win-it wednesday

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday, with 24-hour giveaways just for you!

Could your carpets use a good cleaning to make them presentable for holiday guests? I know ours are in desperate need of a little TLC, especially the high traffic areas like our steps. So my husband enthusiastically unboxed and assembled the Hoover MaxExtract77 Multi-Surface Pro Deep Cleaner as soon as it arrived.

I was impressed to say the least — with the Hoover MaxExtract77 as well as his willingness to test it out, LOL. Actually, Luke is the one that usually takes care of the steam cleaning, so I was anxious to hear his opinions. I know he’s complained before about our old machine not pulling up enough water and the carpet taking forever to dry. The MaxExtract DualV Nozzle Technology did a fantastic job of pulling out all of the dirty water so that our carpets were dry in record time.

Another feature that my husband loved are the SpinScrub Setting Options. Basically, you can easily customize your cleaning system by surface:

• Spill Pickup Mode is suction only, without brush agitation action.
• Gentle Scrub Mode rotates brushes at slower speed for ceramic tile, linoleum and sealed hardwood floors.
• Power Scrub Mode maximizes scrubbing action for cleaning carpet and high-traffic areas.

This is perfect for our needs since we have linoleum and laminate floors downstairs and carpeting upstairs — one tool to clean them all. I’m grateful to Hoover (and my husband) for helping me get our floors and carpets into holiday guest-ready shape!

Hoover wants to help with their Stress Less Holiday Sweepstakes. Enter before 12/11 to win a MaxExtract77 Multi-Surface Pro, WindTunnel T-Series Rewind, $500 or one of several second and third place weekly prizes.

In addition, one lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will also win a Hoover MaxExtract77 Multi-Surface Pro Deep Cleaner!

To enter, tell me what room in your house needs its floors cleaned the most.

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. Tell me which room you’d clean first with the Hoover MaxExctract77!

2. Join the Deal Seeking Mom community on Facebook for more conversation, additional deals and a peek at the freebies I receive in the mail each week. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Add Deal Seeking Mom to your blogroll or add my badge to your sidebar. Make sure to come back and leave the link to your site in a separate comment!

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(1) Hoover MaxExtract77 Multi-Surface Pro Deep Cleaner (ARV $299.99)

This giveaway ends at 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, 12/9 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday, with 24-hour giveaways just for you!

From now through December 31st, Coinstar is not only offering no-fee transactions, but they’ve also teamed up with five national retailers to kick off the Cash in $40, Get $50 promotion. When you dump $40 or more in the magic green machine and choose a gift card from one of the participating retailers, you’ll get a $10 bonus! Choose from Borders, Lowe’s, iTunes, Rixty or Regal Entertainment Centers.

What a great way to save on a Christmas gift or special treat for yourself!

Click here to find your nearest Coinstar location.

Two lucky Deal Seeking Mom readers will each win a $50 Borders gift card!

To enter, tell me whether you keep a coin jar and, if so, how often you count your change.

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. Do you keep a coin jar? How often do you count your change? What do you use that money for?

2. “Like” Deal Seeking Mom and Coinstar on Facebook. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Follow @DealSeekingMom and @Coinstar on Twitter and tweet the following. Make sure to come back and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment!

Enter to win 1 of 2 $50 gift cards to Borders from @Coinstar and @DealSeekingMom: https://dealseekingmom.com/?p=64063

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(2) $50 Borders Gift Cards

This giveaway ends at 9 a.m. on Thursday, 12/9 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Have you ever locked two kids in your running car and a third child in the house all at once?

As embarrassed as I am to admit it, my husband and I accidentally did this when we were in the process of building our house. Through a comedy of errors where each of us thought the other had the car and house keys, we found ourselves standing outside of our newly-built home with a 2-year-old and 1-year-old locked in our running SUV, while our 2-month-old infant daughter was locked in her carrier inside the house.

Of course you can imagine the panic that ensued…until one of our new neighbors calmly walked across the street and wedged a credit card into the door frame, popping the lock. Of course I vowed two things right then and there: a) to always use the deadbolt lock and b) we needed to ensure that we were always able to gain access to the house.

Until now we’ve used a PIN pad attached to our garage door to achieve this, leaving our door leading inside in the garage unlocked. Of course had I known that there were such things as the Kwikset SmartKey available before now, we could have solved this in a much simpler and more secure manner!

My husband installed the Kwikset Arlington Handle and SmartKey Keyless Deadbolt in under 20 minutes — all while I was away on a business trip and he was in charge of all five kids. So that tells you just how easy it is!

The handle is so much more attractive than the boring basic doorknob we had previously, and I love the keyless deadbolt. It automatically locks behind you after 30 seconds, and all you have to do to get back in is punch a 4-digit code that you set into the PIN pad. We’re definitely buying a second SmartKey for our door in the garage!

One Deal Seeking Mom reader will win a Kwikset SmartKey prize pack that includes:

• Your choice of a Arlington handleset, Tustin lever or Juno knob
• SmartCode Signature Series Keyless Deadbolt

To enter, tell me how you manage your house keys. Do you have multiple keys in case you get locked out? Do your children have keys to the home? Perhaps a neighbor keeps a spare key in case of emergencies.

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. How do you manage house keys?

2. Join the Deal Seeking Mom community on Facebook for more conversation, additional deals and a peek at the freebies I receive in the mail each week. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Follow @DealSeekingMom on Twitter and tweet the following. Be sure to come back and leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet!

Enter to win a Kwikset SmartKey prize pack on @DealSeekingMom: https://dealseekingmom.com/?p=61205

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(1) Kwikset SmartKey prize pack, as described above

This giveaway ends at 7 p.m. on Thursday, 11/18 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday, with 24-hour giveaways just for you!

Leap Frog products have always been a part of our family, beginning with our first copy of The Letter Factory that we watched over and over with our first son eight years ago. I say first copy because it became so well worn that we actually had to purchase a new copy to replace it! So when I heard about the new SmartyAnts curriculum that’s been developed by the founders of Leap Frog, I was very interested in giving it a try.

The SmartyAnts system consists of an interactive website and a companion SmartyAnts Phonics Reading Pup that reinforces the lessons taught on the website in a fun and engaging way minus the computer, allowing children to practice the reading skills they’re currently working on any time, any place.

We received the white SmartyAnts Phonics Reading Pup to give the system a try, and my four-year-old daughter immediately fell in love with him. He’s very fluffy and cute and surprisingly cuddly and soft for something that has mechanical parts housed inside. He comes ready for fun, preloaded with 10 songs designed to help teach your child the alphabet, letter sounds, phonics, word building, and rhyming.

I decided to let my daughter just get to know the Reading Pup for several days before introducing the online aspect, and he quickly became a constant companion. But when I showed her the SmartyAnts website and how it complements the dog, that was when the real fun began. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit it, but the site showed me just how much I was underestimating what my daughter was capable of. I was under the impression that she was still working on her lower case letters and sounds, but she breezed through those right into the four-letter words level!

The SmartyAnts website is very cute and really draws your child in with activities that seem like play on the surface but are really teaching them valuable skills all the while. My daughter just devoured all of this and asks to play frequently. And the best part is that you can download new files to the Reading Pup that reinforce these skills during free time.

The SmartyAnts Phonics Reading Pup retails for just $29.99, and I fully expect him to be one of the hottest toys this holiday season. Included in the box is one SmartyAnts Phonics Reading Pup (choose husky or white pup), USB cable, parent guide, and one-month membership to SmartyAnts Web site.

One lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win a Phonics Reading Pup with a 1-year subscription to SmartyAnts.com!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Want to win a one year subscription to Smarty Ants, as well as a Phonics Reading Pup? Just leave me a comment here, before 9pm on November 22nd, telling me about the fun ways you and your little ones have discovered learning how to read.

Prize:
(1) SmartyAnts.com Phonics Reading Pup and 1-year Subscription

This giveaway ends at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, 11/22 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Disclosure: I received a Phonics Reading Pup and a one-year subscription to SmartyAnts.com to review for this post.

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday. I’ll be posting a 24-hour giveaway to give you plenty of chances to win!

I’ve shared my thoughts on Keurig Single-Cup Brewers in the past, and I still love my Keurig just as much today.

I’m always up for trying new K-cup flavors, so I was happy to test drive the new Millstone and Folgers varieties.

Millstone coffee and Folgers Gourmet Selections K-Cup portion packs are made from the same high quality beans already available on-shelf in over 50 blends, and offer the exceptional taste that both brand’s passionate coffee drinkers have come to expect. The superior taste is the result of both brand’s precise “bean to cup” process that involves an intricate method of growing, roasting, and blending to ensure each cup of coffee delivers a unique coffee drinking experience.

I really enjoyed them, with the Folgers Black Silk K-cups being the one I liked the best. I like my coffee strong and bold, so this one was the closest to what I would typically buy. The Millstone Hazelnut K-cups were fun for a change of pace. They’re perfect for an after-dinner treat in lieu of a decadent dessert!

Millstone and Folgers Gourmet Selections K-Cup portion packs are available in the following flavors:

• Millstone Breakfast Blend (Fair Trade Certified)
• Millstone Hazelnut Cream
• Folgers Gourmet Selections Black Silk
• Folgers Gourmet Selections Lively Colombian
• Folgers Gourmet Selections Lively Colombian Decaf
• Folgers Gourmet Selections Vanilla Biscotti

One lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win a Keurig Single-Cup Brewer and four samples of the new Millstone and Folgers K-Cup varieties!

To enter, tell me your best “tips and tricks” to manage a hectic morning are and how a fresh gourmet cup of coffee helps you get your mornings started.

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. What are your best “tips and tricks” to manage a hectic morning, and how does a fresh gourmet cup of coffee help you get your mornings started?

2. Join the Keurig community on Facebook. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Join the Deal Seeking Mom community on Facebook for more conversation, additional deals and a peek at the freebies I receive in the mail each week. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(1) Keurig Single-Cup Brewer with K-Cups samples, as described above

This giveaway ends at 4:00pm EST on Thursday, November 11th and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!