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We have another great giveaway to announce! Who would like 500 free business cards? I have talked to all of you readers before about how important business cards can be.

Who knows when you will end up talking to someone about your business or website. You need to leave them with something to remember you by. How many times have you tried to remember the name of a website but you just can not think of it? You do not want that to happen when it comes to your website.

UPrinting, our new blog sponsor, would like to giveaway 500 business cards to two of our lucky readers. If you win, you can choose between 3 different business card sizes! Giveaway ends Sept 9th.

Shipping must be paid by Winner. Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY.

Here are all of the choices.

• Choose size: 2x3.5”, 2x3”, 2x2";
• Choose paper: 14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated
• Choose Color: (4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside

HOW CAN YOU ENTER?

Your main entry will be to comment on this post about why you would like to win.

EXTRA ENTRIES

• Blog about the giveaway and include a link back to this post. Make a new comment here with the URL to your post.
• Follow this blog - It is on the left sidebar. If you are already a follower it still counts. Make a new comment here that includes your follower name.
• Subscribe to the RSS Feed (left side bar) and make a new comment.
• Add the Your Fun Family Blog to your blogroll. Make a new comment and be sure to use your URL when you post it.
• Fav the Your Fun Family Blog on Technorati and make a new comment.
• Follow us on Twitter and make a new comment.
• Share this giveaway post on Kirtsy, Digg, Twitter, Stumble, or anything else you can think of. Each one counts for one entry so each should have a separate comment. It must include the link where it can be found to count.

I will be deleting comments that do not follow the rules so others get a fair chance. Remember that two winners will be chosen so the odds are better. If the second random comment chosen is of the same person as the first another number will be chosen. The winners will have 48 hours to email me with their mailing address. If they fail to contact me a new winner will be chosen.

If you are not one of the two winners you should still check out UPrintings Die Cut Business Cards. The have a few to choose from and they really stand out.

We have a new giveaway to announce! This giveaway is to help announce the BIG CLIP campaign that Sam's Club and Box Tops For Education are doing. From now until September 4th you can get more Box Tops coupons on your favorite back-to-school brands at Sam´s Club and maximize your earnings for your school.

You will find your favorite brands participating: Cheerios, Ziploc containers, Ziploc sandwich bags, Honey Nut Cheerios, Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fiber One Oats and Chocolate Bars, Nature Valley Bars, Scott Paper Towels, Huggies Baby Wipes and Kleenex Facial Tissues.

I was very excited when they told me that I would be given a one year membership to Sam's Club. I had not been to Sam's Club in years. We move so much that I just kept forgetting about it. I love Sam's Club! I always felt like a little kid shopping there. James and I have a lot of fun there. We are shoppers after all.

It is perfect for parents. You can get everything you need in bulk and save a lot of money. I stocked up on tons of breakfast cereal, school snacks, after school snacks, fast meals for on the go days, and of course things we use tons of like toilet paper. I feel like I am always buying TP.

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

• One lucky winner will get a 1 day pass to Sam's Club and a $25 Sam's Club gift card.
• Four runner up winners will receive a 1 day pass to Sam's Club.

Thank you Sam's Club and Box Tops For Education for this giveaway. This giveaway ends Sept 6th.

*Before entering check to be sure that there is a Sam's Club near you.

*Check the end of this post for a Box Tops For Education sweepstakes.


HOW CAN YOU ENTER?

Your main entry will be to comment on this post about why you would like to win.

EXTRA ENTRIES

• Blog about the giveaway and include a link back to this post. Make a new comment here with the URL to your post.
• Follow this blog - It is on the left sidebar. If you are already a follower it still counts. Make a new comment here that includes your follower name.
• Subscribe to the RSS Feed (left side bar) and make a new comment.
• Add the Your Fun Family Blog to your blogroll. Make a new comment and be sure to use your URL when you post it.
• Fav the Your Fun Family Blog on Technorati and make a new comment.
• Follow us on Twitter and make a new comment.
• Share this giveaway post on Kirtsy, Digg, Twitter, Stumble, or anything else you can think of. Each one counts for one entry so each should have a separate comment. It must include the link where it can be found to count.

I will be deleting comments that do not follow the rules so others get a fair chance. Remember that two winners will be chosen so the odds are better. If the second random comment chosen is of the same person as the first another number will be chosen. The winners will have 48 hours to email me with their mailing address. If they fail to contact me a new winner will be chosen.


THE BIG CLIP SWEEPSTAKES

Box Tops for Education is giving away 1 million Bonus Box Tops to America´s schools! You can enter The Big Clip sweepstakes for a chance to win the Grand Prize of 500,000 Bonus Box Tops or one of two first prizes of 250,000 Bonus Box Tops! Think of what that could do for your school!

Goodluck!

We have moved around so much that I have put off getting new furniture for quite awhile. It always makes me so sad when I see what has happened to my beautiful furniture after we are done moving. I have had to live with stains, scratches, chips, and worse yet things just all together broken.

I stopped caring after awhile. I knew that if I had new things again I would just worry again. Now that we have not moved in a year and a half I am thinking about getting new furniture. I would like to start with a new bed.

While online window shopping I found the Time 4 Sleep website. It was neat looking at all of the different styles of beds that are in the UK. The pictured bed is a high end one they sell that is called French Gilt.

They do also have many other styles that are very affordable and pretty. I really do not know what I want I only know what I do not want.

I can not have a sleigh bed. I think I am too clumsy for that. I could not have an upholstered or leather bed. The cats would shred it to pieces. I also do not know if I want a bed that is as high up as the one I have now. I feel like I have to climb into it. It does keep the 100 pound dog out of it most nights though.

I can not believe that August is almost over and school will be starting soon. So I have to ask you...Have you done your part to stimulate the economy? Summers are always full of garage sale bargains and this year the bargains are everywhere. So have you gotten out and bought a few things on the cheap and helped out the economy and a local family?

Okay, so maybe I am just making excuses for why I love to spend money. The truth though is that there are some great garage sales right now and I am taking advantage of it. They are a blessing for families that can not afford new things and for the families selling things.

James' dad loves garage sales. He goes out almost every Saturday. He has passed his love on to my girls. They love it when he takes them with. They each get money at the beginning of the trip. They get to pick out anything they want. They have started to learn a little about the real world so now they really think about how they should best spend their money.

It really does teach them a lot. I have even caught Nicole saying that she would not buy a certain candy that she wanted with her allowance since it was overpriced and she would rather get more for her money.

The internet is definitely changing. When I first started learning you had to figure it all out alone. People kept what they knew a guarded secret. I learned everything through trial and error. I would stare for hours at the codes that other people used on their sites and figure out how they got everything to work.

Now there are great sites that will help you figure everything out. You can find help for any problem you have now. Right from the start you can get web hosting reviews and learn what terms like dedicated server mean.

You have no idea how much time I could have saved if this stuff was online right from the start. I was just looking at the blogs on the Web Hosting Geeks website. I wish I would have seen their Content Management System blog ages ago. Actually I wish I would have had all of the info way before I started making websites.

I spent tons of time making my first website with a site builder. Once it got to 200 pages I realized that I really should have used a Content Management System. So I installed Joomla and have been building the whole site over again. Now, I wish I would have used a hosting service that had unlimited domains.

Well, you live and learn I guess. I just hate that I wasted so much time and energy. That is why I now tell people to think big from the beginning. That way when your site gets big you are ready.

I actually won something for a change. I do a lot of giveaways on my sites but I never win any giveaways. That was until now. I just received 2 boxes of Turtle Chex Mix Bars. I would like to thank The Frugal Housewife for the giveaway and let her know that my family has really enjoyed them. It came just in time for a camping trip. The girls were very excited.

Maybe my luck has changed and I should start entering more giveaways. I do not enter them very often. Next thing you know I will be one of those people that spends all of their free time entering giveaways.

Who am I kidding...I do not have any free time.

I always like to pass along special deals to my readers. Right now you can download and print your own $1 off coupon for NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar. NAKANO is naturally brewed for a distinctive taste. The Seasoned Rice Vinegar is available in Original Seasoned, Roasted Garlic, Basil & Oregano, Red Pepper, Balsamic Blend and Italian Herb. Make sure you also sign up for the Splash Recipe Club while you are there. They have some great recipes on the site.

I have been looking for some new recipes since I am up to my eye balls in tomatoes. I found some incredible recipes on the NAKANO site! I think I will start by making the Penne with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese that is on their site.

It looks like a great summer pasta dish. It can be made with either the NAKANO Seasoned Red Wine Vinegar Italian Herb, or Seasoned Rice Vinegar Red Pepper. The mixture of garlic, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese sounds wonderful. The recipe calls for diced fresh tomatoes but I think I would rather make it with roasted cherry tomatoes.

Roasting cherry tomatoes not only makes them a beautiful addition to a recipe but also really enhances the flavor of the tomato. You can leave them whole of cut them in half. It just depends on which look you prefer.

All you need to do is place cherry tomatoes on a pan and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and bake for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

I am really excited about some of the recipes I found on the NAKANO site so I had to print the coupon to try it out.

I know people love to use Twitter but I think some one needs to start a 12 step program and soon! I think I am going to stop following a few people on my list.

There are some that just Tweet stupid things nonstop. I really do not care that your cat just coughed up a hairball. I really do not need to know every little thing that you ate and drank all day long. Please spare me any info pertaining to your bathroom habits.

There are some that may not Tweet about boring things nonstop but they Tweet nonstop none the less. I can not tell you how many times I have checked Twitter only to find that it is all full of Tweets from one person. I am talking like every couple of minutes. I do want to also see what other people have Tweeted that is why I follow more people than just one person.

Okay my rant is over now! I feel much better.

I have an exclusive coupon code to share with all of you lovely readers. Kiki's Fashions has some really adorable maternity clothes. They have great deals already but with this coupon code you will get an additional 20% off of your order. Simply use the code "blogfriends" during check out.


I wish this store was around when I was pregnant. I hated all of the maternity clothes that were available at stores then. They were all hideous. Women should still be able to look nice when they are pregnant.

Kiki's Fashions has some really cute outfits at great prices. These dresses are both under $30 and adorable.

Most Moms would find a house full of kids playing Rock Band very annoying. I am not the normal mom though. I am happy that I am able to get some writing done without kids interrupting because they are bored. I am a little upset that they have not asked me to sing yet though.

We are definitely a Wii family. I have always loved playing video games so having kids just gives me an excuse to play video games more often. It is family bonding after all!

I think Rock Band is probably our favorite game to play all together as a family. Even James loves it. He is a guitar hog though. When he plays he will only play the guitar. This really messes up our normal rotation. We allow it though since he pays all the bills and is rarely here. :)

Once again I never remembered to make doctor appointments for the kids. I really need to get the girls in for their eye check ups. Neona really needs new glasses.

Before we left Arizona she had three pairs of glasses. We had just gotten a buy one get one free deal and then James' work added vision insurance. Of course we went ahead and got an extra pair since they were covered.

It was wonderful having all of those extra pairs of glasses. Her favorite pair were really expensive so we made her wear the cheaper pairs when she played sports and just ran around outside.

She broke one pair playing soccer when the ball hit her right in the face. It was not a big deal since she still had two pairs. Now she broke her good pair. Well actually I broke them.

The girls had been in my room so when I walked around my bed there was a blanket on the floor. Without thinking I stepped on the blanket. I felt a crunch under my foot and knew right away that it had to be something important.

Apparently Neona put the glasses on the cedar chest to take a nap and forgot about them. The girls say that the dogs must have knocked the glasses and the blanket off of the bed. All that matters is that they were the expensive glasses so she is stuck with the ones that she hates.

I think that we will get her one expensive pair at the eye doctor with the insurance and a few discount pairs of eyeglasses through Zenni Optical. I really want to have extra pairs again.

You may remember back in July that Big Fish Games gave away 100 invitations to my readers on The Erickson Looney Bin to test out their new game Faunasphere before it went public. If you missed out on that opportunity now is your chance to play their new game. It just went live today so now anyone can play the new game.

If you would like more info on this neat new game check out the original Faunasphere Beta Invitation Giveaway post. It really is a neat game and our family has a lot of fun playing it.

It is almost time for all those college kids to head to the dorms. The first year the kids go off to college is the worst. Mothers are so busy thinking about what "could" happen and they still are not sure what is all needed.

Sears makes it easy for families to get prepared with less stress. Mothers everywhere are counting up how many pairs of underwear their kids have and hoping they do not forget them at home. The Sears website has a convenient check list to make sure that everything is thought of and nothing is forgotten.

You can also check out Sears special CampusReady section on their website and see all of the things that your kid would love to have for their dorm room. The CampusReady app on Facebook is also a great tool for kids heading off to college. They can even create a wish list and share it on Facebook with friends and family. They can add a Netbook, Microwave + toaster combo, Twin XL sheets and mattress pads, Pop up hamper, MP3 player alarm clock docking station, and a Butterfly chair. Then they can get the gifts that they really want.

If you shop Sears online you can also choose the Web2Store option at check out. This means that you do not have to worry about last minute shopping when you get there, or even worse having to haul everything to another city. You can order it all online and then pick a store close to the college for pick up.

College tuition is getting more expensive every year so make sure to enter for your chance to win money to help pay for college while you are on the Sears website. Sears and Upromise are giving away a total of $25,000.

Why does everyone all of a sudden think they should be tipped? I do not want to sound like a cheap person or a rude person. I am just shocked at how many places have a tip jar now. I am a very understanding customer and I am known for giving very big tips. I worked at a huge sports bar for years. I worked at a constant fast pace and deserved every penny I got for all that I put up with.

I tip very well when someone does something that deserves a tip. I just can not believe some of the places that I find a tip jar now.

I recently went to Subway and ordered a couple of sandwiches. I paid with my card and noticed there was a line to add a tip. There was also a tip jar. They did not set a table for me and make polite conversation. They did not serve me and then clean the table. They did not do anything other than make me a sandwich. Very rudely I might add.

Dry cleaners are another one. Why would I tip for that service. They charge you for a job. You get the service you paid for and nothing more. They did not come pick it up or drop it off. There is nothing deserving a tip in my book.

People that are servers, bartenders, hairdressers, or any of the normal people that you tip deserve the tip because they go above just giving you what you paid for. They have to put up with some very annoying people and conversations. They also get paid less because they get tips.

So have you found tip jars in places that shocked you? Do you leave a tip anyway?

How many remotes do you have? I have way too many and they always end up lost. I come home and want to turn on the news but I can never find the right remote. I have gotten to the point now that I bought a basket just for remotes. I keep it on the coffee table and remind the girls over and over to put the remotes in it when they are done.

I got so sick of my coffee table being cluttered with remotes and magazines so I had to do something. Yes, I did also get a basket for magazines.

I have gotten many universal remotes in the past but none of them do what they claim. They may turn the power off and on but no other things work so you still need the other remotes. Now there is a product that will leave you with just one remote.

The Yamaha neoHD is more than a universal remote so it is able to actually do everything it claims. Once the box is all set up you can control everything with one remote. I would love to have absolutely everything in one.

If this sounds cool to you make sure to enter the Yamaha neoHD Sweepstakes for your chance to win. For more information head on over to the Izea blog. You can enter on the blog and by Tweeting. Make sure to leave a comment on the Izea blog about why you would love to win the neoHD. You can also check out neoHD on Facebook.

Our small town National Night Out was a big success. There were many presentations for the kids. They had a police dog presentation that the kids loved. They even got to pet the dog after. They had a robot that is used on bombs for all of the kids to see. The also had police, fire, and rescue vehicles for the kids to go in and check out.

The big hits of the night were the Army climbing wall and the arrival of a Black Hawk helicopter. My younger two girls got very excited when they saw the rock wall. They loved everything until they got to the middle of the wall. The tension on the safety line made them feel more like they were going to fly all the way to the top if they did not hold on.

The end of the evening was waiting for the Black Hawk to land. As we all stood at the end of the field the Black Hawk started to circle overhead. Then we watched as it landed somewhere else. It was actually very funny. They were just told to land in the field by the school. They landed by the middle school/high school. We were all waiting at the elementary school.

In the end the Black Hawk landed just a little later and all of the kids got to go inside and strap themselves in. There was a mad rush of children the second they were given the okay. We waited back for the craziness to die down.

I was just introduced to this cool website for sports teams or other clubs. It helps teams and groups have their own website without having to know how to build a website.

TeamSnap - The simplest, easiest way to manage your team or group online. It gives you everything you need to keep your team organized. You can manage your schedules. See who can attend and who can't. Track fees and payments. Write messages for other members. Email the entire group at once. Track individual and team statistics. View and post photos for the team. You can even coordinate who is bringing drinks and refreshments.


You can even customize the look of your website with a team logo and your photos. Then use your own team colors in the design. All made easy and ready to use for even the most technically challenged.

Tonight is the 26th Annual National Night Out. This night is set aside to bring communities together to build crime and drug prevention awareness. Communities all over the country have special events planned.

In our community they are having a special family event planned where families in the community can meet with local police and fire department officials. They also have a lot of special things for the kids to do.

We are a pretty small and close community but in many areas people rarely see or talk to their neighbors. Many crimes can be prevented by neighbors that know each other and watch for strange activity.

When I think back to summertime when I was a kid I always think of the church camp my parents sent me too. I went to Spencer Lake Youth Camp for years. I made some great memories there.

Summer camp was always a lot of fun. We would have afternoon craft things to do and plenty of free time activities. It gave us a chance to get closer with friends. It also gave us a little feel of independence from being away from our parents.

It was also fun to get out into nature. The swimming, paddle boats, and canoeing was always good for fun and laughs with friends. The tubing down the river was fun too. I seem to remember someone in our group getting leaches though.

I still love nature but I think it should stay outside where it belongs. I can not live without a hairdryer, hairspray, and makeup. Our group was lucky enough to stay in rooms with electricity, air conditioning, and our own bathroom with a shower. I still say this is the best way to camp!

The bus ride home was never as much fun as the ride there. We had to leave all the fun and new friends behind until the next summer. It was always a nice thing to look forward to though.

This post is brought to you by that neat new Nickelodeon widget over there on side bar. It makes it easy for families to find Summer Camps, summer fun, and local attractions for families.

Last Sunday after our trip to Cave of the Mounds we stopped off at the Mustard Museum. We are known for having some strange condiments in our fridge so when we found out that this place was close by we had to stop and check it out.

It has shelf after shelf of every mustard you can think of. It even has mustard that you would never in your life think of! I could easily spend a lot of money there but I had to be sensible. I loved that they had a few tasting areas set up with mustard bowls and pretzels.


In the end we got a few kinds of mustard that we thought were different. The girls got some stuff from their souvenir area of course. They had some really cute things with Poupon U on them so the girls went nuts. They thought they were the funniest things. The door had an announcement that the store would be moving to Middleton which is closer to our house so I am sure we will make more trips in the future.