Dyson DC24 Cleaner Home Giveaway Event Sign-Ups

Here's another awesome blogger event to join!!

The Dyson DC24 Cleaner Home Giveaway Event hosted by Mom Powered Media: Iowa-Mom, Powered by Mom and Real Mom Reviews is now open to bloggers!

Cost is $5 or free with announcement post. See bloggers wanted post for more details.

Prize: Dyson DC24 All Floors Vacuum (retail value $399)

Open to: Worldwide (note – if a winner is selected outside of the US, they will be responsible for shipping costs and fees added by their country).

The event dates: August 3 –  24

Link options are: Email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and Pinterest.

What is required to join? 

• Fill out this form with your information!

• You will receive an email from me confirming your participation a week before the event. If you do not, please email me at teri@momtobedby8.com and I will check into it for you.
• Then on or around September 1st you will receive another email from me with the html code for publishing the giveaway.  Note it is required that you publish the giveaway html in full to be included in this event.

Referral prize: The two bloggers who refer the most bloggers and businesses to join will receive $20 via paypal or amazon e-code.

Edina Aquatic Center Spider-man Theme Day

June 30th, the Edina Aquatic Center, in Edina, MN, is having a Spider-Man themed day at the pool from noon until two with plenty of fun games and prizes. Kids can win anything from t-shirts to hats to free tickets to see the film by coming out and participating!

*I have not been compensated for the post

Pro Ears ReVO: Made in America Event Spotlight

Excited to spotlight my second Made in America company, Altus Brands. They specialize in numerous products, but we got to try out their awesome ear muffs!
Who knew when I got the Pro Ears ReVO from Altus Brands, they’d be one of the hot items in my house? lol When I pulled out the Pink Cosmic ear muffs I figured they’d be mine, all mine. Alas, that wasn’t the case. My boys didn’t even seem to notice they’re pink!
I would come home from work and this is what I’d find…

Doodle loves these ear muffs! He found a fantastic use for them. When he reads, he likes to hang out with us instead of going to his room, but the tv or music is usually going. How is he supposed to concentrate on the book he’s reading with noise around him?

Oh yah, he grabs the ear muffs and just hangs out with us.

Pro Ears ReVO ear muffs aren’t meant to cut out all noise. “They block approximately 26 decibels of sound. Sounds will sound muffled but can still be heard if they are over 26 decibels. Natural speech is around 60 to 70 decibels so it sounds more like a very loud whisper depending on the distance from the speaker.”
I have been using them as well. When I mow the yard it takes a number of hours and I always wear an iPod and listen to music. Unfortunately, to hear the music over the mower, I have to have it up pretty loud. Now, they iPod earphones don’t fit fantastically in the ear muffs (cuz that’s not what they’re made for), but I let them sit inside the muff and because the outside noise is reduced, the volume of my music can be turned down significantly!

These are extremely comfortable over the ears. The cushion on the headband means it doesn’t cut into the top of your head when you’re wearing them. They fit perfectly over my ears and they adjust for length so should fit a child and an adult such as myself!

My hope is that we’ll be able to go to some Monster Truck events or some dirt biking events in the Cities. I’m more inclined to go now, knowing that my boys hearing will be protected. My youngest already has hearing loss in his left ear. The last thing he needs is more damage!

Another use my boys will have for these is playing drums. Both want to learn. I noticed the guy who’s giving lessons wears ear muffs at church and when I asked my oldest son why, he said to protect his hearing. So, thank goodness we already have some. And, no, I won’t need them because I love hearing my boys practice!

I’ll be giving away a pair of ProEar ReVO ear muffs for the Made in America event starting July 4th!
Make sure to follow them on Facebook and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

My Quiet Place

When the weather turns decent here in Minnesota (could be between April and June) I love sitting on my porch. It faces West so at night, when it quiets down, dinner is done, the boys are doing…whatever it is they’re doing, I love taking a book outside and just hanging out.

I’ve been known to sit out there until the wee hours of the night, book in hand, just enjoying the beauty, the quiet, the stillness. We’re out in the country and I love the swaying of the trees, the sound it makes as the wind passes through gently. The birds flying here and there. Squirrels running from tree to tree.

I can watch the sun set over the trees and it’s always a spectacular sight. I never get tired of it. Once night comes, I have bug light bulbs in my porch lights and they keep the bugs at bay. I slather myself in bug spray because I want to hold on to those moments for as long as I can!

These nice days don’t last long here and I feel when I’m outside, I’m soaking it all in, hoping I can hold onto the memory as we slip into our cold weather again.

This weeks writing prompts I had to choose from:

Writing Prompts:

1.)    Write about a time you were forced to step out of your comfort zone.

2.)   Time for a break! Show us where you go for quiet time.

3.)  You know you’re a Mom when…

4.)  Dig out your high school yearbook and share a message a friend wrote that stands out to you.

5.)   Share something you learned embarrassingly late in life.

Green Guru Gear Messenger Bag: Made in America Spotlight

I’m so excited to share my very first messenger bag! I received a Billa  Recycled Banner Messenger Bag from Green Guru Gear to check out! I got it hoping that I’d have a laptop at some point!

As part of the Made in America event, this fit SO perfectly! Not only is it made here, check out what it’s made from:

Billboard Vinyl, 100% Recycled PETE Fabric from Post Consumer Beverage Bottles, Bicycle Inner Tube, Nylon Hardware

Here’s a little bit about Green Guru Gear

“We started Green Guru because we love the great outdoors. We like to play and we play hard. Our adventures take us to amazing destinations. We noticed that the gear we play with had a negative impact on the environment we enjoy so much. We also saw an opportunity to make real, positive change within the industries and activities we love.”

Check out their About page, because they go into a lot more detail about their company.

Now, about MY awesome Billa Bag. I love using it. This may sound corny, but my favorite part of this bag…the strap. It’s SO wide it doesn’t cut into my shoulder when I wear it, even when it’s packed full of “stuff”.

We took it to the Twins game and since I didn’t have a laptop yet, I used it for ALL the essentials we needed for the game.

It has pockets on the inside for all the extras you need for any you’ll need. The side pockets I put my suntan lotion in one and my keys in the other. When you open the flap there are a couple of pockets on the front. I put my ID and cash in the small zipper one and the bigger one right behind it I put our Twins tickets.

There’s a large velcro pocket on the back of the bag where I put the program and various papers we were handed at the game. I also kept putting my phone in there cuz it was such easy access.

The large center pocket…oh man, it held so much of our stuff. I had a water bottle, shirts, books, and snacks all stuffed in there. hahahaha It definitely has taken a lickin’ with all the running around we’ve been doing.

Be sure to check out Green Guru Gear and all their awesome American made products. Check them out on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Green Guru Gear will be giving away a Billa Bag in the Made in America event starting July 4th.

*I was provided a bag for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.