Kindle Fire Giveaway

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

  Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

  Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
2. Author Jennifer Laurens
3. Author Lena Sledge
4. Kelly's Lucky You
5. Author Lori Verni-Fogarsi
6. Phantasmic Reads
7. Author Rebecca Talley
8. Author Ednah Walter
9. Author Heather Bixler
10. Girls With Books
11. My Life With Books
12. Author Rae Z. Ryans
13. All Fantasy Worlds
14. Author Michael Young
15. Book Angel Booktopia
16. Lori's Reading Corner
17. Books R Us
18. Books 4 Tomorrow
19. Author T. Lynne Tolles
20. Good Choice Reading
21. Curling Up With A Good Book
22. Auggie-Talk
23. A Bookish Escape
24. Paranormal Book Club
25. Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
26. Amethyst Daydreams
27. Pink Fluffy Hearts
28. Love. Without You
29. Books, Books, the Magical Fruit
30. Author Lisa Voison
31. Tasty Book Tours
32. Fae Books
33. Author Cindy C. Bennett
34. Author Emma Michaels
35. Author Lia Fairchild
36. Fade Into Fantasy
37. Pieces of Whimsy
38. Author Rachael Renee Anderson
39. Feed Your Reader
40. Lovely Reads

Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). Ends 4/30/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Prize value $199 US.

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New Giveaway Opp for Bloggers!

Dentist Appointment

It’s the first of the year, and for me, I am dreading having to go to the dentist. Last year, Nick went after having not gone for more than a DECADE, and it maxed out our Medical Spending Account. He had to go once a week for two months to have procedures done. I already have appointments for 2 of the kids to get fillings done next week, though they go every six months as they are supposed to. I used to go regularly, and I’m not really sure how I got off track. 

The last time I went, I had a cavity that needed to be filled, and scheduled the appointment, then we ended up moving so I had to call and cancel it. I kept meaning to find a new dentist and get it fixed, but would forget until I took the kids to their dentist. Inevitably, I’d get busy and forget again, and now it’s been SEVEN YEARS and that cavity is still there. Now that it’s been so long (and started hurting) I was waiting for the spending account to reset so if it’s as bad as I fear, at least the cost of repair won’t hurt “as bad”…

I have to bite the bullet soon though. I have taken the first step and used the insurance company website to locate a dentist that is close to me and participates in our plan. I took the second step and did some research and read reviews online to make sure it’s someone reputable that many people like. I wanted someone who is kind and gentle with those of us who are scared to be there, LOL. For the next step, I need to Schedule an Appointment, and for the final step, I will need to actually KEEP the appointment and go. I just have to find a way to deal with the anxiety. I know it won’t be THAT big of a deal, and probably no where close to what I have imagined in my mind. It’s taking that 3^rd and 4^th step that is so hard for many of us. Why can’t we just brush twice and day, floss, and our teeth be perfectly fine and healthy, haha J

This is a sponsored post however, all the points and views are my own.

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Donate to help Veterans

My grandfather is a veteran of the Korean War, Nick is a Navy Veteran, and we have dozens of friends and families we have met during our time in the military who are also veterans. It takes a great deal of courage to join the military knowing the dangers you could be facing.

 Veterans have served our country well in so many different conflicts, and just their daily duties. It is our responsibility to help them out in any way that we can, considering the sacrifices they have made for us.

 Here are some ways that you can help veterans:

•  Send cards or care packages to soldiers stationed overseas or in battle zones.
• Offer your time and expertise to help train veterans transitioning from military to private sector life.
• "donate my car" is an option many people overlook. It IS often a tax deduction, and is something to thing about.
• Visit a veterans hospital and take them baked goods and thank them for their service.
• Support the USO, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, or any other organization that helps veterans.
• Let your kids write Thank You Notes or draw pictures for veterans or soldiers.
• Donate extra goods you get from couponing, etc. to shelters that serve veterans, or send any extra goods or prepaid phone cards to send to soldiers overseas.
• Volunteer your time to drive disabled vets to and from appointments at your local VA hospital. Many have vans that they provide, but need drivers and helpers.
• If you have a military base (or reserve post) near you, call and ask how you can help. Perhaps a single soldier needs someone to pet sit while they are deployed, someone to water plants, etc. Maybe a spouse needs help with home repairs, lawn mowed, etc. while their significant other is deployed or being treated at a VA facility.

 Be kind, and offer support and understanding. Coming home from a war zone can have drastic psychological effects on service person, and it the amount of recovery time can vary. Some go years and still suffer from things like PTSD from seeing things unimaginable to most of us.

This is a sponsored post however, all the points and views are my own.

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Why email marketing is so important

Email marketing in my opinion, is crucial for every business. You need a way to contact all of your customers to let them know about existing and upcoming specials, services you offer, and other updates. Many people use social networking outlets to notify people of specials, but that comes with special challenges. A lot of people use twitter, including me, but there are SO MANY tweets, it can be hard to follow and miss something I might want to see. RSS is similar to twitter, in that there are SO MANY updates, I miss things. Facebook was a great outlet for a while, but then changes were made and now only a fraction of fans actually see pages they've LIKED, even if they click to show in newsfeed. Sure, you can always go to the page directly, or the website, but if you follow a lot of companies or sites, it can be hard to remember to visit them all.  My personal preference is email subscriptions. The notification is there until I read it and delete, so even if I'm sick or busy, I don't miss seeing the notice.

 

Websites are great outlets for sharing this important information with visitors, but honestly, most people don't visit the websites of their favorite businesses unless they are looking for something specific. If you have an email program, you can send out daily or weekly newsletters, keeping your name in the forefront of people's minds, or even special editions if you have a great spur of the moment announcement or sale to share.

 

If you are looking at options for email marketing, I would suggest you take a moment to check out the options available at mad mimi email marketing. I know of several people who use and love how user friendly they are! Don't let your fans miss out on important announcements by not taking the time to set up an email notification service so they can easily keep up with you. If you are a reader or a fan, I highly encourage you to subscribe to email notifications from your favorite companies and websites to let them know you want to be kept in the loop!

This is a sponsored post however, all the points and views are my own.

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