Lysol Antibacterial Hand Soap In Pink

I have been using Lysol air freshener and surface cleaner for quite sometime now. Just a little of the products goes a long way, therefore, points for cost efficiency.

My Mommyology had a Lysol giveaway and I won a paper bag containing its products. I am now using the Lysol antibacterial skincare hand soap in the bathroom.

It is packaged in a 225 ml bottle with an attractive, feminine design. It smells of flowers. I think the floral scent is a tad strong, though. The liquid is quite thick, so, a drop of the hand soap is already sudsy. I usually use half a pump. There are also other scents that I would like to try.

I like that it doesn't make the hands dry no matter how often I wash my hands. This encourages hand washing as it's an effective way to prevent spread of germs.

Have you tried this brand of liquid hand soap? What did you think?

Homeschooling In The Philippines

Many parents in the Philippines are looking into homeschooling nowadays. Are you one of them? If yes, there's a workshop for you. I announced it on cymplified.com here: www.cymplified.com/homeschooling-workshop-cymplified

While you're there, please join my giveaway for a chance to win these prizes:

Baby Shower Favors: Useful or Edible, and Personalized

Exciting and New Personalized Baby Shower Party Favors

Baby showers have long been a tradition; however, the way people have given party favors have changed. Previously, baby-themed items were being given—whether in figurine form or other decorative figure that served to adorn a tabletop of shelf without much purpose. However, today’s baby shower party favors have taken on a more aesthetically-pleasing and purposeful use.

Today’s baby shower party favors still come in traditional soft pinks and blues, but take on the needs of the party attendees. For instance, chapstick, candy and other cute party favors serve to fulfill a purpose—everything from chapped lips to a sweet tooth. Other lovely items, such as candles, bath salts and lotions can be given to mark the event. Particular retailers that specialize in baby shower party favors come equipped with labels to signify the event. For instance, AbcFavors.com personalized baby shower favors offer a wide selection of chocolate, candy, food items, bath items and everything else imaginable under the sun.

Baby showers party favors can be custom-designed with labels to signify the date the baby is expected, who the baby shower was for and other special factors, such as the date the baby shower was held. Moreover, the products that are offered are of good quality to bring extra delight to those who attend. Today’s baby shower party favors create extra excitement at baby showers.

Silver Smoke Blog Tour and A Kindle Giveaway!!!

To celebrate the release of a new novel to the Seven Halos series, author Monica Leonelle is doing a Kindle Fire giveaway for Silver Smoke, the first novel in the series! Silver Smoke is the highly-rated (4.8 stars on Amazon) debut novel about the Hallows and the Nephilim, the descendants of archangels and humans. Here's a description of the book:

Brie van Rossum has fame, fortune, and beauty, but there’s one thing she doesn’t have–the name of her mother’s supernatural killer.

The Hallows, descendants of the archangels, don’t think Milena was murdered.. but can Brie trust them when their government, the New Order, wants her dead?

She’d better figure it all out soon…

… because when Brie finds out who she really is, the hunt will begin.

And Milena might not be the only casualty.

Like mother, like daughter…

We'll get to the contest details in a minute, but first, Monica gave us an exclusive excerpt of the book for the blog tour:

“Do you—“ Brie started. “You just—“ she tried to think of the nicest way she could explain things. “You really don’t know my father that well if you actually believe that. James wants me to go to therapy because it’s a solution that he can pay for. That’s the extent of his ‘caring.’”

Rykken folded his arms across his chest. “From someone who has never known his biological parents, count yourself lucky that you still have your dad.”

“He’s not my dad! He left us when I was born.”

“There might be a good explanation for why he left.”

“Aside from selfishness?” Anger boiled inside Brie, causing her to rise. “You know what, Rykken? You can’t give me advice. You assume that you know me because you and Pilot are best friends, but you don’t know a single thing about me.”

Rykken flinched. “You’d be surprised how much Pilot confides in me.”

Brie barely resisted the urge to ask what Pilot had told him. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Here’s what I know: your foster parents are nice and have spent more time with you in the past few years than James has spent with me in my lifetime. Yet you spend all your time over here, ignoring them and trying to be a part of my family.”

Rykken stood up, facing Brie. “Do you think it’s easy growing up in foster care? You have everything here—every opportunity in the world to create a great life—“

“No,” Brie interrupted. “This may seem like a castle, but this isn’t a fairytale. Money means nothing when you’ve moved across the country because the only parent you’ve ever had is dead.”

“You know that’s not how I meant—“

“My friends have sold my story to stupid, trashy celebrity magazines. The entire country is watching my every move, hoping to catch me falling apart.  And now I have a whole lot more to worry about.” Brie walked to her bedroom door and turned the knob to open the door. “But you don’t know or care about any of that. You only see the upsides. You wish you had this money or fame or whatever you think is so great about us, and your friendship with Pilot gives you your daily hit.”

Rykken walked toward her, his eyes electrified, forcing her to take a few steps back. Immediately, she knew she had taken it too far—she wanted nothing more than to erase the last minute of her life and pretend it never happened. Not that she didn’t believe it could be true—lots of people had screwed her family over in the last couple months—but saying it out loud wasn’t going to go over well with Pilot, who genuinely trusted his friend.

Rykken leaned one forearm against the wall Brie was standing against, cornering her. “Is that really what you think of me?” His face contorted with anger, but there was a hint of sadness in his umber eyes.

“I’m not sure what to think,” Brie admitted. His hot breath emanated over her face. He smelled like peanuts and spices and rain.

Rykken balled his fists, ignoring her question. “James may be a bad parent, but he’s right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You do need therapy.”

CONTEST DATES:

December 20th thru December 31st (12 days long)

EASY WAYS TO ENTER:

• (3 entries) Blog about this contest and forward a link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com (see copy + paste instructions for the contest below)
• (3 entries each) Share a sentence about the book with your Facebook or Twitter followers, and include a link to the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble (you pick). One entry per social media account per day during the contest. Forward a screenshot or link of your sentence+link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com. The links are available below:
  • Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Smoke-Seven-Halos-ebook/dp/B004MMERZ6/ref=sr_1_2
  • B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-smoke-monica-leonelle/1103721670?ean=2940012105332&format=nook-book

• (10 entries each) Write an honest Amazon and/or B&N review of Silver Smoke and send a link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com

PRIZES!!!

• Grand Prize Winner: Kindle Fire (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
• 2nd Place (two winners): Kindle Touch (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
• 3rd Place (three winners): Kindle (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
• Special Bloggers-Only Winner* (for blogger entrants – must enter via the web form): Kindle Fire (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)

Winners will be selected using Random.org on January 1, 2012 and announced on How To Be An Author by January 2, 2012.

*To enter the Bloggers-Only drawing (in addition to the regular drawing), you must forward a link to your post to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com AND add your name to this bloggers-only email list (not for promotional purposes… just an easy way to distribute promised items): http://forms.aweber.com/form/99/1958024899.htm

Color by Numbers Review and Giveaway

During the last days of my 3-year-old daughter's summer vacation and I was still wondering what to do for our home activity, the opportunity to review a coloring program came along in a timely manner.
The downloadable program is called Color By Numbers and it aims to teach kids to color pictures with numbers as guides. There are three types of "coloring books" that are available: Animals, Princesses, and Vehicles. Of course, my daughter Elle's favorite is the Princesses package. There were more pictures she finished here than in the other categories. There is a pre-determined set of colors for each of the picture. I like that Elle has the option to change the numbered "tube" to any color that she wants. Another option is the tubes are not numbered at all and it's like a real coloring book wherein she could fill in the colors to her heart's content. The coloring books come in 15-20 pages for each category. It's easy enough for my daughter because it's like using the bucket tool in drawing or photo editing softwares where the colors are filled into the area with just one click. The illustrations are cute, not too complicated and made for small children to capture their fancy. There is a wide range of colors available and most of them are pastel-hued, the way I like it.

You can see more information here: coloritbynumbers.com

Mommies and daddies, if you want to let your son or daughter try this cool coloring application, I have three serial numbers to give away to three parents or kids, one for each of the category. Simply:

• Follow me on Twitter: @ceemee
• Like my Cymplified Facebook Page
• Comment on this post telling me you did + your Twitter and Facebook usernames + which coloring book you prefer the most, the next, and the least
• Example: "I followed and liked, @ceemee, Cym Gonzaga-Marzan. 1. Princesses 2. Animals 3. Vehicles."
• I will let my daughter pick out the winners on July 31 via lottery. The first winner will get his first choice, the second winner will get his second choice if his first choice is taken, and so on.

Giveaway Dismay

Giveaways are supposed to be fun and apart from driving traffic to the hosts' website/blog, it should foster camaraderie among bloggers or people in the niche the hosts are reaching out to. I like joining giveaways with prizes that I think I, and especially my kids, could use and be happy about. I am thankful to the bloggers who are generous and are clear with their giveaway rules, especially how the winners will receive their prizes.

My latest giveaway winning experience was not a super pleasant one. 

I received an e-mail from the host that I won the diaper bag. I was excited because it was a welcome need although we have already purchased one the day before I knew of the news. This was for my baby boy. The prize would then be kept for our upcoming third baby. 

Although the rules did not state that winners would need to claim the prizes in person, I was set to meet up with the blogger at an event. And I was to meet with the sponsor even. I was a little nervous because I have never met a certified blogger. Then, she contacted me and told me that my prize will be sent via courier to me because she wouldn't be able to attend the event. I was asked for my address. 

I hoped she had taken note of my real name as I have already stated it in the comment section of her blog as part of the requirement. But, because she used my e-mail address as my name, the prize needed to be sent again since the people who answer the door were not familiar with my e-mail address. One sad part was that I had to shoulder the courier charge.

Another sad part was that the prize I was promised was not the item delivered. If we haven't already bought the diaper bag for my 2nd baby, then we would be wasting another trip to the mall. 

I was disappointed with this incident.

Giveaway With A Cause

Having a photoshoot with the family might be a great idea for the upcoming Mother's Day. I don't have a plan of my own yet but this could be welcome just in case. A nice outdoor shoot is lovely especially with the children all laughing and looking angelic in the sunshine. Anyway, we have a chance to win a family photoshoot with The Mommy Journey's Giveaway with a cause. Please click the link for the details.

By joining, we are not only getting a chance in having a quality family time being shot by a very talented photographer, Tracey Heppner, we also get to help those who are truly in need by way of Gentle Hands, a ministry dedicated to helping the urban people of the Philippines.

After 5 Months...

Remember this giveaway? I'm happy to say that I won it. It took me so long to post about it!

Last month, I had my toenails done using one of the nail polishes from the loot. I didn't go to a salon, this was done by someone who used to do my MIL's pedicure and was referred to me. It's done here at home. Next time, when I get the chance to visit a salon, I'll have the manicurist use the nail art sticker. :-)

Candy-colored toes

I am loving this cute notepad!

My daughter likes the stickers. They are so adorable!

A Gift From Johnson's

Mommies! Want a gift from Johnson's? Click on the image below, answer the survey and the first 100 respondents shall receive a package! The tokens will be available to those who responded in their office starting September 27.

An Exciting Book Blog Tour and A Giveaway

I have some great news to share with you! This September, I will be participating in a huge blog tour put on by Cynthia Roberts, author of the upcoming romance novel Wind Warrior!

 

There are some pretty exciting prizes for everyone involved - Cynthia is giving away $600 dollars worth of wonderful items! YOU could win one of five fabulous prizes! There will be something romantic, something succulent, something exquisite, and two others that will offer you lots of choices... Curious? Check out what you could win on the official blog tour giveaway website, here! You can also learn more about how this giveaway will operate.

I'm looking forward to being a part of this great blog tour, and I hope you are, too!

A Jolly June-July Giveaway from Lizz

Lizz is hosting another lovely giveaway for June-July. She has already set up her shop of delightful Korean beauty products called the Krazy/Beautiful store. One product that interests me is the Hyalin's Beauty Insurance BB Cream, she has a great review on that one, and since my skin is also oily/combination like hers, I'd take her word on it. Another product I'd like to try is the TONYMOLY Gel Liner Pots, which I hope comes with its own brush. I think the light colored ones have the brush. I will have to save up for those luxuries. :-) Below are the goodies that she is giving away. Aren't they sweet?

1) Eight (8) full-sized Candy*Shop nail polishes (various colors)


2) 1 TonyMoly travel-sized BB Cream

3) 1 Holika Holika Garden Recipe travel-sized Body Wash

4) 1 Organic Farm full-sized Lip Gloss

5) 1 Flory Ann full-sized Lip Gloss

6) 1 Skin Food Omija Whitening Gift Set

7) 2 Innis Free Green Tea Seed Serum

8) 1 InnisFree Green Tea Gift Set (contains serum and lotion)

9) 2 Sticker Sets

10) 1 Nail Art Sticker Set

11) 1 Skin79 Hydro Repairing Mask Sheet

12) 1 *adorable* Kapibarasan Notepad

Want a new bag? I know I do!

Giveaway alert!!!

A Coach Bag up for grabs! Yes, you read that right. A chance to win a Coach Bag.

Isn't that a great prize to celebrate momconversations.com's Ms. Umma's 6th Wedding Anniversary next month? This is her first time to host a contest and she promised that more would come our way if this turned out to be is a huge success. So let's support her and spread the love. She's so generous to be giving away a bag.

Come join her $300 Worth Brand New COACH Satchel Bag Contest now. 

I am also contemplating on my own giveaway some time in the future. Some questions I ask:

• What blog milestone is great for a giveaway? 100 followers? 10th blog anniversary?
• What is my budget for a giveaway? Am I willing to ship internationally?
• What should I give away? What item would my blog readers appreciate?

Main Sponsors:

College Grants for Women : Fun Family Vacations : Pontoon Boat Cover : Baby Shower Theme Idea

Level 1 Sponsors:

Beauty Tips and Tricks : Get Smart Blog : Practical Beauty Tips : Spices of Life : Review My Opinions : New Haircuts and Hairstyles : Fabulously Frugal : Weight Loss the Healthy Way

For My Little Girl

Here's a cute giveaway I would like to win for my daughter Elle. I think she'll love the crown and the headband.

This is Charlotte's First Giveaway ever.

Mahvelous May Giveaway

I find myself looking forward to this month's giveaway on Lizz's blog. Below is the loot just for Philippine residents:

1) Three bottles of Johnson & Johnson Body Care products: UV Lotion, Daily Calming Lotion, and Lasting Moisture Body Lotion-- all are full sized (200ml!)

2) GlutaMAX Lightening Lotion
3) Two boxes of GlutaMAX Glutathione whitening tablets
4) Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (in blackest black)
5) Rimmel Volume Boost Lipgloss in Innocent (my fav shade!)
6) Four mini lipglosses from Four East (red, brown, light pink, and gold)
7) Five mini nail polished from Four East (in various shades)

We'll probably be experiencing rain in June, so this is a lovely way to cap off the summer, isn't it? One of my favorite activities this summer was going swimming with my daughter Elle. She really enjoyed it! One of my favorite events is my birthday last April. I loved the food and gifts!

An Inspired Giveaway

Here is another giveaway I'd like to join. It's hosted by Chris of Inspirational Insights. This blog of hers turns a year old this May. The prizes are as follows:

1st Place
Seiko's Diary - $30
Topics on Earth - $10
SAHM Hosting - INFO Domain with Free Blog Hosting

2nd Place
Mommy Rubz - $5
The Mommy Journey - $5
Chris Chronicles - $5
SEO Friendly Blog Directory - $5
Rubz Online - INFO Domain with Free Blog Hosting

3rd Place
WAHM sa Pinas - $5
MommaWannabe- $5
Pinayjade - One Year Free Hosting

For The Ladies

Do you want to win this lovely package?

 

These are the products you could win over at Lizz's site. There she writes about make-up, fashion, reviews skin care products and more. I am one of those people who do not have the slightest idea which make-up suits my particular skin type. But, I do know that I need to put moisturizer on my face and neck, especially when I am going out. One that has an SPF factor or UV protection. The product that I am using now is Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 anti-ageing cream with a touch of foundation, SPF 15. I love this and I think it will be a staple in my beauty regimen (if it exists).

Reasons why I can't live without it:

• It has SPF
• It provides a some coverage for my freckles and blemishes
• It is light and not greasy
• It makes my skin appear soft

Reunion With Nature

For two Sundays this month, my hubby Rix, my daughter Elle and I have gone to the University of the Philippines (U.P.) to get some fresh air and some exercise early in the morning. Rix went biking with his friends while I take leisurely walks with Elle. Many people were there to either jog or cycle. It was nice to get in touch with nature after time spent breathing in the air pollution and suffering the noise pollution of living in the city. Below are some photos I took using my cellphone camera of my beloved Alma Mater.

Lined with Acacia trees

A rendezvous

A giant's outdoor dining area

Photo taken by Elle - Loyal to U.P.? My shirt translates to 'I love U.P.', got this from my org

In view of our recent activity, I stumbled upon  this site, My Four Monkeys with a very, very lovely Zigo Leader X2 giveaway that will be super useful for our Sunday activity. I could ride the bike, so it's exercise for me, and my little Elle could enjoy nature's scenery sitting in the child carrier in front. It's a wonderful product for the family and I am amazed by the concept of it. It also encourages its users to  have fun while going "green". 

Hopeful Giveaway

Here's a nice and inspiring giveaway from internetcafedevotions.com. They've got some stuff to share that will brighten a day with God's word and reminders of His love.

100th Post Giveaways

 

Here's a very nice giveaway hosted by C of mybutteryfly.blogspot.com.This is to celebrate her 100th blog post. There are many interesting things included, I'd love to have them!

And here's a nice video of very talented kids singing a song that was in my head a few days ago, When You Believe by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. What a coincidence! I also have this song in my iPod and it is an inspiring song to listen to.