to follow so I will make this super easy. The only rule I have is that you follow this blog in order to participate.....that is it. The rest is up to you, link up your blog and follow whoever you want to follow. Ok I lied here is another rule: NO ADULT CONTENT....FAMILY FRIENDLY SITES ONLY.

I will be in the first spot and will follow you back (it might take me a little while to get to everyone so bear with me), so please leave me a comment after linking up so I can make sure I follow you back.

If you would like to grab a button please feel free to do so, this will only make the blog hop a bigger success because it will let others know to come here and link up. The button will stay on my left sidebar or you can get the code below:

<center><a href="http://agnesrhodes.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k176/cynicangel2/Cup_of_Coffee-thumb-400x328-27.jpg"/></a></center>

Super Deals You Don't Want to Miss!

Slap-On Gear, 2 watches for $12 and free shipping!  Get these while they're still available, would make awesome stocking stuffers!!

How it works is you click HERE to purchase the deal, then you will receive a coupon code from Slap-On Gear no later than Wednesday and you can use the code HERE to complete your purchase (color choices, size).  But don't worry about remembering what to do, once you buy the deal, the email with the coupon code from Slap-On Gear will let you know what to do.  These are really hot right now, so don't miss out!


Or if you need a great project to do with your little one on a cold or rainy day, you can get this Superhero Decorating Kit. This kit includes EVERYTHING that you will need to make a personalized cape and mask for your Caped Crusader.

Each kit comes with your choice of color in plain cape PLUS all the supplies your kiddo needs to make an awesome cape!  You can get all of this for only $9 ($2.50 S&H)  You can get this deal HERE.  You will be contacted after your purchase to select cape color and details.

Supplies include:

1 cape (you choose the color!)
1 large star and a piece of self adhesive felt to cut out your own initial
1 glitter glue stick for decorating

various smaller adhesive backed felt shapes (stars, glitter stars, hearts, lightning bolts, basketballs, footballs, baseballs, soccer balls, flowers, and any other fun shapes we can get our hands on!)

This kit makes a wonderful gift and a SUPER party activity! Hurry, get yours HERE.


AND....if you are looking for something for that mom that is always on the go....or if you are that mom, then you don't want to miss this awesome deal.  PAK (Personal Accessory Kit)...The MUST HAVE for every woman!  What's at the bottom of your purse, backpack or laptop bag? Probably everything but the kitchen sink! This deal eliminates the "fumbling around your purse trying to find your lipstick/lotion/bandaid" problem! PAK (Personal Accessories Kit) comes LOADED with all the must have essentials that YOU need.

Each PAK comes stocked with personal-care products and first-aid accessories, all designed to fit inside convenient kits sized for suitcases, gym bags, and purses. Available in three sizes and two colors, the PAK can carry myriad grooming trinkets, each slotted into its own retaining loop to prevent clutter, spillage, and inter-accouterment mingling.

More than 30 items come in the largest PAK ($50), from tweezers and nail clippers to bandages and a set of five miniature toiletry bottles. The vessels come prefilled-with body mist, hair spray, lotion, hand sanitizer, and breath spray-but boast screw tops and wide openings for easy refilling with your favorite products!

The midsize mini PAK ($40) stows 23 goodies, and the wallet-sized micro PAK ($30) holds 16 on-the-go essentials. All three models feature a transparent window, perfect for displaying a driver's license or a wallet-size snapshot!

Today's Deal of the Day: $25 for $50 at thePAKstore.com

That means you can SNAG these MUST have kits for 50% off! These are PERFECT gifts for the holiday season...from your hard to buy for mother-in-law, to your babysitter...everyone NEEDS a PAK of their own! And with three different sizes, there is a PAK for everyone!  You can only get this deal by clicking HERE.

Hurry before these are gone!

Mi-Del Cookies Review and Giveaway

Ever wonder what is actually in the foods that you eat?  Everyday there is something new recalled for whatever reason, turkey, spinach, pork....then there is the list of foods that contain ingredients that actually poison our bodies.  It's no wonder there are so many illnesses out there, cancers, diabetes, obesity.  Every time I let my kids have a snack I feel guilty, like I'm giving them something that in the long run will ruin their health.  I have been trying to buy more organic and all natural products, especially the ones that my kids will be eating, and recently I was introduced to Mi-Del cookies.  Mi-Del offers a large selection of natural, organic and gluten free cookies, in many delicious flavors.  I will be honest, I live in a small town surrounded by small towns and I had a hard time finding these at first.  I ended up using the store locator on the Mi-Del website to locate some.

"Since 1947, MI-DEL has been satisfying the appetites of people like you who want snack products that are healthful, natural, and taste delicious. MI-DEL is a combination of old-fashioned recipes and new bakery methods that let us create better for you cookies that meet the latest health standards without giving up a yummy inch of taste."
ProductsThese cookies take the boring out of an all natural diet, they are awesome for snacking and have great flavor, plus their ingredient lists are short and easy to pronounce.  They come in great flavors like Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Ginger Snaps, Honey Grahams, Lemon Snaps and more.  Giving these to my kids is something I feel good about, I know what is in them and I know its a snack that is not over processed and full of who knows what.


MI-DEL has a nutritious and delicious cookie product for just about every taste and for special dietary needs.

Gluten-Free

Great tasting cookie flavors and a satisfying snack for people with Celiac Disease or gluten/wheat intolerance and allergies. Our famous Ginger Snaps, Cinnamon Snaps and Chocolate Chip Cookies make delicious treats. And don’t forget our Arrowroot cookies for gluten-free diets and for teething babies!

Classic Naturals

Honey Grahams, Ginger Snaps, and many more flavors that you can trust for your family.

Organics

MI-DEL Organics are certified to meet USDA Organic regulations. But you’ll be most pleased by their taste and satisfying flavors.

Bite Size

Handfuls of delicious fun, great flavors and a gluten-free option too! Great snacks that won’t ruin your diet.

Single Serve

All Natural Moms and Celiac Kids love the MI-DEL Lunchbox Packs! Now you can give a treat without guilt.



Something else I love about Mi-Del is that their website has a recipe section.  There you can learn how to use these yummy cookies and make delicious pies and also gluten free pies.

Mi-Del cookies make switching to an all natural diet a little easier, especially for my picky eaters.  Three of my readers will have a chance so try Mi-Del cookies for free!  Mi-Del has graciously offered to give three of my readers coupons for free cookies.  All you have to do is enter below:
 






**I received coupons for free products, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review**

Del Monte Teacher Monday Voting Starts TODAY (and Giveaway!)

Once again Del Monte is holding their annual Teacher Monday and voting begins today, Monday, Sept 26th. We still need teachers to register so they can win. Each week votes are wiped out and voting begins again so teachers have six weeks to try to win. Register today at http://www.fruits.com/ to win and vote for your favorite teachers.

Teachers:

• Register to win $1,000 in cash for classrooms supplies and fresh fruit for healthy school snacks

• Upload a short essay on how you plan to incorporate healthy eating messages into classrooms lesson plans

• Add a photo to help you get noticed

• Encourage your friends and family, via Facebook and Twitter, to vote for you everyday

• Each Monday, for six consecutive weeks, the top ten teachers with the most votes will win

• The top teacher each week with the most votes will also win a Del Monte Field Fresh Day, in which Del Monte Fresh Produce will treat your entire school to an afternoon of fresh fruit, games and prizes

• “Like” Del Monte Fresh Produce on Facebook to win fresh fruit gift certificates on a weekly basis


Parents:

• Register to vote for your favorite teachers

• Vote once per day for as many teachers as you like

• Urge your friends and family to vote for your favorite teachers so they can win

• Encourage your favorite teachers by posting comments on their profile

• “Like” Del Monte Fresh Produce on Facebook to win fresh fruit gift certificates on a weekly basis

Start winning for your school and register today! http://www.fruits.com/

Winning teachers will receive $750 in cash to purchase school supplies and $250 in Del Monte® fresh fruit coupons for classroom fresh snacks and to use in fruit educational activities.   For all the rules as well as to enter please visit the website here.

If you are a teacher, please also enter my giveaway for coupons for free Del Monte fruits for your classroom.  Follow directions below to enter:

Winner of Spooky Buddies

Good morning, just a quick winner announcement, winner of the Spooky Buddies giveaway is
Number 23 Raven In A Blue Room.  Congratulations, email will go out shortly.

Best New Gadgets in Cars

If you have found Guaranteed Car Finance and are looking forward to buying your new vehicle, you may want to equip it with the latest in-car gadgets to make sure that your driving experience is enhanced in ways you might not have thought possible. Here are just a few of the latest in-car gadgets and accessories that might be suitable for you.
Heated seats have been available in various vehicles for decades, but they are still something of a luxury. If you want to get a warm posterior in your new car without having to pay over the odds, you could consider getting the Wagan 12v Heated Seat Cushion. Not only does it make your standard seat more comfortable, but it will also plug into your car's cigarette lighter or power socket and warm you up on cold winter mornings. You can set it either to high or low depending on the conditions and your preferences, so you need never be chilly again.
Having a sat nav system in your car is not uncommon as they are affordable and great for helping you find your way on the road without resorting to a paper map. However, anti-theft systems that are based on GPS coordinates can be inordinately expensive to set up and run. Thanks to the Garmin GTU 10 GPS Tracker, this is no longer the case. It is small enough to pop into your vehicle's glove box and hide behind the manuals, has a battery that will last for up to four weeks from a single charge and features a waterproof design that means it will not become damaged even when wet. This means you could easily find your vehicle should it be stolen and you can check up on its location through your web browser, so you can look for it from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Another good gadget for car lovers that was recently released is actually a mobile phone application. If you love all things Ferrari, you might be interested to learn that an 800 page book has been transferred into an application that will set you back less than 0.1 per cent of its full retail value. The app is the Official Ferrari Opus Digital Edition and it includes page after page of text and images telling the story of Ferrari and giving you access to updates every three months to keep you on top of the latest vehicles released by this celebrated Italian manufacturer. It is available for iPhone, iPad and Android platforms and the company is planning a launch on Windows Phone 7 later in the year.
Nodding off at the wheel can be a fatal mistake but with the ASP (anti-sleep pilot) gadget, you can make sure that your fatigue is not a hindrance.

After filling out a survey prior to your first use, the ASP will then give you alerts when you are on the road to notify you when you may be in danger of losing concentration using light and audio signals when danger periods are approaching. It also indicates when it may be sensible to take a brake and prevent accidents.

**This is a sponsored post***

Are you ready for Halloween? (Plus Giveaway Worth $50!)

Fall is my favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Sure, I like Christmas, but I think Halloween is much more fun....plus I hate snow.  Every year about this time we start talking about costumes.  My kids brainstorm for a few weeks, and sometimes they end up changing their minds at the last minute anyway, but I know I can always find exactly what they want at Party City.  They have over 3000 costumes that start under $10, and tons of accessories and decorations.   My kids schools do a costume parade but they do have rules about certain costumes (i.e. no weapons or blood), so I can go on the Party City website and search by categories.  This year we chose Robin Hood for my son, and a Pirate for my daughter.  Shipping was fast and the kids were super excited to try on their costumes

Apparently she is being captain Hook lol.  I love this costume, it is perfect for her age, not too little girlish but not too grown up.  It is very good quality and easy to put on.  Knowing our weather it will probably be cold and I can put a jacket over this costume or layer long underwear underneath. 



And here is my little Robin Hood shooting his bow and arrow.  I think this costume is super cute and I'm surprised he picked it over all the super heros and ninjas.  With this one also, I can put a jacket over it or layer underneath.  As you can see in the top photo, we still need some brown shoes to with this.

They have some awesome costumes for dogs too, I have to share this one with you, its my faovrite and gave me a good chuckle

Party City has costumes for babies, adults and everyone in between.  They offer same day shipping and also have more than 700 stores nation wide.  Right now you can get free shipping on orders over $50 by using the code PC4ESU or on orders over $65 by using the code PC5HN3.

If Halloween is not your thing, Party City is still the place to find all your costumes for school plays or for playing dress up for your little ones.

Party City is offering one of my readers a $50 gift certificate for a costume of their choice, here is how to enter:

Im not sure why Rafflecopter keeps putting the widget for Total Defense up here, I have tried to redo it a few times now, keep entering though it is keeping the entries tallied correctly when I log into my Rafflecopter Dashboard.  If anyone knows how to fix this without losing current entries please let me know, thank you.

**I received costumes for review purposes, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review**

Tales from the Coop: What Happened?

So last night was an eventful one in the lives of my feathered friends.  I usually close up the chicken coop at dusk when all the chickens and ducks are inside, so no critters can get in there and eat them....lesson learned the hard way.  Last night I was really busy and it was really dark before I got a chance to head out there to lock them up.  My husband gets up at 2:30 in the morning for work so he had already went to lay down.  Lucy (my crazy Aussie) and I went outside when we stopped dead in our tracks.  Ok let's rewind for a sec, I take Lucy with me because A) I'm sorta scared of the dark and B) I secretly hope she will warn me and/or scare away anything that may be around....keep in mind we live in the country.  Ok so here we are (Lucy and I in case you weren't paying attention) on the back patio about to walk to the coop when we hear a screech/wail/meow thing.  We freeze.  I tell Lucy to go on ahead..."go Lucy...go..."  nothing.  Lucy just stands at my feet and does her "I'm scared so I will woof quietly under my breath" bark.  Ok, no noise, so I take a step foreward and "SCRQWEE!!"  WTF???  So I run upstairs to wake up my husband, oh yes I would, and to my relief he is not asleep yet, instead he's got the window open and is listening to the weird sound.  "Was that a coyote?"  I ask him, even though I've heard coyotes in our yard before and this was not a coyote.  He says "I don't know".  So he gets up and heads out there.  The sound keeps going, its not scared away by all the noise we are making.  He closes up the coop but does not turn off the lights, I see him looking and standing there.  After a while he says to go get some flash lights because he can't find the black duck, our Cayuga duckie.  I get some flash lights, keep in mind the sound keeps going, sort of a shriek....its creepy.  Well we found the duck, in the chicken pen, dead....  Grrrr, that was my son's duck "Blackie".  as we are standing there looking at it, there is a rustling in the jungle next door, so I run inside. 

Today I decided to play Nancy Drew and figure out the sound, I looked it up on youtube and as I suspected it was a fox.  Ok watch this video, the first three are what I heard last night....creeeeepy.....


Thanks Lucy for being so brave and scaring it away....sigh*

And R.I.P Blackie.

Total Defense Internet Security Review and Giveaway

In this high-tech world, we rely on our computers more and more everyday.  Everything from photo storage, to online bill pay, to doing our taxes and connecting with our friends and loved ones, is done on our computers.  If you have ever had one of your accounts hacked into, you know just how devestating it can be and how vulnurable it makes you feel.  To protect all of our personal information and be able to search the web safely we need internet protection that really works.  Total Defense Internet Security Suite Plus is an all-in-one PC securtiy which offers a very user friendly interface, user-configurable alert manager, ID and personal information protection, a My Help support section and easy to understand reports. 

We all know how important it is to have good protection on our computers and Total Defense features AntiVirus and Antispyware that removes and prevents viruses, worms, rootkits and Trojan horses from infecting your computer as well as from spyware.  The personal firewall blocks access and protects all of your personal information and stops damage from malicious programs.  The Anti-Spam keeps junk out of your email inbox by using industry-leading technologies.  Parental controls let you keep your kids safe from predators and offensive content.  Total Defense allows you to monitor, filter and block access to websites, instant messaging programs and peer to peer services.  The anti-phishing protects you from phishing attacks as well as internet fraud and malisious websites.  If all that is not enough, the migation feature allows you to move all of your important files and settings to a new computer, and there are continuous updates.

What I also love about Total Defense is that it does not slow down my computer.  I have tried "free" protection offered by internet providers and all it really did was make my PC run super slow. 

If you are using a computer, even if its just for storing some pictures and emailing, that is not protected, you are running a huge risk.  Any and all of your personal info can be accessed and you can end up losing everything.  Total Defense has a 60 money back guarantee and can be purchased online and downloaded right to your computer.  Right now you can also take advantage of their 30 day free trial, then purchase one year of Total Defense for $48.99, which is a 30% savings....but hurry its only for a short time!

One of my readers will win a year of Total Defence, please enter below

Tomato Pie (because you asked)

So the temperature here today is 55 degrees.  Yep, 55 degrees, that's Fahrenheit.  This is not good because when it gets below 60 I start baking, and eating, and baking, and so on, so it is a great prediction of how much weight I will gain over this winter.  SO today I had a craving for tomato pie, which is great for using up tomatoes you may have from your garden.  I had quite a few people comment/ask me about this so I thought I would go ahead and share the recipe I use, no its not a Polish recipe, I'm not sure where it originated from, but its yummy and I never have leftovers.

This recipe is a variation of one I found somewhere on the internet.  Not sure where I found the original but since I'm changing some of the ingredients I'm going to call it sort of mine.  Also, if you know anything about the way I cook and bake, I rarely measure things (thank my mother) so I encourage you to adjust this recipe to your liking.

INGREDIENTS

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (I use premade because I HATE rolling out dough)
5 large tomatoes, sliced (let them sit in a colander and drain for a little while)
salt, pepper, dried basil, garlic powder (to taste)
3/4 cups sour cream
1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake the pie crust for 10 minutes
2. Once crust is done, put one layer of tomatoes, cover the entire bottom

3.  Season the tomatoes to your liking, here I also added some chunks of cheddar cheese curds, because I have to use them up and it sounded like a good idea.

4.  Put another layer of tomatoes on top of the first layer and season them again.

5.  Mix up the sour cream and mozzarella, spread over the top of the pie.

6.  Reduce oven to 350, bake pie for 35 minutes.

And there it is!

This pie is super yummy, but its kind of hard to get the slices out without making a mess.  If you figure out how then let me know, otherwise enjoy the messy slices!

 

Welcome to Saturday Social, hoping to get more blogs linked up this week, so let's spread the word!  Lets make this the best week ever.

I don't like blog hops that have tons rules that you have to follow so I will make this super easy. The only rule I have is that you follow this blog in order to participate.....that is it. The rest is up to you, link up your blog and follow whoever you want to follow. Ok I lied here is another rule: NO ADULT CONTENT....FAMILY FRIENDLY SITES ONLY.

I will be in the first spot and will follow you back (it might take me a little while to get to everyone so bear with me), so please leave me a comment after linking up so I can make sure I follow you back.

If you would like to grab a button please feel free to do so, this will only make the blog hop a bigger success because it will let others know to come here and link up. The button will stay on my left sidebar or you can get the code below:

<center><a href="http://agnesrhodes.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k176/cynicangel2/Cup_of_Coffee-thumb-400x328-27.jpg"/></a></center>

OhMyGosh Lots of Winners to Announce!

Lets give a cheer for me finally catching up on my blog, Woo Hoo!  With the start of the school year and all the after school activites I have felt a little run down.  So lets get down to business, shall we?  I have been using Rafflecopter to choose my winners.

The winner of the Chicken Soup for the Pre-Teen Soul is number 4 Jennifer Brown

The winner of the Carmex Prize Pack is number 8 kara sceviour

Winner of the Totino's Prize Pack is number 50 Karin

Congrats to my winners, emails are being sent out!

Spooky Buddies Giveaway!

Yay for my favorite holiday of the year, Halloween, and Yay for it being just around the corner!  To help you get into the fall festivities, the newest “Buddies” DVD release Walt Disney’s Spooky Buddies is hitting shelves September 20, 2011!

Disney's irresistible talking Buddies are back in an all-new movie that takes them for a spooky new adventure. With the help of some unexpected new friends -- Pip, Zelda, Rodney, and Skip, the buddies must stop Warwick the Warlock and save the world from his dastardly deeds.

You can win your very own copy of this super cute new adventure by entering below.  Open to US residents only.

MANDATORY ENTRY

Leave me a comment below with the name of your favorite Buddy, don't forget your email address so I can get a hold of you.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

Follow me on Twitter +1
Like me on Facebook +1
Again, this is open to US residents only, giveaway will end at midnight on September 25th.  Winner will be chosen at Random and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Good Luck!

Heelys Review

My daughter has wanted a pair of Heelys as long as I can remember, but they did not come in a small enough size to fit her.  Her foot is finally big enough for a pair and she recently got her very first Heelys.  She was ecstatic!  I surprised her with a pair and she did not waste any time popping in the wheels and trying them on.  At first she didn't really get how to use them, but after a little bit of trying she got it down.

If you have never heard of Heelys before, they are shoes with a wheel that pops into the heel part.  The ones she got have only one wheel but they also come with two wheels, and now also available is an inline footboard.  There are tons of colors and styles to choose from, for both guys and girls, it was actually really hard for me to choose.  Heelys can also be worn as regular shoes by popping the wheel back out in as little as 3 seconds.  The ones I picked for her are the Sassy

They're purple and sparkly, have rhinestones on the toe, and are very girly and cute.  Totally her style!  Here is a short video that shows you how to use Heelys.



What I love about Heelys is that she can go out and skate and play with out having to lug around a skateboard or skates, everything she needs is right there in her shoe.  And if she does decide to pop the wheels out, they're small enough to fit in a purse, backpack or even a larger pocket.  Check out one of their latest styles, for those of you who love the look of canvas shoes

And if you are looking for something designed to give you more speed or to go for greater distances, you have to check out the inline footboard.

Heelys are a great way to get your kids to be more active and they make a very appreciated surprise gift, I know that from experience.  With all the new awesome styles, there is a pair for everyone.  Now I have to get a pair for myself so we can skate together.

As with any skating activity, safety gear such as a helmet, elbow and knee pads are always recommended.

* The generous people of Heelys sent us a pair for review purposes, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review*

What is this test for?

My daughter is 8 years old and is in third grade.  She has been attending the same school since Kindergarten and is bright and at a 5th grade reading level.  I recently found out from one of my friends that she, as well as my friend's son, and a couple other children, were tested to see how well they knew the English language.  Confused?  I was.  On my kids' school forms it asks weather either parent speaks another language, so I checked yes since I am bilingual.  My husband is not bilingual and we do not speak any other language in our home, and no where on the form did it ask that.  I was not informed in any way that my daughter was going to be pulled out of class and asked to take a test to check if she understood English well enough.  My first question was, why was I not being notified of this specialized test?  My next question was, don't they think that by third grade they would have noticed if she didn't understand well enough?  My daughter did not tell me about the test, which is not unusual, but after I found out I asked her about it.  She said she thought it was weird and only a few kids had to take it.  I asked her if they explained why she was taking the test and she replied with. "to see if I know English since you speak Polish."  WHAT?  They didn't even really explain it to them, they just left it at that?  Well hell, now she has to sit there and think that her English is not good enough?  Coincidentally, her school had sort of an open house/back to school thing that night, so I politely asked her teacher what sort of test she had taken that day.  The teacher seemed really nervous talking about it and said it was for kids from bilingual families and it was no big deal.  Well maybe I'm a nutcase but to me it sort of was a big deal.  I decided that I would go in the next morning and ask the principal.  He also seemed a little uneasy talking about it but he explained that it was a law that any child who has at least one bilingual parent is required to take this test to see if their English is up to par or if they need more help.  I asked him why all of a sudden in 3rd grade she is being tested, why it did not happen in Kindergarten.  Apparently the school was not enforcing this too much and the new Director of Curriculum had gone through old paper work and noticed a group of kids got missed.  So why not notification?  That was the school's fault.  The woman who tested them came in at the last minute and said she could do it that day so he had no time to send out a note.  Well I would have rather gotten a note saying she took the test than no note at all, especially so I could explain to my kid what it was for and that she is doing just fine.  If it wasn't for my friend I would not have known at all.  Seriously, am I crazy for thinking this way?

Never Forget

I am sure you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing ten years ago on this day, I know I do.

Saturday Social Blog Hop

Welcome to Saturday Social, hoping to get more blogs linked up this week, so let's spread the word!  Lets make this the best week ever.



I don't like blog hops that have tons rules that you have to follow so I will make this super easy. The only rule I have is that you follow this blog in order to participate.....that is it. The rest is up to you, link up your blog and follow whoever you want to follow. Ok I lied here is another rule: NO ADULT CONTENT....FAMILY FRIENDLY SITES ONLY.

I will be in the first spot and will follow you back (it might take me a little while to get to everyone so bear with me), so please leave me a comment after linking up so I can make sure I follow you back.

If you would like to grab a button please feel free to do so, this will only make the blog hop a bigger success because it will let others know to come here and link up. The button will stay on my left sidebar or you can get the code below:

<center><a href="http://agnesrhodes.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k176/cynicangel2/Cup_of_Coffee-thumb-400x328-27.jpg"/></a></center>

Petz Bunnyz Bunch on Nintendo DS Review (with help from my daughter)

My daughter is obsessed with anything cute and furry, but in all reality there is really a limit on how many pets we (or I) can handle.  She was super excited to get a chance to try out Petz Bunnyz Bunch by Ubisoft, for her Nintendo DS. 

Since she is the one that mainly plays this game, I thought it would be fun to see what she had to say:

"First you adopt a bunny and there are a whole bunch of different kinds.  Then you play with your pet bunny.  There is an arrow in the corner where you can play mini games.  You can buy playsets and you can buy food to feed your pet, you can feed it by clicking on the bowl in its playset.  Once you earn money by playing mini games, you can buy your bunny shampoo and wash them with it.  Its the best game ever." 

Key Game Features


•Adopt Your Own Family of Bunnyz - Choose between 8 different breeds, each with unique personalities and preferences.

•New Fun Activities - Give your bunnyz exercise by teaching them to follow you around the room, or toss toys between each other.

•More Ways to Bond - The living room is your bunnyz new home. Show them their new toys, teach them how to get around, and even ask them to hop up to join you on the sofa.

•Bunnyz Go on an Adventure - Send your bunnyz to Petz World virtual world, and be one of the few with a bunny to play with.

What I really like about this game is that its not violent and you can really play for as long (or short) as you want.  There are no levels to beat and no "end" so the game never gets old.  It is really easy to figure out, I did  not have to sit there and tell her how to play it.  There are different breeds of bunnies in the game so your child can learn the names as well as identify how the breed looks.  Each of the bunnies has its individual personality complete with likes and dislikes, plus they're super cute.
 
Don't get me wrong, although this game is very cute, boys like it too.  Don't tell my daughter but her 4 year old brother has been playing it and thinks its really fun.  This game is a great alternative if your kid is begging for a pet that you do not want of cannot have (or your kid just thinks that they don't have enough pets).  I understand its not the same as the real thing but you do have to take care of this virtual pet's needs to keep them happy.
 
This game is available for purchase anywhere Nintendo DS games are being sold, such as Toys R Us or Amazon, and the selling price is $29.99
 
Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.



 

2nd Annual Teacher Monday Sponsored by Del Monte (Super Giveaway for Teachers)

Once again Del Monte is holding their annual Teacher Monday!  Last year was the first year for this program and it was a huge success in helping to support teachers and getting kids to eat healthier.  The online contest awards teachers across North America with cash and fresh fruit. It is designed to help support teachers in a time of the largest public school budget cuts in history, and help educate kids about eating healthy.

Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms encourages kindergarten thru 12th grade school teachers to incorporate healthy eating and living messages into classroom activities. Sixty teachers will win a total of $1,000 in cash to purchase school supplies and fresh fruit for their students. Several winners will also get a Del Monte Fresh® Field Day event for their school in which the entire student body will enjoy a day of Del Monte fresh fruit, games and fun activities.

To be eligible to win, teachers must register online, submit a short essay on how they will incorporate healthy eating and living messages into their lesson plans, then encourage all their fans to vote for them online. Ten winners will be selected each Monday for six consecutive weeks beginning October 3, 2011. Winners are based solely on the number of votes they receive. Winning teachers will receive $750 in cash to purchase school supplies and $250 in Del Monte® fresh fruit coupons for classroom fresh snacks and to use in fruit educational activities.   For all the rules as well as to enter please visit the website here.
I am also holding a giveaway for US teachers ONLY.  I am giving away 2 prize packs of Del Monte coupons for fresh fruit for your classroom and 1 prize of a back pack filled with school supplies.

LETS BE FAIR, THIS IS FOR TEACHERS ONLY SO THEY CAN USE IT IN THEIR CLASSROOM

UPDATE: 
Rafflecopter is acting a bit funny on this so I will do it the old fashioned way.  There will be three winners, 2 will receive coupons for free Del Monte fruit for their classroom.  One winner will receive a backpack full of school supplies.

HOW TO ENTER:
Leave me a comment below with your email address....that is it....YOU MUST BE A TEACHER!!!

GOOD LUCK!