Tampa Bay Rays Fan!

OMG...maybe we didn't win the 2008 World Series (congrats to the Phillies...), but I AM SO PROUD OF OUR TAMPA BAY RAYS!!!

Here's hoping Joe Maddon is selected for Coach of the Year and Evan Longoria is Rookie of the Year!

Props out to BJ Upton, Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, and the rest of our fantastic team!
They all played with so much heart, guts, and determination.

They truly embraced one of my favorite books of all time, "The Little Engine That Could"!

GO RAYS....
See you in the Spring.

Nesquik Partners with USF Bulls

NESQUIK has partnered with the University of South Florida! Your favorite drink is now the Official Chocolate Milk of USF Athletics. This means:
There will be a NESQUIK presence at both football and soccer games this fall, and basketball, baseball, and softball games during their respective seasons
NESQUIK signs now grace the fields of USF, and NESQUIK will be featured on the video replay boards!
A sampling event with the NESQUIK Bunny was held recently at the Homecoming Football game on October 18th. Go to the USF athletics homepage to find an upcoming game to attend!

I am proud to be a Nesquik Breaker Amabassador - I'm pleased to represent such an outstanding product and brand! Hope to see you at a USF Bulls Game in Tampa soon~
GO BULLS!

Free Pandora Starter Bracelet/ St Petersburg FL Bond Diamond B&M Only

I discovered this in my morning newspaper and jetted down to the store this morning - it's only for the Bond Diamonds B&M store located at 66th Street and Tyrone Blvd in St Petersburg Florida - the bracelet is sterling silver and retails for $35.00 each. Makes a great gift. If you're local, it's a sweet deal!!!:

FREE SILVER PANDORA LOBSTER CLASP BRACELET!This Friday and Saturday at Bond Diamonds**Valid on Friday, 10/17/08 and Saturday, 10/18/08 only.250 Bracelets will be given away each day!No Purchase Necessary. Limit One Per Family.

Precious Girls Club-Free 1 Month Rainbow Premium Membership

We have shared quite a bit of information with you about the Precious Girls Club™ recently, but we saved the best news for last - the Precious Girls Club virtual world site is live and ready to be explored! We apologize for the delay, but we wanted to make sure that the Precious Girls Club was the perfect virtual playground for little girls everywhere and we're confident that this site was well worth the wait.We encourage you to visit www.preciousgirlsclub.com with the precious girls in your life. After reading A Little Bit of Faith, they'll be thrilled to see Katie's world brought to life and to get a chance to join in on the fun. The Precious Girls Club site offers games and other interactive activities that reinforce the values introduced in the book and it provides a fun place for them to strengthen their faith and character.

As a thank you for your patience and support of the Precious Girls Club, we'd like to offer this special code to ALL of your readers. Please feel free to share this special access code, 3HWH-T9DX-RROK, with your readers so that they can experience all the fun and excitement of premium Rainbow membership in the Precious Girls Club.

Enjoy!

My daughter and Junior Girl Scout Troop love this already!!!

Easy Steps to Goin' Green and Contest

Many of today's families are taking steps to promote a more balanced and natural lifestyle. As Kermit the Frog has been quoted, "It's not easy bein' green!", but I beg to differ...

I read the daily paper, watch the local and national news, and sense the quickening pulse of the global village, and it gives me pause to wonder about the future for our children. I work hard to be a relevant role model to my kids which includes opting for more environmentally responsible choices. These are small steps to help our environment and help to protect our legacy for future generations - clean air, clean water, and clean food supplies are vital for all!

To this end, I'm embracing the ideal for a more natural approach including making some recent changes in cleaning products around the house. I'm also exploring natural cosmetics, beauty products, and food. More about those in another entry...

I have discovered the new line of natural cleaners, Clorox Greenworks. This great line of household products have been under development for over 5 years and launched this year in 2008. Clorox states that it is fully committed to continuing the development of these types of products and set standards in the natural line. I'm pleased to learn of these great products that leave no harsh chemical fumes or residue.

The sustainable products are 99% natural and contain no phosperous or bleach, but clean thoroughly with natural, biodegradable ingredients such as essential lemon oil and coconut-based cleansing agents. They do not test on animals. They smell wonderful and work comparable to the current products I had been using. They are widely available and are fairly priced. I have found promotional coupons available in the weekly newspaper flyers to help save, too!

The Clorox brand has been a favorite of mine for many years, and this line up of natural products does not disappoint:
All Purpose Cleaner Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Dilutable Cleaner Bathroom Cleaner
Glass & Surface Cleaner Glass Cleaner
Diswashing Liquids

Clorox has also collaborated in this important endeavor with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. All the Greenworks products sport a Design for Environment (DIE) Logo. The United States EPA created this identification to reduce risks to people and the environment by preventing pollution.

Further, you can visit the website: www.30daystonatural.com
Sign up for daily 30 days to natural emails and learn more about ways your family can help our environment.

Clorox is also offering a promotional 100% recycled cotton tote bag with a pretty daisy screenprint to celebrate their involvement with the Sierra Club. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will benefit the Sierra Club's important environmental work!

To celebrate our "Goin' Green" natural efforts, I am hosting a blog contest. One randomly selected winner will receive a free Clorox Greenworks Sierra Club tote bag. To enter the contest, please leave a comment post on this blog thread. Deadline for entries is Friday, October 31st at 12:01AM EST. One entry per person. US residents only please. Winner will be notified within 24 hours of contest end and must provide mailing address to receive prize.

Thank you for visiting my blog and participating in the contest.
Do your part today to help our environment!

MELEE Rocks! Devils & Angels

I enjoy a good pop track now and then, and the LA Band Melee has some great tunes for your listening pleasure. I recently listened to their latest CD, Devils & Angels, and I have to say that they have a very good sound! The opening track, Built To Last, is excellent - it keeps playing over and over inside my head all through the day. Sometimes that can suck, but I really enjoy their riffs and tight sound.

If you haven't heard about Melee yet, they are a group of 4 guys (yeah, Boy Band!) out of L.A. It appears that they haven't had much airplay locally but have made some major inroads throughout Europe. Odd? Recently, their music has been featured on a few movie and TV soundtracks (Sydney White with Amanda Bynes, etc.) ...Anyway, they write their own songs for this CD and also do a fun cover of the Hall & Oates classic, You Make My Dreams!

They are a band with a conscience, as they support causes through record sales such as Orangewood Pals, an organization that helps improve the lives of Orange County California's abused and neglected children. That's all the more reason to check out this CD and discover a hidden gem in this band!

Woogi World Fun

Our daughter Kristen recently turned 10 and loves to play games and socialize with her friends...our son Cameron is 17 and feels the same way. The challenge is to find the perfect, age-appropriate means for them to enjoy these pursuits in today's tech-savvy world for kids. After exploring several on-line sites, Kristen and I have agreed on Woogi World. So much fun. She visits daily and is learning new features every time!


Woogi World, a new (and free) online destination for kids, provides a safe and engaging online world where kids can connect with other kids and learn academics, art, values, service, health, and proper Internet usage. By encouraging kids to learn on a platform they already use everyday, Woogi World combines the Internet with offline activities. When kids enter Woogi World (after getting their parent's approval) they make a Woogi and a Wigwam that they can personalize. After designing their individual Woogi, they earn watts (Woogi money) by playing games online, completing tasks offline, or doing something nice for one of their fellow Woogies.

On September 1, 2008, Woogi World's partnership with Studies Weekly and Humane Society launched. Each kid enrolled in a participating classroom received a "secret code" to log onto Woogi World and participate in online activities. The secret code allows students to access information relevant to the academics they learn in the classroom. With 50,000 schools involved in the program, Woogi World expects to reach over 23 million kids nationwide. Teachers can also get involved through the Foundation for a Better Life home and school media program, through which either parents or teachers get DVD's and posters based on the child's accomplishments on Woogi World.

In addition to Woogi World's partnership with Studies Weekly and Humane Society, the music, math and WoogiReaders clubs launches in September and October, inviting kids to participate in academics with their peers around the world and will be included in the 50,000 school curriculums. In the Every Kid Votes initiative, every elementary school in the US has already been invited to sign-up with Woogi World, complete their Civics Adventure and then become registered to "vote" the week before the general election. Woogi World expects over 10 million kids to get involved!

So far, Kristen and I have scoped out a variety of the new areas. This is a great site since it's just so new and inviting for all the kids to play together. They recently launched a community service initiative to have kids and their families brainstorm engaging ways to help their community. What an awesome opportunity for everyone to get more involved - all within the fun, colorful, and on-the-moment world of the Internet and on-line world fun!

I highly recommend this site for families to explore. The initial membership is free and the membership can be upgraded to Honor Status for additional activities.

Visit Woogi World at:
www.WoogiWorld.com

See you in Woogi World~