Giveaway Alert for Utahans Who Love 'The Help'!

I just entered a giveaway over at Simply Stacy and one at Carbohydrates & Conjugations for tickets to attend a special screening of Dream Works, 'The Help'!   I read the book just two weeks ago and I ran the gamut of emotions while reading it.  Although it took me awhile to get into the book, I was glad that I continued to read it!  It got much better and by the middle of the book, I was spending every spare moment I could to read a few more pages.  At one point, I even had tears!  I have heard great things already about the movie, so here's your chance!  If you live close to Sandy and know where the Jordan Commons Megaplex is(9400 S and State Street), you should definitely enter!  

 

Social Goodies - Charitable Contributions Each Time You Shop!

     
      Recently I was given a chance to purchase some cute shoes at Shoebuy.com with the help of an online gift card from SocialGoodies.com!  Unlike other gift card vendors, I was pleased to note that when my purchase was complete, I had contributed $1.98 to charity!  It wasn't an extra tack-on that I was required to pay, nor was the cost of the shoes higher in any way!  I was simply using Social Goodies as my vehicle to purchase an item and because of that, I helped donate to the cause!  Plus, I got a great deal in return!
    Social Goodies is the brain child of Carie Salter, a former full-time career woman, with degrees from both Stanford and Harvard.  As a girl in middle school she became involved in philanthropy because of the example of her grandfather.  Together they volunteered and contributed to various organizations and also did good works on their own.  She continued in this mode through college until she became swamped with work and with motherhood.  Finally she made the decision to take an idea from the emerging popularity of daily deal websites such as Groupon and Living Social. But rather than creating another for profit company, she used the model to fund the good work of charities.  And so, she quit her job and came home to be with her child and begin Social Goodies!  Social Goodies exists solely to raise money for good causes!
    Every day there is a featured deal on the site as well as many other companies that you can purchase from.  They are also participating in the concept of giving back and donating profits to charity.  You can buy someone else a gift card or use the Goodie Bucks for yourself!  Every time you use your Goodie Bucks to purchase an item, 20% of your purchase will go to charity.  The featured charities this month are Teach For America, Doctors Without Borders and The Nature Conservancy.   Social Goodies is very careful with the money that they are entrusted with.  They are careful to ascertain that the charities they donate to are using the money wisely.   Social Goodies is proud of the fact that they have raised $20,000 for the Tsunami Relief Fund, an amazing accomplishment!
     One of today's GOODies is $39 for a $99 photo scanning package from PhotoBin.com.  Get all of those old photos scanned and permanently saved onto a CD or DVD, your choice.  Once you redeem your Goodie bucks, PhotoBin will send you a box with everything you need to transport your 1 - 500 photos to them safely, complete with a shipping box and labels.  They will then be treated with white kid glove attention and your photos will be safe forever.  PLUS, $7.80 of your purchase will be donated to charity!  And that is just one of the deals they have today!  

Disclosure:  CMP.LY/0

Tips To Keep Children Safe Around A Pool

One of the things I always worry about with little kids is water safety.  Kids are so fascinated by the water and some are even more fascinated than others and just dive right in!  So when I'm at a location where little kids and water are in the same place, I don't totally relax.  If you have a pool in your yard or know of someone with a pool, here are some tips so that you can relax more, if not totally, because accidents always happen!  These tips are from The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP):

• Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment. An adult who knows CPR should actively supervise children at all times.
• Practice touch supervision with children younger than 5 years. This means that the adult is within an arm's length of the child at all times.
• You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children's reach.
• Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd's hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
• Do not use air-filled "swimming aids" as a substitute for approved life vests.
• Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren't tempted to reach for them.
• After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can't get back into it.
• A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. Even fencing around your pool and using a power safety pool cover will not prevent all drownings.

Remember, teaching your child how to swim DOES NOT mean your child is safe in water. 

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My Excitement Over This Season's True Blood!

Guest post written by Mary Narins

Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a very big fan of all the stuff that's been going on with fairies in True Blood, although I guess that they have to explain how Sookie got her powers one way or another. But I am rather excited about the Sookie and Eric relationship that's been brewing. I have a friend who has read all of the books and I know that she's really been looking forward to this happening even more!
I was reading through some spoilers and predictions for the rest of the season not too long ago and while I was doing that I ran across the website CLEARWIRELESSinternet.com. After I looked through it some and showed it to my husband, we decided to change our home internet access over to the provider.
I think it would be an understatement to say that I'm expecting some big things from this True Blood season. It seems like they're pulling out all the crazy stops, even if some of them (like fairies) I question.

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