Hey Moms, remember that awesome 12 Days of Giveaways I did over Christmas?  One of the giveaways we had was an awesome giveaway from Cracker Barrel. Now, back by popular demand, we have another giveaway from Cracker Barrel!

Did you know that not only is Cracker Barrel a restaurant but they have a store attached to everyone restaurant where you can get great gifts and items for your family?  Everything in the Valentine’s Day themed picture above is available at the Cracker Barrel store online or in person.  One lucky Mommies with Style winner will win a Valentine’s Day themed prize pack similar to the one in the photo too!

How can you win?

You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment!  All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post.  (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS as well as @CrackerBarrel:

Enter to win a @CrackerBarrel prize pack on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS #wingiveaways http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and Cracker Barrel on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

This giveaway will run until February 2nd.  One winner will be selected and notified after that time.

Thirty One Gifts is the leading provider of fun, stylish and functional products for women, their families and the home. From signature purses and totes, to storage solutions that help organize your life, there’s something to fit every personality and situation.  The name Thirty-One comes from the verses of Proverbs 31 in the Bible that celebrates the busy, hardworking wife, mother, friend, daughter and sister in all of us. Thirty-One recognizes women for who they are and all they do for their families and their communities!

Have you guys heard about Thirty One Gifts?  I first heard about them in the fall when I was invited to my first party.  A direct-sales company, this is one of those companies where you go to a private party to buy their products.  I was unable to attend but they seem to be everywhere these days and I’ve been coveting several of their bags!

They have everything from small purses to big totes to organizing products that are super cute!

Special: I wanted to note too, they are having an awesome special for the month of January.  Two of the Thirty-One Gifts thermal lunch totes are on sale until end of day January 31st for $10 and $15 respectively!  How awesome is that.

If you are a planner, buy ahead and get these for an end of year teacher gift!  You can even have them personalized for another $7 so for $17 you have an adorable and affordable teacher gift.  What’s not to love about that.

So I have an awesome giveaway for one lucky Mommies with Style reader!  You can enter to win $100 gift card to spend at Thirty-One Gifts!

How can you win?

You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment!  All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post.  (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS as well as @ThirtyOne:

Enter to win $100 to spend at @ThirtyOne on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and Thirty One on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

This giveaway will run until February 2nd.  One winner will be selected and notified after that time.

I know I’m especially enamored with the Super Fun Packs. These are not just Valentine’s Day cards – depending on which you pick, they are scratch and sniff, or pop-out race cars, Fairy Bracelets or more. Get a Super Fun Pack for $13 – each box comes with 28 Valentine’s. Adorable, right?

Check out this pack that my son’s going to use.  These Valentine Airplanes can be punched out and shaped into a paper airplane to fly!

Giveaway: One lucky Mommies with Style winner can receive 2 Valentines Packs from Peaceable Kingdom!
Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment! All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post. (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click Post Comment. You must be on my site you can’t do this through a reader.)

2)Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win adorable Valentine’s Day cards on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3)Like Mommies with Style on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page) as well as Peaceable Kingdom

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

This giveaway will run until end of day January 31st.  One winner will be selected and notified after that time.

And for years I’ve watched as my friends Zareen and Julie do weekly meal plans.  I always thought it was uber organized of them and something I’d probably never find the time to do.

But this year I was determined to try it out.  With the help of E-Mealz.com, I am now three weeks into successfully meal planning!  I’ve been making amazing meals, saving money on my grocery bill and impressing my family with  a variety of dinners.  Typing this, I feel like I sound like an infomercial but it’s genuine, people.   Meals at the Wingerd house have been taken to a whole new level and I’m loving it.

See, E-Mealz.com makes it easy.  As much as I like to say I’m creative, I’m not.  Each week E-Mealz.com tells me what to make.  I love it.  They include the recipe and a grocery list, sectioned off by aisle in your grocery store.  It could not be easier.

What’s nice too is that we never really need 7 full nights of meals in a week.  We do leftovers some nights, others (like on weekends), we’re out.  So you also can pick the best meals out of the weekly bunch.  I’ve been averaging doing 4-5 of the E-Mealz.com on any given week.

Also awesome, you can pick the meal plan that works for you.  Sample meal plans are available to help you make your decision.  (At first I started with the “Portion Control Meal Plan” but recently switched to the “Low Fat” option.  You are allowed to change your meal plan only once so be sure when you pick!)

E-Mealz.com has offered Mommies with Style readers a coupon code!  Use coupon code MOMMIESSTYLE for 10% off your meal plan order through 2/29/12.

Giveaway: Lastly, E-Mealz.com is giving away a 3-month subscription to one lucky Mommies with Style reader!  Interested?  Comment below!  One lucky winner will be chosen at random after January 25th.

Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment!  All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post.  (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win a 3-month meal plan with @emealz on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and Peaceable Kingdom on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

I really can’t stand it.  But enter a solution:  NeatDesk.  It’s a scanner and software program.  You scan and store any reciept, business card or document.  How great is that?  A couple seconds of your day and you’re done with all the headaches involved with random papers flying around.

It’s pricey – I won’t lie.  NeatDesk costs $399.95 on Amazon but it’s well worth it to reduce the paper trail in your house.  We’re talking about saving closets full of papers.  Seems like a no brainer to me!

Extra notes: the removable input tray can scan both sides of up to 10 receipts, 10 business cards, and 10 documents at a time–or even a single, 50-page document.

Giveaway: We have one NeatDesk to giveaway to one lucky Mommies with Style winner!

Enter to win by commenting below.  What’s the first thing you would scan if you won the NeatDesk?

Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment!  All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post.  (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win a NeatDesk from @NeatCompany on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and the Neat Company on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

**This giveaway will end January 16th, 2012.  One winner will be selected at random and notified after that time.**

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What tools are to some guys, kitchen appliances are to me – and I imagine many of you can relate. There’s something about a shiny new appliance in the kitchen that just makes the food taste better – or at least make me want to cook more. Here are some great holiday gift picks for the kitchen – forward freely to the gift-buyers in your life. (Amazing giveaway below!)

Omega VRT350 Juicer: I wrote about this juicer a few weeks ago and have discovered there’s a reason it’s made by a company called Omega – it’s the last juicer you’ll ever need to own. From kale, spinach and dandelion greens to carrots, beets and celery, the Omega VRT350 has handled everything I’ve attempted to juice with ease. As a slow juicer, it carefully squeezes out the nutritious juice at 80 RPM (unlike traditional juicers that use speeds of 1,650 to 16,000 RPM to obliterate the food – and many of the nutrients). The vertical design makes it easy to store on the counter without sacrificing too much space, and the dual juicing screens (coarse and fine) let me customize the pulp level I want. Plus it’s fast, efficient, compact and quiet. $380 at Omega.

Breville Smart Oven: I love smart appliances and this is one do-all mini oven that is worth the counter space. The Smart Oven can toast and roast, bake and broil, reheat and keep warm to perfection every time. How is it so smart?  Its Element IQ ideally adjusts the oven’s 1800 watts of power based on which of the 9 preset menu functions you choose.  BROIL sends all the power to the top elements to perfectly melt cheese or brown meats.  TOAST equally browns both the top and bottom of the bread while BAGEL crisps the top side of the bagel, only lightly toasting the bottom side.  Making COOKIES?  The Smart Oven has a preset for that.  Need a fast dinner and want to throw in a PIZZA? Smart Oven has a preset and an included non-stick pizza pan.  If the cookies or pizza are frozen, just press the FROZEN FOODS button and the oven will automatically adjust the time to allow for defrosting and cooking. Even better, the Smart Oven remembers your desired settings for each category. The Smart Oven is a sleek, stainless steel toaster oven that blends seamlessly in the kitchen and makes toasting, roasting, baking and broiling effortless. Now if only it was self-cleaning…. $249 at Breville

Vitamix Professional Series 500: This recent release from Vitamix combines the powerful variable speed control Vitamix has always been known for with new pre-programmed settings for the recipes customers use more. Plus, they’ve added a Pulse button to give you complete control over your blending. If you’ve never used a deluxe blender like this, you’ll need to adjust your mindset of what a blender can do. Smoothies and pureed soups are elementary here. With a Vitamix, you have the ability to handcraft your own nut butters, grind grains into flour, chop everything from carrots and coleslaw to coconuts and cheese, whip up frozen desserts in seconds and mix and kneads bread dough. Yes, bread from your blender. I love the versatility and power the Vitamix Professional Series 500 offers and the help they provide in getting you to truly experience all the features and abilities of the blender with their helpful instructional DVD and recipe book with over 300 delicious inspirations. Just this week, I’ve tried out their Pumpkin Pie Latte and amazing Brie and Bacon Dip as well homemade almond butter and a berry sorbet. Plus the kids helped me make our own super-fine, colored sugar sprinkles for decorating cookies. An investment for sure, but worth it if you use all its features. $599 at Williams-Sonoma.

** GIVEAWAY ** Vitamix is giving away one of their Professional Series 500 blenders to one lucky MWS reader! To enter, leave a comment below with what you’re looking forward to blending, chopping, pureeing or grinding up most. You can earn additional entries by doing any of the following (be sure to come back here and leave us a separate comment telling us you did!)

- follow MWS or Vitamix on Facebook

- following MWS, Vitamix or me on Twitter

- share a link to this post on Facebook

- tweet about the contest using the hashtag #MWSvitamix

Contests ends December 22, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. No PO boxes and US residents only. Winner will be chosen by random.org and notified via email. Winner has 3 days to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Please not that the product will NOT arrive in time for the Christmas holiday.

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Note: MWS was not paid for this review. Some product samples were provided.

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I love the look on my kids’ faces when they see something with wheels under the tree. Here are my picks for some great ride-on toys for every age – and 3 great giveaways in a super short contest below!

Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug – Perfect for tiny riders over the age of 1, the Prince Lionheart Wheely Bugs are just as fun to ride as they are adorable to look at. Available in 6 unisex designs, choose from a ladybug, bee, cow, mouse, tiger or pig to take for a whirl. The seat is padded, easy to clean and resistant to potential “accidents” from over-excitement. The multi-directional coaster wheels and handy handle will keep your tiny rider amused ride after ride. Safe for indoor or outdoor use. (Also available with a large seat for kids 3+.) $50 at Amazon.com

Kickboard USA Mini and Maxi scooter – These 3-wheeled scooters definitely make it on my top 10 list of must-haves. My kids were riding the Mini version before they were two years old and now at 5.5 and 4, they can zoom around corners, jump off of curbs and do a handful of other head-turning tricks. And we’ve had no major wipeouts or ER visits! The scooters are durable, stable, easy to ride, come in a ton of fun colors and are fairly compact. The Mini Kick is geared for kids 2-5 years old while the Maxi Kick is best for kids 6-11 (or up to 120 lbs.) The Mini comes with a T-bar handle while the Maxi also has the option of the pilot stick which allows for the best performance and handling.  

Kickboard has also been adding to their collection of accessories for the scooters including bags, bells, lights and plush buddies. But don’t let the kids have all the fun! Kickboard USA also makes 2-wheel and 3-wheel scooters for the 11-111 crowd. I recently tried out this 2-wheeled number and had a blast zipping around the block with my kids. Now if only it had a cup holder to make my walk to Starbucks faster…. Starting at $85 at Kickboard USA and totally worth it. (Scroll down for a giveaway!)

KaZAM Balance Bike – When your tot is ready to trade up, consider skipping the training wheels and going to a balance bike first. With my first, we did training wheels and it took some time to ween him off them. With my second, I’m hoping to bypass the transition by using the KaZAM Balance bike. What sets KaZAM apart?

It took a few minutes for my son to get a hang of it, but I’m hoping this will help us bypass training wheels in a few months and go straight to a regular bike. The KaZAM seems durable and is easy to steer. I only wish the seat was a little wider. KaZAM comes in red, blue, orange, green and pink and also comes bundled with a helmet for a complete ready-to-ride package. $100 at KaZAM (Scroll down for a giveaway!)

Trek Jet 20 – When your rider is ready for a real bike, Trek makes superb, sturdy bikes that will easily last through multiple children. I’m not a particular fan of cartoon characters plastered over bikes, and I love that Trek bikes look and are made like grown-up bikes. The Jet 20 is geared for kids 6 and older depending on height and ability. It features 20″ wheels, the option of either coaster or hand breaks (one of my fav features) and cool extras like a kickstand, fenders, plates, pads. The bike has a lightweight aluminum frame that means I can hoist it up on our bike rack, and a construction that will last through everything from neighborhood rides to off-road adventures AND still be passed down to younger brothers. The Jet 20 comes in blue or green though girls may prefer the color selection of the similarly designed Mystic 20. Like all Trek bikes, the Jet 20 has a lifetime warranty. Available for $220 at Trek Bikes.

** GIVEAWAYS ** Three awesome giveaways in this short contest! Enter once for all three items (if you’re only interested in one of them – mention that in the comments so I don’t send you something you don’t want!) Enter by leaving a comment below. Here’s what’s up for grabs:

1) a Kickboard USA Mini or Maxi scooter(color options may depend on available stock)

2) a Kickboard USA white 2-wheeled Kick Scooter for teens or adults (up to 220 lbs)

3) a KaZAM Balance Bike in any color (except pink)

Earn additional entries by tweeting about the contest with the hashtag #MWSridegiveaway or posting about the contest on Facebook. Be sure to leave us an additional comment for each extra entry you do.

Contest is open to U.S. residents only. Sorry no PO boxes. Contest open until 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 14th!

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Note: MWS was not paid for this post. Some of the companies provided samples for review.

With all my son’s toys quickly multiplying in our house, I began the search of finding the perfect toy box. I was amazed to find so many didn’t have lids, and others were just made so poorly. I wanted something fun, practical, and one that could grow with my son. That is when I found the All Star Sports Bench Seat from Levels of Discovery. It fit all of my criteria, and even more. With this bench I have learned to expect the unexpected!

The founder of Levels of Discovery, Jeff Hutsell, had a background in the development of emotion-based products for Hallmark, The Franklin Mint and Enesco. With the knowledge he decided thahe wanted to bring fun and innovative children’s products to the marketplace that are truly something special. In my opinion that is exactly what he did with Levels of Discovery.

Here’s how he describes the products in his own words:

Anyone can produce a product that is exactly what it appears to be. I want to take that a step further and create products that allow children to discover the “unexpected”! Let me use an example from our Rock A BuddiesTM product line to show you what I mean. Our award-winning Schoolhouse Rocker has a fun “school” theme with primary colors, apple finials and movable abacus beads to help little ones learn counting and colors. Take another look and you’ll find a flip-up desk (great for reading and writing) and an armrest pencil box with a sliding lid. Pull the chalk on the seat and the music box plays the “ABC Song!”. Look again, and you’ll find an understamp beneath the seat that can be “personalized” with the child’s name, the name of the gift-giver and the special occasion when the chair was received. I think you get the idea.

That is one of my favorite parts of the All Star Sports Bench Seat. It has a real chalkboard seat back, with spinning balls! My son can’t keep score yet, but he certainly loves to stand on the bench and spin the balls around. I know a lot of toy box’s don’t have lids to prevent children from smashing their fingers, but I think a closed lid looks much cleaner. This box has a slow-closing metal safety hinge which helps prevent your child from slamming their fingers. There are a lot of other items in the All Star Sports Collection including a growth chart, mini rocker, book case, rocker and table and stool set. All would make a great addition to your child’s bedroom or playroom.

Levels of Discovery takes that extra step in creating their products. They take average items and make them extraordinary. That my friends is important when creating items for children. That is why I find their products so exciting. I love our new toy box, and it makes a great new addition in our home.

Now here is your opportunity to win this spectacular toy box! The people at Levels of Discovery will be giving one lucky reader their very own All Star Sports Bench Sea! (a $189 value!) This giveaway will run until Monday December 19th.

To enter, go to the Levels of Discover website and tell me what other product you’d like.

For an extra entry, “Like” Levels of Discover on Facebook! Please leave  a separate comment to get the extra entry.

Good Luck!

I was provided with a fun bench toy box for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Living on the coast of California, snow is a novelty we drive to as opposed to part of our daily winter life like I know it is for some of you. Still, whether snow is a once-a-season event for you or a oh-my-gosh-not-another-snow-day regular occurence, I think parents are always looking for snow gear that can get more than one season of use out it.

Browsing through the latest One Step Ahead catalog, I came across two pieces of smart snow gear I had to share – the L-Bow Gloves and Cozy Cub Kids’ Adjustable Hem Snow Bibs.

L-Bow Gloves: This is just a brilliant idea. Kids’ gloves inevitable come untucked from the jacket allowing snow to get up the sleeve and down into the glove itself. No more! The the L-Bow Glove offers protection from fingertip to elbow with their unique extra long nylon cuffs.

The durable, reinforced palms will last through a number of seasons of snowball fights, and their Thinsulateâ„¢ material ensures warm fingers without excess bulk. The gloves are available in 6 color options and 2 sizes, and if you just don’t want to deal with getting all those fingers into the right slots, there are L-Bow Mittens too!

I don’t know if my kids noticed too much of a difference with these new gloves, but I sure did. I put them on once and only once! No stopping every 5 minutes to readjust, reattach or dump out snow. The gloves kept their hands warm, their clothes dry and could definitely pack a mean snowball. (See below for a giveaway!)

Cozy Cub Kids’ Adjustable Hem Snow Bibs: Another smart idea – adjustable hem convertible snow bib/pants. A mouthful to say, but worth for the years of use you can get out of these! Use them as is and when junior gets a growth spurt, snip the hem to release an extra two inches of leg length. Plus you can convert them to snow pants by zipping off the bib top.

The pants use a triple-layer technology to keep little legs warm and dry.

- A soft, pill-resistant, microfleece and taffeta lining

- A lightweight core of Thermolite® insulation

- A rugged, water-repellent, stain-resistant, nylon shell (so melted snowflakes bead up and roll off, instead of soaking through!)

Reinforced knees and inseam help these pants last through sled run bails and snow angel making, and the silky inner lining makes getting the pants on and off a breeze (a must-have for those “I need to go NOW!” moments). My favorite features are the microfleece lining on the rear (no more cold bottoms!) and the reflective piping (evening snow walk? No worries!).

* GIVEAWAY * One Step Ahead is giving away a pair of L-Bow Gloves to one lucky MWS reader! To enter, tell us your favorite thing to do in the snow with your kids. US residents only. PO Boxes okay. Entries must be received by December 12th at 11:59pm PST. One winner will be selected by random.org and notified via email.

Visit OneStepAhead.com for this snow gear and other innovative children’s products.

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Mommies With Style was not paid for this review. Product samples were provided.

Kate Bayless is a writer, editor and will be throwing – and dodging – snowballs this December. Her work has appeared in Parents, American Baby, Fit Pregnancy, iVillage and other publications. Visit her at www.katebayless.com or @katebayless.

The beauty of this product is that it’s so multifunctional.  (I happen to know the designer of this product and knowing how she works, I’m surprised the Grablet can’t whip me up a milkshake!)

Seriously though, your the Grablet order comes with the following pieces:

• 1 Grablet novus g2
• 1 Grablet Hand Pad
• 1 Grablet Hand Wrap
• 2 x 13” Straps w/ 4 G clips
• 4 x Grablet Strap Retainers

Because you have these extra straps, you can customize it how you see fit.  We’re using it as you see it being used in the picture, as a hand holder.  It still works with Apple’s Magnetic Smart Cover.

What I love about it is that it’s so secure.  My kids are constantly all over my iPad, so to have this additional support for it when they are holding it is a huge bonus.

Buy the Grablet on theGrablet.com.  Use coupon code MWS10 to receive 10% off your order.

Giveaway – One Lucky Mommies with Style reader can win a Grablet of their choice!  They can pick from whichever Grablet is in stock (and note that the iPad 1 Grablet covers will be shipping soon! iPad 2 covers are available.)

To enter:  comment below.

For additional entries:
Tweet about this giveaway:  I entered to win a @Grablet iPad holder from @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/9weyo2

Like Mommies with Style on Facebook

One winner will be selected at random after December 14th.