Mixbook Cyber Monday sale is on till Wednesday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but the deals are still flying like snow in Wisconsin. Case in point: Mixbook, an online scrapbooking site that lets you collaborate with your friends to create photo books, photo cards and photo calendars, has extended their Cyber Monday Sale all the way until Wednesday. I've been invited to create a custom photo calendar on Mixbook and I'm having lots of fun choosing layouts, adding custom events to the calendar and inserting photos everywhere, even on individual dates in the calendar! Watch out for a review of Mixbook calendars, coming soon -- along with a Mixbook calendar giveaway! And in the meantime, use the code CYBERSALE to get up to 50% off a Mixbook product until December 1.

Disclosure: I have been given a Mixbook photo calendar (and will be writing a review post sometime soon), but I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. Sale information is provided by the featured company and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Giveaway: $10 off Leapster Explorer and a free Learning App

Did you miss the Black Friday sales? I don't blame you. I braved the crowds last year and ended up with nothing -- I couldn't find what I wanted, the lines were too long and I didn't succumb to the old bait-and-switch (well, the big sale item is all sold out but since I'm here, I might as well buy this.....). But I also get why people do it: they've got a long holiday list and it makes sense to try and save money.

In case you were thinking of getting your child a Leapster Explorer as a present (and if you weren't, you should -- we own an Explorer and it's a wonderful device!) but missed out on the Black Friday discounts, you're in luck:


Get $10 off a Leapster Explorer
I have 2 coupons for $10 off a Leapster Explorer when you buy it in a store (not valid online)! The coupons expire on 12/13/2011 so you have plenty of time to use them. It's currently selling for $69.99 on Leapfrog.com, Amazon.com and ToysRUs.com, and it's selling for $59.99 on Walmart.com and Target.com, so I'm assuming it will sell for the same price in stores. I don't know if you can use this coupon on sale prices but it's worth a try. I will mail the coupons to the first 2 people who leave a comment on this post.


Get a Free Learning App
I also have a code for a Free Explorer Learning App! You will need to have purchased a Leapster Explorer handheld to use it. All you have to do is:

1) Set up your Leapster Explorer using the Quick Start Guide.
2) Turn it on and connect it to your computer with the USB cable.
3) Launch the "LeapFrog Connect" application and choose a player name.
4) Click on the "Leaplet Store" tab.
5) Enter this bonus code in the "Have a Bonus Code?" area at the bottom of the page:

5813-0790-4610-4973

6) Unplug your handheld after the app downloads.
7) Enjoy!

Disclosure: I have reviewed products for Leapfrog in the past, but I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Dinosaur Train DVD giveaway

Get ready, Dinosaur Train fans! PBS Kids is airing a new episode on December 6. My kids love watching Buddy the T-Rex and his adopted Pteranodon family go on adventures and learn about natural history and natural science, and they love the paleontologist who appears at the end of every episode and compares the dinosaurs they saw in the program to modern-day animals.

Here's a press release with more information about the new episode and about the Dinosaur Train series:

THE JIM HENSON COMPANY PREMIERES A NEW EPISODE OF THE AWARD-WINNING DINOSAUR TRAIN™ SERIES ON PBS KIDS® IN DECEMBER

HOLLYWOOD, CA (November 29, 2010) –An all new episode of the hit CG-animated preschool series, DINOSAUR TRAIN™, is scheduled to premiere December 6 on PBS KIDS®, where the series ranks in the top 5 children’s programs among kids ages 2 to 5.*

In “Big Stomping Dinosaur Feet;” “Hornucopia,” Daphne, a Daspletosaurus shows Buddy how to make stomping a fun dance instead of a temper tantrum. At the Big Pond, Tank introduces the Pteranodon family to his friend, Stacie Styracosaurus, a fellow Ceratopsian with a crown of elaborate horns on her head.

Encore presentations of “Dinosaurs in the Snow;” “Cretaceous Conifers” will broadcast on December 8, 12, 20, and 24 (check local listings). The episode is also one of eight fun and educational adventures available on the DINOSAURS IN THE SNOW DVD from PBS KIDS and Paramount Home Entertainment, in which Buddy travels to the North Pole, explores nocturnal animals, becomes a detective, celebrates his birthday and more! The DVD also features an interactive game, coloring pages, a dinosaur reference guide and parent information. SRP: $14.99.

In DINOSAUR TRAIN, young viewers join Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. The Dinosaur Train is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs, and it has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way.

DINOSAUR TRAIN is a Parents’ Choice Recommended TV series, and the DINOSAUR TRAIN website received a Parents’ Choice Silver Award and was the recipient of a prestigious 2010 Prix Jeunesse Award.



Win a Dinosaur Train DVD
To celebrate the premiere of the new Dinosaur Train episode, I've been given a copy of the Dinosaur Train DVD "Dinosaurs in the Snow" -- and I'm giving it away to one lucky Bonggamom Finds reader!



Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite Dinosaur Train character. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.


Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Grab my blog button and post it up on your blog (1 entry).

2) Subscribe to Bonggamom Finds updates (1 entry).

3) Write this on the Bonggamom Finds Facebook page (1 entry):

I entered the Dinosaur Train DVD giveaway! http://www.bonggafinds.com

4) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Networked Blogs (1 entry).

5) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger(1 entry).

6) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):

Win a Dinosaur Train DVD from @bonggafinds http://www.bonggafinds.com #giveaways


The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on December 15, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on December 16 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. Show information is provided by the featured company and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Playmobil Advent Calendars

Can you believe we still have buckets of Halloween candy? I don't want to throw it all away (what a waste!) but I don't want to give it all to the kids. I don't want to donate it all to a shelter either, because why would I want to give other people's kids cavities? I let them eat a piece every couple of daysWhen my dad was visiting he faithfully ate away at their stash, but even with his love for chocolate bars, he wasn't able to make a huge dent, so the candy is still there.

To make things worse, the holidays are here! That means candy canes, chocolate Santas and peppermint bark on December 25 -- but it doesn't stop there. Starting December 1, thousands of kids will be tearing open little cardboard doors and cramming chocolate into their mouths every day. You know what I'm talking about: the chocolate Advent Calendar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no Grinch or Ebeneezer Scrooge, I think it's a fun tradition for counting down the days to Christmas, but after the Halloween sugar avalanche, let's just say I'm not looking forward to the candy Advent Calendar. This year we're going for the non-candy option. I love the idea of Advent calendars in the form of stockings or boxes that contain little presents each day. The only problem is that these little "trinkets" often mean "junk", and they get thrown away. Buying 24 $5 or $10 toys is out of the question; I'm sorry but I'm just not one of those people who's going to spend hundreds of dollars on holiday toys for my kids.

If you feel the same way as I do, there's another option: The Playmobil Advent Calendar. Each of the 24 windows contains a small Playmobil toy, but unlike the junk from the dollar store, you'll end up with a whole playset that your child can play with long after the candy canes have melted and the junky toys have been thrown away. If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Playmobil toys and it's one of the few toys that I feel you can never have too many of. I've always wanted to buy my kids a Playmobil Advent Calendar but every year for the past 3 or 4 years we've been buying them Playmobil sets for Christmas or birthday presents (the twins have a late December birthday) so I always felt guilty about getting them even more Playmobil. But this year Playmobil sent us the Christmas in the Forest Advent Calendar, and my kids can't wait to start opening it up! They are waaaay more excited about the Playmobil Advent Calendar than a chocolate candy Advent Calendar, so much so that I think I will actually purchase 2 more so that each kid gets their own Playmobil Advent Calendar on December 1.



Having a Playmobil set in the Advent Calendar format is sheer genius! Your child gets the joy of a new Playmobil toy every day for 24 days, and each day it gets better because he's adding to his Playmobil collection and getting more scope for his imagination. You feel like a great parent because you're continuing the Advent Calendar holiday tradition, you're giving him a high-quality toy, you're spending less than $1 per day for the 24 days (the sets sell for $17-$20) and you're not giving him even more chocolate and candy than he's already going to get this month. It's a win-win situation and I don't know why I've waited this long to get one for the kids!

This year Playmobil has 9 different kinds of Advent Calendars that appeal to girls and boys with a wide range of interests (police, fairies, nativity, pony ranch, etc..) so you're sure to find one your child will like. You can get them online at PlaymobilUSA.com, at fine toy stores, or at big retailers like Toys R Us or Amazon. Just make sure you get them -- December 1 is coming soon!

Disclosure: I received a Playmobil Advent Calendar courtesy of Playmobil and Litzky Public Relations, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Mail a Monkey (or a Grinch!) review

Who doesn't love The Grinch? We read this Dr. Seuss classic any time of the year, and when the holidays come around, our Grinch book gets read more than ever. There's no better character that embodies the spirit of Christmas better than green, grumpy old Grinchy Claus -- and no better idea for a holiday present! So when online gift company Mail a Monkey offered to send me one of their limited-edition Grinches, I jumped at the chance to review them.


The Basics
Mail a Monkey offers animal gifts for any occasion -- birthdays, holidays, baby showers, graduations, secretaries' day, mother's day or any day. Each gift is mailed directly to the recipient in a clear plastic tube, with a personalized gift card. Shipping is free and you have Mail a Monkey ship immediately or specify a delivery date.

Here's more information about Mail a Monkey:
Mail a Monkey instead of sending cliche flowers or chocolates! Our gifts don't wilt or melt and they don't discriminate based on age or occasion, they just make people happy! We even include a personalized gift card and free shipping!

Regardless of the occasion, mail a monkey or one of our other unique gifts to that special person in your life. Flowers are pretty and smell nice, but wilt and fade from memory. Give a gift that makes your friend, mom, sister, niece or nephew happy forever. When they open the mailbox and find their surprise in a tube looking back at them, the smile on their face will last. Put down the phone, call the florist. Instead, Mail a Monkey, Dog, Pig or Hippo! We have so many great options to choose from. We offer organic and recycled products and all of our gifts are tested and meet or exceed all safety standards. No more mail order teddy bears or pajamas - make people happy - Mail a Monkey! Great for all ages! Perfect for birthdays, get well gifts, anniversaries, baby showers or just because!


And here's more information about their Mail A Grinch:

All the Whos down in Whoville will be so excited to know that their big hearted friend the Grinch is being shipped around the country spreading holiday cheer. Sure, the Grinch is known for being all grumpy and Grinchy, but remember at the end of the story his heart grows three times its original puny size and he celebrates the holiday with the happy Whos. He even carved up their roast beast!

He has shaggy soft bright green fur, long slightly menacing eye lash thingys, old man eyebrows and randomly awesome tufts of hair on his head, neck and hands. He also sports freckles along with his signature sly grin! Oh, and his grinchy feet pads are just plain cool!

Nobody wants that 12 pound fruit cake, a book of Lifesavers or whatever a yule log is. Be unique and send a Grinch - your heart will grow too!


The Bongga
How can anyone not love The Grinch? He arrived all scrunched up in a clear plastic mailing tube, and as soon as we popped him out, it felt like Christmas had arrived. The Grinch is soft and squishy and has the exact same expression that you see in the Dr. Seuss book. My kids have been fighting to sleep with The Grinch every night since we got him, and I'm sure he's going to join the ranks of my kids' much-loved, well-played-with stuffed toys! It's the perfect present for anyone who loves Dr. Seuss or anyone who loves Christmas (which is pretty much everyone).


And don't forget, Mail a Monkey has lots more adorable items you can send! Here's why I love Mail a Monkey in general:

* The animals in their catalog are adorable. They have monkeys, dogs, cats, hippos, chicks, bears and so many more. And it's not just the usual furry stuffed animal either -- you can choose from sock animals, knitted animals, corduroy animals and animals made with all sorts of huggable, snuggable materials.

* You get to choose your ship date, so your present arrives when you want it to (they say within 1-2 days of your specified date). You don't need to worry about fielding -- or worse, enduring daily "Can I open it nowwwwwwww?" whines because it arrived too early!

* I love the idea of minimal packaging -- no plastic bags or annoying styrofoam peanuts or cardboard boxes twice as big as the present that's inside.


The Blah
While I love the idea of minimal packaging, I have to admit I'm still nervous about having these beautiful gifts arrive in a clear package for everyone to see. I think it's a remnant of growing up in a 3rd world country where people really do steal stuff in the mail, but there's a more practical reason -- my kids would know instantly what's inside! It would be great if Mail a Monkey provided an opaque tube option so Santa's presents can arrive without ruining the surprise.


The Bottom Line
If you want to stand out as a cool holiday gift-giver, but don't feel like standing line line among the holiday crowds, just hop online and Mail a Monkey -- or an elephant or a frog or a flamingo or even a Grinch -- instead. Giving a Grinch gets you extra coolness points, but just like Christmas, the Grinch is only here for a short time! Order ASAP before supplies run out!

Disclosure: I received a product sample, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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PhotoCardsDirect.com holiday cards review

Several weeks ago I reviewed some holiday cards from The Gallery Collection, and while I was impressed with the high quality of the cards, envelopes and printing, I was left longing for more contemporary photo designs for holiday cards. Lo and behold, The Gallery Collection contacted me again and introduced me to their new photo card site, www.PhotoCardsDirect.com. They pointed me to their website and sent me a few sample cards to review, and I have to say that this site is much more my style! I love the photo card designs on this site, and I love their great prices even more. Keep reading to find out what I thought:


The Basics
PhotoCardsDirect.com offers personalized photo Christmas cards, photo Birth Announcements, photo Wedding Thank You Cards, photo Baby Thank You Cards and photo Invitations.

Here's how they describe themselves:
PhotoCardsDirect.com proudly enjoys a noteworthy reputation for excellence in product creativity, quality and variety, with outstanding customer care and guaranteed satisfaction. We offer all kinds of exciting photo cards, including Holiday photo cards, baby announcements and photo invitations.

As a GreetingCardsDirect.com company, our purpose is to provide greeting card lines to meet all of our customers' needs that always include: exceptional choices for versatile tastes; ease and efficiency of ordering; top quality materials and flawless production.


The Bongga
Here's what I like best about PhotoCardsDirect.com:

* The price is right! Prices start at $1.26 for a flat card and $1.59 for a folded card when you order the minimum amount of 25 -- and they get cheaper if you order larger quantities. I love that you can get a nice matte card on real card stock, not slick photo paper, for such a low price! It's so affordable, you can't afford not to upgrade to a real holiday card from PhotoCardsDirect!

* I love how the website classifies the holiday cards by design, i.e. Trendy Color Combos, Traditional Color Combos, Floral Chic, Tropical Trends, etc.. The website also lets you search for cards that display a specific number of photos (1-4), or a certain card format (flat, folded, vertical, horizontal), or by color. They have so many designs, you're sure to find one you like -- and with these search features you can easily find a card that matches your personal style.

* You can easily personalize your card with your own message, and you can easily change font sizes, colors and styles.


The Blah
Here are a few things I would change:

* Rather than having set shipping costs based on quantity or dollar amount, PhotoCardsDirect.com has a Shipping Quote Calculator where you enter your order quantity and the state you want to ship to. That would be fine, but the problem is, it doesn't work -- for every state I tried, I got a message saying it was unable to calculate the shipping costs, and I had to call the customer service number.

* The photos print out quite nicely on the cards that I received, but the fonts did not print out so well. They didn't look quite so crisp and bold, and they looked fuzzy in places.


The Bottom Line
PhotoCardsDirect.com is a great option for the value-conscious consumer who wants real holiday cards, not photo cards, and wants high quality, but doesn't want to pay high prices.


Disclosure: I am receiving at Gift Bag Ensemble as a thank-you for reviewing PhotoCardsDirect.com. I was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Whole Foods Holiday Dishes

Boy, did we have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Some close family friends invited us to their Thanksgiving dinner, and we feasted on roast Turkey and all the traditional sides, as well as my friend's special 3-bean salad and her husband's cheesy broccoli casserole. Dessert was the only non-traditional course; instead of the classic pumpkin pie, I brought a delicious cranberry-apple crumble from Whole Foods, which we served with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

The only problem with going to someone else's house for Thanksgiving is that you don't get any leftovers to enjoy the next day. Luckily for us, Whole Foods has extended our Thanksgiving dining experience by giving us a whole ready-to-eat Classic Thanksgiving Dinner to try! I picked it up the day before Thanksgiving, and it came all nicely packed in a big cardboard box. Inside the box was:

* Mashed potatoes
* Stuffing
* Gravy
* Cranberry sauce
* Dinner rolls
* Cranberry Apple Crumble (the Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner actually included Pumpkin Pie, but I asked if I could substitute the Cranberry Apple Crumble because no-one in our family likes Pumpkin Pie, and they said it was fine).
* A pre-roasted turkey (which actually didn't fit in the box, so we had to carry it separately, but don't worry, it comes all vacuum-sealed) and a foil roasting pan
* Instructions for reheating and serving
* A recipe for turkey soup

So we actually had turkey with all the trimmings the day before Thanksgiving! Everything was absolutely divine, so we had no problem at all eating the same meal two days in a row. Their turkey is nice and juicy, and the cranberry sauce is not too sickly-sweet, with a nice tangy tartness. We all love the dinner rolls, which warm up crusty on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. And the Cranberry Apple Crumble (which we brought to share on Thanksgiving day) was a hit!

The dinner is supposed to serve four, but even with the five of us wolfing the food down, we still have leftovers. Tonight I boiled the turkey bones to make broth, and used some of the leftover turkey to make the Hearty Turkey Noodle Soup recipe that was included with the meal. It's really yummy, and a nice healthy way to use up leftovers. I've never ordered a Whole Foods prepared meal before because other places have cheaper options, but I have to say, you get what you pay for; probably the only thing I would add to the whole package is information on how long we should keep the leftovers.

If you didn't get to order a holiday dish from Whole Foods for your Thanksgiving meal, don't worry; you'll get another chance for your Christmas or Hannukah or Kwanza feast! They don't just offer turkey dinners; you can also order hams, roast beef, seafood and vegetarian main courses, as well as a slew of side dishes. Whole Foods also sent me a gift card last week so I could try more of their holiday items; I used it to try their Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, their Broccoli Cheddar Gratin and their Caramel Apples. Holy cow, everything was so delicious! The Pea adores the soup, which is amazing since she used to detest squash. Thank you, Whole Foods, for making my daughter like squash! The Broccoli Cheddar Gratin is also delicious, with a nice hint of cream; it's substantial enough to have as a main course (which we did) along with some steamed veggies on the side. As for the caramel apple, well, let's just say we had a hard time sharing:



This year is going to be the first year in over a decade that we're not spending Christmas and New Year with either Alfie's family or mine. His parents couldn't make it from England this year, my parents already made holiday plans in the Philippines, and a trip to either country is not on our budget -- so this year it's just going to be the five of us. But that doesn't mean we can't make it special; we're definitely decorating the house and putting up the stockings, and I still plan to put on a nice dinner on Christmas Day. After our great experience with Whole Foods this Thanksgiving, I'm definitely ordering some holiday dishes from Whole Foods to go on our Christmas table!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary ready-to-eat Classic Thanksgiving Meal for 4 courtesy of Whole Foods, and a Whole Foods gift card so I could try some of their other holiday menu items. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Bonggamom's Friday Finds -- List your Giveaways Here

Welcome to the Black Friday edition of Bonggamom's Friday Finds! I'm posting extra-early because I know many of you are up and about and shopping already :) Hopefully you'll spread some of that holiday cheer around the blogosphere by sharing all your great giveaways!

As always, feel free to leave links to your giveaways, everyone. And don't forget to get cracking and enter everyone else's, too!

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How would YOU use $100 to Perform some Random Acts of Kindness (and a Giveaway!)

Once upon a time, a woman realized she had forgotten her checkbook and was unable to pay for her groceries. The woman behind her at the checkout line paid her bill; she gave the first woman her address so she could send a payment check. The first woman repaid her, along with a little extra as a thank-you. The second woman decided to donate that thank-you money to a local food bank. When friends found out what she had done, they matched the donation. Their friends matched it too, and before long the 93 Dollar Club was born.

It also inspired a wonderful movement on Yahoo! called How Good Grows. You can use the site to share the good deeds you've done -- and maybe inspire other people to do the same. All you have to do to join in is:

* Do a good deed! It doesn't have to be a Bill-Gates-vaccinating-Africa kind of deed, it can be something as small as paying the bridge toll for the car behind you.

* Update your status on Yahoo! with what you've done at kindness.yahoo.com.

* Share your update on other social networks and see your ripple of kindness grow as others click on your update, "like" the good deed you've done, and share a good deed of their own.



Your good deed doesn't even have to involve donating money -- for instance, the good deed I entered today had to do with helping out a friend in need -- but I'm honored to announce that this holiday season, Yahoo! has given me and other Yahoo! Motherboard members $100 to perform some random acts of kindness and help brighten other people's holiday season! Now this is what I call blogging for good! I am so excited to be a part of this! I can't wait to start -- and I hope you'll join me in performing some random acts of kindness of your own.

The only problem is... I don't know what to do with the money. There are so many great ways to use that $100, and so many people who could use it. Here are some suggestions Yahoo! gave me:

* Pay for a portion of someone's groceries at a local grocery store
* Go to checkout at a toy store and pay for someone's toys
* Go to the Post Office and offer to pay shipping costs for holiday gifts
* Hand out umbrellas on a rainy day
* Go to a local ice cream parlor and pay for ice cream cones
* Pay for people's checked luggage or curbside bag check
* Buy a handful of tickets for the Nutcracker (or some other holiday show) and drop them off at a local Boys and Girls Club
* Check out http://kindness.yahoo.com for more ideas

All I know for sure is that I want to involve my whole family, and I prefer that the recipients of the money don't realize who it came from. So what should I do to spread some kindness this holiday season? I'd love to hear your suggestions.


Win a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card
To make things more interesting, I'm performing a random act of kindness and buying one Bonggamom Finds reader a cup of coffee! To put it another way, I've bought a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card and I'm giving it away to a randomly selected commenter on this post......


Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you would do if you were given $100 to perform a random act (or acts) of kindness. This entry must be completed for other entries to count.


Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment on this post for each extra entry, with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, blog comment link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).


1) Go to http://kindness.yahoo.com/Hjw-u0 (which takes you to the kindness ripple I started) and share your own act of kindness, then come back here and leave a comment with the URL of the kindness ripple you've started-- you will see your own unique URL after you click on the "Share" button (1 entry).

2) Find my (bonggamom's) kindness ripple and click on "like", then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did (1 entry).

3) Share this with your Facebook friends (1 entry):
Visit the Yahoo! How Good Grows site and share an act of kindness you've performed recently (or plan to). You could inspire others to do the same. Start a ripple of #kindness and see How Good Grows! http://ow.ly/3fh2l

4) Tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
RT @bonggamom Visit Yahoo! How Good Grows & share your act of kindness! You could inspire others 2 do the same #kindness http://ow.ly/3fh2l

5) Tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):

Help @bonggamom figure out how to use $100 to spread kindness and enter to win a $5 Dunkin Donuts card http://www.bonggafinds.com


The Rules
This giveaway ends at midnight PST on December 5, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on December 6. I will post the winner's name in the comments section after he/she confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: As a part of the Yahoo! Mother Board, I'm excited to be taking part in How Good Grows Through Ripples of Kindness . Yahoo! has given me $100 to do random acts of kindness in the hopes of brightening people's holiday season. I hope you'll be inspired to join me. I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The $5 Dunkin Donuts card giveaway is not affiliated with Yahoo! or the Yahoo! Motherboard; I am providing the prize personally. . The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Review -- Backyard Sports Rookie Rush for Nintendo DS

Bonggamom's note: When 3Po saw that The Pea was getting her own guest review post, he insisted on doing one of his own. Since he's been enjoying Atari's Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush, a game for Nintendo DS that we were given to review last month, I decided to let him have a go at it. Given that he's 6 years old, I decided to let him dictate his review to me and type it out myself, otherwise he'd be typing till Christmas. I did give him some gentle prompts when his descriptions were too unclear or ungrammatical, or when he'd totally go off on a tangent (at one point he was talking about the snack he had been eating after a Rookie Rush session). Other than that, the words are totally his own. Enjoy!



My name is 3Po, and the game I'm reviewing is Backyard Sports Rookie Rush.

The game is about football. You control your whole team, and you play football against another team. There are playoffs, and you have to see if you can get to the finals and win (Once I got to the finals but didn't win, which was a bit sad. Getting to the finals was fun!) You have superpowers that you can use. The DS chooses which powers you can use in a game. Some of them are silly, like you can leapfrog over people, and you can make ice walls so that your opponents can't run anywhere, and you can become rock solid so that no one can tackle you. Some of them are really powerful, like the Twinkletoes power, where you can run really really fast, so you can go all the way to the touchdown.

One thing I like about it is that you cannot cheat, because there are only certain buttons that do certain things. Second, it is really like football, with tons of teams, and you can earn trophies. Also, I like it because you always when you get a touchdown, you don't just get one point, you get six points, and you can get an extra point when you want. Touchdowns are very easy to get, and you can even turn around and trick your opponent and make them go the other way!

One thing we kind of don't like (not reaaaaallly don't like) is that some teams are harder to beat than others, but then the thing that makes it kind of good is that you can choose how hard they play, at least for the not-so-good opponents.

I really like this game, and I would recommend it to a lot of football fans like people at my school -- Leo, Wes, Sam, Jonathan (not the Jonathan in my class, the 3rd-grade Jonathan) and Jack.


Bonggamom's note: Here's a description of the product from Atari:
The successful re-launch of Backyard Sports continues with the release of Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush in fall 2010. Fan favorite characters Pablo, Dmitri and Joey will play ball with new friends in this action-packed single and multiplayer Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush game which features 12 interactive fields and new even better turbo-charged power-ups. Expect non-stop fun with over 20+ hours of gameplay, 5 new, addicting mini-games, family fun mode, season, tournament and an original story mode. All designed to keep you on your feet and on the field.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

Stunning Visuals: Bright colors and stylized graphics make this a beautiful game.

Super-Charged Power-Ups: Advanced tricks and surprises deliver explosive fun and excitement to keep the game one-of-a-kind.

Multiple Game Modes: Story, Season, Tournament and Quick Play.

Addicting Mini-Games: 5 new mini-games including Sack Attack and Target Practice.

Excellent Replay Value: Abundant features including story mode and mini-games will keep kids coming back for more.

Custom Character: Create your own character and pick your teams from original favorites to new players and also update your roster.

Disclosure: I received a sample game, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. This review was dictated to me by my son; the views and opinions expressed here are his own.

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Black Friday Deals on Cardstore.com

It's not even Black Friday yet, and the sales have already begun! I received an email today with a great offer from Cardstore.com -- free shipping and 20% off with the code CYBERSALE. This is your chance to get your holiday cards done and save a little cash at the same time. The holiday cards I ordered from Cardstore.com arrived a few weeks ago and they are gorgeous. You can see what they look like on my recent Cardstore.com giveaway post -- but photos can't convey the nice, thick card stock, the vibrant colors and the crisp, clean font printing. Hurry up and order before Black Friday comes and goes!

Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Navigating the holidays with Pearltrees

Whoever said the holidays are for children was all too sadly correct. Every year I bake cookies, decorate the house, and wrap presents all so I can give my kids an experience they can file under "magical childhood memories". No wonder parents get so stressed. This year I've decided to be a little bit selfish and think of myself for a change. I've been looking around and wondering what to get myself as a little treat, which is not easy to do since I want so many things, and there are so many places to find them. Last month I attended a Pearltrees informational luncheon and invited to create a holiday wishlist using Pearltrees, and it has never been easier to keep track of where to find the stuff I want. I've been having lots of fun dreaming about all the presents I want this holiday season!

What is Pearltrees? It's an online curation tool that helps you organize and share the stuff you like on the web. They're very specific about distinguishing themselves as a "curation" tool, not just a bookmarking tool, because curators not only collect objects, they also manage their collections and decide which objects are the gems that simply must be showcased, using their own knowledge and shared knowledge from other experts in the field. In that sense, Pearltrees is indeed different; yes, you create "pearls" which represent websites you've discovered and want to remember, but you can also organize these pearls (into pearl trees) and share them with your friends. Even better, you can discover other similar sites by looking at other people's related pearls (Pearltrees will find them for you, or you can do your own searches), and you can follow other people so that when they add a new pearl to their pearl trees, you'll know about it. It's Digg meets Bookmarks meets Facebook and Twitter!

Getting started on Pearltrees is easy and free; just create an account on Pearltrees.com and create a pearl by typing a URL into your account. You can also install add-ons for your Firefox or Chrome browsers so you can create a pearl just by clicking on a button. Here's the holiday wishlist I created on Pearltrees:



I love that you can click on any of the pearls in the widget above (go on, try it!) and you get to see the stuff I want for the holidays (and the stuff I want for my kids, and for Alfie) . Click on any of the things I want and you'll see the website I found it on.. Click on the little black pearl, and you'll see related pearls (I think they need to work on this, BTW, because I don't see anything remotely related to a holiday wish list, or to any of the sites on my pearltree) And this all happens without leaving my blog! I also like that it's easy to share -- you can embed your peartree on a blog, like I did, or embed it in an online article, or you can share it via Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: I was invited to a lunch sponsored by the Clever Girls Collective and Pearltrees to learn more about the service and what it can do. I was also given a $25 giftcard so I could get a head start on my holiday shopping. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Despicable Me Prize Pack Giveaway

One summer movie we never got to watch was Despicable Me, the animated movie starring Steve Carell as the evil guy who recruits 3 orphan girls to do his dirty work, only to find that their innocence is changing him in a profound way. We were vacationing in England when the movie was showing in the US, so we have been waiting to see it on DVD.

It looks like the wait is over -- Despicable Me is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on December 14! And to celebrate, those mischievous minions were at the New York Stock Exchange today to help ring in the opening bell. Then they're off to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade where they'll be part of the Statue of Liberty float, then it's back to the NYSE on Friday, November 26 for the closing bell, as part of NYSE Kids Day.

And here's the best celebration of all: I've been given a Despicable Me Prize Pack to give away!

Win a Despicable Me Prize Pack
One lucky Bonggamom Finds winner will receive a Despicable Me prize pack consisting of:

* one Despicable Me Nintendo DS game
* two Little Brown & Namco Despicable Me books
* one adorable minion cap


Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite Despicable Me character. This entry must be completed for other entries to count.


Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment on this post for each extra entry, with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, blog comment link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).


1) Grab my blog button and post it up on your blog (1 entry).

2) Subscribe to Bonggamom Finds updates (1 entry).

3) Write this on the Bonggamom Finds Facebook wall (1 entry):

I entered the Despicable Me giveaway! http://www.bonggafinds.com

4) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Networked Blogs (1 entry).

5) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger(1 entry).

6) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):

Enter to win a Despicable Me prize pack from @bonggafinds http://www.bonggafinds.com #giveaway @DespicableMeInt

7) Leave a comment on the Despicable Me Facebook page and tell them Bonggamom sent you (1 entry).



The Rules
This giveaway ends at midnight PST on December 10, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on December 11. I will post the winner's name in the comments section after he/she confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: I am being sent a Despicable Me minion cap as a thank-you for blogging about the Blu-ray/DVD release but am not being compensated in any other way. Despicable Me promo information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Baby Bunch -- Winter Bunch Review and Giveaway

'Tis the season to give presents, and when you do, don't forget the littlest ones on your list! The Baby Bunch has a beautiful gift idea for new parents this winter -- the Winter Bunch, an adorable bouquet of baby clothes for 0-6 months. The Baby Bunch sent me one of these gorgeous gifts so I could see for myself how beautifully a set of baby clothes can be presented, and how practical a bunch of "flowers" can be.


The Basics
The Baby Bunch sells baby gifts that are both practical and beautiful: soft, 100% cotton baby clothes arranged to look like a bunch of flowers or cupcakes or crayons or eggs. There are also organic cotton gift packages and gift packages for moms.

Here's a brief description of what you get inside the Winter Bunch:
Baby its cold outside! Keep warm with the Winter Bunch, a Classic Baby Bunch filled with snowy white garments designed to keep a baby girl or boy toasty and warm. The Winter Bunch includes one white bib, one white long sleeve one-piece, one white hat, one pair of white mitts, one white long sleeve romper suit, and two pairs of white socks, all gathered into a festive bouquet of baby clothes.



The Bongga
What new mom doesn't love flowers? And what new mom can't use baby clothes? With the Winter Bunch, you can give both. This gift is really perfect for any type of new mom -- or any type of gift giver. If you're the type who likes to give flowers, the Winter Bunch is perfect -- the new mom will admire it just like any beautiful bouquet, and she'll display it just as proudly, and she'll be able to use it long after any real bouquet has wilted. If you're a practical gift giver, the Winter Bunch works just as well because you're giving the new mom a set of ultra-soft cotton baby clothes, which is just what she needs -- and you're giving it with style.

As with all Baby Bunch products, I love the unique, whimsical presentation; just because a present is practical doesn't mean it has to look boring! They've packed it full, so it's lush and bursting with happiness. Or baby clothes. Well, both. And the winter-themed colors (white, deep red and green) make it even more festive:



The Blah
While the idea of snowy white baby clothes is appealing -- think sweet, innocent little lambs -- the reality is that white isn't the most practical baby color choice. After one or two uses, they always seem to be permanently stained with spit, juice and milk. I think it would have been better to make the baby clothes deep red, then embellish them with white rosebuds, instead of the other way around. I think it's more likely that new moms will want to show their babies off in a deep red outfit than a stained white one!


The Bottom Line
Despite my misgivings on the practicality of white, I still think the Winter Bunch is a gorgeous, festive way to welcome a new baby. It will definitely be the standout baby shower present or new mom present this holiday season!


Win a Winter Bunch
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a Winter Bunch gift set (ARV $60) -- a complete newborn layette gathered to look just like a festive winter bouquet.

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which product from The Baby Bunch you would most like to give or receive as a baby shower present. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.


Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Grab my blog button and post it up on your blog (1 entry).

2) Subscribe to Bonggamom Finds updates (1 entry).

3) Write this on the Bonggamom Finds Facebook page (1 entry):

I entered the Baby Bunch Winter Bunch giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/27loo93

4) Write this on the Baby Bunch Facebook page (1 entry):

I entered the Winter Bunch giveaway on Bonggamom Finds! http://www.bonggafinds.com

5) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Networked Blogs (1 entry).

6) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger(1 entry).

7) Follow The Baby Bunch on Twitter (1 entry).

8) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):

Win a Winter Bunch baby gift set from @babybunch and @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/27loo93 #giveaways


The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on December 5, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on December 6 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a product sample from The Baby Bunch, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by The Baby Bunch and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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The Best Small Businesses in my Neighborhood

Thanks to American Express for sponsoring my writing today about small businesses. American Express is presenting Small Business Saturday, a way to honor the local merchants who are the backbone of the economy, this Saturday, November 27. They're offering statement credits to people who shop at small businesses, advertising for small-business owners, and donations to Girls Inc. for "Likes" of the Small Business Saturday page on Facebook. Join the celebration by clicking the "Like" button and then visiting the Facebook page to learn more about the program and read the terms and conditions that apply.


One of the things I love best about our home is location, location, location. Okay, that's three things, but being exactly where we are makes a huge difference in our quality of life. We're on a quiet street with no through traffic. We live within walking distance to the kids' school. And we're a five-minute walk from downtown Palo Alto, where we can enjoy the best boutiques, cafes and restaurants that Palo Alto has to offer.

Of course, in most cases "best" also means "expensive", and with our budget we just can't afford to eat at most of the chi-chi restaurants on University Avenue. Fortunately, there are several small eateries located just off the main drag that serve amazing food at great prices. They also happen to be independently-owned small businesses, so I feel really good about supporting them -- the taxes they pay support Palo Alto's schools and communities, they employ locals and keep the community feeling alive.

After all, it's not just dot-com millionaires, startup lawyers or rich real-estate agents who live here, but also college students, retirees and families who want to give their kids a good life -- people like me. I'm so grateful that restaurants like these exist, because if they didn't, we wouldn't be able to afford to eat out in Palo Alto!

Here are 5 of my favorite restaurants in downtown Palo Alto (where you can get great food under $10):

	Cafe Rennaissance bills itself as a place for Gourmet Persian Platters and Hearty American Sandwiches, but I've never ever eaten an American sandwich here. And who would want to, with so many choices for amazing Persian food? Their daily specials are healthy, inexpensive and out-of-this-world delicious!
	The Prolific Oven makes the best cakes in town; their Chocolate on Chocolate cake is amazing, and their Strawberry Cream Cake (my favorite) is to die for. It's also a great lunch spot, featuring yummy sandwiches with their fresh baked bread, and a slice of cake that comes with every lunch! This place is oozing with community feel, from the community bulletin board filled with local announcements, to the multi-generational clientele, to the big pile of newspapers that everyone helps themselves to.
	Gyros Gyros is the reason I'm crazy about falafel, hummus, tahini sauce and all things Meditteranean. I discovered this place about a year after I arrived in the US and had never tasted Mediterranean food before. Afterwards, I couldn't believe I had been missing such amazing food, but I've been making up for it ever since.
	We discovered Loving Hut on a rainy day when we were headed to eat at a different restaurant but had parked far away and couldn't take the rain and the cold anymore. So we ducked in here, and fell in love with their vegan menu. Loving Hut Restaurants is actually the fastest growing international vegan fast food restaurant in the world, but each one is individually owned, and each one has its own unique menu. This place is living proof that vegan does not mean tasteless; even my meat-loving kids were wolfing down the "chicken" pesto broil, cauliflower and almond soup, shepherd's pie and "bacon"-avocado sandwich. Afterwards, you feel nice and light in so many ways: there's no heavy meat to weigh you down, and you walk away feeling good about doing yourself and the planet a favor.
	Okay, Fraiche is not exactly a restaurant, but they're the best and most popular frozen yogurt place in town. And I've been known to order their plain organic tart frozen yogurt with a drizzle of honey (it's so good, that's all it needs) and call it lunch. See that little white banner on the far left? That's a "Best of 2010" Readers Poll Award from the Palo Alto Weekly.

Like "Small Business Saturday" on Facebook today - for every "Like" they receive, American Express will donate $1, up to $1,000,000!

Disclosure: This is a compensated post. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity , as I do. Small Business Saturday program information is provided by the Clever Girls Collective and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Guest Review Post by The Pea: Imagine Fashion Stylist

Bonggamom's note: The review below was written by my nine year old daughter. I was sent a copy of Ubisoft's Imagine Fashion Stylist, and in exchange for sole rights to the game (i.e. her brothers are not allowed to play with it, otherwise they will suffer a long, painful death), she agreed to share, in her own words, what she likes and doesn't like about the game. Enjoy!


Hello readers, I'm The Pea and I'm going to review the game Imagine Fashion Stylist.

In this game, you own a mall and in the beginning you only get 1 shop. Customers are looking for certain items of clothing, and you have to go back in your stock and find what they want, make them happy and they will give you money. You also have to manage the stock and make sure there is enough of each brand, so you need to use some of your own money to do that. The more customers you serve, the more money you get, and the more successful you get, the more shops you can own.

The thing I like the most about this game is probably how there are different brands of clothing, just like in real life. I also like that you can get clothing items in different colors.

I don't really like how, if you don't finish a day in the game, you have to start all over again from the beginning of the day. I also wish that there could be more than one account so I can let my friends play without doing anything to my account.

I really like this game, and I would totally recommend it to any of my friends who like DS fashion games.






Disclosure: This is a guest review post by my daughter. While Ubisoft provided me with this game to review, the opinions she has expressed here are solely her own and represent her honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective, The Pea and I promote Blog With Integrity.

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"...Featuring Norah Jones" cd Review

Norah Jones is an amazing singer. You don't have to take my word for it; 40 million albums and 9 Grammy awards says she's amazing. I love her smoky, sexy voice and jazzy, soulful tunes. We own three of her albums: Come Away With Me, Feels Like Home, and Not Too Late, and there isn't really a bad song in any of them. So when the One2One Network invited me to review her latest album, ...Featuring Norah Jones, I jumped at the chance.

The Basics
...Featuring Norah Jones is a collection of songs that Norah Jones has done with other musical artists in the past 10 years.

Here's a brief description of the album:
...Featuring Norah Jones is a star-studded collection of the multi-platinum selling, multi-Grammy Award winning singer’s musical collaborations from the past decade.

The 18 songs on the album include cool cameos, collaborations and duets with such legends as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, and with 21st Century icons from OutKast to the Foo Fighters. The album spans Norah’s entire career and reveal her astonishing musical versatility, from jazz to country, hip-hop to rock.


And here's the Track Listing:
1. Love Me – The Little Willies
2. Virginia Moon – The Foo Fighters featuring Norah Jones
3. Turn Them – Sean Bones featuring Norah Jones
4. Baby It's Cold Outside – Willie Nelson featuring Norah Jones
5. Bull Rider – Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson
6. Ruler Of My Heart – Dirty Dozen Brass Band featuring Norah Jones
7. The Best Part – El Madmo
8. Take Off Your Cool – OutKast featuring Norah Jones
9. Life Is Better – Q-Tip featuring Norah Jones
10. Soon The New Day – Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones
11. Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John – Belle & Sebastian featuring Norah Jones
12. Here We Go Again – Ray Charles featuring Norah Jones
13. Loretta – Norah Jones featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
14. Dear John – Ryan Adams featuring Norah Jones
15. Creepin' In – Norah Jones featuring Dolly Parton
16. Court & Spark – Herbie Hancock featuring Norah Jones
17. More Than This – Charlie Hunter featuring Norah Jones
18. Blue Bayou – Norah Jones featuring M. Ward


The Bongga
I think this album is great! I think I'd have bought it even if the One2One Network hadn't given me a review copy, which is probably the highest praise I can give. I love the idea of putting all of Norah's collaborations into one album! The fact that so many musicians want to work with her is a testament to Norah Jones' range of talent, and that's reflected in each and every song. The great thing about this album is that most of these songs are on the other artist's albums (other than Creepin' In, which is on Norah's "Feels Like Home" album, and coincidentally, is Alfie's favorite song on this album). You'd have to purchase each song separately on iTunes or purchase 17 other artists' albums in order to build up the collection yourself.


The Blah
It's quite an eclectic mix, to be sure, and some people might wonder why they've bought an album filled with styles as diverse as hip-hop, jazz and country -- and I have to admit, there are a couple of songs in the album that are just not my style. But somehow Norah's distinctive voice ties everything together.


The Bottom Line
Norah Jones is a musician who shines in a variety of styles and appeals to so many people. This album is proof that she's truly an all-around artist. ...Featuring Norah Jones is a must for any Norah Jones fan!

Disclosure: I received a sample album courtesy of the One2One Network, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Black Friday Decongesters Sweepstakes

Last year I finally took the bull by the horns and decided to drop by Walmart on Black Friday. I knew it would be crowded, but I wasn't expecting this:

It was like being inside a subway train during rush hour in Tokyo. There was no room to walk, let alone push a cart, but somehow people were jostling and pushing their way around. It was wild and crazy; no wonder savvy Black Friday veterans plan their shopping strategy with all the precision of a military campaign! Needless to say, I chickened out and left without purchasing anything, but braver souls than me can really get some amazing bargains on Black Friday.

For those intrepid spirits, Pfizer has a fun sweepstakes where 100 shoppers will win their very own personal shopping assistants on Black Friday -- people to run errands, stand in line, and carry their shopping bags! How's that for VIP treatment? Five lucky winners will even receive a $1,000 gift card to help with the bills!

Here's more information about the Black Friday "Decongesters" sweepstakes:
To provide relief on the most congested shopping day of the year, Advil® Congestion Relief is unleashing a team of Black Friday "Decongesters" who will help winning shoppers by waiting in long lines for them, running mall errands for them and carrying their heavy shopping bags.

Shoppers at select malls in the Jersey City, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco areas can text for a chance to win a personal Black Friday "Decongester," who will help relieve their congested shopping day. In addition, one grand prize winner in each city will also win a $1,000 gift card, compliments of Advil® Congestion Relief, to help ease the stress on their wallet this holiday season.

To enter for a chance to win, compliments of Advil® Congestion Relief, consumers can text the following to 89800 from Nov. 15 to Nov. 21:

* "Advil1" – NJ (Newport Centre Mall, Jersey City, N.J.)
* "Advil2" – Atlanta (Mall of Georgia, Atlanta, Ga.)
* "Advil3" – Chicago (Orland Square, Orland Park, Ill.)
* "Advil4" – Dallas (Grapevine Mills, Grapevine, Texas)
* "Advil5" – San Francisco (Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton, Calif.)

Click here for official rules.

Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. Black Friday Decongester Sweepstakes information is provided by the featured company and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Style Lab Fashion Design Review and Giveaway

I've always loved painting shirts. A custom painted shirt is one of the best ways to express individuality, and all it takes is a shirt and some fabric paint. I still have one of the first (and the best) shirts I've ever painted, of an elephant with red painted toenails, that I did when I was fourteen, and I've personalized many shirts since then. Here's one that my sister, my friend and I did when we got together with our kids to organize an at-home "cousin camp" (we made ourselves "camp counselor" shirts):


The Pea has grown up in my footsteps, and there's nothing she likes better than to paint and personalize her own shirts. Here's one she did a couple of years ago:

Her flair for creativity and personal expression is one reason why The Pea loves Ubisoft's Style Lab line of games for Nintendo DS. Style Lab Makeover lets her experiment with different makeup and hairstyle looks (without the mess and fuss of actual makeup), and Style Lab Jewelry Design lets her create one-of-a-kind jewelry. Both games have given her many hours of entertainment! From design-your-own jewelry, it's just a short step to design-your-own fashion -- and I'm so happy to see that Ubisoft has made that step with their introduction of their newest Style Lab game, Style Lab Fashion Design.

Ubisoft (though the Clever Girls Collective) recently sent us a copy of Style Lab Fashion Design to review, and I have to say this is the best Style Lab game of the three. It is so much fun being able to design your own shirt, hat or bag! You can choose any color from the color wheel, choose fonts, and choose from a library of hundreds of images. Images can be resized, flipped, moved around, and you can put multiple images on your clothing item. You can save each item you design, and try it on your virtual model:

The Pea has already created quite a few clothing items, and she's only been playing with it for a week! She says she loves it because she gets to create exactly the design she wants, and it makes her feel special to think that no one in the world has the same design as hers.

But the coolest part of Style Lab Fashion Design is the ability to upload your design to an online Boutique, and then have that design come to life in a shirt, bag or hat through Zazzle! It's almost like painting your own shirt, since your own design is on the shirt, but it's printed neatly and professionally so you don't get all the paint smears and the mess to clean up!

The Pea has not yet ordered any of the Style Lab shirts she has created on the DS -- yet -- but I think Ubisoft made a great choice with Zazzle. Zazzle is a company I know and love -- I'm in charge of tshirts at our kids' elementary school, and all our shirts are made by Zazzle. My experience with Zazzle has been nothing less than perfect, with crisp, clean designs printed on high-quality shirts and bags. My kids have worn their school shirts countless times, and the design has not faded even after countless washings. If my experience (and the experience of tons of happy parents at our school) is anything to go by, whatever item your child orders through Zazzle will come out exactly as she designed it on Style Lab Fashion Design.

Will The Pea ever order one of her Style Lab Fashion Design creations on Zazzle? I wasn't really tempted to do so with Style Lab Jewelry Design -- it was enough fun to just create jewelry on the DS -- but the thought of seeing The Pea in a shirt that she designed herself is too irresistible. Pretty much the only reason we haven't done it yet is that she hasn't settled on the design (and at the rate she creates them with Style Lab Fashion Design, it's just going to get more difficult). Maybe I can convince to create a design of an elephant with red painted toenails!



Here's more information about Style Lab Fashion Design
Ubisoft's innovative Style Lab brand brings you another game-to-reality title, Style Lab Fashion Design! Now, not only can players design their own fashions in the game, but they can wear them in real life, too! Develop your own distinct style of customized clothing and accessories, share your unique creations with friends in your own web gallery, and wear the designs that you've made!

Key Features

Create AND Wear Your Own Fashions! — Players can design t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and bags using a variety of colors, tones, fonts, and hundreds of images that can be resized, flipped, and re-colored. Then they can order, own, and wear their unique in-game creations by uploading them to the Style Lab website and purchasing them. Prices range from $9.95 to $39.95 depending on the item.

Develop Your Fashion Design Technique — Players can explore a variety of styles through fun creative challenges and show off their designs in fashion events.

Share Your Creations with Friends Online — Players can easily upload their creations from the Nintendo DS™ system into their online Boutique via the Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, share designs with friends, and showcase their unique fashions in the online Style Lab gallery

More information about ordering your customized creations — Ubisoft has partnered with Zazzle to manufacturer the clothes and accessories. Zazzle is the world's leading platform for quality custom products, and our unique partnership allows users to order their one-of-a-kind designs on a wide array of products, the majority of which are manufactured to order within 24-hours.


Style Lab Fashion Design retails for about $29.99; you can find it in stores like Target or Toys R Us, or on online sites like Amazon.



Win a Style Lab Fashion Design game for Nintendo DS
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a Style Lab Fashion Design game for the Nintendo DS, courtesy of Ubisoft and the Clever Girls Collective.


Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which of the Ubisoft Style Lab line of games your child would love to receive for the holidays.


Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment on this post for each extra entry, with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, blog comment link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).


1) Grab my blog button and post it up on your blog (1 entry).

2) Subscribe to Bonggamom Finds updates (1 entry).

3) Write this on the Bonggamom Finds Facebook wall (1 entry):

I entered the Style Lab Fashion Design giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/22khbav

4) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Networked Blogs (1 entry).

5) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger(1 entry).

6) Follow UbiParents on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):

Enter to win a Style Lab Fashion Design DS game fr @ubisoft @ubiparents @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/22khbav #giveaway #ubichamps

7) Join my Petz Nursery 2 giveaway (1 entry).




The Rules
This giveaway ends at midnight PST on November 30, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on December 1. I will post the winner's name in the comments section after he/she confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!


Disclosure: This is a compensated review. I also received a sample game to help form an honest opinion of the product. While Ubisoft sponsored this review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

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