Family * Travel * Food

WTH Wednesday

I went to the doctor's office today and sat in waiting area like usual. I noticed there were two very adorable little girls (about 3 & 5) playing in the corner with the magazines on a little table. It seemed normal, for the first two minutes. I sat there looking around to see where the parent might be. There were not too many of us in the room so after ruling out that none of those people were the girls parents I got a little scared. I was chatting with another lady that was sitting next to me and we were both wondering where the parents were. She told me that the girls has been there since she got there at 9:30. By that time it was 10:40. Long time. Eventually at 11:25 the mother comes strolling out of the back office. Get this, her husband was right behind her. WTH?? Now you mean that both parents were there and they left these little girls alone to wait for you for 2 hours?? Oh the scary things that could have happened to those little girls. I just don't know how anyone could do that.
Shelly, Mom Files
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I am still Bawbi

Cute story: Ever since my daughters were 1 and 3 they have been calling me Bawbi. It came from my oldest mistakenly saying Bawbi for something and we played the back and forth game of "I'm not Bawbi, you're Bawbi". Well the cute, curly haired 3 year old won that game and I have gone by the name of Bawbi for 13 years. Now that I have William I was wondering what he would call me. He rarely ever called me anything at all for so long but recently he was pointing to a photo on our fireplace mantel and he kept saying Bawbi in that cute baby voice. I picked him up and he pointed at his dad and said "Dada" and pointed to me and said "Bawbi". So I guess I will never know what it's like to be called mom besides some of the kids' friends who call me that. The girls told me that if and when they have their own kids that they want my grand kids to call me Bawbi too. I was hoping for Nana but I guess Bawbi would work too. I will forever be Bawbi :)

Shelly, Mom Files
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Preschool or not?

I was talking to my daughters and we were talking about William going to school. We refer to kindergarten as the start of school since neither of the girls went to preschool. They were telling me that out of all their friends, they were the only ones that never attended preschool before kindergarten. I have thought about what I will do with William. Currently my decision is to teach him at home and not put him in preschool. It worked with the girls and since I am a stay-at-home mom indefinitely then I don't see why I need to do it. I almost seem to be an outcast since I am the only mom I know that has never done the daycare/preschool thing prior to kindergarten. If I'm home I don't see the need to spend the money if I can teach my child one-on-one. We have the park/zoo/library at hand for the social part. What do you think? What did you do with your little one?

Shelly, Mom Files
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Random

It's supposed to be summer break for the kids. They have summer assignments that consume a good bit of their day, everyday. It's as if school did not end. They still have practices and camps so I still drive them all over the place each week. So much for saying good-bye to the carpool line. I'm not complaining. I have not heard the "I'm bored" bit as yet. Of course I am one of those old-school moms that will put your butt to work if you feel you have nothing to do. I think my girls have caught onto that pretty well. Also I have noticed that I am spending less on food. Yes, you read that correctly LESS. I guess since the days aren't as structured as school days I am not forced to buy as much stuff to accommodate breakfast, morning snacks, lunch, afterschool snacks and game snacks. I can get used to this. So how is summertime coming along in your home?
Shelly, Mom Files
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Momfiles fun summer giveaway

**Contest Closed**
Winner- #13 scrappykeels

I was selected to host a House Party for some of the latest Febreze products through houseparty.com. If you have never checked out House Party you are missing out! You can apply to host parties for all kinds of goodies from household items, movies, food, beauty items and more. I wanted to share some of the great stuff I got from Febreze in the form of a giveaway for one of you awesome Momfiles readers. This prize includes: 1 flameless luminary starter kit , 2 luminary refills, 1 room spray , 1 scented reed diffuser (all in pomegranate mango) and 1 of their newest items a Set and Refresh air freshener in Hawaiian Aloha (set to hit store shelves in July ). This is all valued at about $35 retail. I have personally tried these items and they are VERY powerfully scented. You would be amazed at how big of a space these items will fragrance. You really get a whole lot of bang for your buck with Febreze products.

Here's how to enter: *Mandatory Leave us a comment telling us about any Febreze products you have tried and which is your favorite. If you've never tried any then let us know what product or scent you think you might like to try.

*For additional entries you can:
~Tweet or Facebook this giveaway.
Example of Tweet: Enter @momfiles to win some nice Febreze products http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/06/momfiles-fun-summer-giveaway.html #giveaway #summer
~Follow us on Twitter @momfiles
~Follow us through Networked Blogs on Facebook
~place our button on your blog

Good luck and this giveaway is limited to US Resident only. Deadline is July 23, 2010 at 9:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen via random.org.


Shelly, Mom Files
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Losing My Cool Virtual Book Tour


We were contacted to be a part of the TLC virtual book tour for "Losing My Cool" by Thomas Chatterton Williams. We opted to take a different approach and Dwayne did a vlog to give his honest opinion of the book. Please check out the video and let us know what you think. Also you can find Mr. Williams on Facebook, Twitter and at his official website. Thanks for you time.





Disclosure: Momfiles was provided one copy of the book and all opinions are all our own.
Shelly, Mom Files
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I did not plant a garden this year

I learned a lesson from last year's garden. I lost money. I spent a small fortune to get what I wanted and in the end we did not even use what we planted. I think it was more novelty watching the plants grow, make blooms and eventually produce vegetables. Did we really need 50 cucumbers? Did we really need 100 squash? What about 1000 tomatoes? Nope. In actuality, Dwayne and I are the only ones that would even eat cucumbers and I am the only person who would eat squash. I tried giving some away and it seems like everyone planted the same things. So this year our garden bed is bare. I might just make it into a hot pepper garden so I can make my homemade pepper sauces or just plant some flowers. You can't go wrong with flowers. I saw that squash, cukes and peppers were 10 pounds for $10 in the grocery store this week. I think I will go that route ;-)
Shelly, Mom Files
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He finally gets it!

It is really exciting to see how much little William is flourishing with his vocabulary. The neat thing is seeing him interact with others as well as the TV. Yes, I do let him watch TV but only Nick Jr. and PBS Kids. I won't let him watch anything with commercials and of course there are limits to how much he gets to watch. I love seeing him follow the lessons that Moose and Zee teach in between programs. He is really into his letters and numbers and is starting to memorize them in order! He also like to point out everything and tell you 10 times what it is. He is becoming a chatterbox and I love it. It gets me excited to know that all I teach him is sinking in and he really does get it!~
Shelly, Mom Files
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Stay hydrated


It's summertime and this means warmer temps. Of course despite the hotter days you should always stay well hydrated. My daughters and I have started a bit of a water drinking competition. Each night we "brag" about how much water we drank over the course of the day and declare the unofficial winner. I was the loser yesterday so I have to get to it today. Hey, whatever works right? I have noticed that nobody seems to be drinking very much of anything else. Can't beat that!

Shelly, Mom Files
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Happy Father's Day!

I wish all the dads a very Happy Father's Day! I am so blessed to be married to a wonderful man who takes his father role very seriously. His request for his special meal was pot roast, candied yams, rice and green beans. He is watching cartoons and enjoying his day. Apple pie and ice cream later :)



Shelly, Mom Files
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Confessions, apologies and smack talk

I posted a couple years ago about your boy Dwayne and his new cellphone plastic. I even went as far as insulting him about it. Well today I am coming forward and admitting that I too have become a cellphone plastic person. I got a new phone a couple of weeks ago and since it is a touch screen I opted to keep the factory protective film on it. I am too frugal to pay $10 for the thing and have been trying to hold off for as long as I can. I went to slide my phone in my pocket yesterday so I could pull my laundry out the dryer and I immediately took it right back out so I would not forget it was there. Don't you know my doggone film peeled almost completely off?! I was so upset. All Dwayne could do was roll his eyes at me. So I am making a public apology to my dear hubby for talking so badly about his cellphone plastic. Sorry honey. We still friends?

On another note, because you know I can't just be nice to Dwayne and leave things where they are. You know how most of us have a library card to borrow books, CD's and DVD's? Well apparently my husband has a library card that is used as a rental card. Dude always has late fees and damn near pays for his stuff in the end. Oh and he likes to ask me if my library card is clean. WTH? He's not messing up my good credit at the library!!
Shelly, Mom Files
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Do you think I am obsessed?

Look at all the freebies I have been collecting over the past 3 weeks. This does not include what items have been used already. I have gotten everything from shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, lotion, feminine products, coupons for FREE food items and more! My husband gets annoyed when he is checking his PO Box. Yes, I double dip ;-)

Shelly, Mom Files
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Parent's Choice can save you $$

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products.
All opinions are 100% mine.


It is no secret that I am a formula feeding mom. Not all of us are cut out to breastfeed so we have to do our research to find the right formula to feed our baby. I used the Formula Finder and compared what we used for William and found that he would have taken the Premium, Milk-based or Organic type of formula. Out of curiosity I even checked out the Savings Calculator and here is what I found out when I compared what we used and spent to what we could have saved using the Parent's Choice brand.

Savings / Year** : $634.91
Savings / Month** : $52.18
Savings / Day** : $1.74
Savings / Bottle : $0.43

This was really surprising and made me think of all the things I would have done with the savings. I could have purchased diapers and also could have added some money in William's savings fund.
You can sign up for a free sample here and you can choose from 3 types (the Parent's Choice Premium, Advantage or Gentle Formulas). Believe me, if I had to do it all over again Parent's Choice would be what I would go with. It would be nice to be able to purchase formula that would not break the bank!
Visit my sponsor: PBM

Shelly, Mom Files
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WTH Wednesday

I just had to get this one out... If you know me then you know that I DON'T believe in co-sleeping or the "family bed" as I have heard it. I feel like it is especially unhealthy for your marriage and downright dangerous. Of course that is strictly my opinion and if you like sleeping in the same bed with your kid then good for you. Last night Dwayne brought the boy in our bed because he woke up because we were having a really bad thunderstorm. Normally he can only get in our bed if he is sick and having trouble breathing or he has a fever. Last night he kicked and squirmed and fought like mad. I personally like my face and ribs to be untouched while I'm sleeping. I have no idea how people do it. I really don't. It makes no sense that we have a king-sized bed and both Dwayne and I are stuck at he ends because William thinks he needs his head touching me and his feet touching his dad. He better get back in his OWN room, in his OWN bed. The end.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Busy is nothing without consistency

I was having a conversation with the hubby this morning over coffee and we were discussing how so many parents 'throw' their kids into way too many activities at one time. Some kids do multiple sports and also a musical instrument as well as school and parents think it is the right thing to do. They feel that kids should be kept busy at all times. Now what good does busy do a child if there is no real consistency involved in their day to day? When a child lives a sporadic life at such a young age it seems to me that this can lead to disorganization and chaos. Of course I am no expert so I can't say for sure. Dwayne and I just think kids of today do way more than they should and this leaves less time for them to learn the most important life lessons and life skills that should come directly from their parents. We have made it a point to spend more time individually with our children. Don't get me wrong, our children are involved in activities but are limited to how often and how many at any given time. I think it is imperative that our children are taught about things like finances, paying bills, keeping house and even cooking. After all, what sport will teach them these things? What are your thoughts??
Shelly, Mom Files
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What in the world

Right now my daughters are watching their brother (willingly) and this gives me some free time to hop on the computer to read my favorite blogs as well as update my own. I have had no trouble at all reading all kinds of good stuff (some foolishness) but can't seem to focus on updating my own. Why is that? Oh yeah, it might be the fact that I am fooling around on Facebook and Twitter as well as texting at the same time. I really feel almost like I am becoming way too involved in social networking (again). Now that I got that out of the way I can update my blog..... maybe tomorrow. I hope everyone is doing well :)

Shelly, Mom Files
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PSA: Watch where you step!

I was watching the news the other night and they did a story on the vast amounts of snakes that have emerged this season. It is due to the higher rainfall and warm temperatures. I swear I see a snake every couple days on the street. That is a couple times too many for me. I don't mind watching them on Animal Planet and learning about the different ones and their habitats- Just don't let me be face-to-face with one of them. I don't do snakes (my arm hair is raised at the moment thinking about it). Like they advised on the news, you better watch where you step!
Shelly, Mom Files
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New Good Earth gift pack giveaway

**Giveaway Closed**
Winner #10 Falon H.


If you crave a sophisticated, restaurant-quality meal without the sophisticated price tag then this might be just what you are looking for... only better, in the comfort of your own home! Oh yeah and in a fraction of the time! With Good Earth dry dinner kits all you have to do is just add meat. These dinner kits are perfect for those busy weeknights where time is not on your side. In less than 30 minutes you will have a complete meal without a lot of work. With 100% whole grain, no trans fat, no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives, no MSG you can feel good about serving it to your family.

Good Earth dry dinner kits offer a selection of four tasty meals: Mediterranean Chicken with angel hair pasta, Spicy Citrus Glazed Shrimp with angel hair pasta, Herb Crusted Chicken with mushroom risotto and Tuscan Chicken with penne pasta
.

I received the Mediterranean Chicken with angel hair pasta variety to try along with a gift pack. We cooked it last night and I have to say it is way better than I expected since I am not a big pre-packaged meal kind of cook. Since the husband was out of town he had the camera so I could not take photos. It was so easy to make and it took about 20 minutes. I made mine with chicken tenders so that I could cut out the step of having to slice up chicken breast. I think we will try the
Herb Crusted Chicken with mushroom risotto next time.



My Good Earth gift pack that included a Good Earth Mediterranean Chicken dry dinner kit, two sets of bamboo flatware, two bamboo dishes, a bamboo utility board and a 100% recyclable grocery tote. Now you have a chance to win the very same gift pack.

HOW TO ENTER:
(Mandatory) Leave a comment telling me which variety of Good Earth dry dinner kits you would like to try:

* Mediterranean Chicken with angel hair pasta
* Spicy Citrus Glazed Shrimp with angel hair pasta
* Herb Crusted Chicken with mushroom risotto
* Tuscan Chicken with penne pasta

Comments saying "thanks" or "count me in" will be deleted.(You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

--You can Twitter this giveaway (one per day) and leave me a link to your Tweet.
Example: Win a Good Earth Gift Pack @momfiles http://bit.ly/bBM7z6 Gotta love FREE food! #giveaway

-- Facebook this giveaway, and please leave a separate comment/link for each entry to count. (one per day)

--Follow me on Twitter (@momfiles)

--You can also place our button on your blog or follow us (please leave a blog link in your comment or specify if you are a new or current follower).

*Be sure to have a visible email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Giveaway is open to US residents 18+ only. Deadline to enter is June 22, 2010 at 09:00 pm EST. Good luck!



Disclosure: Good Earth provided me with the free product, information and gift pack through MyBlogSpark™.

Shelly, Mom Files
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What comfort knowing what I know

This morning Chardie, William and I went for a walk around our local shopping area before it got too hot. It was nice and quiet since most of the stores had not yet opened. Since Brie has been gone all week on her Washington trip this has given Chardie and I more one on one time. We were walking by Bath and Bodyworks and Chardie comes out of nowhere and tells me that if anything ever happened to me and her dad that William would have to go with her. He would not have any choice. That melted my heart in a way that unless you were in my shoes you would understand it fully. To know that big sister would willingly step up in that way is priceless and brings me so much comfort. I love my sweet children. ♥
Shelly, Mom Files
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What happens after you cook?

I have been married for a little over 16 years now and for the entire time I get made fun of for what I do after I cook a meal. I allow the food to cool slightly (maybe 20-30 minutes) and then I pack it all up in containers and put it up in the refrigerator. I am not one of those people that leaves food out ALL day long. Sorry, the idea of getting viciously sick to my stomach is not appealing! This most especially applies to poultry. So what do you do after you cook?
Shelly, Mom Files
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Why Dwayne should NOT have the camera

This video was taken on Monday morning at the site where Briahnna and her classmates from her school were boarding the buses for their end of the year trip to Washington DC and Virginia. Dwayne had the camera...



Shelly, Mom Files
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The recession has hit my house

If you know me well enough then you know that I can't stand when people blame the recession for everything that has gone wrong in their life. I have dealt with the rising prices of food, gas and well EVERYTHING else in the best way I can. I use coupons, shop sales, cut back on non-essentials and even re-purpose some items. Now I am totally offended that when I do laundry (usually 4 loads at a time, twice a week) that I can't find even a nickel! Man, back about 2 years ago I always got a minimum of $5 and sometimes $10. It was nice little lunch money or pocket change. Now I feel cheated. I get empty gum wrappers and lint. Like I said, the recession has hit my house, not cool :(
Shelly, Mom Files
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I was lied to

I wanted to say that to all of you who said that raising boys are easier LIED. I just can't see it that way. My girls have been a breath of fresh air. The boy has made my hair get even more gray. I have been told that diapering a boy is easier. REALLY?? If I could get him to stop trying to escape then maybe I can find the answer to that one. I tell him to stop. Apparently this means GO GO GO! I say no, he feels like I said yes. I talk, yell, scream and almost want to cry and it only makes him more out of control. I have had people say that girls = drama. Not the case here. Boys are hard. Very hard. The next time anyone tells me that boys are easy, I will offer for them to follow me around for a few hours.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Why does my husband do these things?

Why in the world does my husband make up his remix version of every song on the radio and swear it will be a number one hit? He changes the words to some foolishness on some wacky level and then has the audacity to do it in his T-Pain voice. Really? What in creation!? PLEASE please please somebody tell me that their husband does this too. Don't make me feel alone!!! I would share some of his versions of his songs but I have dignity and an image to upkeep ;-)
Shelly, Mom Files
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This has never happened before

The strangest thing happened this morning. Brie was coming up the stairs and she has just gotten out of the shower so her wet hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was coming to have me blow dry her hair and straighten it with the flat iron. Now Brie is William's absolute most favorite person that walks the earth. When he saw her he hid behind me in fear. He saw her and he started crying as if she was a stranger invading his home. I only see him react this way in front of people he does not know. How could this be?? For about 20 minutes he would not go near her and showed fear towards her. Brie sat in a chair in front of me so I could get started in blow drying her hair and half way through he recognized his sister again. He went on to being his usual rambunctious self and was handing over books for Brie to read to him. Once her hair was completely done he was laying all over her and climbing on her like normal. This was some very unusual behavior and we are thinking it might be because for the last week the girls have had friends over each day. There was a new person to meet daily. Perhaps he thought Brie was a new person! Have you ever encountered anything like this with your child??
Shelly, Mom Files
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Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.



Hampton_logo

I wanted to share this great daily giveaway of a free weekend stay at any Hampton Hotel. It's called the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. The grand prize is an entire hotel for a weekend
(100 rooms for 2 nights) and 100 first prizes of weekend stays given away daily for the winner and three of their friends. How much fun would that be?! It's so simple to enter, all you need is your basic information and you qualify to win! I could not even imagine having an entire hotel for 2 nights! Even the weekend stay with 3 friends would be amazing. It would be a great way to have a girls or guys weekend together to catch up with friends without the hustle and bustle of the work week. It is almost like a retreat. I think if I won I would offer to meet up with a few blog mommies in a centrally located city, maybe Atlanta for a fun weekend away. I would also consider a few of my teacher friends locally to go to a Hampton Hotel right here in my home city for a weekend of fun.

Question: If you won, where would you go? What Hampton Hotel would you stay at? Who would you bring with you?
Visit my sponsor: Win a free Weekened Stay

Click Here
Click Here


Shelly, Mom Files
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School's out!

It's official that school is out for the summer and I am kinda sorta happy about it. Happy because I have great kids that are fun to be around but not so happy because it takes me off of my regular schedule. I am one of those planning, scheduling and list making type of moms. I get crazy when things are out of whack or if there are too many people in my face while I am working. I also really like driving the kids to school and picking them up. There is something about the calm of the carpool line aka Willie's nap time. I guess Willie will have to adjust to having his sisters around more. He is usually perfectly calm when it is just the two of us. Oh well, I am glad to have my kids around regardless of how they act ;-) Happy Summer!!
Shelly, Mom Files
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Wordless Wednesday and the monkey-frog!

William got this cute new chair over the weekend and says "bi-bit, bi-bit" every time he goes near it. He thinks the monkey is a frog!!


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Some things you may never hear

My blog buddy Sammy over at To Unravel is the King of random. Seriously, if you ever read his posts you would become completely immersed in his randomness. He wrote this one post entitled the Rootabaga line up and I put in my two cents. The point behind it all was listing 10 things you will NEVER hear. Some are from people, some are even from inanimate objects. Either way, I'm 99% sure you will never ever ever ever hear! So here we go, my 10 things are:
  1. Wow, that Nikki Minaj is a true talent!
  2. No problem random stranger, I will gladly change your baby's poopie diaper.
  3. Pam Anderson's body and face look so natural!
  4. I'd like to order one brussel sprout burger with a side of eggplant fries.
  5. Can't wait for the price of gas to go up!
  6. I wish the laundry would never end.
  7. I want a parking ticket so badly.
  8. Scraping wallpaper is so much fun!
  9. Oh please let this tree fall on my house!
  10. I'd prefer my Chinese food be prepared by Italians.
Play along if you wish!
Shelly, Mom Files
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Super cute personalized Cinch Sac giveaway

**Contest Closed**
winner #3 tanyetta Congratulations!


My sweet friend Tricia has her own business with Thirty-one gifts. If you are not familiar with Thirty-one gifts, they offer really pretty bags and accessories that you can have personalized with your name, initials or perhaps even your business name embroidered in the fabric. There are so many nice styles and patterns to choose from for every taste. If you are a more seasoned mom like I am then you might not carry a traditional baby bag. Wouldn't it be neat to have a bag with your baby's name on it that is in a cute pattern that reflects your style? Check these sweet cinch sacs that Tricia had made for her daughter and a friend. How adorable are they? They are perfect for sleepovers, day trips or even going to the pool or beach.

I also wanted to pass on some information in the event anyone might be interested in joining Thirty-one gift as a consultant. Any new Consultant who enrolls between May 1st and June 30th and qualifies (sells $1,000 worth of product) in your first 30 days will earn a $99 rebate for your kit (kit is valued at over $300). If you choose the $99 Kit and qualify in 30 days, you’ll basically start your business for FREE! Those who select the $149 Kit and qualify in 30 days can earn a $99 rebate as
well, making their initial investment only $50!

Qualifying in 30 days is a great start to your business, but doing it in 60 days isn’t “half-bad” either, so Consultants who qualify in 60 days will earn back ½ of the rebate ($49.50)!
New Consultants who choosethe $149 Kit can earn the $49.50 rebate as well by qualifying in your first 60 days! For more information contact Tricia Edmundson Home: (919)771-0822
Cell: (919)741-8403 or email


Now for the Giveaway: Tricia is offering one Momfiles reader the chance to win a customized Cinch Sac! The winner will be able to choose any bag color or pattern, thread color for the embroidery and also font. This is a $24 value.

Here's how to enter:
Mandatory: Check out Tricia's Thirty-one online catalog and tell us what item you have your eye on and how you would customize it. Comments saying "thanks" or "count me in" will be deleted.(You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

--You can Twitter this giveaway (one per day) and leave me a link to your Tweet.
Example: Win a personalized cinch sac @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/06/super-cute-personalized-cinch-sac.html #giveaway

-- Facebook this giveaway, and please leave a separate comment/link for each entry to count. (one per day)

--Follow me on Twitter (@momfiles)

--You can also place our button on your blog or follow us (please leave a blog link in your comment or specify if you are a new or current follower).

*Be sure to have a visible email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is June 14, 2010 at 09:00 pm EST. Good luck!
Disclosure: I will receive one personalized cinch sac as compensation for hosting this giveaway.

Shelly, Mom Files
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