CVS Deals - 12/30

I headed to CVS on Wednesday night in an attempt to take advantage of some of this week's deals and to try to use my BOGO Olay Body Wash/Lotion coupon that expires on Thursday. Of course, they were out of the Ivory Soap and the Olay Lotion. I also found out that I mis-read the Dove candy bar sale in the ad...it said Save $1, but I had read it as $1 and was thinking it would be free after the CVS coupon, it was not.

I needed some soda for New Year's and this weekend, but they only had one 2L of Diet Coke, so it looks like I will try to get to another location today to see if I can find any of the other stuff.

2 - Old Spice Deoderant
1 - Secret Flawless
1 - Diet Coke 2L

-$1 $1/2 Old Spice Mfg coupon
-$4.99 Buy 2 Old Spice Get 1 Secret Flawless Mfg coupon

Paid with $3.98 ECB and $.67 OOP. I earned $1 ECB.

Healthy Choice Coupon

Healthy Choice is giving people five more reasons to love the brand by offering an online coupon for $5 off the purchase of 5 Healthy Choice frozen meals! Use this coupon to mix and match your favorite Healthy Choice frozen meals or try new ones. The coupon goes live at midnight on New Year's Eve (tonight!). You can get your coupon for $5 off 5 Healthy Choice frozen meals here.

Remember, it will not be available until tonight at midnight. Now, I'm not sure what the limit is, but I am certain there is one...so, after the ball drops and before you head off to bed, you might want to snag this one.

Tyson Any'tizers

As a Busy Mom, I frequently am looking for mealtime and snack time solutions. Some nights, we need a quick and easy dinner because we have some sporting activity or school event to get to. Some nights, we need something that is not too heavy for dinner because we had a big or late lunch. Some nights, we are entertaining and are looking for a quick snack.

What one product can help with all of these scenarios? Tyson Any'tizers. With 26 varieties to choose from, there are many that my family would love (we haven't tried them all yet!).


If I'm looking for a quick and easy dinner, there are many meal solutions. Like pairing Chicken Breast Chunks with Tso Sauce with some fried rice or getting the Pop Corn Chicken Bites and adding them to a tossed salad.



If I'm looking for a light dinner, then some of my choices might be Honey Barbecue Boneless Wyngs, Stuffed Chicken Pepperoni Minis or Pork Mini Ribs. A simple to prepare protein that I can have with a vegetable side for a meal that's not too filling (and simple to prepare too!)

For a snack while entertaining, we always enjoy things like the Buffalo Style Hot Wings or the Tequila Lime Flavored Wings. These eat up in a hurry - simply microwave for 3 - 5 minutes and you have a hot treat to share with company. It's great to have a hot appetizer and not have to hang out in the kitchen preparing it.

Giveaway
Would you like to try some for yourself? I have the opportunity to allow two readers the chance to each try a bag for free.

Primary Entry:
Head over and check out all of the varieties of Any'tizers here. Leave a comment answering the following question: Which variety are you most interested in trying and how would you use it?

Additional Entries:

• Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared.

• Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day.

• Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Giveaway will remain open until January 5th at 6 pm. Two winners will be selected using a random number generator. The winners will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

I received no compensation for this post. I received coupons to try the Any'tizers myself and to share with two readers through this giveaway.

Free Stuff

If you don't already have a login at Betty Crocker, you can go here and sign up and receive a coupon for free YoPlus Yogurt. I really like this yogurt. I like that there is both a regular and a sugar free option.

Tigi Girls Just Want It Lip Pallet - this page is really slow to load at times (update: I couldn't complete it last night, I had to wait until the morning and then it took me only a couple of minutes to complete). The value is $25, the price right now is free and the shipping is free, so they don't even ask for credit card information. You do need to create an account and the offer is limit of one per customer.

Chocri Chocolates

I love chocolate (as I'm sure I've mentioned before). I recently had the opportunity to try out some chocolate from a company that currently is in business in Germany, but in January is coming to the US. Chocri Chocolates was started by childhood friends back in 2008. Franz, one of the founders, was trying to find the perfect gift for his girlfriend's birthday. He decided he would decorate a chocolate bar with her favorite toppings. This first bar was white chocolate with gummy bears, dried nuts and fruit. From there, the business grew by word of mouth and soon this idea was launched as a business at chocri.de.

At Chocri, you can build your own chocolate treat. You choose the base - dark, milk or white chocolate and up to 5 inclusions/toppings for it. The topping list is diverse and amazing, with over 80 different toppings to choose. After customizing your bar, you even get to name it.

We created 3 candy bars, one using each base.

My candy bar was of course dark chocolate and included caramel, marshmallows and sea salt. Being very clever, I called my bar: Caramel Marshmallow
My husband used milk chocolate and topped his with strawberries, coconut, banana chips and banana shaped sprinkles. He named his Cocoa Nana Berry Bar.

My children went with white chocolate topped with banana chips, cashews, candy coated chocolate, strawberry flakes and sprinkles. They called their bar, Banana Sprinkled Strawberry Cashew Nut.

The candy bars were very good. Of course, the fact that we each got to choose our favorite type of chocolate and our favorite toppings, made the bars a real treat. It's not something you would likely do every day, but for a special occasion or a unique gift, a Chocri bar would definitely be a great option.

Chocri will officially launch in the U.S. on January 11 (perfect timing for Valentine's Day gifts!), but you can check it out a little before that. They will have an invitation-only launch on January 5. To get the invitation code, you only have to give your email address at www.createmychocolate.com (there's a box on the left). They will only send the password - no spam - so people can enter the website before the general public.

The chocolate in these customized bars is organic and fair-trade chocolate from Belgium. And Chocri donates part of their revenues to DIV Kinder, a charity organization that cares for the needs of homeless and orphaned children on the Ivory Coast. You can find more info at the Chocri blog about their contributions and support of charity.

What would you top your Chocri bar with?

I received no compensation for this post. I did have the opportunity to create three custom candy bars for my family to sample and enjoy.

Cheerios Coupons

Sign up here to receive 4 coupons for $1 off of Cheerios over the next few weeks. You will also be entered to win a free box of Cheerios.

It appears that they are giving away over 50,000 full-size boxes. If you win a free box you will be notified in a few weeks.

Disney On Ice Winner

Congratulations to Stacey! She is the winner of the Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate Family 4-pack of tickets.

An e-mail will be sent to Stacey and she will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Thank you to everyone for participating.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

7
Timestamp: 2009-12-27 15:46:28 UTC

Menu Plan Monday

I did a lot of grocery shopping this weekend. I went through my coupons and found all of my coupons that expire on 12/31 and used those in conjunction with some sales to get some really good deals. At Giant Eagle, I saved 49% on my grocery bill. In fact, I had gone through a self-checkout lane and the attendant had to come over and help me because there is a limit to the number of coupons it will accept (only 2 of each coupon and then evidently only up to 30% savings). The best deal was the 10 boxes of cereal for $7, but I got plenty of other things. I also headed to Walmart where I picked up some frozen stuff to start restocking the freezer. I still need to head out and pick up some more fixin's for New Year's Eve. We are having seafood and I always prefer to pick that up closer to the day that we will use it.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

This week, we are all home, so we will have breakfast and lunch at home too. It likely will be cereal for breakfast and sandwiches or leftovers for lunch.


Sunday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Turkey Tetrazzini (the last of the Christmas turkey)

Monday
Chicken Caesar salads

Tuesday
Spaghetti and Meatballs

Wednesday
Chicken Gravy over Biscuits

Thursday
Crab Cakes, Shrimp, Munchies

Friday
Pork Chops and Sauerkraut

Saturday
Leftovers


Check out other menu plans for the week at Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/27

There are some okay deals this week at CVS. I figure I will go to pick up a few things, but there are some deals that aren't as good as they have been in recent weeks, so I'm likely to wait on those.

1 - Colgate Total
1 - Dove Bar
2 - Old Spice Deodorant
1 - Secret Flawless
2 - Pantene Hair Care
1 - Ivory Bar Soap

-$1 Colgate Mfg coupon
-$1 Dove CVS coupon ($100 flu book)
-$2 Buy 2 Old Spice get Secret Flawless free mfg coupon
-$3 $3/2 Pantene mfg coupon
-$1 Ivory Bar Soap Mfg coupon

$9.99 total OOP, earn $2, $1 and $2 ECBs.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge

1 - Dove Bar
1 - Ivory Bar Soap
2 - Old Spice Deodorant
1 - Secret Flawless

-$1 Dove CVS coupon ($100 flu book)
-$1 Ivory Bar Soap Mfg coupon
-$2 Buy 2 Old Spice get Secret Flawless free mfg coupon

Total $4 OOP, earn $1 ECB.

Transaction #2
1 - Colgate Total

-$1 Colgate Mfg coupon

Total $1.99. Pay with $1 ECB from Transaction #1 and $.99 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

Total $4.99 OOP, with $2 ECBs to roll for $11 in product.

For more $5 scenarios, check out Keeping the Kingdom First CVS $5 Challenge.

GM Cereals

I always like it when I can find a good deal on cereal. We eat a lot of cereal at our house. It is what we have for breakfast each day. My daughter still likes to nibble on a snack cup of cereal when we are out and about. We have even been known on occasion to have it for dinner or for an evening snack.

I admit that I enjoy a snack of cereal...it let's me enjoy a sweet indulgence without guilt. Sure, those pre-sweetened cereals that I consume have sugar in them, but really a single serving bowl with 1/2 c of low fat milk is still only about 200 calories and with the milk, provides me with vitamins and minerals that are important to my health. Sometimes, I use a bowl of cereal to get my chocolate fix in a healthy, low calorie way. (it's only 3 - 4 Points for the bowl)

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals.

I was excited to hear a few weeks ago that General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals that advertise to kids to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

Here are a few cereal benefits and facts that MyBlogSpark and General Mills shared:

1. Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.

2. Ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.

3. More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

4. Ready-to-eat cereals, including pre-sweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets.

5. Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.

It's not just an opinion, studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

I received no compensation for this post. I received the information from General Mills and My Blog Spark. I received VIP coupons for free boxes of cereal for my family to enjoy.

Sound of Music 50th Anniversary

One of my favorite musicals of all time is the Sound of Music. I will confess that I know it best from the film version, but have seen it live on stage a few times - at a Dinner Theater, a community theater production, a high school performance. Did you know that this year that Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound of Music marks it's 50th Anniversary. It premiered on Broadway on November 14, 1959, almost 6 years before the movie version I am so familiar with.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary, they have released a special The Sound of Music: 50th Anniversary Edition [CAST RECORDING]. In addition, there is a newly released pop-up book celebrating the Sound of Music. Since I am a huge fan of the Sound of Music and the soundtrack, when I was contacted about reviewing the album and receiving The Sound of Music Classical Collectible Pop-Up, I jumped at the opportunity.

As soon as I received it, I had my husband download the soundtrack through the link I was provided. I really enjoyed listening to it. The one thing though that quickly was evident, as I recall from seeing it live a few times, the soundtrack for the stage version and the film version are different. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when you are used to a certain set of songs, it is strange to not hear all of them and to hear other songs. I am also used to hearing Julie Andrews and the film cast sing many of these songs. The versions on the Soundtrack CD are wonderful and I found myself singing right along with the familiar songs. I think I could become very familiar with the other songs and be able to sing along with them as well (okay, not the bonus tracks in other languages - I'd have to know those languages to be able to sing along) . Of the songs that are new to me, an Ordinary Couple is perhaps my favorite.

In addition to the classic tracks from the original stage soundtrack there are also three bonus songs which include...

- From Switzerland: The Pratt Family which is a silly spoof of The Sound of Music created for and performed by Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett in 1962 on their TV special Julie and Carol Live at Carnegie Hall.

- Edelweiss sung in German.

- Sök dig till bergen by Tommy Körberg which is Climb Every Mountain sung in Swedish.

You can preview all of the songs through Amazon here.

In addition to the soundtrack, there is an amazing Pop-Up book that I was sent, based on the Sound of Music. The book is magnificent - the illustrations are well done and the pop ups are the most complex I have ever seen. On the first page, it features a twirling Marie by a stream in the mountains. On each page of the large pop up book, there are inset pages that also include small pop-ups. These insets have more of the story and include the lyrics to a number of the songs as well.

It is a book that I definitely have and will share with my daughter, as long as I am holding the book and she isn't touching. I would hate to see such an amazing book destroyed, like some of the other pop-up books we have at our house.

For Sound of Music fans, I think that both the soundtrack and the Pop-Up book would be great additions to your home library. You can purchase the soundtrack or download it as an MP3. Both the book and the soundtrack are found on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Borders and other retail locations.

I received no compensation for this post, but did receive a link to download the soundtrack for free and was sent a copy of The Sound of Music Pop-up book to review and share with my family.

CVS Deals - 12/23

I headed to CVS on Wednesday to pick up this week's deals as well as some stocking stuffers for the family. I got some great deals. I wound up adding the Glade deal at checkout when I discovered I wasn't going to be able to pay with ECBs because mine were too big and found the CVS coupons for the Sense and Spray that had been available on CVS.com a few months ago.

Transaction #1
1 - Mike and Ike box
1 - Listerine Pocket Pack
1 - Oral B toothbrush
1 - Oral B Satin Floss
2 - Glade Sense & Spray starter sets
1 - Nivea Body Wash
2 - M&M minis
2 - Dentyne Ice 24ct gum

-$5 $5/$20 CVS coupon
-$.50 Listerine Pocket Pack mfg coupon
-$1 Oral B Floss Mfg coupon
-$3 Glade Sense & Spray CVS coupon
-$2 Glade Sense & Spray Peelie
-$3 Glade Sense & Spray CVS coupon
-$2 Glade Sense & Spray Peelie
-$2 Nivea Body Wash IP (from coupons.com)
-$1.29 Dentyne BOGO coupon

Paid with $15 in ECBs and $1.64 OOP ($1.50 was tax). Earned $5, $2, $2, $3, and $4 ECBs ($16 total). My net cost for the trip then was $.64. Not too shabby, I saved $47.78 according to my receipt.

I also managed to convert from high value to lower value ECBs, which is usually my preferred position. I still have $14.93 in ECBs from before, so now I have $30.93 total. I hope there are some good deals coming up so I can continue to roll the ECBs.

Biggest Loser Prize Pack

A few weeks ago, I happened upon Twitter at the right moment and read someones update that was a RT about a giveaway for the Ultimate Biggest Loser Prize Pack from Diets In Review. It sounded like a great collection. Well, I entered and I won! My prize pack arrived late last week. I was completely amazed by what was included.

I am still in the midst of P90X and plan to finish that before starting into something new, but I am excited about the two Biggest Loser workout DVDs that I received. I think I might work them in as my two cardio workouts per week, once I have completed the 90 days of P90X. The first was Weight Loss Yoga and the other is Boot Camp, both of which are a 6 week program and include three levels of workouts.

In addition, I received some of their Protein Powder. One a vanilla flavored mix and the other their Red Raspberry flavored sticks. I am going to try these as well. I currently use Ensure and Boost High Protein for my protein source after a workout, but it would be nice to have more alternatives.

I also got Biggest Loser for the DS (I haven't checked it out, but it looks like recipes and nutrition type stuff) and for the Wii. In addition, I got a set of accessories for use in playing the Biggest Loser on the Wii. I don't have a Wii yet, I am planning that for a reward when I meet my weight loss goals, as a fun way to stay fit. I can't wait to try out the game, once I have my Wii.

In addition, I received the Biggest Loser Simple Swaps book. The book has swap suggestions (food and non-food), as well as recipes and commentary from contestants and winners of the Biggest Loser. Some examples include swapping a full size dinner plate for a salad plate (easier to control portions) and swapping zucchini for lasagna noodles.

The last thing in my prize pack was the Biggest Loser Double-UP Hand Blender and Chopper. You can blend shakes, dressings, sauces and soups and chop fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and more. It even includes recipes.

I also am supposed to receive a 3 month membership to Biggest Loser Club Online, but I have not yet received this.

Hopefully, this kit will help me reach my goals and maintain my weight once I have lost it. I love giveaways and have so much fun trying to win...especially, when I do win. Thanks to the Biggest Loser and Diets In Review for this great giveaway.

Fat Burnin' Friday - Saturday edition

So, I am happy to say that I made my goal of losing 20# by Christmas. Okay, actually, since I didn't post yesterday, I waited until today to determine if I made my goal...so I made it by the day after Christmas, but that counts for me.

What makes this accomplishment so wonderful to me is that I was successful during the holidays. We had my family Christmas, brunch with my cousin's family, Christmas with my Mom's extended family and Christmas at our house and I was able to enjoy all of my favorite foods, in moderation, and lose weight. This helps solidify in my mind that I will be able to be successful long term, that I don't have to worry about the challenge of enjoying favorite foods. As long as I control the situation and monitor my portion sizes, I should be able to lose the weight I want and then maintain.

I really think that following Weight Watchers has helped me in this situation. By weighing out and/or counting out my portions daily, I am better able to visually gauge my portions. In addition, through their Points system, I have been able to better understand what foods are better or worse for me...that is, which foods are giving me more quantity per point - which are most filling. I think this helps me with balancing my plate with more of foods that are lower points and supplementing with small amounts of the foods that are special at the holidays that I want to enjoy, but are higher points.

At my Weight Watchers meeting this week, I had a small weight loss. I still didn't get down to where I was two weeks ago when I weighed in before dinner, but just about. I am confident that I should be able to get below that at next week's weigh in.

So, I have now lost 20.4# and have 19.6# to go!! I made it half way. My next intermediate goal is to lose another 10# by Valentine's Day. I'd like to be at my goal by Memorial Day. Then, I will gauge whether that is the right weight for me or if I still have more to lose.

Merry Christmas!

May you all have a wonderful and joyous Christmas!

Samples and Freebies

Requested:
Huggies Pull-Ups
Huggies Pure and Natural Sample - requested to give to a friend, only size newborn and 1

Received:
Benefiber Orange Stick and coupon
Kotex Move Freely sample - 5 samples plus coupons
ob travel case and coupon

Spending Time with Family

I love my family.

I love my job. I really do. It is always a new challenge each day.

Sometimes, being a working mom can be a challenge - trying to balance the family you love and the job you love.

Limited vacation days can make it hard to do everything you want to do with your family, but I do my best to strike a good balance.

We do more long weekend vacations than full week vacations. A few days away with the family can be a great boost. I generally return from these mini-vacations, relaxed and refreshed and ready to return to daily life.

I reserve a few days to be the chaperone on field trips or be a room mother for a class party.

I reserve a few half days to take the kids on Mommy and Me dates. We have gone bowling, we have gone to the movies, we have gone to lunch, we have gone to the baseball game, we have gone to the park. The one on one time with either my son or daughter is great. It was especially a good thing for my son when my daughter was still a baby, it gave him a day that was focused on him and she wasn't there to interrupt.

I reserve a few days so that I can be home for the holidays. Having a nice long stretch of days at home with the family is wonderful. With 4 holidays and 4 weekend days, it actually only requires 3 vacation days to be home for 11 straight days with the family. We do a lot of playing during our 11 days together.

This year, we are considering Build A Bear, Ice Skating, an Inflatables open play, a movie, bowling and games at Chuck-E-Cheese (is it just me or do they have bad pizza for a pizza place?) for our outings, but we will also spend time together at home playing games, watching movies, building a gingerbread house and more.

It should be a wonderful break from the everyday...and leave us all recharged and reconnected, ready to start the new year.

And, next year I have one more week of vacation, which I am looking forward to.

Still Time to Enter

Don't forget to check out the giveaway I have going on for 4 tickets to Disney On Ice in Cleveland. The show is on a Saturday, so even if you are a little further away, you could make a weekend out of it.

You can enter to win here. Giveaway is open until 6 pm on December 26th. Don't forget, you can also get a bonus each day for tweeting.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/20

There seem to be a few deals that I will try to pick up this week at CVS.

Transaction #1
Nivea Body Wash
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

-$2 Nivea IP-$2 Revlon Mfg coupon

Total $8.98, earn $5.00 and $5 ECBs.

Transaction #2
Listerine Mouthwash
Oral B Toothbrush
2 - Thermacare

-$1 Listerine Mfg coupon
-$1 Listerine CVS coupon from flu book

Total $9.96. Pay with $5 and $5 ECB adjusted down and earn $3, $2 and $4.98 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Thermacare
2 - Glade Sense and Spray
VO5 Conditioner

-$4 Glade Sense and Spray Mfg coupon
-$4 Glade Sense and Spray Mfg coupon

Total $9.75. Pay with $9.98 in ECBs adjusted down and earn $4.98 and $4 ECBs.

For the day, total OOP is $8.98 with $8.98 ECBs remaining...not too bad to get all of this for effectively free.

For more scenarios and deals, check out Deal Seeking Mom.

Menu Plan Monday

Well, I finally did it. I finally emptied the deep freeze. It is "air drying" now, which means one of these days, I need to head to the store and do some shopping to start restocking.

We were busy celebrating Christmas with family this weekend and only purchased milk for the week. I need to pick up food for our Christmas at home, so I know I will hit the store later this week.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.


Sunday
Christmas brunch - with cousins
Christmas dinner - with my Mom's extended family

Monday
Pasta with Vodka Sauce

Tuesday
Homemade pizza

Wednesday
Pork Chops

Thursday
Dinner out

Friday
Christmas dinner - turkey and fixings

Saturday
Leftovers/find what you can

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me.

Check out other menu plans for the week at Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Day 12 Winner

Congratulations, Steph! You are the winner of Day 12 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Music Giveaway and have won a copy of Handel's Messiah Rocks.

An e-mail will be sent to Steph.

Thanks everyone for participating.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2009-12-21 22:07:48 UTC

Day 11 Winner

Congraulations, DaysFan! You are the winner on Day 11 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown and have won your own copy of Kristen Chenoweth's A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas.

An e-mail will be sent to DaysFan.

Thank you all for participating.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

13
Timestamp: 2009-12-21 22:00:28 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 12

Day 12 Enter to Win: Handel's Messiah Rocks
"Available on CD and DVD, Handel's Messiah Rocks brings the renowned beauty of Handel's Messiah - the Western world's most famous oratorio - to contemporary audiences with rock music at its center. Featuring Tony Award winner LaChanze, Tony Award Nominee J. Robert Spencer, MiG Aylesa from Rockstar: INXS, and the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart."

Well, we finally are here at Day 12 of the 12 Day Christmas Countdown Giveaway. Are you ready for the holiday? I know that I have a few last minute things to pick up and need to go to the grocery for our Christmas dinner supplies, but otherwise am in a glide path now.

I have had a great time hosting the 12 days and I hope you have enjoyed participating.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment answering the question: What do you have left to do to prepare for Christmas?

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use: Enter to win Handel's Messiah Rocks on Day 12 of the 12 days of Christmas Giveaway @ABusyMomofTwo http://bit.ly/88r0cy)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar). If you already subscribe, leave a comment letting me know that.
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to your blog roll. Leave a comment letting me know that you have (or already had) added my button or blog, including a link to your blog.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/21 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Day 10 Winner

Congratulations bleatham! Bleatham is the winner of Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveawsy and has won a copy of Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas is You'.

An e-mail will be sent and bleatham will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Thank you everyone for entering and check out Day 11 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

13
Timestamp: 2009-12-19 12:11:42 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 11

Day 11: Enter to Win - Kristin Chenoweth: A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas
"The film, Tony and Emmy Award-winning star celebrates the holiday season with a wide range of Christmas songs from “Christmas Island,” to Kristin’s personal favorite “Come On Ring Those Bells,” and Christmas classics such as “Silver Bells” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas is an eclectic combination of full orchestral arrangements, along with big band, a bit of tropical island flavor, pop and country."

I'll confess, I wasn't familiar with Kristin Chenoweth before this. I did some research and found her official website. I learned that she provided the voice of Rosetta in the Tinkerbell film and will be doing the same in several more scheduled Tinkerbell movie releases. I learned that she compares her voice to Betty Boop.

If you follow the album link above, you can listen to full length songs from the album. She has a great range and the songs are terrific. One of my favorite traditional songs is included on the album, Do You Hear What I Hear? Having only listened to the cd online, it is definitely one I could own and listen to each year. She has a beautiful voice and the songs are well done.

She also has a Christmas special coming up with Joshua Bell (you may remember him from Day 7). Fox & Friends Christmas Special will air on December 24 and 25.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment answering the question: How will you spend Christmas this year?

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use: Enter to win Kristin Chenoweth: A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas on Day 11. 12 days of Christmas Giveaway @ABusyMomofTwo http://bit.ly/8ZWyGH)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar). If you already subscribe, leave a comment letting me know that.
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to your blog roll. Leave a comment letting me know that you have (or already had) added my button or blog, including a link to your blog.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/20 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

CVS Deals - 12/13

This week, I headed over to CVS early so that hopefully I could get all of the free gift wrap accessories. The CVS that I went to, I got the last of the tags, but when I stopped at another CVS later in the week, they still had a bunch.

1 - All Small & Mighty
1 - Advil PM Caplet 4ct
1 - Gold Emblem candy
2 - Roll Tag (50ct)
2 - XM Red Green Tissue Paper (20ct)
2 - Colgate Children's Toothbrushes
1 - Colage 360 Toothbrush
2 - XM 12 ct Bows

-$5 $5/$30 CVS coupon
-$2 $2/$10 CVS Brand CRT
-$2 All Mfg coupon

Paid with $20 ECB and $1.58 OOP. Earned $.99, $3.98, $5, $3.98 and $5.98 ECBs (total of $19.93). My net cost for everything was $1.65, of which $.50 was tax. I saved $32.50 according to my receipt.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Well, here we are one week until Christmas and in the thick of holiday festivities, gatherings and feasts. I was really concerned about this week. I knew it would be a struggle. It turned out that my struggles weren't just food temptation related. We started the weekend with a Christmas party at a friends house. I did surprisingly well, chose my snacks in a healthy fashion and limited the amount of treats that I had. All week long there seem to have been sweets within reach at work. I did pretty good not overdoing it on them. On Thursday night, we had my work Holiday party. The challenge at this event that it wasn't a dinner, but was at dinner time. With "heavy hors d'oeuvres" to munch on, it had the opportunity to be a real challenge. I sampled one of everything that I liked and then went back for a plate of vegetables and fruit. I limited myself to one glass of wine and drank lots of water. The hardest thing was the cheese tray. It had soft goat cheese on it, which I really enjoy. I took a little more than I probably should have, but since the food I ate was my dinner, I figure it wasn't the worst thing.

In addition to all of the food I had available this week, I also found myself busy trying to get everything ready for my son's last day of school and our family Christmas this weekend. As a result, I was staying up later than I would normally. This of course, left me tired in the mornings, making getting up to exercise a real challenge. I persevered and got up every morning. On a couple of occasions, I had to skip a section of the video to ensure that I got work on time, as I had overslept, but I got up and did it.

It all paid off in the end, on a week that could have been a real detriment to my success, I am happy to report that I lost 1/2#! Not a big loss, but most important at this time of the year, not a gain.

At Weight Watchers this week, as expected I posted a slight gain. I wasn't upset by this, because the previous week I had weighed in before dinner, a meal where I typically consume about 1/3 of my daily Points. I expected that it would be hard to have a loss, but I am hopeful that I am more successful this week.

I now have 21.5# to go until my current goal. I am almost half weigh from where I started, with any luck, I will have a great week and will meet my short term goal of being half way by Christmas.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:
Pampers Extra Protection Sample
Dried Plums Sample enter SUPERFRUIT in box to begin.

Received:
Breathe Right Strips

Day 9 Winner

Congratulations, Thymeofmylife! Thymeofmylife is the winner of Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

Thymeofmylife has been sent an e-mail has 24 hours to reply by e-mail with her mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

Thanks to everyone for entering and check out Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.


Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

3
Timestamp: 2009-12-18 11:52:01 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 10

On Day 10 Enter to Win: Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You - 2009 Dance Remix.
A holiday classic reimagined and remixed for 2009.

I enjoy listening to Christmas music in the background as we prepare for the holiday - while we decorate the tree, making Christmas cookies, etc. We listen to a lot of Christmas music in the car on the way to and from school/work. Christmas music really helps me get in the mood for Christmas. I'm guessing that with a Dance Remix, this album will have you movin' and groovin' to your favorite Christmas tunes.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing a family Christmas tradition.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use: Enter to win Mariah Carey All I Want for Christmas Is You on Day 10 of the 12 days of Christmas Giveaway @ABusyMomofTwo http://bit.ly/78dvyh)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar). If you already subscribe, leave a comment letting me know that.
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to your blog roll. Leave a comment letting me know that you have (or already had) added my button or blog, including a link to your blog.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/19 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Disney On Ice Let's Celebrate

Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate is a party on ice with all of your favorite Disney friends as they celebrate all of your favorite holidays. It is described as a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe, including a winter wonderland, a Halloween haunt, a Royal ball and more.

I am so excited to take my kids to see this show. The only Disney show that we have seen live is The Imagination Movers and they loved that show. It was a wonderful show by the way - my daughter is still talking about it two months later. Both of my kids have been fans of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for years and of course, my daughter is a huge fan of the Disney Princesses. It will be great to see their reaction to all those Disney characters performing.

Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate is coming to Cleveland for 17 shows at the Quicken Loans Arena from January 8th to January 18th.

Friday, January 8th at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 9th at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, January 9th at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 9th at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 10th at 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 10th at 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 12th at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 14th at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, January 15th at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 16th at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, January 16th at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 16th at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 17th at 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 17th at 5:00 p.m.
Monday, January 18th at 1:00 p.m.
Monday, January 18th at 5:00 p.m.

A special offer for you!
Purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 for weekday shows or receive $4 off weekend tickets. Head over to www.theQarena.com and enter the coupon code MOM. Minimum purchase of 4 tickets required, but additional tickets can be purchased at $11 each. According to the website, the show is 2 hours and 15 minutes long, including a 15 minute intermission.

Giveaway
You can also enter to win a 4-pack of tickets for the January 9th, 7 pm show in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.

Primary Entry:
Leave a comment answering the following question: Who is your favorite Disney character?

Additional Entries:

• Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared.

• Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day.

• Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Giveaway will remain open until December 26th at 6 pm. Winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

I received no compensation for this post, but will receive a family pack of tickets so that I can take my family to see Disney On Ice: Let's Celebrate.

Day 8 Winner

Congratulations, Karin! Karin is the winner of Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

Karin has been sent an e-mail has 24 hours to reply by e-mail with her mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

Thanks to everyone for entering and check out Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

12
Timestamp: 2009-12-17 11:41:56 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 9

On the 9th Day of Christmas...
You have a chance to win a copy of Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight. With 100 songs on 4 discs, this collection spans his career and includes many of his songs. This is "a collection fit for a king" The album was released to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the birth of Elvis Aaron Presley. The collection includes some of his chart-topping hits, songs from his movies and live performances.

I've had fun listening to the snippets of the songs as I put together this post. There are a lot of songs that I like on this collection, including (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, Stuck on You, Return to Sender (this makes me smile, when we were kids one of my brothers thought "Sindah" was a place), How Great Thou Are (sends chills down my spine) and Kentucky Rain, plus many more - after all there 100 songs by Elvis on this collection.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing your favorite Elvis song.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use: Enter to win Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight on Day 9 of the 12 days of Christmas Music Giveaway on @ABusyMomofTwo. http://bit.ly/7XlOSg)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to your blog roll. Leave a comment letting me know that you have, including a link to your blog.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/18 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Free Shipping Day

Tomorrow, Thursday, December 17th is Free Shipping Day. There are a number of online merchants participating in Free Shipping Day. And the best part, shipments are guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas. This is the second annual Free Shipping Day.

For a list of participating merchants and more information, check out Free Shipping Day.

Day 7 Winner

Congratulations, NeedANap2! NeedANap2 is the winner on Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway and has won a copy of Joshua Bell: At Home with Friends.

She has 24 hours to respond by sending me an e-mail with her mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

3
Timestamp: 2009-12-16 11:41:58 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 8

Yo-Yo Ma: Songs of Joy & Peace - "Joined by friends James Taylor, Diana Krall, Alison Krauss, Chris Botti, Renee Fleming and others, this inspiring album includes 22 songs from The Wexford Carol to Here Comes the Sun"

This 2 disc collection features a number of songs that celebrate the winter season and its many celebrations. Yo-Yo Ma states his objective on the disc as: "Imagine a party, a musical party inspired by the holiday season. A party that celebrates the universal hopes, dreams and joy animating seasonal festivals the world over. That is what brought Yo-Yo Ma together with a remarkable group of friends - some old, some new - to create SONGS OF JOY & PEACE. It is Yo-Yo's hope that everyone who listens to this album will hear a song familiar, comfortable and beloved to them as well as discover and fall in love with music that is brand new."

I always have enjoyed music and am always in awe of those that play them so beautifully. I like the way that on this album Yo-Yo Ma harmonizes with other instruments including the saxophone, clarinet, violin, harp, bag pipes and more. Paquito D'Rivera, plays the Clarinet on a number of the songs, and those were some of my favorites - in part because, I used to play the clarinet as a child. In addition, the vocals featured on some of the songs are wonderful. Listening to the songs on the disc, it really is a great collection and leaves you with a smile on your face (of course, I could only sample snippets of most songs online, since I don't actually own this one yet).

The album has been nominated for a Grammy for "Best Classical Crossover Album". You can win your own copy of this 2 disc collection.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing your favorite musical instrument.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use: Enter to win Yo-Yo Ma: 'Songs of Joy & Peace' on Day 8 of the 12 days of Christmas Music Giveaway on @ABusyMomofTwo. http://bit.ly/7Cq5uJ)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to your blog roll. Leave a comment letting me know that you have, including a link to your blog.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/17 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

No Slip Ponytail Elastics

This past week, the hairdryer that we keep in the guest bathroom stopped working. It wasn't a new hairdryer, it had been my travel hairdryer for years. It also wasn't a very powerful hairdryer, it was a travel one. Remember when hotels didn't all have hairdryers?

So, last week when my husband was out running other errands, he was kind enough to pick up a new one. My requests were simple, it needed to have multiple temperatures and multiple speeds. He found one that did just that and included inside were two simple ponytail elastics. They were much too big for my daughter, so I snagged them and put them in my room.

Well, this morning, when I went to exercise, I grabbed one of those ponytail elastics. You know what? I LOVED it! There is no brand information, but from what I could find, it seems likely that they were the Scunci. I didn't know until today, but Scunci is a part of Conair and the hairdryer my husband selected was a Conair.

What did I love? My hair stayed up in my ponytail while I was working out. Which, when you are doing Plyometrics (part of P90X) is HUGE! With my regular, standard ponytail elastics, over the course of my workout, first my bangs and then more of my hair falls out of the ponytail. Then, I spend half of my time, pushing it off of my face, where it is sticking to me. Or, I stop and try to regather in a ponytail. Today, none of that. I had one or two loose wisps and that was it!

The concept seems simple enough, there is some sort of a rubber material inside the ponytail elastic that grips the hair and as the name suggests, it doesn't slip.

I highly recommend them to anyone that has trouble keeping their ponytails in place. Also, while researching them, I learned that there is a full line of No Slip products from Scunci - everything from bobby pins to barrettes to hair clips. I just might have to check some of these out. I'm thinking the bobby pins might be a great way to hold back my bangs in a stylish way, instead of just tucking them behind my ears.

Have you tried any of the No Slip line? What did you think?

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday, because keeping my hair out of my way, it works for me!

Be sure to check out my 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Music Giveaways.

Day 6 Winner

Cngratulations AnneJ! AnneJ is the winner of Day 6 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway and has won a copy of Miles Davis Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary Box Set.

An e-mail has been sent to AnneJ and they have 24 hours to respond.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out Day 7 Giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2009-12-15 11:43:08 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 7

Joshua Bell: At Home With Friends - "At Home With Friends is inspired by Joshua Bell's fondness for hosting informal musicales in his Manhattan home. Join Joshua as he celebrates the many musical friendships he has made over the years - a diverse group of artists sharing their love of music in an intimate setting. New album features duets with Chris Botti, Sting, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, Regina Spektor and many others."

I own this album (you can read my review here). Joshua Bell is a very talented, classical violinist. The album would be great for listening to when you are relaxing at home or during a dinner party with friends.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing whether you would keep this as a gift for yourself or who you would give this album to.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use @ABusyMomofTwo is giving away 12 days of music. Day 7 is Joshua Bell: 'At Home with Friends'. Enter to win: http://bit.ly/5tYGuc)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to your blog roll. Leave a comment letting me know that you have, including a link to your blog.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/16 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Day 5 Winner

Congratulations Kerrie! Kerrie is the winner in Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway and has won A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

An e-mail has been sent to Kerrie.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out Day 6 featuring Miles Davis.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2009-12-14 11:38:02 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 6

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition: "If you only own one Jazz album it has to be this!"

Miles Davis was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer and is widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. I've always liked jazz, but never really listened to it (does that make sense?). When I was in college, I would occasionally go to a bar local to one of my friend's schools to listen to jazz. But, I've never owned much jazz, beyond Harry Connick, Jr.

You can win a copy of this box set for yourself.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing whether you would keep this as a gift for yourself, or who you would share this collection with.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use @ABusyMomofTwo is giving away 12 days of music. Day 6 is Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue (50th Anniv) Box Set'. Enter to win: http://bit.ly/8RsF1i)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Favorite my blog on Technorati. Leave me a comment letting me know you did.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/15 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Menu Plan Monday

This week, once again, we are eating primarily from our freezer stock as I am trying to clean out the deep freeze, so that we can defrost it. I am targeting the end of this week to be able to fit all remaining frozen food in my upstairs freezer so that we can defrost it next weekend. I made a quick stop to pick up some bread for dinner on Sunday/Monday, but that should be it for the grocery trip this week. Of course, my husband and I realize that after we are done defrosting we are going to have a few weeks in a row of some more significant grocery bills as we restock.

I have been busy baking the past couple of days. Making some tried and true, like Brutzel Bars and Mint Chocolate Cookies, but trying some new ones like these Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs, which I found at Recipe Girl.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

Sunday
Cereal
Leftovers and whatever you want
Spaghetti with meat sauce

Monday
Penne Cardinale

Tuesday
Cheeseburgers

Wednesday
Chicken Gravy over Biscuits

Thursday
Pizza

Friday
Leftovers

Saturday
Cereal
Skyline Chili
Family Dinner

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me.

Check out other menu plans for the week at Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/13

I have to say that the deals at CVS seem to be getting a little sparse as we approach the holidays. There are a few holiday deals that would make a visit worthwhile, as long as you head out early in the week.

Transaction #1
2 - Merry Brite Bows 12ct
2 - Merry Brite Tissue Paper 20ct
2 - Merry Brite Peel'n Stick tags 35-50ct
1 - Advil PM 4ct
2 - Colgate Kid's Toothbrushes
1 - Colgate 360 Toothbrushes
2 - Lubridern Lotion

-$5 $5/$30 CVS CRT
-$2 $2/$10 CVS brand CRT (Merry Brite is a CVS Brand)
-$2 Lubriderm Mfg coupon
-$2 Lubriderm Mfg coupon
-$1 Lubriderm CVS coupon ($100 Flu Book)

Total $25.38, earn $24.93 ECBs.

Now, if you don't have a $5/$30 or similar coupon, you might be better served to split it into two transactions.

Transaction #1
2 - Merry Brite Bows 12ct
2 - Merry Brite Tissue Paper 20ct
2 - Merry Brite Peel'n Stick tags 35-50ct
1 - Advil PM 4ct

-$2 $2/$10 CVS Brand CRT

Total $12.93 OOP, earn $5.98, $3.98, $3.98 and $.99 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Colgate Kid's Toothbrushes
1 - Colgate 360 Toothbrushes
2 - Lubridern Lotion

-$2 Lubriderm Mfg coupon
-$2 Lubriderm Mfg coupon
-$1 Lubriderm CVS coupon ($100 Flu Book)

Total $17.50, pay with $14.93 in ECBs and $2.57 OOP. Earn $5 and $5 ECBs.

For the two transactions, your total OOP is 15.50 with $10 ECBs left to roll.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom, Saving Cents with Sense and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1
1 - Merry Brite Bows 12ct
1 - Merry Brite Tissue Paper 20ct

Total $4.98 OOP, earn $4.98 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Merry Brite Bows 12ct
1 - Merry Brite Peel'n Stick tags 35-50ct

Total $4.98 OOP. Pay with $4.98 ECBs from Transaction #1 and earn $4.98 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Merry Brite Tissue Paper 20ct
1 - Merry Brite Peel'n Stick tags 35-50ct
1 - Advil PM 4ct

Total $4.97, pay with $4.98 in ECBs from Transaction #2 and earn $1.99, $1.99 and $.99 ECBs.

Transaction #4
2 - All 3x Detergent

-$2 All Mfg coupon
-$2 All Mfg coupon

Total $3.98. Pay with $3.98 ECBs from Transaction #3.

Total OOP $4.98 with $.99 ECBs remaining.

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First.

Day 4 Winner

Congratulations to Sarah J. She is the winner of the Johnny Cash Box Set on Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

An e-mail will be sent to Sarah and she will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out Day 5 of the giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

7
Timestamp: 2009-12-13 12:50:09 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector: "The perfect collection of classic holiday hits including Darlene Love's timeless rendition of 'Christmas, Baby Please Come Home'."

Included on this collection are:
White Christmas - Darlene Love, Phil Spector
Frosty the Snowman - The Ronettes, The Ronettes, Phil Spector
Bells of St. Mary - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, Phil Spector
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - The Crystals, Phil Spector
Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes, The Ronettes, Phil Spector
Marshmallow World - Darlene Love, Phil Spector
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - The Ronettes, The Ronettes, Phil Spector
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - The Crystals, Phil Spector
Winter Wonderland - Darlene Love, Phil Spector
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - The Crystals, Phil Spector
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love, Phil Spector
Here Comes Santa Claus - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, Phil Spector
Silent Night - Phil Spector, Phil Spector

It seems like quite a collection of Christmas Classics to enjoy with your family. Originally released in 1963, it features the legendary styling of producer Phil Spector. Listening to snippets of the songs, I know for sure that Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is the one I remember hearing on the radio growing up. Sleigh Ride is another favorite holiday tune.

You can win a copy of this collection of classic Christmas songs for yourself.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing your favorite Christmas song, classic or contemporary.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use @ABusyMomofTwo is giving away 12 days of music. Day 5 is A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. Enter to win: http://bit.ly/6v4Ydf)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Favorite my blog on Technorati. Leave me a comment letting me know you did.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/14 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Day 3 Winner

Congratulations! David is the winner of the Hall & Oates Box Set from Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

An e-mail will be sent and David has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

2
Timestamp: 2009-12-12 12:08:03 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 4

Day 3 of the giveaways features The Music Of: Johnny Cash - The most affordable eco-friendly (packaging is just cardboard and contains no plastic) 3 CD box set from this legendary country star. This box set is part of series of specially priced line of 3-CD releases and features the top tracks of Johnny Cash. Includes a booklet with liner notes, photos and credits.

I really can't say that I know much of Johnny Cash. I am familiar with some of his music, like I Walk the Line and A Boy Named Sue. Listening to his music as I write this post, he definitely has a very familiar and distinct voice. I probably have heard more of his music, but I've never really had an opportunity to listen to it.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing your favorite Johnny Cash song and/or who would you give this collection too?

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use @ABusyMomofTwo is giving away 12 days of music. Day 4 is the Music of: Johnny Cash. Enter to win http://bit.ly/4N9s38)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or include my blog in your blog roll. Leave me a comment letting me know you have added it (or if it's already there) and include a link to your website.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/13 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

CVS Deals - 12/10

I stopped at CVS earlier this week, but as expected they were out of the free after ECB Santa hats. I didn't have much time that day to shop, so I waited and headed back out on Thursday. I was able to use my rain check from last week's Benefiber deal and pick up this week's Boost deal. I had a $5/$30 coupon, but it wouldn't scan and there evidently wasn't a code for them to enter. I didn't worry about it, although it really would have made more sense to split my transaction if I couldn't use the coupon - it would have saved me OOP. I did the math on the Boost deal and it was better to buy 1 6-pack and 1 12-pack than to buy 3 6-packs because of the pricing.

1 - Boost 6pk
1 - Boost 12pk
1 - Benefiber Powder
2 - Benefiber Flavor Sticks

-$2 Boost IP
-$2 Boost IP
-$2 Benefiber IP
-$2 Benefiber IP
-$2 Benefiber IP

Paid with $20 ECBs and $23.85 OOP (that is super high for me). I earned $30 in ECBs. My net cost for all of the product was $13.85. If I could have split them into two transactions, it would have been a lot less OOP, but I would only have $10 ECBs. I just need to hope for a number of deals I can stack to split the $20 ECB into some smaller denominations.

For more deals, check out Super Savings Saturday and Shopping Superstars.

Also, be sure to check out the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaways. I'm giving away music everyday. Giveaway links in the sidebar.

Fat Burnin' Friday

When I stepped on the scale this morning I was disappointed. I thought I hadn't lost weight and then, I checked last week's post and realized, I had lost weight and clearly just didn't know where I was at last week.

Overall, it was a good week. My Father-in-Law was here last weekend and we ate out for dinner two times while he was here. I was able to plan for those meals and not eat a large lunch to save a few points for dinner. There was a goodie day at work, but I started with a bowl of potato and ham soup for lunch and then filled my plate smartly with a lot of fresh veggies (just a little dip), some corn casserole and a small amount of a few treats. By taking a taste of a few different treats, I didn't feel deprived - something that can put you in a vicious cycle. I lucked out that we were light on desserts and no one brought the buffalo chicken dip, which I thoroughly enjoy, probably because three people brought it last year.

I went shopping last weekend because I had to spend some Kohl's Cash I earned on Black Friday. On a whim, I grabbed some jeans to try on, in a size smaller than I was wearing. They fit!!! I was so stoked. I had to buy them. It's the only smaller pair I have, as I don't' want to invest much if this is a pass through size. Right now, my clothes still fit but are starting to get loose. I will have to figure out the right point to purchase smaller pants.

At Weight Watchers, I had a very successful weigh in on Monday and have lost over 16# since joining Weight Watchers back in September. Unfortunately, I weighed in before dinner. I always weigh in after dinner, after most of my Points are consumed. I'm not sure what impact it will have next week, but I speculate that it will make it a little harder to have a good weight loss. I am staying optimistic that with a successful week, I can still have a weight loss.

I lost just 1 1/2# this week and now have only 22# to go. I am only 2 pounds away from being half way to my goal. I really think that being half way to my goal by Christmas should be completely feasible.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:

Free subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine
Free Bag of Stacy's Pita Chips

Received:
Always Infinity Sample

Olay Quench Offer

Right now, there is a rebate available for Free Olay Quench Body Lotion. You must purchase the Olay Quench by 1/29/10 and submit your rebate by 2/12/10. You can submit this for two rebates, but if you are doing 2 submissions, you must submit them together.

To make the deal even sweeter, pair it with the coupon from the last P&G Brand Saver that is Buy Any Olay Body Wash and get a Free Olay Body Lotion. I'm not sure on the price for these items, but you should be able to get the two for just about free after coupon and rebate. The coupon expires 12/31/09.

Day 2 Winner

Congratulations to Reva Skie you are the winner of the Day 2 Giveaway - Dolly box set, as part of the Sony 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

An e-mail has been sent to Reva Skie and they have 24 hours to respond.

Thanks to everyone for entering and be sure to check out the Day 3 Giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

14
Timestamp: 2009-12-11 11:36:15 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 3

Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaways features Do What You, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates - The first box set from the most successful pop duo of all time!. This 4CD box set includes all of their hits featuring "Maneater" & "Rich Girl" plus live tracks and rarities.

I have always enjoyed Hall & Oates. One of the CDs that I bought early on was Rock 'n Soul part 1. I also always liked Method of Modern Love - I think it was because of the way that they spelled in the song M-E-T-H-O-D-O-F-L-O-V-E. Something about it was always catchy to me.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing your favorite Hall & Oates song.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter
- Tweet about the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaways. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (1 entry; you can use bit.ly/8abLA9 to link to that post)
- Tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use http://bit.ly/91iciL to link to this post)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.
4. Add my button to your sidebar or include my blog in your blog roll. Leave me a comment letting me know you have and include a link to your website.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/12 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Day 1 Winner

Congratulations Stacey! You are the winner of the AC/DC Back Tracks on Day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway.

An e-mail has been sent to Stacey.

Thanks everyone for entering and check out today's giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

19
Timestamp: 2009-12-10 11:40:15 UTC

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 2

Day 2 of the giveaways features the Dolly box set: The first-ever complete career spanning box set from country music's queen. Features 99 tracks on 4 CDs.

I remember as a child watching Dolly Parton the show Nine to Five and remember her singing Islands In the Stream with Kenny Rogers. I didn't know much of her music back then, but in college, I had a friend who was really into country music and I did start to listen to some of her music then. I know that at least one of her songs was on the tape I would put in my Walkman when I was exercising - Romeo. (yes, I'm that old that I had a Walkman for exercising)

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment - who will this gift be for? Or, will it be for you?

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter
- Tweet about the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaways. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (1 entry; you can use bit.ly/8abLA9 to link to that post)
- Tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (may complete up to 3 times, 1 entry for each tweet; you can use http://bit.ly/70XSov to link to this post)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or Daily Updates. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe (sign up on the sidebar).
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.

Contest will remain open for 24 hours and ends 12/11 at 6:30 am. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (make sure you leave one) and will have 24 hours to confirm or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

Cheeseburger Pizza

In the wintertime, I have a tendency to want to make a lot of warm, comfort foods, but if I make those everyday, they have a tendency to get boring. So sometimes, you have to mix it up. One recipe that let's me mix it up, and reminds me of the tastes of summer is Cheeseburger Pizza.

Cheeseburger Pizza
3/4# lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 large bread shell
1/2 c Ketchup
Mustard
2 c shredded sharp cheddar
onion rings

Place bread shell on baking sheet. Spread ketchup on shell and then add mustard in a criss-cross fashion. Top with beef, cheese and onion rings.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and onion rings browned.

I typically have browned ground beef in my freezer and since this uses a store purchased pizza shell, this is also a meal that can be put together in no time.

For more quick winter meals, check out Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap.

For more recipes, check out the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Motivation

Everyone needs motivation. It's what drives us towards our goals. Those goals can be big or small.

When it comes to fitness and weight loss, I sometimes struggle with motivation. One of my biggest challenges used to be that I would set too high of a goal for myself. When I wasn't getting to my goal, I would become frustrated and lose my focus. Next thing I knew, I would be right back where I started, feeling disappointed in myself.

This time around, it has been different. I am nearly half way to my big goal, but I have been celebrating the little victories along the way.

One thing that has helped me focus on the little victories is my Weight Watchers meeting. When you join, you don't set a goal weight. I imagine that it is because in the beginning, this would be too much. They provide you with a 5% and a 10% weight loss target. Your goal weight is set after you have reached these progress points. At the meetings, they celebrate each 5# lost and as you pass them, you celebrate your 5% and then 10% weight loss. They even have special stickers to celebrate each victory. During the meetings, everyone can share their little victories - on the scale or otherwise. For me, I have been able to celebrate a few 5# losses and 5%. Two non-scale victories for me have been the first time someone commented on my weight loss (makes you feel awesome when someone notices) and when I went shopping this weekend and tried on and bought the next size smaller in jeans.

When it comes to exercise, it sounds strange, but the tenderness of my muscles the day after I work out is a great motivator. It is my body's way of saying, hey you pushed us and now we are getting stronger. Not only that, but I feel so energized the rest of the day when I get up and work out in the morning.

Another motivator to me is one of my co-workers, she doesn't know it but she inspires me. She never struck me as heavy or unfit, but she started doing P90X and now she looks amazing. She was the reason that I started doing P90X. I thought, if someone who already looked good can get those results, what could it do for someone like me who had weight to lose.

This time around, I will be successful at my weight loss and fitness goals. I am already almost half way to my weight loss goals. Finding the motivation that works for me is helping me achieve my goals.

For more tips and tricks, check out Works for Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaway - Day 1

Day 1 features AC/DC Backtracks: The ultimate fan experience! Available in standard 2 CD+DVD or Deluxe Edition features 3 CDs, 2 DVD, 1 LP, Memorabilia all in a working amp! You can learn more about the set here.

I only own one AC/DC CD, but I have always loved their music. There is something very catchy about their tunes. Just looking at a track listing, I find myself with Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, stuck in my head. Many of their songs remind me of my college years - You Shook Me All Night Long, Back in Black and For Those About to Rock.

Giveaway
First Entry:
Leave a comment sharing your favorite AC/DC song.

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter
- Tweet about the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaways. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (up to 3 entries) (a link for you to include in your tweet - bit.ly/8abLA9)
- Tweet about today's giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (up to 3 entries) (a link for you to include in your tweet - http://bit.ly/5CRU1m)
2. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two through an RSS Feed or E-mail. Leave me a comment, letting me know you subscribe.
3. Promote this giveaway another way (Facebook, e-mail, post on your blog, etc). Come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you promoted the giveaway.

I did not receive any compensation for this post

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Courtesy of Sony Music, I have the opportunity to host the Sony Music 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Giveaways. The giveaways will start tomorrow and each will run for 24 hours. Be sure to stop back each day to enter.

We love music at our house. We have created mix CDs of music for the kids to listen to and enjoy. We have some true kids music, but we also have discs that are a mix of our music, and our parent's music that we also listen to. The kids and I sing our hearts out in the car. My daughter has been known (and caught on camera) to break out in Knock Three Times at the dinner table. My daughter is also a big fan of dancing to the music, be it on a show or a song we are playing.

The 12 Days of Christmas Countdown is filled with a variety of music. Enter to win a copy for yourself or to share with a friend.

Be sure to check back each day to enter to win.

Free Bag of Stacy's Pita Chips

I normally wait to post about freebies until Friday, but I figured this one might be gone by then. Become a fan of Stacy's Pita Chips on Facebook and you can request a coupon be sent to you for a free bag of Stacy's Pita Chips (up to $3.99). Offer is limited to the first 65,000.

Menu Plan Monday

This week, once again, we are eating primarily from our freezer stock as I am trying to clean out the deep freeze, so that we can defrost it. It's been quite a few years and it needs to be done. I made a quick stop to pick up milk, produce and a few other missing ingredients for this week's menu. I spent under $20.

I was out all afternoon on Sunday, but my Father-in-Law was here and agreed to make us dinner, so we had his homemade Pasta e Fagioli for dinner on Sunday (and leftovers to have for lunch).

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

Sunday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Pasta e Fagioli

Monday
Dinner at our favorite local Mexican

Tuesday
Popcorn Shrimp

Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Tacos

Friday
Pork Chops

Saturday
Cereal
Cube Steaks

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me.

Check out other menu plans for the week at Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/6

There are a couple of deals this week at CVS, but not many that really jump out at me.

Transaction #1
3 - Boost Shakes

-$2 Boost IP
-$2 Boost IP
-$2 Boost IP (will need a second computer to get a 3rd coupon)

Total $17.97, earn $10 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Crest Toothpaste
1 - Pantene Family Size
1 - Merry Brite Santa Hat

-$.75 Crest Mfg coupon
-$.75 Crest Mfg coupon
-$2 Pantene Mfg coupon (from Vocal Point)

Total $10.98. Psy with $10 ECBs and $.98 OOP. Earn $2.50, $2 and $3.99 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Merry Brite Santa Hat

Total $3.99. Pay with $3.99 ECBs and earn $3.99 ECBs.

There also are the $2/$10 CVS brand coupons, if you do the Essence of Beauty two-day deal, you can throw in a bag of nuts or candy and use this coupon. There are some $2/1 Revlon color and $1/1 Revlon tool coupons that could work well in the Revlon spend $15, get $5 deal.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $5 Challenge

Coming soon

Burt's Bees Grab Bag Deal

I saw this over at Keeping the Kingdom First and just had to share.

Right now, Burt's Bees has their Premium Grab Bag (over MSRP $50) on sale for $25. You'll get 8 full-sized products: 5 lip products, a 4 oz. All In One Wash and a full sized hand creme; 11 mini-size products; and 4 special gifts! There are a lot of reviews and the item gets a 5 star rating.

I know that I have really liked the Burt's Bees product I have tried. You could either keep the bag whole and give it as a gift or split it up and use it for stocking stuffers.

You can get more details over at Burt's Bees.

But, the deal gets better. Enter coupon code BURT20 at check out to get 20% off your purchase, making the Premium Grab Bag just $20.

Thanks Alyssa for sharing this great deal.

CVS Deals - 12/4

After getting access to another computer to print some more Benefiber coupons, I headed back to CVS to pick it up. While there, I got a $2/$10 CVS coupon and noticed that they finally had their school supplies back in, so I used up many of my rainchecks.

1 - Benefiber Sticks, flavored
2 - Caliber Composition Books
1 - Caliber Safety Scissors
2 - Caliber Eraser Caps
2 - Caliber Pencils, 10ct
2 - Caliber Pencil Cases

-$2 Benefiber IP
-$2 Benefiber IP
-$2 $2/$10 CVS Brand CRT

Paid with $10, $10 and $2 ECBs and $1.07 OOP. Earned $4, $3, $2, $2, and $2.

I then stopped at another CVS, so I could get my $10 on the Benefiber...I was less than $2 away.

1 - Benefiber

-$2 Benefiber IP

Paid with $3 and $2 ECBs and $.69 OOP. Earned $10 ECBs.

My net cost for everything was $3.76, with $2 ECB decrease and $1.76 OOP.

For more deals, check out Super Savings Saturday and Shopping Superstars.