For the first two nights we were home, I didn’t even sleep when she slept. I was afraid something would happen to her.

You’ve heard it before and it’s true – babies don’t come with instruction manuals. Baby’s first year, especially for a first-time parent is exhausting and full of questions. Even though I didn’t know much about what I was doing, I was thankful for the awesome gifts that I had received that made Audrey Grace’s first year easier – a pack and play that doubled as a bassinet for my bedroom, a swing, a high chair, and a play mat for tummy time and stimulation.

My sweet girl, at 3 months old, in her Fisher-Price Rainforest Swing.

I eventually figured out that when I needed to take a shower I would put the swing on the carpet right next to the bathtub and turn it on so that I could rinse off but still have her close by. As she grew older, I would put a few toys in the pack and play and let her sit in there and play while I folded laundry. There were hours of sweet baby giggles during play time on the playmat, and lots of messy moments in her high chair.

When I look back on those early months, there is one thing that was a constant. All of those things – the pack and play, the swing, the high chair, and the play mat – were made by Fisher-Price. So, when they reached out to me about a month ago to ask if I wanted to share my first-year experience and must-have baby items with you, I couldn’t resist because their awesome products have been such an integral part of my life.

7 days old, swaddled and peaceful in her Rainforest Bassinet by Fisher-Price

If you’ve found this post because you’re pregnant – congratulations! You are embarking on an amazing journey. If you’re searching to figure out what you need for your baby’s first year, I can help!

Here are the top 10 items that new moms say were the most crucial during their baby’s first year of life, ranked in order of importance!

#1. Swing. (My personal #1 as well!)

#2. Bouncer.

#3. Sleeper.

#4. Feeding support pillow.

#5. Carrier.

#6. High Chair.

#7. Activity Gym.

#8. Jumperoo.

#9. Breast Pump.

#10. Play Mat.

You can read more about the list, and what moms are saying about each item on the First Year Favorites landing page on Fisher Price.

As a part of this campaign, I was sent the Fisher-Price Kick and Play Piano Gym to review. This product is all kinds of awesome – here’s why:

1. It grows with your child. Start them out on their back with the overhead gym and they piano facing their toes. For tummy time the bar adjusts and lays flat. When they are big enough to sit on their own, the piano adjusts up so they can sit and play. One investment, many uses.

2. I love the mirror on the activity bar (babies are so fascinated by their own reflection, and the soft teething bird toy. Lots to look at and play with.

3. The piano makes me happy. I love music, and it gives them something to touch with their toes and get instant gratification when they do. Wait until you see all of the giggles that your baby gets out of this toy.

4. The music lasts for up to 15 minutes – so you don’t have to push the button every 30 seconds when your baby cries for more!

At 5 and 6, both of our kids are too old for this now, but I so wish they had it when they were little. They both would have loved it.

Win it! Are you interested in winning a Kick and Play Piano Gym of your own? We are excited to say that we have another one to give away, courtesy of Fisher-Price! Just use the form below to enter – and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fisher-Price, but Fisher-Price is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this post. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Fisher-Price.

Read the original Fisher-Price BabyGear is A Life Saver For Baby’s First Year {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

Honestly, I’d like to declare every week pajama week. Hey, it’s like college all over again!

You already know that I’m a milk drinker. In a major way. I’m tempted to go over to my fridge right this second and take a photo of the 4 cartons of organic milk that are currently hanging out in there, waiting to be consumed. I only say that I’m tempted because while I’d like to show you, if I do then you’d have to also bear witness to the disaster that is my refrigerator, and while I live most of my life publicly on the internet, some things just have to be off limits, you know? Like leftover Chinese food. Too personal.

Where was I? Oh! Yes, we love milk. I say we because my kids love it too. (Proud mom bragging moment in 3…2…1…) I don’t even have to flavor it for them to drink it (though I’ve never seen them turn down a glass of chocolate milk) they just love milk. And rightfully so, it’s just good.

If that isn’t reason enough for you, look, Salma Hayek starts her day off with milk, too!

In honor of Pajama Week my awesome friends with Milk Mustache sent me these super cool cow “PajaMOOS” (though I think “MOOjamas” works equally as well), a cozy Breakfast Project t-shirt, a breakfast cookbook (that my family is desperately hoping that I read – it came with a picture of Eggs Benedict on the front cover which set the bar needlessly high), a breakfast tray, some fun recipes, and a cow spotted milk frother. Oh and they sent me COW SLIPPERS. I have officially declared myself the coolest mom in this house.

Because everyone knows that what goes on the internet is not searchable forever and really simple to remove, I decided that I should model my “PajaMOOS” for you.

How great are those cow slippers? I like to call them “MOOshoes”. Kind of like the Chinese food in my fridge!

And one more photo of me in cow pajamas because, well, why not?

How awesome are those? Would you like to win your very own pair of “PajaMOOS”? I’ve got a fun gift basket to give away just like the one I received thanks to the folks who reign over everything Milk related. The winner will receive:

• A Breakfast in Bed Tray
• Breakfast recipes from MilkMustache.com
• A breakfast cookbook
• A mug and milk frother to perfect your morning latte
• A pair of PajaMOOs (Cow pajama pants & a Milk Mustache shirt)
• Cow slippers

To enter to win, just leave a comment below! I’d love to hear how you incorporate milk into your daily routine if you want to share. In your latte? In your cereal? Do you sneak sips of the kids’ chocolate milk? Share your thoughts in the comments and you could win a Milk Mustache breakfast basket!

Don’t want to wait to see if you’ve won? Follow @MilkMustache on Twitter – they’re giving away more “PajaMOOS” all week long. You can also check out Salma, The Breakfast Project, and our friends at Milk Mustache on Facebook!

Fine print: Contest ends May 7th at 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random and you must leave a valid email address so that you can be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to respond to my email before another winner will be chosen. 18 and older only, void where prohibited, be a nice person. Thanks!

Disclosure: I was provided a prize pack for this post. Opinions are my own. I really do drink milk. I really do drink tons of milk. You should too, it’s good for you!

Read the original I’m wearing Cow Pajamas in this Post. Happy Pajama Week! {A Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

I remember the day that I discovered picplum very clearly. It was August 19th, and I was flying back to Louisiana for my 29th birthday after having spent 3 weeks in Southern California with my fiance’ and his son. It was actually the last time I would ever fly “home” to Louisiana and I knew that it would be – because 11 days later my daughter and I would officially become residents of California.

I had spent nearly 30 years as a Louisiana resident. My entire life. My 4 year old’s entire life. I was excited for a new adventure. My family was excited for me too, for sure. Even so, there were a lot of tears. Like, a lot. A ton.

I think it was mostly over the fact that my daughter was going with me. Not that they don’t love me or anything, but if you are a parent, or a grandparent you understand the joy that a grandchild brings to a family. You also understand that if said grandchild lived with you for a good year of her life and also came over for dinner at least once a week then that loss hurts even more.

But back to my story. I was sitting in the Dallas airport, waiting on yet another delayed flight, when I saw a tweet from my fiance’ – suggesting that I check out picplum. The idea behind it was that you can upload photos throughout the month – from your phone, your computer, and via email – and on a certain day each month picplum will print and ship that “batch” of photos to addresses that you had previously specified.

I literally read the tweet, went to the picplum website, and pulled out my credit card to sign up. I was totally sold – I could think of no better gift and surprise for my family back home. The idea is simple, 50 cents per print, and starting at $2.50 shipping per recipient. So for under 10 bucks a month, I can print and ship photos to my parents of my daughter, my soon-to-be-son, and occasionally myself and my fiance’. They get everything from photos of the first day of school, to sleepy morning photos, to photos of us all at the pumpkin patch.

Here is what one of my upload pages looks like:

You can see in the top left hand corner that I sent 3 different recipients 19 photos each. I love me some picplum.

As I sat in the airport uploading my photos, I found myself with a few questions. I sent a tweet to @picplum and had a response almost immediately. At other times I’ve been on the site and the live chat has popped out and one of the founders has said “Hey Erika – let me know if you have any questions!”. The customer service is amazing – and the team really cares about building a great product with a clean customer experience. I love to feel special – and the folks at picplum have a way of doing that for me without even trying.

My family loves getting the photos each month – they really look forward to it and I always get elated text messages and phone calls when a new batch arrives. My fiance’ has signed up with his own account and sends photos to family back in Connecticut, Maine, and Florida – and just this month he wised up and added me to his account! I got my first batch in the mail a few weeks ago and I was so impressed! Check it out!

They come in a pretty purple envelope (excuse the iPhone photo – but awesome packaging ftw!):

And the photos are just gorgeous!

Can you tell I just think picplum is the coolest thing since sliced bread? Cause I do. I have nothing to gain from shouting from the rooftops that I love this company – I just think they’re awesome! I am a happy paying customer, and I know that will continue for the foreseeable future!

Because the guys over at picplum know that I’m a happy customer, they offered to giveaway some photo credits here on Chic Shopper Chick – which I thought was a super idea! So, if you want to try out picplum for yourself, enter to win $50 in credit – which should get you several batches of photos printed and shipped!

Don’t want to wait to get started? You can sign up for your picplum account now (and the first 5 people who sign up for picplum through Chic Shopper Chick and print and ship a batch of photos will get $10 in credit towards their next order) and if you win the giveaway, then they will just apply the credit to your account!

One last thing. I want to do a little reverse disclosure here. I am not benefiting through this write up whatsoever. I am not getting any free product, and I am not being paid by picplum. The link that you click above is not an affiliate link – it’s simply a tracking link so that we can keep track of the first 5 orders (and know who to credit the $10 to). The guys at picplum simply offered this to do this though my site because I am a crazy fan and have been vocal about my support of the company from day one.

Ok, so now the good stuff. To enter:

• Go over and click like on the picplum Facebook page. Leave a comment letting me know that you did so.

Read the original Picplum: The Perfect Gift For The Holidays {A Giveaway} on Chic Shopper Chick.

Then the folks at The Brainy Company contacted me about their Glowberry Bears and I just knew that Audrey Grace would love it. They sent us the light blue Glowberry bear, and I’ve discovered that it works in 3 settings:

• Bear to Bear – There’s a chip located in the bear’s foot and when placed in close proximity of another Glowberry Bear, they communicate with each other. We only have one bear so I cannot attest to the quality of this feature, but it sounds pretty cool!
• Nighttime – This setting transitions our bear into a night light – pressing the bear’s tummy makes it light softly from within and the glow will last for 3 minutes.
• Bear to Child – The bear talks to us, and even has a name! If you press its hand it will say things like, “Hi, I’m Twinkleton. What’s your name?” Pressing its other hand makes the nightlight light up, and tickling its tummy makes it giggle.

Read the original Holiday Gift Guide: Glowberry Bears {A Giveaway} on Chic Shopper Chick.

Thanks for checking out my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! Be sure to check out Our Ordinary Life and Mommy Mandy for more great gift ideas!

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I have very strong emotional associations with my sense of smell. As a child, I could tell you what pillow belonged to what family member just by taking my nose to it – everyone had a different distinct scent, and they were familiar and comforting. When I was sick, I loved sleeping on one of my parent’s pillows – it was comforting to me, like being able to snuggle with them in my sleep. As I’ve gotten older, this association has only grown. I associate the scent of baby powder with the city of Paris – I was wearing a body lotion that was faintly scented with it when I was first visiting there, and now every time I smell powder, I think of Paris.

Sometimes it works the opposite way – I can’t even walk near anyone wearing Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Lovely” because I wore it during the first 3 months of my pregnancy with Audrey Grace – and I was so sick during those months that just smelling it in the slightest turns my stomach.

Yankee Candle Mini Holiday Trio - photo is my own

One of my all time favorite scents has got to be that of anything to do with winter. I love the feel of the cold air, the smell of the fireplace, the scent of the freshly-cut Christmas tree. When I was in college I discovered Yankee Candles and I fell in love. Burning a highly-scented Yankee Candle was like walking right back into a winter memory. My favorites revolved around Pine, or Cedar – anything that reminded me of the smell of our Christmas tree. I started buying these candles once every 2 months – I would save up while I was in college and “treat” myself to one. They have always been my ultimate favorite candle.

When I started blogging, there were a few products that I was already a die-hard ambassador for, without ever needing to have a relationship with that company. Yankee Candle has always been one of those. You can see I even included them back in my 2008 Holiday Gift Guide – I have had a long-standing obsession with the candles and it continues to this day.

This year Yankee Candle sent me a few of their holiday scents to try out for myself – and the day that box came I was flat out giddy. I even tweeted this:

Inside of this gorgeous box I discovered a trio of Yankee Candle’s Newest Holiday Fragrances – Cherries on Snow, Mountain Berry and Christmas Rose. I love all three of them, but Mountain Berry has to be my ultimate favorite. Our kiddos loved playing “guess the scent” and wanted to smell them over and over again. We also received a small tumbler of Warm Woolen Mittens, which has been burning all weekend and smells heavenly. Lastly, we received a large jar of the Balsam & Cedar wrapped in an adorable gift package, which would be just perfect for gift-giving (ahem, if anyone needs to get me anything else…)!

Photo by Kristin of Our Ordinary Life

Have you tried out Yankee Candle yet? I am not a betting woman, but in this case I would bet money on the fact that you will love them. I am so excited to announce that I have a set of 3 mini candles in the newest Holiday scents (as seen above) to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

To enter:

• Visit Yankee Candle and come back here to tell me what your favorite candle scent is!

Extra Entry Methods (leave a separate comment for each):

• Visit Mommy Mandy and enter one of her Holiday Giveaways. Come back here and let me know you did it. (1 entry)
• Visit Our Ordinary Life and enter one of her Holiday Giveaways. Come back here and let me know you did it. (1 entry)
• Like Yankee Candle on Facebook! (1 extra entry)
• Follow Yankee Candle on Twitter! (1 extra entry)
• BLOG ABOUT IT!!! 5 entries.
• Tweet this contest. (1 entry)
• Like Chic Shopper Chick on Facebook. (1 entry)
• List this giveaway on any contest site for 3 entries.
• You can always leave a comment on any non-giveaway post. (1 extra entry per post commented on. just go to “home” posts are up front, please comment on all new posts and leave your extra entry comment)

No purchase necessary to win. Contest only valid for residents of the US. Winner to be chosen by random.org on or after November 30th. Winner has 48 hours to respond to notification email or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Yankee Candle sent me these candles for review. I already loved them, I knew I would, so I jumped at the opportunity. These opinions are 100% mine and I’m thrilled to share them with you.

Read the original Holiday Gift Guide: Yankee Candle {Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

The other day little AG and I had a mini fashion show in her bedroom. It was not planned, nor was it necessarily enjoyable. She was unknowingly borrowing from her mommy’s bag of tricks – trying on every skirt in her closet until she found one that “twirled” enough. Telle mère, telle fille…

When Erika from Tutu Pour Mon Deux contacted me and offered Audrey Grace one of their fully-customizable tutu tanks to try out, I believe I responded with a “Yes! My 4 year old daughter would fah-reak out over these!”.

Fah-reak, obviously, is a technical term.

Anyway, as expected, she totally did. Check out my little ham:

For Audrey Grace I chose a brown tank with dark pink tutu material, a fun pink polka dot ribbon, and a crown on the front. The design process was insanely easy, and so much fun! The only hard part was choosing the perfect combination for my sweet girl’s personality! You can see a snapshot of the customization screen below:

This screen is exactly what it looked like before I hit “add to cart” and you can see the gorgeous end result that arrived about a week later in the mail (complete with wand, may I add!).

You simply choose your shirt style, color, tutu color, ribbon color, and patch on the front. I was thrilled at the high quality of the shirt and tutu, and the patch on the front is soft and fuzzy, definitely a well-made product.

Here is the best part about these adorable tutu shirts – they come with a story. This story is one of gratitude, for a doctor and hospital staff that saved a little girl’s life. Her name is Maeley, and she one of the daughters of the owner of Tutu Pour Mon Deux (which means Tutu For My Two – I assume referring to her two daughters!). Because of Maeley’s journey, and that of her family, one-third of proceeds from all of these Tutu shirts goes to Children’s Hospital Boston.

Win It! Tutu Pour Mon Deux wants to give one very lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader the opportunity to win a customized tutu shirt of her very own! To enter, head on over to Tutu Pour Mon Deux and design your perfect tutu shirt - then come back here and leave a comment letting me know what it would look like! For bonus entries, you can tweet this contest out to your followers, share it on Facebook (see the buttons at the top of this post for help sharing), subscribe to my site via email (box at the top right), subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or write a blog post about this contest (worth 3 extra entries). For any of these that you choose to do, please come back here leaving a comment to let me know that you did so.

That’s it! Good luck!

This contest will run from April 19, 2011 to April 27th, 2011 and will end at 11:59 pm CST. No purchase necessary to win, and a winner will be chosen at random. If the winner does not respond to emails within 72 hours of notification, then another winner will be chosen. US entries only.

Read the original Tutu Tuesday: Tutu Pour Mon Deux {A Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

The products are not just for moms, however, but fit for everyone in the family. From children’s clothes to skincare products to baked goods, there is a little something to suit all of your needs. Originally Gaggle Of Chicks was only a NYC based site, but they have now expanded to include nationwide deals as well. The deals expire after only 48 hours, so time is of the essence! You can work on getting some of your deals free, too, if you invite friends to try the service. For every friend you refer that makes a purchase, you get a $10 credit. You friends also get a $10 credit to Gaggle Of Chicks as soon as they sign up!

The current New York deal has me drooling – half-off of a skin-care package (which still costs a whopping $249). I’ve noticed that several of the deals are a bit pricey, especially the local New York deals, while the nationwide deals tend to be more affordable. However, I’m not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing – the discount on high-end items gives me the chance to purchase or afford something that I normally wouldn’t be able to.

The Gaggle Of Chicks website is adorable, and easy to navigate. As we say in geek-speak, the user experience is a good one. I was given a gift card to try out the service, but had a short time frame in which to publish my review, and feel I should tell you that while I haven’t purchased anything from Gaggle of Chicks yet, I’m totally planning to – it’s just that nothing on the site in the past week has been able to float my boat.

You can win a $100 credit to try out Gaggle of Chicks yourself! To enter, just head over to Gaggle of Chicks and sign up to try out the service (it’s free!), then come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you did! Bonus entries if you invite your friends to try the service too – let me know in a separate comment that you have invited 3 or more friends (the Gaggle of Chicks folks will verify this) and you will receive a bonus entry!

This contest ends on February 24th, 2011 at 11:59pm CST. US residents only, please. Good luck!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Gaggle of Chicks and received a Gaggle of Chicks credit for myself to facilitate this review, and a $100 Gaggle of Chicks gift certificate to giveaway.

Read the original Gaggle Of Chicks {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

But occasionally, a gem catches my eye.

During one of my routine email deletion sprees, I clicked into an email from Soma Intimates about their new “Personality PJ’s”. These very cool PJs come in six different prints or personality types, including glam, fun, chic, wild, classic and romantic, and they are super cute. I clicked on over to to take the quiz and discover my personality type and it turns out that my result was “fun and classic”. According to my results, I should have gone with the puppy dog pajamas or the snowflake pajamas but in the end my penchant for all-things animal print won out, and I went with the “wild” choice – the Leopard Print PJs. I think they’re “fitting” for me, don’t you?

I have to share that I wanted them simply because they looked like SO. MUCH. FUN. but as a major bonus? They are incredibly comfortable. They are stretchy and soft – like your favorite t-shirt after 4 years of washing it. They are well made, roomy, and well, just all-around awesome. My 3 year old was so jealous when I put them on – she wanted a pair of “animal” PJs like Mommy – but she settled for Tinker Bell PJs instead (but, oh, hey Soma – can we work on mommy/daughter PJs for next year?!).

So it looks like I already have my Christmas Pajamas for this year (though I’m sorta gunnin’ for these “glam” Satin Diamond PJs too – talk about ultra lux!) but if you are looking for holiday gifts for a girlfriend, this would be one smart choice! Plus, right now the Personality PJs are buy one, get one half off! Not bad, right?

Win It! Soma Intimates wants to give one very lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader the opportunity to win her very own pair of Personality PJs! To enter, head on over to take the Personality Quiz (it only takes a few minutes, and it was lots of fun!) then come back here and leave a comment letting me know what “personality” you are! For bonus entries, you can tweet this contest out to your followers, share it on Facebook (see the buttons at the top of this post for help sharing), subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or write a blog post about this contest (worth 3 extra entries).

I can’t wait to find out all of your personality types! Have fun, and good luck!

This contest will run from November 21, 2010 to November 29th, 2010 and will end at 11:59 pm CST. No purchase necessary to win, and a winner will be chosen at random. If the winner does not respond to emails within 72 hours of notification, then another winner will be chosen. US entries only.

Disclosure: I was sent a pair of Soma Intimates Personality PJs for review. This in no way affected my opinion of the product (they really are amazing), and all thoughts expressed above are 100% mine. Check out my disclosure policy for more information.

Read the original Holiday Gifts: Soma Intimates “Personality” PJ’s {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

The Single Serve Brewing System really makes my life so much easier because I can make one cup and not waste a whole pot of coffee, and I can also decide if I want coffee, tea, flavored coffee, etc. on a whim.

If you haven’t already read my gushing review you should definitely check it out in the 2009 Holiday Guide – but let’s get down to the nitty gritty of why you’re here — you’re dying to win one of these babies, and I don’t blame you ONE. BIT.

To enter, go check out the Keurig Platinum Single Serve Brewing System and come back here to let me know what your favorite feature is. For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page), or you can come to my house and help me with my Christmas baking. Ok, not the last one. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Fine Print: Giveaway ends December 26th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST. Winner to be chosen at random. Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

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Don’t forget to check our the Technology section of the guide for some suggestions for the tech-loving people in your life as well as some of our newest giveaways, like the LogMeIn iPhone App Giveaway, our Mophie Juice Pack Air Giveaway, and our iH15 Color Changing iPod/iPhone dock Giveaway as well!

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Disclosure: These products have been submitted to me for review. I don’t love every product on the market, by FAR, but I write about the ones that I do love here on my site. The deal is that I will only recommend things to you that I like, believe in, and would buy myself or tell my friends and family to buy. My opinions are 100% my own. It’s how I roll. For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Read the original 2009 Holiday Guide: Keurig Platinum Brewing System {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

So, yes, the MJPA (because it just gets WAY too tiring typing all of that out each time) pretty much rocks my world. So does the company, because they loved that I loved my Mophie SO much that they offered to give one away to one of my awesome CSC readers. Dude, this would make the coolest gift for the iPhone freak in your life. Or, you know, just keep it for yourself. You deserve it.

To enter, pop on over to Mophie’s website and peruse the rest of the awesome products they have there. Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which product BESIDES this one you love. For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page), or post a video to YouTube of yourself doing 5 back flips in a row. Ok, not the last one. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Good luck and Happy Holidays! Oh, don’t forget to check out our LogMeIn iPhone App Giveaway and our iH15 Color Changing iPod/iPhone Dock/Music Player Giveaway as well!

Fine Print: Giveaway ends December 20th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST. Winner to be chosen at random. Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

Read the original 2009 Holiday Guide: Mophie Juice Pack Air {A Giveaway} on Chic Shopper Chick.

I included LogMeIn Ignition in the Tech-Savvy section of my 2009 Holiday Guide, and I’m so excited to give a copy of this app away to one of my awesome readers! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me why you’d like to win. For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page), or post gratuitous amounts of compliments about how wonderful I am. Ok, not the last one. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Fine Print: Giveaway ends December 20th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST. Winner to be chosen at random. Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

Read the original 2009 Holiday Guide: LogMeIn {A Giveaway} on Chic Shopper Chick.

Did you know that it is estimated that 1 in 10 households in America goes hungry or is threatened by the possibility of hunger? (via Oakland Institute) This is an unacceptable statistic and one that we can fight together to change. We need to help fund this effort, but we also need to help raise awareness. Seriously, 1 in 10 homes? Have you ever considered that you may have come across someone in your every day life that doesn’t have enough to eat?

Macy’s has launched COME TOGETHER, an innovative awareness and fundraising campaign that aims to feed 10 million people suffering from hunger. This campaign invites the public to host special dinners in their homes and asks their guests to pledge a donation to Feeding America. The best part is that for every dollar raised, Macy’s will match it in kind, until the goal of 10 million meals is reached!

Ready to get involved?! Good! There are three different ways to participate, and all of them help!

1) Hostess with the Mostess! Host a party for your family and friends – think of it as a dinner party for a good cause! You pick how formal or laid-back you want it to be – the point is just to “come together” for a good cause! Instead of bring a gift for the host, suggest that your guests make a donation to Feeding America. Plus, you can manage all of your details online!

2) Give a little bit! You can donate $1 at any Macy’s register, and your dollar will provide dinner for SEVEN people. I can’t think of many better uses for a dollar, can you?

3) Shop ’til you drop! On October 17th, shop your little heart out because you will get special in-store savings during Macy’s national Shop For A Cause day. A portion of the $5 in-store ticket sales will benefit Feeding America.

To celebrate this fantastic initiative, Macy’s has offered to giveaway two $25 gift cards to two very lucky Chic Shopper Chick readers! To enter, leave a comment below. To score an extra entry, tweet this by clicking the button at the top of this page! Good luck!

This contest ends on October 18, 2009 at 11:59pm CST. US entries only. Winners will be chosen via random.org.

Read the original Come Together With Macy’s {A Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

Everyone here has a story about how they know a local celebrity. They sat on a plane next to Robin Roberts, or shopped alongside of Jamie-Lynn Spears in Walmart. (Please, she counts, ok?) My story is that my 3rd grade teacher was Harry Connick Jr.’s godmother. Heck, my best friend Emily from elementary school even dated her son and got to meet him on several occasions, if my 3rd grade memory serves me correctly.

See, the thing is…I don’t really get that excited about Ms. Spears in Walmart, but I’m pretty crazy about Harry. See how I did that, there? The whole calling him by his first name thing? Yeah, that’s how I roll. I’m sure it wouldn’t creep him out at ALL.

I love him in movies and on TV, but my favorite thing that he does, by far, is make music. Flat-out incredibly amazing music, if it’s even possible to use that many descriptive thingies in a sentence.

Told ya I was crazy about the guy…I mean, ahem, his music.

Harry (more first name basisness) has just released his newest album, Your Songs, which is a) one of the best collections of familiar songs that I’ve heard in a while and b) really, really good. I just caught a segment of him on the local news, and he seemed to think this was his 24th album to be released. TWENTY-FOURTH, PEOPLE. How many other modern musicians are this prolific? Not only does the guy sing the most amazing Christmas music that you’ve ever heard (sorry, Bing, it’s nothing personal) but with this album he proves that he sings the classics just as well!

Anyone from New Orleans will immediately hear the influence of the city on the CD, even in these very classic songs. My favorite track on Your Songs is “Your Song” coincidentally, enough – though “And I Love Her”, “And The Way You Look Tonight” also make me swoon. Aw heck, the entire album makes me swoon.

If you’re not crazy about Harry, you should be! Thanks to One 2 One Network I had the opportunity to get a first listen of this album, and now you can too! One lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader will win a copy of his new album, Your Songs. To be entered to win, leave a comment below letting me know why you are or want to be crazy about Harry! You may also tweet about this contest for an additional entry (by clicking the little button at the top of this page!)

PS – Already crazy about Harry? Then go check out some of the behind the scenes stuff that led up to making this album!

Contest ends October 15th, 2009 at 11:59 pm CST. Winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.

Read the original Crazy About Harry {A Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

I just went there, took a short quiz, and found out my personal flavor is “The Devil Wears Cheesecake.” It described me as “A glamorous trendsetter who isn’t shy about her love for the finer things.” Perfect!

I’ve got an awesome chance for you to win a $100 gift card to Famous Footwear, and you’ll have the chance to discover your own flavor along the way.

Giveaway

Grand Prize

This week, Famous Footwear is awarding one lucky winner with a $100 gift card. Shoes anyone? (Be sure to check out the Fine Print below!)

Coupon

We wanted to make everyone a winner, so visit MakeTodayUnexpected.com and enter to receive $10.00 off your next purchase of $50.00 or more.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win the $100 Famous Footwear gift card, please do these four things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).

Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.

1. Take the ‘Find Your Flavor’ quiz by clicking here. Leave a comment on this post with your flavor and e-mail address.
2. Become a fan of the Famous Footwear’s Make Today Unexpected Facebook Page. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Today-Famous/112646406371?ref=ts)
3. Follow @maketodayfamous on Twitter.
4. Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:

Join #gno 8/25 from 9-11 ET 2 chat shoes & ice cream w/ @famous_footwear & @maketodayfamous. RSVP: http://bit.ly/wsRrC PLS RT

Download Famous Footwear coupon 4 back-to-school/fall savings: http://bit.ly/fogQH PLS RT #gno

Extra Entries

You can earn up to two extra entries for this week’s giveaway. Leave an additional comment for each.

• Click here and become a Famous Footwear REWARDS club member (free).
• Post or tweet about something unexpected that has happened to make your day or week more positive on @maketodayfamous or on the Make Today Unexpected Facebook Page.

The Fine Print

Contest ends Sunday, August 30th. No purchase necessary to enter. Famous Footwear and Mom It Forward employees, and giveaway hostesses are ineligible to participate. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.

Read the original Famous Footwear {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

All of the products are now paraben & phthalate free – which is great news for anyone trying to be a bit more “green”. (And a smart move, in my humble opinion!) The line now includes products to prevent blemishes and breakouts, treat existing blemishes, and control oil and shine. The products are formulated to not be too harsh or to overdry your skin, while still being effective.

The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skincare Regime

Win It! To celebrate the relaunch of their new line, The Body Shop is offering 2 Chic Shopper Chick readers a prize package that includes all of the products that you see above ($115 value). To enter to win, click on over to The Body Shop’s website and then come back here and tell me which one of their born-again Tea Tree products you would most love to try. Leave a comment here, and stumble, subscribe, tweet (button at the top!) or blog about this contest with a link back here for additional entries. This contest ends August 20st, 2009 (ooh, on my birthday!). US entries only, must be 18 or older to enter, no purchase necessary to win.

Read the original Tea Tree Skin Care from The Body Shop {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.