Paid it Forward!: Operation Precious CARgo Baby Shower #ChevyCARgo

March 27, 2012 Filled under Chicago Joy, Pay It Forward
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I had the privilege of taking part in a very large baby shower for expecting military moms in Illinois last Thursday through Operation Precious CARgo, a campaign run by Chevrolet and Operation Homefront. I was selected as a team captain, and had 2 weeks to collect donations to include in the baby shower for the military moms.

The baby shower was a success and the donations collected by all of the team captains were quite impressive!

It was great meeting the military families and seeing how truly grateful they were for all of the donations. The majority of the baby shower was spent filling up boxes for the expecting military moms. The parents who were present were able to choose which items they wanted from each table.

My husband and I ended up filling up 5 or 6 large boxes with items for the military moms that were to be shipped to those who were not able to make it. It felt great doing such a good thing for those who serve our country everyday!

To learn more about how you can help military families in need, make sure to check out Operation Homefront’s website.

During my mission of collecting donations, Chevrolet provided me with a brand new Chevy Sonic to drive around for a little over a week. I picked up donations from the Milwaukee area and the West Suburbs of Chicago, and it was a fun car to drive! My biggest complaint is there was not much room in the car, so it was a little difficult picking up donations with my daughter and her carseat in the back and my husband in the front. I also had to do some maneuvering of certain items to fit all of the donations I collected in the car for the baby shower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did love that the car came with all of the bells and whistles though! We had fun flipping through the XM Radio stations, especially during March Madness! The leather seats were very nice and I loved being able to control the radio from the steering wheel.

I would like to thank Chevrolet and Operation Homefront for inviting me take part in this great campaign for military families! I encourage all of you to to find some ways to help those in need. Even just a little bit can change a person’s life for the better! :)

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Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Coupons!: Coupons.com Updated 3/21 (Glade, Cleaning, Cooking/Breakfast, Movie…)

March 21, 2012 Filled under Coupons, Savings Joy
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Coupons.com is a great place to find printable coupons online! Check out these great coupons they have available right now:

Coupons on Coupons.com have a print limit so make sure you head over there now to print them out before they run out! Click here to see other Coupons.com coupons that may still be available.

For information on how to make the most out of your coupons, check out my Couponing Tips!

Thanks for visiting! Keep up with My Joys by subscribing to my email newsletter, “liking” me on Facebook, & following me on Twitter!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


FREE Personalized Products to Get Through Tax Season Through 3/23

March 21, 2012 Filled under Freebies, Savings Joy
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Now through Friday, March 23rd, Vistaprint is offering 6 FREE personalized products to help you get through tax season – just pay for shipping! Here’s a list of the products with the cost of shipping for each:

I have ordered many products from Vistaprint including business cards for 3 different businesses, rubber stamp (great to use in place or return address labels), sticky notes, and note pad, and have always been happy with their products. They usually ship pretty quickly too! I especially love that their products can be customized and the personalization is totally FREE!

Make sure you don’t miss out on these great FREEBIES :)

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Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Mommy Story!: Who Needs Sleep When You’ve Got an 18-Month Old?

March 18, 2012 Filled under Kids & Babies, Mommy Joy
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Baby Lia had her 18-month check-up yesterday, and as usual, they asked us questions to make sure she’s on the right developmental path and then asked if we had any concerns. Lia is doing great at her age…she has a pretty extensive vocabulary and does what we ask her to most of the time. She loves to read and can identify a lot of objects, letters, and shapes in books. BUT she is not sleeping through the night yet, at least most nights anyway.

When I told Lia’s doctor that she is not sleeping through the night and asked if it was normal, her doctor said, “No”, and pretty much gave us a lecture about how we NEED to get her to sleep through the night on her own. Okay, not that I want to make any excuses, but with both my husband and me working full-time, after awhile, we just wanted to do whatever we could so that WE could get some sleep too in order to function throughout the day. We admit that we have gotten Lia into the bad habit of coming into our bed and having a bottle of water when she wakes up in the middle of the night, but it works, and we get our sleep. Plus, my parents live with us. It’s pretty tough for especially Lia’s grandpa to let her sit there and cry, so if we happen not to hear her wake up in the middle of the night, Grandpa comes to the rescue and takes her.

Lia’s pediatrician explained that it’s important for her learn to self-sooth when she wakes up in the middle of the night and put herself back to sleep. She suggested that we let Lia “cry it out”, and to check on her every once in awhile just to make sure she wasn’t hurt, but not to interact with her when we do check on her. Please note that I have been telling my husband and my dad that we should do this since she was 6 months old, but a year later, they still have yet to let her “cry it out”. Now Lia is 18 months old, and my biggest concern is that she’s a climber, so eventually she may be so determined that she’ll climb out of her crib in the middle of the night. Luckily, she hasn’t figured this out yet, but I’m sure it won’t be too long before she does!

Last night, was the first night we tried to have Lia “cry it out” when she woke up in the middle of the night. I heard her cry for awhile, then she stopped, then she cried again, then she stopped…she repeated this about 4 times. Little did I know that her daddy actually got up the third time she started crying. Apparently he sat outside of her door until, finally, Lia was able to convince him to come and get her by yelling “Mom!”, which is what she calls all adults in our house, and pointing out the door. Daddy gave in, picked her up, and brought her into our bed with us. I’ve never seen her so happy to sleep in our bed with us! She started laughing and gave each of us 3 kisses before she started complaining again and her daddy gave her a bottle of water for her to fall asleep. It was clear that this is going to be more of a challenge than I thought!

My dad works third shift on the weekends, so when he came home today, I explained to him our plan of letting Lia cry when she wakes up at night. He agreed not to take her, but between him and my husband, I’m not sure that this will work.

So, I’m wondering, besides Lia continuing to want to sleep in our bed, what are the consequences of getting her in the middle of the night instead of having her sooth herself and go back to sleep on her own? Does it affect her personality, problem-solving skills, or need/want for independence? What tricks have you used to get your babies or kids to sleep through the night? Any advice would be GREAT so PLEASE leave me a comment below!

Tonight, I put Lia to sleep in her room even though she kept trying to convince me to bring her to our room. I explained to her that she needed to sleep in her crib tonight. I’m not sure if she understood me, but every time I tried to put her down in her crib, she clung to me like a monkey. I’m sure that since she’s older, this will take a little longer than we would like, but hopefully she gets to sleeping through the night soon! Otherwise, she will have 2 zombies for parents!

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Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Reminder!: Please Help Expecting Military Moms #ChevyCARgo

March 15, 2012 Filled under Chicago Joy, Pay It Forward
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I have my Chevy Sonic, and I’m ready to collect donations to go towards expecting military moms through Operation Precious CARgo! Chevy has loaned me a Sonic for a week to gather donations, but I need your help to fill it up!

If you’re interested in donating, here are some options for how you can get your donations to me:

  • If you’re in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas, we can arrange for me to pick up your items. Please contact me by leaving me a comment or emailing me at mjmwdonations@gmail.com so we can make arrangements for me to pick up your donations.
  • If you are not in the area or are unable to make arrangements for me to pick up donations, you may send me an Amazon gift card to mjmwdonations@gmail.com so I can order the items online to donate. I need gift cards in my inbox by Sunday, March 18th, at 12 noon CST to make sure I receive the items on time.
  • You may also send me money through PayPal so I can pick up the items myself. If you’re interested in donating through PayPal, please leave me a comment or email me at mjmwdonations@gmail.com and I will provide you with my PayPal account information to send your donation to. I will need money through PayPal by Tuesday, March 20th, at 4:00 pm CST to make sure I am able to get the items on time.

I will be collecting donations until next Wednesday, March 21st. Please see the full list of items that Operation Precious CARgo is requesting and obtain more information about the campaign HERE.

Thanks for visiting! Keep up with My Joys by subscribing to my email newsletter, “liking” me on Facebook, & following me on Twitter!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Hurry!: FREE Contact Lenses

March 15, 2012 Filled under Freebies, Savings Joy
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Get a certificate to receive a FREE trial pair of contact lenses by clicking on the picture to the left and registering your information! It only took me a few seconds to sign up. Make sure you hurry though, because these offers tend to go fast!

Thanks for visiting! Keep up with My Joys by subscribing to my email newsletter, “liking” me on Facebook, & following me on Twitter!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Winner!: General Mills Star Wars Prize Pack

March 15, 2012 Filled under Reviews/Giveaways
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CONGRATULATIONS

to the lucky winner of my giveaway for a General Mills Star Wars Prize Pack:

Linda L.!!!

The winner will receive an email from me and will have 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be chosen. Thanks to all who entered! It looks like Yoda & Cheerios are a lot of your favorites! My favorite Star Wars character is Wicket, the Ewok, because he’s so brave and cute…my favorite cereal is Reese’s Puffs because I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter together :)

I hope you keep up with My Joys for more fun giveaways and tips on how to enJOY life affordably!

Thanks for visiting! Keep up with My Joys by subscribing to my email newsletter, “liking” me on Facebook, & following me on Twitter!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Coupons!: Coupons.com Printables Updated 3/15

March 15, 2012 Filled under Coupons, Savings Joy
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Coupons.com is a great place to find printable coupons online! Check out the new coupons they have available right now:

Coupons on Coupons.com have a print limit so make sure you head over there now to print them out before they run out! Click here to see other Coupons.com coupons that may still be available.

For information on how to make the most out of your coupons, check out my Couponing Tips!

Thanks for visiting! Keep up with My Joys by subscribing to my email newsletter, “liking” me on Facebook, & following me on Twitter!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Pay It Forward!: Operation Precious CARgo for Expecting Military Moms #ChevyCARgo

March 8, 2012 Filled under Chicago Joy, Pay It Forward
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Chevrolet and Operation Homefront have teamed up to collect donations for expecting military women in Illinois through Operation Precious CARgo, and I am honored to have been selected as a team captain to fulfill a soon-to-be mother’s baby shower registry! But I NEED YOUR HELP! Over the next 2 weeks, I will be collecting the following items to donate to an expecting military mom:

  • Diapers (sizes 4, 5 or 6)
  • Baby wipes
  • Bottles
  • Pacifiers
  • Blankets
  • Baby soap and baby lotion
  • Lanolin cream
  • Burp cloths
  • Onesies (gender-neutral)
  • Socks
  • Hats
  • Newborn lounger pillow
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Medical kit – thermometer, mini-nail clippers, bulb syringe, etc.
  • Hooded towel and washcloth
  • Sensory toys and/or stuffed animals

If you’re interested in helping, please email me, Melanie, at myjoymyworld@gmail.com or leave me a comment below, so we can make arrangements. I will be accepting donations through Wednesday, March 21st, and can pick up items in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas. I am also working on getting a drop-off location for donations around the North Suburbs of Chicago. If you are outside of the Chicago or Milwaukee areas, but would still like to help, please contact me to see if we can try to work something out.

I would also love if you can help me spread the word by linking to this post, tweeting about #ChevyCARgo, and telling your friends and family about this great way to pay it forward to expecting military moms!

Stay tuned for further updates… :)

***UPDATE***

If you’re interested in donating, here are some options for how you can get your donations to me:

  • If you’re in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas, we can arrange for me to pick up your items. Please contact me by leaving me a comment or emailing me at mjmwdonations@gmail.com so we can make arrangements for me to pick up your donations.
  • If you are not in the area or are unable to make arrangements for me to pick up donations, you may send me an Amazon gift card to mjmwdonations@gmail.com so I can order the items online to donate. I need gift cards in my inbox by Sunday, March 18th, at 12 noon CST to make sure I receive the items on time.
  • You may also send me money through PayPal so I can pick up the items myself. If you’re interested in donating through PayPal, please leave me a comment or email me at mjmwdonations@gmail.com and I will provide you with my PayPal account information to send your donation to. I will need money through PayPal by Tuesday, March 20th, at 4:00 pm CST to make sure I am able to get the items on time.

Again, I will be collecting donations through Wednesday, March 21st! Thanks in advance for your support!

Thanks for visiting! Keep up with My Joys by subscribing to my email newsletter, “liking” me on Facebook, & following me on Twitter!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for additional information.


Giveaway!: General Mills Star Wars Prize Pack – Ends 3/13 at 12:01 am EST

March 7, 2012 Filled under Reviews/Giveaways
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Have you checked out Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace in 3D yet? My husband and I actually saw it on Valentine’s Day in the theaters and really enjoyed it! We both agreed that Stars Wars is definitely meant to be seen in 3D. I even got a goofy picture taken of me as a Jedi :P  It was pretty awesome, hehe.

General Mills Big G cereals is helping to celebrate the 3D launch by featuring collectible Star Wars pens in these participating cereals:

  • Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (12.8 oz.)
  • Lucky Charms®(11.5 oz.)
  • Reese’s® Puffs (13 oz.)
  • Cheerios® (14 oz.)
  • Cookie Crisp® (11.25 oz)

You can collect all eight exclusive Star Wars pens that feature iconic Episode I characters including:

  • Anakin Skywalker
  • Obi Wan Kenobi
  • Queen Amidala
  • Yoda
  • R2D2
  • C3PO
  • Jar Jar Binks
  • Darth Maul

THE PRIZE:


I’m happy to give one (1) My Joy My World reader a General Mills Star Wars Prize Pack provided by General Mills through My Blog Spark! The prize pack includes:

  • 2 Boxes of Big G cereal
  • 4 Star Wars character pens
  • Star Wars sticker sheet
  • Star Wars magnets

Entries will be accepted through Tuesday, March 13th, at 12:01 am EST. Enter below (it is mandatory to leave a blog post comment…all other entries are optional but will give you more chances to win):

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