Read Through The Bible in One Year

My friend Amy is planning on reading through the bible in one year. Using the New International Version and posting the readings on her blog, she has invited others to join her. What a fanastic way to have accountability in reading your bible. I'm sure there will be quite a few lively discussions on the blog about that day's readings as well!

Check it out at I'm Going to Read the Bible This Year on how to join in on the readings and learn more about God and biblical events in the process!

Free Copy of What to Expect When Expecting

If you are pregnant or even nursing, you can sign up for the Duet Advantage Email list and receive a free copy of the book, What to Expect When Expecting.

It may not be free, but another great book, for the dads, is The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for the Dad-to-be. I know it was quite useful for my husband when I was pregnant with our first child. Not perfect, but definitely handy and explained some of our "moods" and "actions" a lot better than I could have explained it - since it was written for men to understand!

(Thanks Money Saving Mom!!)

Menu Plan Monday

I've been a "stalker" of Menu Plan Monday for quite some time. I've used several recipes found on the sites listed. I'm an Organizing Jumkie is a valuable resource! So now, it is with pleasure that I say to you, I'm coming out of stalker land and am joining in on Menu Plan Monday.

Why, you ask? Well, in an effort to get back into full-fledged menu-planning, keep in line with our budget & our health, as well as stream-line our shopping process, I think that being somewhat accountable to my audience of five, may keep me on the track.

So, without further ado, here is my menu for this week:

Sunday: Italian Cream Cheese Chicken and Pasta

Monday Soup Night: White Bean and Ham Soup - this will be great with the last of the Christmas Day leftover Ham!

Tuesday Italian: Real Meatballs and Spaghetti - this was so good the first time I made it. We have some leftover half-cooked meatballs just waiting to be cooked the rest of the way with some fabulous new favorite sauce! Well worth the "more involved" recipe!

Wednesday Chinese/Chicken: Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

Thursday Mexican/Leftovers: Leftovers (I know, really creative for New Year's Day!)

Friday Sandwiches: Lunchmeat sandwiches, fruit, cottage cheese (kids) or small green salad (adults)

Saturday - Go with the flow: Sometimes leftovers, sometimes go out to dinner, sometimes whip something up. Try to be out and about, so can't plan Saturdays very well.

This is cross-posted to Moms of Hendersonville and So good, so good you see!

Winners of the 24-hr BP Gas Card Giveaway

Thank you all for your wonderful tips on saving gas at the 24-hr BP Gas Card Giveaway. A little savings here or there really add up!

And on to the random.org's fabulous picks!!!

The two second place winners of a $5 BP Gas Card each are:
#3 - Pooh Bear's Mommy who said,

"I save money on gas by taking the commuter bus to work...I live in Columbia, MD and work in Washington, DC (about a 45 minute drive without traffic)...the bus picks up about a mile from my house and drops me off about a 1/2 block from my office...I spend less on gas now than when I worked 10 minutes from home."

#5 - Painted Jeans, who said,

"Saving Money on Gas become the focus of our life, when gas was over $4.50 a gallon, and we only get 9 mpg! But, when we really tried, we actually starting spending less on gas than we did when it was $2 a gallon. We always used our Kroger card to get 10 cents off per gallon. We only drove on days we absolutely had to, and then tried to play ALL of our errands for that one day. We almost completely stopped eating out and going places that were unnecessary. I also planned my route to Wal-Mart to avoid stop lights and big hills, and doing this increased my average to 11 mpg. Where there's a will there's a way! Sad thing is, now that gas is cheap again, I'm back to my old habits, and still spending the same amount... since I'm hitting the malls & restaurants a little more often!"

And the grand prize winner of $15 in BP Gas Cards is:
#2 - Mommy!!! who said,
"favorite way to save money on gas... stay home. Plus it's much easier to stay home with two litte one's anyways. LOL"

Once again, great ideas everyone! Thanks to BP and BzzAgent who made this giveaway possible! I'll be mailing out the gift cards tomorrow! Congratulations winners!

Stay tuned to more giveaways, product reviews and consumer tips!

To learn more about gas saving and car maintenance, go to BP's website.

If you would like to become a BzzAgent and receive free products for your opinion, please click here,here, here or here. These are referral links and help me with incentives and small prizes! Thanks for helping me out and your own family by joining BzzAgent!

Gas Card 24 hr Giveaway!!

BP is one of the more nationally well-known gas companies. It is with them that you find BP gasoline with Invigorate^®.

BP gasoline with Invigorate^®, helps maintain, clean and prolong the life of your vehicle's engine. All three grades of gasoline contain a unique formula that, with continuous use, keeps new deposits from forming on engine parts and cleans away the old deposits, giving your engine the ability to run smoother, minimize emissions and burns less fuel overall.

With the way gas prices fluctuate so much and our economy having a slight crisis, who couldn't use a little boost? I have a few great prizes to offer three lucky readers! Two readers will receive a $5 gift card to BP Gas Stations and one reader will receive $15 in Gift Cards to BP Gas Stations.

Comment on this post with your favorite way to save money on gas by 9:00 am CST on Wednesday, December 17th and I'll use the amazingly convenient random number generator to pick a winner and contact you on Wednesday afternoon.

One comment per person, please. But, if you post about this giveaway on your blog, comment again with a link to your blog AND another way to save money on gas, and I'll add another entry for you. You do not need to have a blog to enter. Only US shipping addresses, please.

Please be sure to leave your email address, either in your comment or have it accessible so that I can contact you if you win. Good luck!


---If you would like to become a BzzAgent and receive incentives and bonuses for giving your opinion, please contact me at iwishihadknownthat at gmail dot com and I will send you a referral link.

Freebie Friday and Giveaways

Hey everyone!

Don't forget to take a look at the Freebie Friday. There are a lot of great freebies out there and it should only get better as the season gets closer to Christmas!

Also on Mom Advice, is a fantastic giveaway! Who couldn't use a $500 gift card to Walmart? I know I can think up many ways to use the gift cards from the frivolous (toys for the kids and us parents) to the practical (groceries). All you have to do is post a comment on your Christmas money saving tip. Don't forget to take a look at Nickelodeon's website, they have a lot of great resources for kids. If it weren't for Nickelodeon and Walmart and of course Mom Advice, this fantastic giveaway wouldn't be available.

One of my holiday tips is that I save up money all year long for Christmas. Out of each paycheck, we put a certain amount into our ING account. So, not only will we have saved up enough money to use for Christmas presents and other Holiday ventures, but with ING Direct, you get interest as well.

If you would like to open an ING account, and receive an extra $25 in your account for free, just for opening, let me know and I will send you a referral link. I also get a small incentive through this, so helps us both out!

Stay tuned for a Giveaway for a gas card to BP stations!