Huge Holiday Giveaway at 5 Minutes For Mom

Head over to 5 Minutes For Mom to enter to win over 30 giveaways and also help give to those in need this holiday season:






"Under the Tree 2009 is our chance to spread some Christmas love to families in need through the generosity of the companies contributing to our Christmas Giveaway. We are so grateful for their participation!

In addition to providing the fabulous prizes for our readers to win by commenting on the individual reviews, the wonderful companies participating in the Christmas Giveaway 2009 are providing presents to selected families who are in need this Christmas.

If you know a family who will not be able to provide presents for their children this Christmas, click over and read more about Under the Tree and how you can nominate a family in need.

And don’t forget to click over and comment to show your support and enthusiasm for Under the Tree and for the participating companies!"

Win Personalized Postcards from MyPostcardPrinting!

MyPostcardPrinting keeps the awesome giveways coming with a new chance for two of you to create your own custom postcards! You can use personalized postcards to announce a birth, a birthday, a special party, or a new DIY mama business.

Two lucky Backyard Mama readers will win 200 Custom Postcards (choose your size: 4x6, 4.25x6, 5x7"); 14pt gloss or matte, 13 pt uncoated with Full Color on both sides (4/4)
Shipping must be paid by Winner. Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY. I will pick a winner 11:00pm PST September 3rd, 2009 and notify the winner by email.

What would you choose to put on your custom postcards? I would let Ramona take over the whole planning process, she has ideas to advertise her dectective agency!

UPrinting is U-Nanimously the best

As a beginning blogger, I was thrilled to join the Blog Sponsorship program that UPrinting.com offers. They were generous enough to help me host a giveaway for a color poster print and I'm proud to be affiliated with a socially-conscious company that gives back to the community, and that offers sustainable products.

The folks at UPrinting have been professional, kind, and straightforward. They offer amazing canvas prints, hang tags for Etsy mamas, window clings, door hangers, and postcards. They are the company I will use if my friend and I get our silkscreening empire up and running. Thanks UPrinting!



Why UPrinting.com isn't your average printing company:

Blog Sponsorships:
If you are looking to find a sponsor for your blog, UPrinting.com is definitely interested. We offer giveaways, advertising and more for qualified bloggers.

Non-Profit Sponsorships:
The U-Community Program sponsors hundreds of non-profits and education to improve our local communities.

Social Justice Projects:
The UPrinting Kiva account promotes small business growth in developing countries.

Green Printing:
UPrinting supports a sustainable future by recycling, using non-toxic inks, and offering eco-friendly recycled paper stocks for business cards and postcard printing.

Pandora's Box

I've been up past midnight for weeks now, doing some freelance writing work and my lifesaver has been Pandora. I love being able to turn up my headphones and listen to a station that actually plays what I want to hear. Pandora has EVERYTHING, from Tracy and the Plastics to Queens of the Stone Age. Now, I just want to get one of those swank new receivers that can play iPods or internet radio. Oh, birthday fairy........

Poster Print Giveaway for Papa

Congrats to Xenia--the winner of the Poster Print giveaway!
Thanks to all who entered.






This is it---my first giveaway on my blog!!! I have had amazing luck winning all kinds of crafty and useful things from blogs lately, and I would like to share this time.




Father's Day is coming up and the kind folks at UPrinting have generously offered an 18 x 24 Poster Print to the lucky winner. A large print is an awesome way to showcase the special people in your family. Uprinting offers poster printing from 16 x 20 inches all the way up to 27 x 40 inches (They also offer custom prints, and make sure you check out their gallery wrapped prints on their site!)

I am going to print this picture of Ramona and her father (just like the Beverly Cleary story) and Oliver the kitty to surprise her Dad.



You could print a close-up of your little one with a missing tooth, an outdoors scene of your kiddos watering the garden, or capture a napping beauty.


Want to win a poster print of your own? Here's how to enter by Friday, June 5th, 9pm Pacific time :

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would pick for your 16"x20" print:

A birthday party, a first step, a special picture with a Dad in your life?

2) For a 2nd entry, blog about this giveaway and link back to my page and UPrinting

3) Winner will be selected with random.org, and notified by email. Per UPrinting’s rules, the 16″x20″ print will be shipped for free to addresses in the U.S. and Canada; all other locations will receive the print for free, but must pay for their shipping.

Carry it all with TuckerBags Giveaway!

Spots on my Apples is giving away a 3 bag set from TuckerBags, go enter before June 5th and you could win one of these super useful reusable bags with vivid graphics. These bags fold up to easily fit in a purse so you never have the excuse of "Oops! I forgot my bag!"

I've got a secret and I can't explain

I've got a huge, hideous crush.
On Detective Elliot Stabler AKA Mister Christopher Meloni. It's common knowledge in my house that I get all goofy-eyed over the Detective Stabler and his weekly appearances on Law and Order: SVU. Don't even get me started on Oz.


My daughter even noticed that I became fixated when Mr. Meloni made brief appearances on Noggin between shows.

I have no shame.