Birthday Week Giveaway #3: Easter Garland

Thanks for joining my Birthday Week Giveaway Celebration! You can enter giveaway #1 here and giveaway #2 here!

Monica is another one of the wonderful ladies joining me at Relevant and crafting her way there! I just love the name of her blog - The Homespun Heart - isn't that beautiful?!

Monica makes lovely "Names of Jesus" garlands for both Easter...

and Christmas...

We already have our Easter one hanging above our front window and Jeremiah asks me daily to read it! Love that! I encourage you to head over to Monica's post to learn more about the care and thought that went into creating these.

Monica is giving one blessed reader one of her handmade Easter garlands, just like this one...

And just in time for Easter! How perfect!

So how do you enter? Any or all of the following ways...

*Subscribe to The Homespun Heart
*Follow my blog
*Follow me on Twitter
*Tweet about this giveaway - please include @homewiththeboys and the link to this giveaway - OR post about it on Facebook

*And for three extra entries, order your very own garland from Monica - only 4 Easter garlands left, but Christmas garlands can be ordered as well!

At last count, Monica was only 34 garlands away from her goal - let's get her to Relevant! You can follow her progress and find out how to order here.

This giveaway is open until Wednesday, March 31st at 9:00 p.m. when the winner will be chosen by random.org. Please make sure there is a way to contact you if you are the winner!

Thank you so much to Monica for providing garlands for this review and giveaway!

What's in the Bible?: It's Here!!!

We are HUGE Veggie Tales fans around here, so when I heard about Phil Vischer's latest project with Tyndale House, I was definitely interested!

A few months ago, I was sent a preview DVD of this project and immediately, the whole family fell in love with "What's in the Bible?"

And that was just a few minutes of preview!

I, of course, jumped at the chance to review the first two DVDs.

"What's in the Bible?" is a project very near and dear to Vischer's heart - in fact, it has been ON his heart since he started Veggie Tales. His goal behind this DVD series is to take the time kids have in between church activities and fill it with humor, entertainment and Biblical knowledge. Great combination. For kids and parents.

I stuck the DVD in and my kids were instantly quiet and tuned in. And then they started singing along with the theme song. And laughing. LOTS of laughing. From me as well.

The interesting thing about this series is it is for kids but it presents a WEALTH of Biblical knowledge. Many things I didn't know that my almost four-year-old goes around reciting now! This series doesn't dumb anything down - just makes it fun and entertaining to learn.

And the music.

The music ROCKS. The kids walk around singing songs from it all the time. And how great is it to hear their little voices singing about Genesis?! We LOVE that song!

In true Phil Vischer style, this DVD entertains everyone from my toddler, to the elementary kid who caught a few minutes while his mom and I chatted, to his mom who stopped talking to me to hear the puppets talk! I love how it appeals to all ages!

It really is fabulous.

Just take a look for yourself...



Did I mention there will be 13 DVDs in this series?! And ours is one family who wants to own every single one! How about you?

Well, I can help get you started!

Thanks to the generous folks at Tyndale House (who I love), right here today, I am giving away the first two DVDs to one lucky reader!!!

It's all just the start of my birthday week celebration with one giveaway every day!

So here is how you enter...

Just leave a comment telling with whom you would watch "What's in the Bible?"

And you know I will give you extra entries so here they are...

*Follow What's in the Bible on Twitter (@whatsinthebible)
*Become a fan of What's in the Bible on Facebook
*Follow me on Twitter (@homewiththeboys)
*Publicly follow this blog
*Tweet about this giveaway: Check out this giveaway from @homewiththeboys & @whatsinthebible! - http://homewiththeboys.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-in-bible-its-here.html
*Post about this giveaway on Facebook

That's a lot of extra entries! But make sure you leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry or it won't count! Please include your e-mail address or a way to contact you if you win.

This giveaway will close Monday, March 29th at 9:00 p.m. CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

Thank you so much to Tyndale House for this awesome giveaway!

I was provided with the DVDs for this review by Tyndale House. All opinions are my own.

Bella Tunno: Giveaway Time!

WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!!!

Congratulations to entry #17 - Rebecca! You were chosen by random.org as the Designer Diner winner! Please e-mail me to claim your prize!

****************************

Hold on to your hats, mommas!

Especially if you've never heard of Bella Tunno!

You're going to LOVE this!

Bella Tunno has the most fashionable accessories for your little ones. I love how they put it...

Bella Tunno is a baby and children's NECCESSORY (necessary accessory) company dedicated to the balance of fashion, function and philanthropy.

And for proof of just how fashionable they are, this is what we got for the boys...

The Play Smock in "Preppy Boy"



and the Designer Diner in "Budding Artist"


Aren't these fabulous?!

We had to give them a try, starting with the play smock! Jeremiah loved it right away because it was green - his favorite color! See how proud he is!


And we used it for letter practice in shaving cream!


He got good and messy, but nothing on the clothes!



And it cleaned up super easy! The fabric is very durable - high quality materials all around here!

And I can say the same about the Designer Diner...
It's a portable placemat AND chalkboard all in one! The Designer Diner also includes a pack of chalk that fits in a detachable pouch. And it all rolls up so neatly to fit in a diaper bag or purse!

For the real test, I rolled it out for Joshua while Jeremiah played in his smock.

My finicky little boy started coloring right away...


He was very excited about his work!

This could definitely keep him entertained while waiting for our food at a restaurant. The chalk cleaned off very easily with a napkin.

So let's review: Fashionable, durable, enjoyed by the children, easy to use.

And on top of all of that...

Bella Tunno is committed to donating a portion of EVERY sale to the Matt Tunno MAKE A DIFFERENCE FUND. The main focus of Bella Tunno's charitable efforts is drug and alcohol-related education, prevention and rehabilitation programs.

Bella Tunno rocks.

The smocks and diners are just the tip of the iceberg: bibs, parent pods, headbands - you really just need to check out their site for yourself!

AND...

Enter the giveaway!

Oh yeah, Bella Tunno is giving away the Designer Diner of your choice right here!

To enter, just visit Bella Tunno and leave a comment here with your favorite item or design!

For more entries, do the following and LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH...

1. Become a fan of Bella Tunno on Facebook HERE
2. Following Bella Tunno on TWITTER (@bellatunno)
3. Signing up for Bella Tunno's mailing list HERE.
4. Follow this blog
5. Follow me on TWITTER (@elmusic4kids)
6. Tweet or post on Facebook about this giveaway - tweet something like this...

Enter to win from @BellaTunno with @elmusic4kids! http://homewiththeboys.blogspot.com/2010/03/bella-tunno-giveaway-time.html

This giveaway will close at 9:00 PM CDT this Monday, March 8th. The winner will be chosen by random.org. Please make sure there is a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner!

A HUGE thank you to Bella Tunno for providing these products for our family to review! We are loving them!

Are you in love with Gussy yet?

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Now this girl is inspirational.



Best known as Gussy, she started sewing only a year and a half ago and already has a signature style that has caused so many to fall in love.

She calls it the "Gussy ruffle" and she puts it on everything!

Pouches...

Wallets...

Laptop bags...

Even notecards...

How adorable is this stuff?!?!

I'll take one of each please!

And to top it all off, Gussy has a beautiful heart and love for Jesus.

No wonder her business is taking off like a rocket!

So many reasons to be excited about Gussy, the last, but not least, being...

A Gussy giveaway RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!

The prize: $25 shop credit to Gussy's shop!

I know you're dying to know how to enter, so here we go!

To enter, first visit Gussy's shop and let me know your very favorite item!

Then earn extra entries by...

1. Following Gussy's blog

2. Following my blog

3. Following Gussy on Twitter

4. Following me on Twitter

5. Tweeting about the giveaway -
Enter to win $25 shop credit with @GussySews from @elmusic4kids at http://www.homewiththeboys.blogspot.com/

6. Posting about the giveaway on Facebook

7. Blogging about this giveaway (leave the URL)

For extra entries, please leave SEPARATE COMMENTS for each or you will not receive extra entries. (Sorry, that was the teacher coming out in me!)

An e-mail address must be included in your blog profile or comment so I can contact you if you are the blessed winner!

This contest will run until Monday, March 1st at 9:00 PM CST!

Get your entries in now!

And THANK YOU Gussy for this fab giveaway!

Hear No Evil: Review and Giveaway!

Christian non-fiction is hit-or-miss for me.

I've reread Blue Like Jazz three times, but many others have been tossed aside before I'm halfway through!

Hear No Evil was not one of the tossed aside variety - I couldn't put it down!

Hear No Evil, by Matthew Paul Turner, is a light-hearted, but honest, look at the intersection of faith, music and life for the author. Everything from growing up fundamentalist to his calling to be a Christian Michael Jackson. The book follows his journey from childhood, through college and into fatherhood.

I laughed out loud throughout this entire book. At the image of Turner's family covering their ears at Sea World when Michael Jackson come over the speakers. At his reference to the I'd-rather-be-dating-Jesus Pentecostal women. At God's voice telling him to rewrite the lyrics to George Michael's "Faith" to make them holy. Even his deep love for Amy Grant. I seriously could go on and on.

And in the midst of all this laughter, Turner sneaks in some great spiritual truths and deep conversations. One of the most memorable for me was a conversation with a friend who had just confessed a hidden sin to Turner. I love this excerpt:

His face blank, Shawn looked down at the table. "I've made God look pretty stupid, haven't I?" He wiped a tear from his eye with a napkin and tried to smile. "A slob even. I've made God look like a slob."

"I guess we've all made God look like a slob at some point," I said, tracing a finger through grains of sugar on the table. "But I don't think we do that by being human. I think we do it when we pretend we're not."

Wow. That has really stuck with me.

The humor and honesty of this book really reminds me of Blue Like Jazz, and of course, I loved the musical theme of the book. It is a fabulous read.

I will be passing my copy on to a friend tonight.

*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.


And thanks to WaterBrook, I am passing a copy on to one of you as well!

To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite musical memory from growing up - Christian or not!

For extra entries you can...

1. Tweet about this giveaway - leave the link!

2. Follow @JesusNeedsNewPR (Matthew Paul Turner) on Twitter

3. Follow @elmusic4kids (me!) on Twitter

4. Become a follower of Home with the Boys

5. Post about it on Facebook

Up to six entries per person! Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and include a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner!

Contest closes Monday, February 22 at 9:00 p.m. CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

Love Your Heart: Review...and a little surprise!

Love Your Heart by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Ages: 4 - 10
Price: Hardcover $16.99

To see a flip version of the book, visit here.

The second book in Tim McGraw’s My Little Girl series is a heartwarming story of a little girl’s selfless act of kindness.
Tim McGraw and songwriter Tom Douglas once again join forces to write another book about the precocious Katie and her dad. Katie has many talents, but she wonders which one will win her school’s talent show. With the help of Dad and her faithful dog Palio, and after several amusing mishaps, Katie finally chooses one talent that includes Palio. But at the talent show, she decides to drop out of the contest to help her friend, showing kindness is the best talent of all. Katie’s proud dad reassures her that she did the best thing and that while he loves many things about her, he loves her heart most of all.

Tim McGraw is: dad of three daughters, husband to Faith Hill, Country music superstar, Grammy Winner, American Music Award Winner, People’s Choice Winner, highest grossing tour in history (with wife, Faith Hill), and has sold more than 35 million albums. Yet, beneath all the accolades beats the heart of a dad who immensely loves his family.

Tom Douglas is a singer-songwriter who graduated from Oglethorpe University and received an MBA from Georgia State University. He is the writer of hits "Little Rock" by Collin Raye, "The Gift" by Jim Brickman, "Love's the Only House" by Martina McBride, and "Grown Men Don't Cry" by Tim McGraw. He and his wife have three children.

A little strange to be reviewing a girls' book on a blog entitled "Home with the Boys", isn't it?

Stick with me...especially if you have girls...you'll be glad you did!

Let me first say that this is a gorgeous book to look at! The illustrations are colorful and full of life. And we all know how much good illustrations can draw a kid into a book!

Even though it is a story about girls, the message of kindness is one to be shared with all children. Obviously, with a girl main character, it will appeal more to them, but my boys didn't mind a read through of it!

What I love about this book is the father-daughter relationship that McGraw has lots of experience with! How sweet that he is doing this project with his girls in mind!

The price may be a little much for a children's book, but it is beautiful and would be treasured by any girl!

And here's a chance for YOUR little girl to treasure it!

To enter, just leave a comment below about the girl or girls in your life that would treasure this book! Only one entry per person this time around!

I would love to try to get this book to you by Valentine's Day if you win, so this is going to be a short contest - get your entry in NOW!

The giveaway will be closed TONIGHT (February 10th) at 10:00 p.m. CST!

Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. Thank you to Thomas Nelson!