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Zhu Zhu Pets Random Act of Zhu

January 15, 2011 By

Last month, I got an incredible opportunity from Cepia LLC, makers of Zhu Zhu Pets. I was asked to be part of their 2010 “Random Acts of Zhu“, in which 100 bloggers each got 100 Zhu Zhu Pets to donate to the charity of their choice. What a great way to make a difference in my community and make sure 100 area kids got at least one new toy for Christmas!

For the donation, I worked with the local Salvation Army, who also runs a Toys for Tots donation center.  First, I had to get 100 Zhu Zhu Pets from my house to the donation center! Chris helped me pack the trunk of the car and off we went:

At the Toys for Tots donation center, I was blown away by both the size of the room and how many items were already there. Toys for Tots collects new toys in October, November, and December, parents sign up for the program, and then on a designated day, a parent goes in and chooses a gift for each of their children. Thanks to them, less fortunate children still get to experience the joy of Christmas.

The volunteer who met me at the door helped open the boxes, and was happy to see that there was a variety of Zhu Zhu pets
in the boxes. We stopped and posed for a quick photo:

I can’t thank Cepia LLC enough for giving me this incredible opportunity to help my community and put a new toy under the Christmas trees of 100 local kids. I was honored to be chosen to perform a Random Act of Zhu!

Filed Under: Group Projects Tagged With: , , , ,

Change of Plans Sneak Peek and Giveaway

January 7, 2011 By

This Saturday night, gather your family around the TV and tune in to Change of Plans, the third made-for-TV movie from P&G and Walmart. I  reviewed the two previous P&G and Walmart movie collaborations,  The Jensen Project and Secrets of the Mountain, and we really enjoyed both of them.  From what I’ve seen so far of Change of Plans, I think we’re going to enjoy that one too!

Starring Brooke White, Joe Flanigan and Phylicia Rashad, Change of Plans airs on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 8/7c on FOX. Brooke White (“American Idol”) plays  Sally Danville, a musician married to fighter pilot Jason (Joe Flanigan, “Stargate: Atlantis”). Sally and Jason are very much in love, very involved in their careers, and not at all prepared for what is about to happen.

A phone call from caseworker Dorothy (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show) surprises Sally with the news that her best friend from college has died in a tragic accident while serving in the Peace Corps, and that she has been named the legal guardian of her friend’s four children – three of whom were adopted from third-world countries.   While Sally feels badly for the children and agrees to take them in, she tells Dorothy that it would be best if homes were found for the children.  Dorothy tells her that most likely the children will be split up, which tugs at Sally’s heart.

Now Sally and her husband, Jason , must quickly learn to parent this instant family and help the kids deal with culture clashes and life in America. The story is both humorous and heartwarming, revealing how fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own plans and invest in the lives of others.  With songs by Brooke, this is a feel-good movie that I think is perfect for family movie night. Grab some popcorn and candy, snuggle under a blanket, and enjoy the movie!

WIN IT: I have a great giveaway for you courtesy of P&G and Walmart! One winner will receive a grey fleece blanket with the Change of Plans logo on it, plus the DVDs of all the P&G/Walmart family movies to date. That’s 3 family movies: “Secrets of The Mountain”, “Jenson Project” and “A Walk in My Shoes”. You can see the blanket in this photo I took of the review kit I received:

WIN: To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me how often you and your family have a special family movie night. You MUST leave this main comment entry before any bonus entries will count. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Enter by 01/21/11 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

EARN BONUS ENTRIES: For additional chances to win, leave a comment telling me which of the following you do or have done-

  • Link to Table for Five on your blog. Add me to your blogroll or grab a button from the sidebar!
  • Subscribe to the Table for Five feed in a reader or by email. Links are in the header.
  • Follow @Table4Five on Twitter
  • Tweet about the giveaway, you can do this ONCE PER DAY and leave a new comment for each tweet: Enter to win 3 family movie night DVDs & a fleece blanket from @Table4Five! Enter by 01/21/11 at 11:59 PM EST http://wp.me/p9SRW-24O
  • Friend me on Facebook. Include a message in the friend request that you’re entering my giveaway so I’ll be sure to accept!
  • Like Table for Five on Facebook. My page needs more fans!

For THREE Bonus Entries:

  • Bookmark this post on any social bookmarking site. There’s a row of buttons at the bottom of the post that connect directly to digg, delicious, stumbleupon, reddit, facebook, twitter, facebook, and more.  You get three entries for EVERY bookmarking site you add the post to!  Leave three separate, numbered comments – example: #1 I liked this giveaway post on StumbleUpon (URL to your SU page), #2 I liked this giveaway post on SU (URL), etc.

For FIVE Bonus Entries:

  • Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post and the ending date of 1/21/11. Leave five separate, numbered comments – example: #1 I blogged about this giveaway here (URL), #2 I blogged about this giveaway here (URL), etc.

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

Filed Under: Contests and Giveaways, Movies Tagged With: , , ,

My Favorite Posts of 2010

January 5, 2011 By

These are my favorite posts from each month of 2010.  Man, that was a long year, wasn’t it?

January – Getting Back to Basics posted 1/15/10. I did do what I said I would do in that post, bring back my blogroll. But did I really use it as a tool for reconnecting with my readers? No, not really. Bummer. The thing is, it doesn’t seem like ANYONE uses a blogroll anymore. There’s Google Friend Connect and the Facebook Like Box and BlogFrog, there’s MomLogic and Circle of Moms and Mom Bloggers Club. I have profiles on all of those! How the heck is anyone supposed to CONNECT with people these days? Arrrgh!

February – I like feeling validated about my choices posted 2/16/10.  I wrote about not sending Kaitlyn to preschool last year, and how I was doubting that decision until she and I met some little girls who were just her size – and were a year younger.  Seeing how well Kaitlyn is doing in preschool this year shows me that I should trust my instincts – they are usually right :)

March – I can’t sleep. What’s up with that? posted 3/30/10. I wrote about insomnia. It’s been better lately, although I still have trouble sometimes getting to sleep before 2:00 a.m., even if I haven’t had a nap. My body clock is not synched up with my life it would seem :P

April – If this post helps one person avoid a bad haircut, I’ll have done my job posted 4/9/10.  I lamented a snap decision I made to get my hair cut at BoRics, and compared myself to both Dudley Moore and Kristen Stewart in “The Runaways”. I’m happy to report that my hair is looking much better these days :)

May – Dad plus daughter plus public restroom equals chat with police posted 5/21/10.  My husband took Kaitlyn to the park and when she needed to go to the bathroom, waited outside for her and then went in to help her wash her hands. Someone called the police. Like one of my commenters pointed out, it was definitely a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” kind of situation, but the way it was handled still bugged me.

June – Are These Eardrops Made of Unicorn Tears? posted 6/2/10.   I was prescribed eardrops for a not even infected ear that cost me $110 out of pocket. And, get this – a week later, my ear still hurt, so I called my doctor’s office back and said I needed an appointment no matter what, got in to see her, and learned that my ear was badly infected and the eardrops hadn’t done any good at all.  Nice, huh?

July – This Is Where I Belong posted 7/25/10.  I wrote about why I was meant to be a blogger and how much it means to me to be a part of the blogging community. After five and a half years, it’s still the best thing I can imagine doing with my life and it’s still where I belong :)

August - A Promise I Am Making – As Blog Is My Witness posted 8/11/10.  After experiencing excruciating foot pain while at BlogHer, I gave myself an ultimatum – lose weight or no BlogHer in 2011.  I had a life-changing moment right there in my New York hotel room.  For the first time in a long time, I decided to put my needs ahead of others, and do what I needed to do to change. And I am.  You WILL see me at BlogHer 2011!

September – Conversations with Kaitlyn posted 9/7/10.  I’m so glad I have a blog where I can write down the funny conversations Kaitlyn and I have. Some day I’ll be glad I can look back and read them!  This post also has a bunch of adorable pictures of her if you want to see :)

October – Single Moms and Dads, I Salute You posted 10/19/10. Chris was out of town on business and I was feeling overwhelmed by having to do everything by myself.  But it wasn’t until my oldest son confessed to feeling stressed out himself that I realized I was letting things get out of hand.  And I realized that single parents had to do what I did for a week, every single day. Hence, the saluting of them.

November – Dona Nobis Pacem – BlogBlast for Peace 2010 posted 11/04/10.  My third annual post for the BlogBlast for Peace, which has grown to include bloggers from all over the world, all posting a peace badge and writing about peace on the same day.  My 2008 badge said “Let there be peace on Earth, and in the blogosphere too”.  A motto to live by, I say.

December – Just the usual Holiday Stress around here posted 12/21/10.  A short post about the combination of holiday stress and blogging stress. Great comments with tips on dealing with both!

So, those were my favorite posts of 2010.  Why not look back through your archives and write your own post linking to your favorites posts from last year? If you do, come back here and leave a link to your post in a comment!

Filed Under: Born to Blog Tagged With: , ,
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