It Is Still Cold Outside-Staples Has Space Heaters (GIVEAWAY)

Some of you lucky ducks are experiencing spring-like weather. I will try really hard not to be too jealous of you while I sit over here in the arctic tundra of Idaho, where the sun does shine, but the temperatures are not influenced by that cheery sun.

That was a whiny way of saying that I wish I were warm like you.

I know I am not the only one still freezing my fanny off. P.S. wouldn't that be glorious if one could actually freeze one's fanny right off? Squats might become a thing of the past. I would gladly endure Winter with no whining if it got me ready for bathing suit season in such a fashion.

I digress.

I am cold. Really cold.

Since it is cold outside, it is also chilly inside. Most of my friends can attest that we leave our house sub temperature chilly. Okay, well not really SUB, but still it is pretty stinking cold up in here.

While our whole house is chilly, there is one room that is like beyond chilly. That would be Little Mister Bean's room. So our almost 2 year old has the coldest room in the house. So sad.

We have tried a couple of things, but nothing really seemed to warm that room up.

The Hubs had been trying to talk me into getting a space heater. Logically, I know they are much safer now than they used to be. I still just couldn't think about leaving one on in there. Plus, the whole reason we keep our house cool is to save on the electric bill, so running a spacer heater all day seemed to defeat the purpose.

He kept talking about it and I was starting to waver.

Then like providence I got contacted about testing out a space heater from Staples. First I was all like, "Staples sells space heaters?" Good to know. Then as I was chiseling off the ice from my fingers after rocking Bean to sleep, I realized this could be a very good thing.

We went to Staples.com  and started researching all of the options we had for space heaters. There were tons of them. TONS. The majority of them are all under $100 too. Bonus!

After looking through all our options, we settled on this Optimus Fan Heater.

Here are there reasons we settled on this space heater:

-it oscillates

-it is a medium size, perfect for setting on a shelf because I didn't want one on the floor

-internal heat limiting thermostat...aka it will turn off before getting too hot

-tip over cut off switch

-the TIMER feature (I like this feature because I can set it on for 30 minutes, heat up the room, and 

then know it is off and I don't have to worry about it.)

We ordered it online since our local Staples didn't carry space heaters in the store. Ordering the space heater online was ridiculously easy and it was at our doorstep before we knew it.

We have used it practically everyday. Practically, because we had one warm day recently, and by warm I mean in the mid 40's. I run it just for 30-60 minutes at a time to cocoon Bean's room in warmth. The extra warmth in his room has helped him stay asleep in the middle of the night.

All of the safety features have really helped me have less anxiety with putting a space heater in his room. The only feature that I am not in love with is the LCD screen. Not because it isn't nice to know that temp, but because it glows bright enough it is like a night light, which we do not use in his room. In true MacGyver fashion we fixed the problem by...er..uh...taping a piece of paper over the screen. Yup, we are geniuses.

Overall, this space heater has really helped Bean's room be not so chilly. I may have stolen it once or twice to heat up my tootsies as well.

Are you in need of a little warming up and a trip to Hawaii just isn't in the cards? Well then, my friends, you are in luck. The lovelies at Staples are offering to give one JADIP reader any in stock space heater under $100.

That is pretty awesome. Seriously.

All you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter prompts. The giveaway is going to be a quick one. The giveaway will run from today through March 1st at 11:59 MST.

Good luck on your quest to beat the bitter cold!

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Sorry I had to, Catching Fire does come out soon after all. Hehehe.

I received this space heater from Staples and was compensated for this post. All opinions are mine.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monsters University Giveaway

What did you dream about being when you were little?
A ballerina?
A teacher?
A rock star?
A rocket scientist?

Or maybe...
A Scarer.

What did you dream about being when you got a little older?
Was it the same or did it change a bit?

Having dreams is a wonderful thing. Dreams can drive, motivate, and fulfill us.

Dreams can be big. They can be small. They can seem impossible. Yet they can be crazy possible. They can be simple.

Whatever our dreams may be, they are ours.

In Monsters University, Mike Wazowski's lifelong dream is to be a Scarer for Monsters, Inc. A dream that starts when he is young and drives him his whole life and leads him to Monsters University.

Mike eventually finds, that sometimes our dreams turn our to be a little different than we expected. However, he finds that there is one important thing that can drive the dream, even if it changes. Simply, it is our belief and self-confidence in our ability and strengths.

Can I just tell you how much I love, love, LUH-VE this movie?

Well I love it a whole lot. I love the message it represents. This movie is all about believing in yourself, persevering, and never giving up. When you believe in yourself, than others will too.

My Little Men love this movie as much as I do. I hope that they take to heart the movie's message as well.

Dream big.
Work hard.
Believe.

I asked at the beginning of this post if there was anything that you wanted to be when you grew up.
Well, if you were like me, you probably had several dreams through out your childhood...heck you probably had several through out your life up to this point.

When I was younger I can remember wanting to be two things--

1. a famous pop star
2. a mom

I would day dream about the first, and pretend to be the later.

As I grew older, the famous pop star dream kind of faded. I won't say I crossed it off completely, but it didn't hold as much interest for me.

However, I held fast to my dream to be a mom and then added a few other dreams to the list.

1. mom
2. teacher
3. party planner
4. author

I planned, practiced and imagined these roles. To be truthful, my primary goal was always my driving force. My desire to be a mom influenced my decisions, altered plans, and drove me on a daily basis.

Now here I sit, a marriage and four kids later. I have been a mom for almost ten years. TEN!

The reality is better than the dream...it is WAY harder than the dream, but the pay out is WAY better. I have sacrificed a bit maybe even smaller dreams, but nothing sacrificed compares with living my main dream.

Plus, I have found a way to incorporate some of those other minor dreams into my role as Mom.

I teach.
I write.
AND...
occasionally I party plan...

Look for my Five Simple Tips

for creating a fast and easy party table coming soon. 

Most recently I planned this little movie preview party for my Little Men and a few friends.

 

 They all gathered together and soaked in Monsters University. I watched them soak it all in.

I watched and wondered if I knew what my boys' dreams were. I wondered if I had been supporting them in their dreams. If I had encouraged them to believe in themselves. If they knew how much I believed in them.

I hoped that they thought their dreams were possible. I watched them and hoped that I had given them the tools to be self-confident.

Mostly, I sat in awe and thought of all their possibilities.

So what are some of their dreams...

Have you felt all the warm and fuzzies this movie has evoked?

Are you as excited as we are for the release of Monsters University?

Own It First On Digital HD on 10/8.

Or get the Blu-ray Combo Pack on 10/29.

OR...

You can enter the sweepstakes to win your very own 

Monsters University Blu-ray Combo Pack. 

WAIT! That isn't all though. You can also enter to win the sweepstakes

for a $50 Visa gift card.

All you need to do is leave me a comment telling me, 

How you believed in yourself and achieved a dream?

This sweepstakes runs through 10/13.

Good Luck Friends! 

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry”"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 10/3/13 – 11/3/13.
Be sure to visit the Monsters University Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Giveaway: Seed & Sky Earrings

 
Before Christmas I was the very happy and lucky recipient of a package in the mail. I say lucky in the fact that I actually won a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs and the prize was these sweet earrings.

Kelcey from Seed & Sky was just delightful to work with and after I picked out the pair of earrings I wanted she packaged them up so sweetly and sent them to me.

I was so excited when I got this beautiful package in the mail. In giddy anticipation, I opened the little box.

Inside I found my lovely earrings carefully nestled.

Aren't they GORGEOUS!

I love them. They wear great and they are lovely. These earrings are extra special because the earrings are made from her own hand-painted artwork. Awesome, right??

Well after falling in love with her earrings, I decided to ask her a favor for all my my readers. She so graciously agreed to provide a giveaway for one of my readers.

Yipee! I know you are excited.

So today we have a giveaway. A giveaway from Seed & Sky.

Kelcey is offering one of my readers a pair of earrings, their choice! Seriously it will be a hard choice. It took me forever to decided because all of her earrings are beautiful. 

Here were a couple of the other pairs I was trying to choose between--

 I love the red. I love the flowers. Oh, I just love 'em.

Could you just die over this snug slumbering fox?  

I love the colors of these. The banners are so much fun.

These are nowhere near all of your choices either. So go and check out her site. Browse around and come back and tell me what you would pick if you won the giveaway...I will completely understand if you can't narrow your choices down...go ahead list them all!

Okay, so let's go over how you can enter the giveaway for your very own pair of earrings-

First and mandatory entry: Head over to Seed & Sky and browse around.

Then come back and tell me in a comment what pair you would choose.

Additional entry: Facebook or twitter about this giveaway and let me

know in a separate comment, leave the link.

The giveaway will run from today through Friday night at 11:59 pm mst. 

ALSO, Kelcey is offering a discount this week for Just Another Day in Paradise readers. During the giveaway you can get 25% off discount if you use the code: JANUARY12. You can't go wrong there! Hey and Valentine's Day is coming up...just sayin'...you could drop a little hint to the present buyer in your life!

Good LUCK!

Tea Clothing Collection: Review and Giveaway

giveaway now closed

A few weeks ago I got a lovely package in the mail, just perfect for my Oldest Little Man. 

Tea Clothing gave me the opportunity to pick out a t-shirt and pair of shorts for one of my Little Men to try them out and give their clothing a review. I was ecstatic! I immediately went to their site and started shopping. I love the casual laid back ease of their clothing. I kept finding item after item that I LOVED.

Finally I narrowed it down to this great outfit (modern tee and gray shorts)-

Oldest Little Man loved these clothes. They are super comfortable. I loved them because they were play clothes that were stylish...not important to the player but so important to the momma of the player. These clothes are really well made and wash well. 

Being a west coast girl, I love the west coast vibe of their clothes. I am definitely going to go back to their shop. There were far too many things that caught my eye. Here are some other items that got put on my "need to have" list-

Awesome t-shirts

 boys clothing

Could you just die over these baby onesies??

 baby clothing

I am pretty sure it is not a secret how much I love a great pair of shoes.

boys clothing

Even though I only have boys, that did not keep me from drooling over these AH-mazing little girls dresses.

girls clothing

Are you in love yet?

I can't blame you. 

There is some good news. Tea Clothing didn't just want to give me a chance to try out their clothes, they also offered to give one of my readers a little gift.

Well, okay a big gift...they are giving one of my readers a  $50 gift card. Say what??? Yeah you can start cheering now.

You have two chances to enter the giveaway:

1. Go to Tea Collection and browse around. Tell me what your favorite things is.

2. Follow Just Another Day in Paradise

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway closes this Saturday April 23rd at 11:59 pm est.

Good Luck everyone.

Hey You, You Won...

Sorry for the lateness of announcing the winner...

We are busy having a glorious family weekend over here...

Taking a break to make one of your days...

So who is it...

You, lucky number #57...

That's right, you Emillie Rose, you are the winner! Congrats. 

Let's get in touch!

GIVEAWAY: Super Baby Store

So excited to show you this shop today. I first "met" Angela when we both competed in American Crafter. I fell in love with her cute shop, Super Baby Store right away.  Her tee's are just the kind of clothes I would put my Little Men in. Simple, graphic, and totally ROCKIN'.

Her shop also has just about the cutest bibs EVER. This one is my FAVORITE, makes me wish I had a wee one to put a bib on.

Look at some of her other bibs.

Love. Them.

Today Angela is offering Just Another Paradise Readers something super fun. One of you lucky girlies will win one of her tee's.

Say what? Yup, one of her super cute tee's.

How cute would a Little Man in your life look in this 'stache tee?

Here is all you have to do to enter-

Mandatory Entry: 

Head over to Super Baby Store and look around. Tell me which tee you would pick

Additional entries:

Be a follower of Just Another Day in Paradise

It is Spring Break here, leave me a fun Spring Break idea I can do with the kiddos

Remember, leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway ends April 1st (no foolin' hehehe) at 11:59 pm est

Good Luck! 

Who is Gonna Smell D-vine?

Thank you, thank you Rachael for this great offer. Isn't her SHOP just lovely? I really hope that you go and visit her shop. As many of you noticed and left comments...her soap is beautiful and SO reasonably priced. SO if you are not the winner...or even if you are...I hope you go take another look at her shop.

AS for that winner...

The lucky girl who gets her own soap...out of 58 entries...

was lucky #18

Larissa (no NOT myself...just some other really fortunate person to have the same glorious name), who said

I'm a follower here! =)  

Congrats Name Buddy! You have won some wonderful soap. 

Leave me a comment or email me with your contact information so we can get you this delightful soap.

Review and GIVEAWAY: Rachael's Handmade Natural Soap

Isn't that soap GORGEOUS!

A few weeks ago I was so lucky as to get some of this soapy deliciousness in the mail. I was so excited to receive this soap from Rachael's Homemade Natural Soap. It even comes all sweetly wrapped. 

In addition to the soap, she also sent me these homemade goodies-

beautiful wash rag

lovely bath scrubby 

I couldn't wait to give it a try. Let me just say, it was glorious! I almost forgot that I was needed in the real world. It was totally a Calgon-take-me-away type experience in my shower...EXCEPT it smelled way lovelier. Rachael sent me two of her soaps. Her top selling soap, the peppermint and her favorite citrus and sage. Can I just say DE-lightful. The smell is intoxicating. The soap is light and my skins feels so fresh after using it. I chose to use one of the soaps on my face to see if it was gentle enough. 

Was it ever. Her soap gently cleaned my face and did not dry out my skin. The great thing is that it was still strong enough to take off my stubborn mascara. My skin felt ab.so.lute.ly fabulous.

I had never tried homemade soap before, don't judge me. I am sold. It was such a great treat for my skin, and I know I have said it before, but the smell of this soap was out of this world!

Rachael's shop is filled with even more wondrous goodies.

peppermint soap

cranberry orange

black raspberry vanilla

rustic soap/lotion dispenser

bath scrubbies

AND this is only some of the stuff in her shop. I bet you want it all don't you? ME TOO!

Well guess what? Yup, that is right, you have a shot at winning yourself something delightful from her shop.

Rachael is generously offering to give aways 3 bars of her homemade soap and 1 bath scrubby YOUR CHOICE. Think of all the aromatic choices! Yippee. 

During the giveaway she is also offering  to all  Just Another Day in Paradise friends/followers  2 free bath scrubbies with every order purchased...you pick the colors.

Mandatory entry: 

Go and visit and her SHOP, peak around tell me what you love.

Additional entries:

 become a fan on Rachael's facebook page

become a follower of Just Another Day in Paradise

The giveaway starts today and runs through Friday, March 18th at 11:59 pm est.

Good Luck everyone! I am just sayin', you REALLY want some of this soap.

New Hoodie Owner Is....

You guys LOVED this giveaway. Can't blame you...really who wouldn't want this hoodie?

Well one of you ladies will be the lucky owner of a new hoodie.

That lucky girl (thanks to Random.org) is...

#73

 JoyandTren said...

Following! =)

Congrats. Leave a comment or email me with your contact info and I will get you in contact with Adri.

note: Currenty Adri is in vacation from her shop. That DOES NOT effect this giveaway. For the rest of you, just hang in there her shop will be open again soon.

Adri Apparel Giveaway

Oh the love-uh-liness.

I am SO excited to host this giveaway for the ah-mazingly talented Adri of this sweet etsy shop...

Her store is FULL of the most gorgeous and lovely feminine items.

Here are some of MY favorites...

Look at this hoodie...heart it. I would be okay with a couple more weeks of winter with this.

Oh my gosh...could.you.die.
I would feel not only cuter with this necklace, but smarter as well.

Breathtaking.

The perfect pair of ear candy when you are in a fun and quirky mood.

Speaking of fun and quirky...

Just about the most perfect scarf I have EVER seen.

Are you swooning yet?

Well, hopefully you are sitting down...duh of course you are since you are most likely at your computer...

Today Adri is offering a giveaway for her fabric detail hoodie. This lovely-

Are you clapping with glee?

So here is how you can win this gorgeous hoodie for your very own self.

Mandatory Entry: Go to Adri Apparel and look around. Tell me what your 

favorite item in her shop is.

Additional entries: 

become a follower of Just Another Day in Paradise

go and visit Adri's blog  Mama Mia and say hi to this cute and creative girl 

Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry.

The giveaway ends Friday, March 11th at 11:59 pm est