Kindle Fire Giveaway!

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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. Feed Your Reader
3. New Adult Addiction
4. Jessabella Reads
5. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Somthing Year Old Girl
6. Books Unhinged by StacyHgg
7. S.A. Larsen - Writer's Ally
8. Author Inger Iverson
9. The Geeky Gamers
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11. Everyday Word Magic
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25. Literary Meanderings
26. Suspense Author Kim Cresswell
27. Mother Daughter & Son Book Review
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30. Author Camelia Miron Skiba
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34. Curling Up with A Good Book
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46. Sher A Hart: Written Art
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48. Word to Dreams
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  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). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Sponsor a future Kindle Fire Giveaway by signing up HERE. Ends 8/15/13 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.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woolzies Dryer Balls Review

www.woolzies.com

First off, I'm sorry it has taken me SOOOOO LONG to get this post up!  It's been a really busy time for me with the holidays, my baby turning one (*sob*) and all.  But I'm glad to finally be able to do this review for you guys!!!  (I LOVE THESE THINGS!!!)  OK, now on to the review....

I received my Woolzies Dryer Balls in the mail and was so excited to try them out, I forgot to take pictures of me opening it...*oops*.  Oh well, what are ya gonna do?  Anywho, I opened the box, ran downstairs and put them in the dryer.

 And lucky for me, since I am part of a family of NINE, I always have a load of laundry going (this time it happened to be cloth diapers)!

While the dryer was going (I put it on for 50 minutes.  I usually put it on "more dry", but for the sake of the review thought I'd put it on a "timed dry"), I decided to read the box.  They also had added an insert in the box stating the following:

Woolzies Dryer Balls ~ The Natural Fabric Softener

Guaranteed to Last for 1,000 Loads!

• SOFTENS NATURALLY

• REDUCES DRYING TIME BY 25%

• REDUCES STATIC

• HELPS ELIMINATE WRINKLES

• CHEMICAL FREE

• SAFE FOR PEOPLE WITH WOOL SENSITIVITIES

• HYPOALLERGENIC

HANDMADE FROM FINE NEW ZEALAND WOOL

100% Eco Friendly

I couldn't WAIT to see how these worked on my load of laundry!!

I also found a card that read....

Woolzies XL Dryer Balls

FAQ's about Woolzies 

Q1  What are Woolzies and how do they benefit me and the environment?

A:  Regular fabric softeners, both in liquid and sheet form contain numerous harsh chemicals which are toxic to the environment and even more dangerous to many people who have serious allergic reactions to them.  The elderly, ailing and small children can suffer from a variety of negative symptoms which are really just allergic reactions to the harsh chemicals contained in these commercial fabric softening products.
Additionally, because Woolzies bounce around in your dryer, they naturally separate and create space between your laundry, thereby allowing the hot dryer air to circulate better and subsequently cutting down on drying time by about 25% in large loads and as much as 35-40% in small loads.  This of course saves both time and money for you and energy for the environment.
These 6 Woolzies dryer balls are enough for a small, medium or large load.  If you are drying an extra large load, we recommend using 8 dryer balls.

Q2  How long will my Woolzies last?

A:  Woolzies are guaranteed to last for at least 1,000 loads.

Q3  If I have an allergy to wool, can I still use Woolzies?

A:  Yes!  Absolutely!  Since the wool is not directly touching your skin and does not shed, everyone can use Woolzies without any allergic reactions.

Q4  Why do the dryer balls seem to each vary slightly in size, shape and texture?

A:  Our dryer balls are completely handmade.  They are not mass produced by machine.  Therefore, you will notice variations in size, color and texture.

Q5  Why are Woolzies better than rubber/plastic/tennis balls in the dryer?

A:  Rubber and plastic balls are made from harsh chemicals including PVCs which are released onto your laundry by the hot dryer air.  Not only are these types of dryer balls dangerous to your health, they are toxic to the environment as well.  Additionally, the harsh tumbling action of rubber, plastic and tennis balls can damage your dryer's sensitive electronic sensors.  Finally, some of these types of balls may even melt slightly and cause fabric staining.

DID YOU KNOW?
1.  Most commercial dryer liquids and sheets contain chemicals that destroy the fire retardant qualities in childrens and adults clothing!
2.  you can reduce static cling even more by simply rolling up a piece of plain aluminum foil into the size of one of the Woolzies balls and placing it in the dryer together with the 6 Woolzies dryer balls.

www.woolzies.com

It had been about an hour since I started the dryer, so I checked on it and some of the inserts were still damp (bummer), but they were thick, so I just put the dryer on medium to finish it up.  After they were done, I noticed there was NO STATIC.  As a mom who uses no fabric softener whatsoever (due to cost), I was ECSTATIC (<--- notice the word I chose? *heehee*)!!  Also, the diapers were oh SO SOFT!  I keep the dryer balls in my dryer 100% of the time.  I never take them out!  Every load I have done since has come out so soft.  My kids have even noticed how soft their clothes are now!  I have noticed with my extra large loads of laundry (blankets, etc.) do still have some static, although it is less than usual.  I'm going to try what they suggested and pop a ball of aluminum foil into the load and see if that helps.  (I would have already tried this, but I had forgotten about the suggestion until now...*oops*!)  I'll update the post after I try it!  But regardless of a little bit of static, all of the clothes always come out SUPER SOFT....a luxury we just haven't really had.

I have to say, for us, using no fabric softener at all has saved us a lot of money....but has ended up with some scratchy, sometimes wrinkly clothes.  Woolzies Dryer Balls for a very affordable price, has given us the luxury of SOFTNESS!  I think it's definitely worth trying!!

It's a THUMBS UP for Woolzies Dryer Balls!

Review coming soon!!

I have received a product to review!!  With all the hubbub of the holidays, I'm going to wait until afterward to post a review.  You guys, as well as the product and the company deserve my undivided attention to do the review.  I am really EXCITED to test out this product!!!  I have always wanted to try these!!  So PLEASE STAY TUNED!!! ;)

Making cookies!

My mom send us a gift certificate to this website where you can order cookie dough, etc.  I decided to order some Triple Chocolate cookie dough.  We got it in the mail last week and it's just been sitting in the refrigerator.  Well, the hubby had a sweet tooth and wanted me to make some cookies....and we remembered the tub of cookie dough!

Merlin likes his!! 

He got two because he fell down and started crying.  He INSTANTLY stopped crying!  Haha!

Merlin was helping Mommy wait on the next batch...

All done!!

Winter loves them!!

Daddy loves them too!!

Sorry!  We have to save the rest for your brothers and sisters!

I AM SO EXCITED !!!

I just got home about 20 minutes ago (along with the hubby and three of the kiddos) from our neighbor's house.  Every year we meet up at her house and make brownies, eat pizza and watch Christmas movies.  

We have so much fun!  Christmas is my favorite time of year!!  Merlin was a bit upset in the picture above....I don't even remember why...haha!  He enjoyed himself most of the time playing with all of the balloons.  Who wouldn't!

After we got home, sent the older kids to bed, and got into our "comfortable" clothes.....I decided to check my email.  I was so excited to find an email from Woolzies, the company who makes Woolzies Dryer Balls!  They are sending me a box of Woolzies to review for all of you!!!  I can't wait to try them out and let everyone know how they work!

STAY TUNED.........

Went to my first Jazz game!!

December 5th, 2012

My brother Jon, invited me to go to the Utah Jazz vs. Orlando Magic game at 7pm.  How sweet is that?!  The only time I have ever been to an NBA game was when I was about 10 years old.  My dad took me to see a Lakers game.  I loved it!  So of course, I wanted to go see the Jazz and Magic in Salt Lake City!!  I couldn't wait!  

I don't even know when the last time I was able to get out of the house was.  I have a million kids, so even a week seems like forever.  I love them, but man it sure does take it's toll!  

ANYWHO.....Salt Lake City is about 40 minutes away from me.  I had to take the train (Front Runner), since the gas prices are OUTRAGEOUS.  But hey, it only cost me $10.20 roundtrip!  Not too bad...  Considering I'm getting a free ticket to an NBA game.  

Jon and I decide that I should take an earlier train to SLC so he could pick me up and go see his new condo before we go to the game.  I get on the 4:46pm train and get off around 10 after 5pm.  It's raining when I get off (my luck) and it's dark....so Jon calls me to guide me over to where he's parked.  Yes, I'm lost completely when I'm by myself...haha.  Finally I see him when he's only like 20 feet ahead of me.  My niece and nephew are with him (YAY!  I haven't seen them in a couple months.) because we have to drop them off at their mom's house on the way to Jon's house.  

He shows me around his condo and it's beautiful!  I love it!  I snapped a pic of his Christmas tree....couldn't help myself!

He just moved in, so he hasn't gotten the tree skirt out yet.  But I think it's beautiful regardless!  

We have to get to the game, so we leave, grab a Starbucks coffee and head on over to the E Center (Energy Solutions Arena).  We decide to go ahead and park in the Winter Parking garage by the Gateway Mall.  My smartypants brother (I'm not being sarcastic, he really is smart), has a genius idea......take a picture of the area we are parked in so we don't forget where we parked!  I ended up remembering where we parked anyway, so we didn't need it....but totally genius idea anyway, right?!  

We walked through the outside mall (Gateway) towards the E Center.  Ended up going the long way around though....but we made it!!  I thought "fat girl" was gonna have a heartattack a few times though....I guess Jon thinks we're running a marathon!  Haha.

Time to grab some grub (I haven't ate all day) and find our seats!  

Jon got us some good seats!!  We were pretty close!  

We ran a tad late to the game, so they were already playing when we found our seats.  I couldn't believe how young they all looked!!  To me, it was like we were watching a high school basketball game!!  I feel so old...

It was turning out to be a really good game!  I was really enjoying myself!

At just before halftime, Jon wanted to go take a smoke break.  The above pics show our view of the front....beautiful with the Christmas lights. :)  Luckily Jon smoked most of his cigarette before the crowd came, because once everyone got out there, someone decided to smoke weed outside by us....  *UGH*  I had to get out of there....disgusting.  

We decided to grab a beer before we went back to our seats.  Jon got a peach hefeweizen and I got a Blue Moon...YUM!!  

On our way back to our seats, we went into the FANZZ store and he bought me a Jazz shirt!!  Wasn't that sweet of him!  I love it!  I wish I would have taken a picture of it.  It's downstairs and I'm too lazy at the moment to go do it. Haha.  

We got back to our seats watched the rest of the game.  It was a really close game!  I had a lot of fun!!!  The Jazz ended up winning 87 - 81!!!!  

As we were leaving, I looked back and took this picture.....

I thought it was beautiful. :)

As we were walking back through the mall, I HAD to get a couple pics of the Christmas tree all lit up!

We got back to the car and headed out to the Front Runner where I caught the train back up to Ogden.  I texted the hubby all the way back.  As I stepped onto the platform, he was there waiting for me.  I had an amazing night out.....I can't wait to do it again!!!

~Julie <3

Wow, I'm actually doing this!

I have finally decided to do a blog.  I've wanted one for a REALLY long time.  I just wasn't sure how to start...  I'm still not sure really.  So I just thought I had better, as Nike has suggested for years, "Just do it".  What have I got to lose?  What's the big deal?  

First thing's first....choose the name of my blog.  I didn't think it would be so hard!  I actually googled "how to choose a blog name", if you can believe that.  I threw a few words around and came up with Ramblings of a Sleepy Mom.  I chose it, because.....well, for one....I ramble.  A lot.  I'll just go on and on...  And the "sleepy mom" part....that's just self explanitory. I have seven kids ranging from 15 years down to 10 months.....I am very sleepy!  lol    

I have decided that I can't just write about one subject. Impossible for me.  I have too much going on to just pick one thing....one category.  So this blog will be about me, my family, things we like to do together.....things that interest me....and my hobbies!  Maybe some other things thrown in once in awhile.  :)

Enjoy!