Givit's iPad Mini Contest and $50 VISA Giftcard Giveaway

It’s time to remember what we are thankful for. Do you want to have the chance to win an iPad Mini? All you have to do is simply download Givit for free, record a video of anything – kids, dog tricks, your Thanksgiving meal, or whatever you are thankful for.

Here is how you do it and the requirements:

Create a fun video* with the Givit app that shows off what you’re most thankful for, making sure your video includes the following elements:

Between 15 and 90 seconds long

At least one effect (Either a Motion Effect, Transition and/or Music)

Share your Highlighted video masterpiece through the Givit app, via private share email, with Givit at ThanksGivit@givit.com (be sure to keep the ‘Allow Private’ and ‘Allow Public’ boxes checked and include your name, email address and either a Facebook or Twitter account for them to reach you at if you win).

Finally, as a last step, either “Like” the Givit page on Facebook OR Follow them on Twitter

Submissions will be judged on creativity and the best use of Givit’s Highlighting and effects features.

So, what are you waiting for? Enter ThanksGivit as many times as you like and show us, through video, all the great things there are to be thankful for!

Check out some examples of great entries on Tumblr: http://givitvideo.tumblr.com

The contest runs from Nov. 12 through Dec. 7

Here are the Official Rules.

Download the app for iPhone or iPad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/givit-video-highlighter/id560803488?mt=8

I definitely want to enter this contest!  It sounds like so much fun.  I really have so much to be thankful for. I hope you enter too. I would love to see your videos.

I have a special giveaway just for my readers.  One of you will win a $50 VISA gift card. I am so excited to have the chance to give this away because I am sure it will be helpful for holiday shopping.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what you are thankful for

You must do the main entry to receive the bonus entries.

Bonus Entries:

Like the Givit page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/GivitVideo 

Follow Givit on Twitter

Please remember to include your email address so I know how to contact you for your prize.

This giveaway is open to US Residents only. My giveaway will end December 3, 2012 at 11:59 pm ET

Good Luck!

I received a gift card and one to give away from Givit.  All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Black Friday?

Call me crazy, but I don’t understand the hype of Black Friday. I mean seriously, what is the point? Maybe there is something I don’t see. I hate crowds of people, grabbing things out of your cart when you aren’t looking, waiting in really long lines just to get a deal. It seems silly to me. If it is something you enjoy that is wonderful. It’s just not for me. One year we went to Wal-mart on Thanksgiving, just to go and get out for a little bit. It was like 8 pm when we left, we drove buy Best Buy and there were people standing in line already. It was cold and was weird to see people waiting for that long just to go shopping.

I haven’t really seen anything that would be worth my time to wait that long or go out period on Black Friday. I have only really done Black Friday once, that was enough for me. I went with an old friend so he could have company. I was very cranky at the end of it. I did not have any fun what so ever. I don’t think he even bought anything because the lines were ridiculously long everywhere we went. There are sales all the way up till the week before Christmas. I just don’t know why it is that big of a deal. I could see if you were buying like a TV or something that was extremely marked down that normally would cost a fortune. Otherwise, just to get a toy for your child for Christmas? With online sales and websites you can pretty much find anything online from the comforts of your own home.

It’s not like when we were kids and our parents or grandparents had to actually go to the stores to buy the hot item of the year. I think that anything I wanted for Christmas I always got, or if I didn’t it didn’t traumatize me enough that I remember now. I survived. There were not huge tears and disappointment on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning unless you count the whole silts, Barbie bed, Cabbage Patch cradle Christmas, which started with me crying on Christmas Eve, followed by my sister crying on Christmas morning.

Black Friday has turned in to this HUGE ordeal. I mean I think I have heard a lot more about Black Friday than Thanksgiving. That makes me very sad. Thanksgiving is an actual holiday when we remember what we are thankful for and about family. Black Friday is a day of greed and sales. It’s not even a holiday yet it gets more attention than Thanksgiving.

For Black Friday I will stay home. I will spend time with my family and play games and drink hot chocolate and snack on treats and make memories with my son, because Black Friday does not matter to me. There is also a Law and Order SVU marathon on. I can still find good deals on gifts; I am not worried about that.

So what if it costs me a little more, it is too much hassle and stress for me. I might shop online, but I haven’t found anything really worth it.
If you are going out for Black Friday, I wish you luck on finding deals and hope that you have a safe and happy experience.

PBS Sprout Thanksgiving Call-in number

As I mentioned before Sprout is having their phone lines open so your Sproutlet with the permission of a grown up Sprout can call in and tell the on air host of The Sunny Side Up Show what he or she is thankful for LIVE!

Please note that the phone number will not be active UNTIL 8:45 am Eastern Time on Thanksgiving Morning.

The number is 1-877-91CHICA

Noah and I look forward to hearing what your Sproutlets are thankful for!

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Pregnant Turkey

My fabulous friend Brandon sent me this joke in an email today. I thought I would share it with you all. I have no clue who wrote it and I am not saying I or Brandon did. I thought it was so funny. There is my disclaimer! Enjoy!

The Pregnant Turkey!

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store. When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven. She removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven. When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, 'Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!' At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!
Yep..................SHE'S BLONDE!

November PBS Sprout Update!

It’s November so it is time for another PBS Sprout update! I am a member of the Sprout Band of Bloggers so I get the opportunity to share what’s up on Sprout each month. November of course means Thanksgiving is coming.

PBS Sprout has a really cool programming schedule for Thanksgiving week. You can tell them what your Sproutlet is thankful for. It might even be on the scroll at the bottom of the screen starting Monday November 23rd 2009. On Thanksgiving morning your Sproutlet can call in with a grown up Sprout and speak live to the on air host and tell them what they are thankful for. That would be so cool to do. If your Sproutlet calls in make sure you have your family and friends watching Sprout too for your child’s debut.

There are all kinds of really cute Fall and Thanksgiving crafts to make. There are many things to keep your kids busy and they could be used to help decorate your table for Thanksgiving. Some of the crafts are place cards, napkin rings and even woven placemats. There are also some really cute coloring pages too. I really like the Sprout’s Thanksgiving Coloring Page because it has all of our favorite Sprout friends on it.

I hope you all watch Sprout with your kids and visit Sprout Online there is so many great activities  for your Sproutlets to do. Parents check out Sprout for Parents for great resources on parenting and other interesting things.

Noah and I will be watching on Thanksgiving week. We hope to hear and read what you are thankful for. We will be also on the lookout for our homemade hand turkey that we had so much fun making and sending in to Sprout.

Santas are at the mall and its only November 9th after all

When I was growing up it was the norm to see that stores had Christmas stuff out the week of Thanksgiving. Santa arrived at the malls that week too usually the day after Thanksgiving. Santa would make his grand and glorious appearance during the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. I have always thought even then was too early. I like to start thinking about Christmas during December. I start my Christmas shopping then. I understand if a company or store is doing a huge display of lights and that takes time but really…. its not even double digits of November yet.

I am doing some reviews for holiday gift ideas. That is completely understandable. I mean I know a lot of people start Christmas shopping in September or October and a few that are probably already done. You all want to know about cool gift ideas and I want to help you all out. So I wonder what is going on? Why does Christmas and Winter Holiday things get pushed up so much? What is the rush? I know time is flying by but seriously can’t we get more in to November already?

So far I have observed these things…

1.Holiday items in stores- Ok this one isn’t too surprising because it seems that it has been like this for a while.

2. Massive amounts of holiday ads on TV. There were always a few but it is like I am being bombarded by commercials about Christmas.

3. They are advertising a Christmas special to premiere November 17th or something. Why not make more Thanksgiving shows.

4. Santa is already at my local mall. Hello? It is November 9th. Santa’s break gets shorter and shorter every year. Poor Santa!

5. Tonight I noticed that my lovely neighbors have their Christmas tree not only in their home but decorated and lit. That is just plain silly in my opinion but whatever works for them.

6. I must confess I love Christmas Tree cakes so I happily bought a box yesterday.

Time really is flying by it is still November right? I didn’t wake up in the Twilight Zone or anything did I? I don’t remember becoming Sheila Van Winkle. I love Christmas don’t get me wrong I guess outside of reviewing products I don’t understand why Santa is out and trees are lit and decorated.

I still have my Halloween decorations up! We love pumpkins here. I just don’t get eating some week old Halloween candy then following it up with a candy cane while you decorate your tree. I hope I don't sound like Scrooge.

I am very happy to receive any opportunities of products to review and giveaway for the Holiday Season. It is not too early when it comes to the review process.