$500 Fabulous Fall Cash Giveaway

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Welcome to the $500 Fabulous Fall Cash Giveaway!

Oh my goodness it is October! Where is the year going? Can you believe that Christmas is only 84 days away? If times are tough for you right now...like they seem to be for most Americans then I am sure you can use an extra $500 cash in your pocket. What would you spend it on? A new Fall or Winter wardrobe? Christmas presents for your kids? The great thing is it totally up to you how, when and where you spend it!!! I wish you the best of luck!

I have joined forces with a fantastic group of bloggers to bring you this great giveaway. One lucky person will win $500 cash.

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Enter to win $500 cash via PayPal.

Complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway.

Refer your friends using your unique link to earn even more chances to win.

Open Worldwide.

Ends at 11:59pm ET on October 14th, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway was coordinated by Giveaway Promote.
If you love entering giveaways, visit Giveaway Promote to find the greatest giveaways listed in one place.

What Living Beautifully Means To Our Family #SuaveFamilySelfie

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Beautiful - adj. having beauty; possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, thnk about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind. interj. wonderful; fantastic

What does "living beautifully" mean to you? Do you feel that your family is "living beautifully?" These are really important questions that you should ask yourself on a regular basis. Everyone's answer to these questions will be different, because one persons thoughts on "living beautifully" will not be the same as another's! Here is what it means for our family...

Our family is definitely "living beautifully"! However there are times that I don't always think that. Our family deals with struggles on a daily basis and I swear for every step forward we take, we take two back. I am not always the greatest mom and say things to my children that I later regret. I compare myself and even my children to others way to often. And I doubt some of the decisions my husband and I have made throughout the last 14 years.

But when the going gets tough and I start doubting whether or not we are "living beautifully" I try to focus my thoughts on the positive rather than the negative. Over the years I have gotten much better at this and I have also gotten better at not micro managing the future. On those tough days I remind myself why we are "living beautifully!" We have a house over our heads and the basic necessities to live comfortably. My husband has a secure job. I am able to be a stay at home/homeschool mom. My children and I are able to get out of the house every week for fun learning adventures. And I have the greatest kids and husband ever! Sure there are things I want to improve in our family and our lives, but it takes baby steps and it doesn't mean we aren't already "living beautifully".

Recently I found this quote on living which really inspired me on our journey...

“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark. —AGNES DE MILLE”  

Here are 25 things I do to help our family with "living beautifully":

1. Define what "living beautifully" means to you and start taking the steps to get there.
2. Spend time with family and friends on a weekly basis.
3. Take a hike...literally get out and go exploring. Did you know that being in the outdoors can do wonders for stress?
4. Appreciate the little things in life. 
5. Live your own life and don't compare yourself to others. We are all special and individuals and do not fit in the same mold or box.
6. Do something special for yourself. Go get a new hairdo, perhaps do something drastic like change your hair color. Go get a manicure or pedicure. Buy a new shirt. Whatever makes you happy!
7. Discover your dreams and passions and go for them. You are never too old to make a change and do what you love.
8. Remember that the road to living beautifully can be a long one and there will be ups, and downs. Take a look at where you are and the progress you have made and feel good at what you have accomplished. Make adjustments as needed, chances are your thought's on living beautifully will change over the years. 
9. Count your blessings each and everyday and be happy with what you have. Sometimes the worst things can turn out to be blessings. I often talk about our foreclosure and bankruptcy as being a blessing. We found out our home had black mold and was causing a couple of us to have health issues. So we made the decision to leave immediately. We found an apartment to rent and moved what we could and sold the rest. The home was foreclosed on and we ended up having to file bankruptcy as well to make sure we were completely absolved from any mortgage debt. It ended up being a blessing because we were once again completely debt free which meant I was able to become a stay at home mom. 
10. Smile. My son has an amazing way of making me smile even on the worst days. 
11. Express yourself. Writing posts for my blog has done wonders for my self esteem!
12. Hug and/or kiss someone you love. Even us non-physical touchers need a hug sometimes!
13. Learn something new every day. Because of my amazing, inquisitive children I am always learning something new.
14. Remember the 3 L's - Live, laugh, love and learn! 
15. Embrace your imperfections. Guess what no one is perfect in this world. 
16. Help others. Helping others in need and volunteering can do wonders for the soul!
17. Don't dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present.
18. Be forgiving. I cannot tell you how many times a day our family asks each other for forgiveness.
19. Have perspective, but don't be afraid to be flexible on your point of view. It is important to explore multiple perspectives and adapt to new situations.
20. Expect the best not the worst. This is a hard one for me because well every week something bad seems to happen.
21. Travel whenever you can.
22. Create a beautiful living space.
23. Look and feel beautiful by taking care of your health and appearance. If you are anything like me you live more beautifully when you look and feel beautiful. Who doesn't love a new amazing hair cut and outfit?
24. Have a purpose and direction in life!
25. And lastly enjoy and capture the moments. You can start by taking a family selfie, then follow the instructions below to enter the #SuaveFamilySelfie - Living Beautifully To Live Better Sweepstakes.
    
    

Suave wants to see how is your family living beautifully? Take a photo of your family living beautifully and enter the Living Beautifully To Live Better Sweepstakes.

Entering is easy and your family will be entered to win a Suave Friday Family Selfie prize pack.

Step 1: Take a family selfie (or use a recent one!)
Step 2: Post it on Instagram using these 3 hashtags: #suavefamilyselfie #LB2LB #Walmart
Step 3: Fill out this form and submit your Instagram link.

*To get your Instagram link visit instagram.com, log in, and find the link to your photo. It will be in the format of http://instagram.com/p/YOURPHOTOID.

*To retrieve the link from your Instagram mobile app, go to your profile picture on the app, click the "..." in the bottom right hand corner, and then select "Copy Share URL".

Enter the sweepstakes weekly to increase your chance of winning. Each week 6 new winners will be drawn to receive a $175 Walmart prize pack. Once you have submitted your image you will receive a coupon via email for $1 off Suave at Walmart. Sweepstakes ends  October 21, 2014.

Good Luck!

Help Make Rowyn's Dream Come True!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Okay everyone my son Rowyn really needs your help!!! He has entered the Atlanta Legoland Discovery Center Junior Builders Competition. 6 kids out of two age groups (5-8 and 9-13) are chosen to represent Legoland for an entire year. If he wins he will get access to special events, provide insight on future events at the attraction and be part of a group of opinion-leaders who will lead Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta into the future. Needless to say he is super excited. Voting ends on Sunday, May 11th.

Voting only takes 1 minute!

 Visit this link and click like on the photo! 

His entry is a Ninja parade float that will be on display in June in Mini-land if he wins!

Many thanks for helping to make my son's dream come true!

Tyndale Rewards - Earn FREE Books, eBooks, Audio Books and Bibles

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Who doesn't love FREE stuff? Especially books! This is an informational post to tell you all about Tyndale Rewards, a FREE program you can join where you can earn points for FREE books, eBooks and audio books!

A moms review:

I have been trying out Tyndale Rewards for a a few days now and already have 150 points to redeem for great FREE books. All I had to do was share my referral link (which is included in this post), take a few quick and easy surveys, sign up for a newsletter, join the birthday club, write book reviews and share about Tyndale on social media. It's super easy it literally took me several minutes to earn points!

There are no tricks or gimmicks you can REALLY can earn FREE books for you and your family. I have enough points right now from Tyndale Rewards to get a several great kids books...like these below. And actually after we move I will be ordering these. 

35 Points

75 Points - Audio Book

50 Points

The more you participate the more points you can earn and the more FREE stuff you can get! Points NEVER expire (unlike most FREE deal sites)! Keep the books for yourself or give them to friends and family...they would even make great presents for birthdays and Christmas.

Book categories include:

• Fiction
• Non-Fiction
• Bibles
• Parenting
• Children/Youth
• Audio

75 Points

75 Points

Many of the books even have a FREE pdf download so you can check out the first chapter before you make your book selection.

In addition to receiving inspiring literature and Bibles for FREE you will also receive a FREE gift on your birthday, special promotional offers and more.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and get 25 points just for registering! (Be sure to activate your account)

Watch this video to learn more....

 Links to follow:

-Tyndale Rewards Website
-Tyndale Rewards Facebook page 
-Tyndale Rewards Twitter page

Disclaimer of Material Connection: Tyndale Rewards is a FREE program. I am sharing about it as a part of a Fly By Promotions campaign. The blogger with the most referrals in 30 days will receive a Kindle Fire HD, so clicking my referral link improves my chances to win the contest and provide my husband with an awesome birthday present (his birthday is in August). No other compensation has been received. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials Advertising."

Master Books Instagrammies

As you know I am a picture taking maniac. I really enjoy capturing all of our memories whether it be with my really nice SLR camera or my camera phone. And as you know I am always up for a fun giveaway or contest. Well have you heard about the #mbinstagrammies contest on Instagram sponsored by Master Books? Read more here there are some amazing prizes.

Well of course I just had to enter so here are my most recent photos which I am entering into the contest. 

Cross Gwyn built in the library courtyard.

Learning about how plants soak up water.

Learning about music and cultures by making a Shekere.

Celebrating Chinese New Year at the Shoalin Institute. 

Fun and learning at the circus. 

Please visit our photos on Instagram and show us some love by either liking or commenting! You can click on each of the photos above as well.

Thanks!

*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

RoseArt Pin To Win Back To School Contest

I wanted to alert you about this awesome contest that RoseArt is having. It ends August 31st so there is still plenty of time to enter. This contest is open to ALL!!! There will be 9 winners selected to win a GREAT back to school prize pack. 

First step follow the RoseArt Pinterest! Then create a Back to School with Rose Art board pin the above graphic and start pinning your favorite RoseArt products (must include 5 selections). Super EASY!!!

**Read all of the details and fill out the contest entry form on the RoseArt Facebook Page.**

Please VOTE on these photos!!!

I have entered two photo contests and could use your help.

Facebook Lake Shore Learning Summer Learning Photo Contest. Please visit the photo here and then click like. It ends June 30th so please vote now. THANKS!

Dr. Seuss Mulberry Street Parade Photo Contest. You can vote once a day now through July 26th. Just click "Love It". below or visit this link if it doesn't work below. THANKS!

Contest details

Thanks for your help!

AWESOME 4th of July Contest at A Journey Through Learning

We love A Journey Through Learning lapbooks so I wanted to pass along this great contest that recently started. Show how much your family LOVES the United States of America and how much your family enjoys the FREEDOMS we have by designing patriotic posters. It can be digital or hand crafted and there are categories for each.



Rules:
The posters must show their patriotism for the USA, and also must not show bashing of God or the Bible, President of the USA or any other possibly offensive displays. We want this contest to be fun and encouraging for all.

Categories and Age Breakdown:

Digital

• Preschool-2^nd Grade
• 3^rd-6^th Grade
• 7-12^th Grade

Hand Crafted

• Preschool-2^nd Grade
• 3^rd-6^th Grade
• 7^th-12^th Grade

To enter, please send in a jpeg or PDF file of your entry to lapbooks@ajourneythroughlearning.net, by June 30.  Depending on how many entries we get, we (AJTL staff), may do a little pre-voting to narrow down the top five posters in each category for public voting, beginning on July 1.  Winners will be announced on July 4.  Public voting will take place on the A Journey Through Learning blog.

Please include your child’s first name, age/grade, and any other information you feel is necessary.
Every child who enters will receive a free instant download of a lapbook on our site.

Prizes:

• Grand Prize $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card
• First Place in Each Category $25 gift card to either Amazon or A Journey Through Learning
• Second Prize in Each Category $10 Gift certificate to Currclick 

Read all the details on A Journey Through Learning website.

*Disclaimer - I received a free product in return for spreading the words about the contest.  I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.