Retail Me Not/Threadless Giveaway

Anyone who buys online is paying too much for stuff if you're not checking for discount codes first.

That's why I always turn to RetailMeNot.com before I click that last "Finalize Purchase" button. With coupon codes and discounts for 40,000 online stores, this site can make even the biggest spender an online frugalista with just a copy, paste 'n' click.

This weekend, the site celebrates its 3-year anniversary. Woo-hoo! We hope they continue getting bigger and better as more online shoppers discover their deals.

Giveaway
In honor of their anniversary, RetailMeNot.com was gracious enough to offer Working Moms Against Guilt readers three $25 gift cards for Threadless.com, the site for funny, clever, cool graphic tees. (And don't miss Threadless Kids, because ain't nothin' cuter than a baby with a funny slogan on his shirt.)

Enter for your chance to win one of these gift cards by emailing us at workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com with the subject line "Retail Me Not" between now and Saturday, Nov. 7, at midnight (EDT). We'll pick 3 entrants at random to win.

For extra chances to win, tell your Twitter followers about this giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your Tweet. Here's a suggested Tweet (feel free to edit or write your own):

Giveaway! Enter for a chance to win one of 3 $25 Threadless.com gift cards at http://workingmomsagainstguiltreviews.blogspot.com

Winner Update
These three readers will be sportin' some cool new tees: Liz, Michelle, and Karen. Have fun, ladies!

Giveaway: New Cookbook from Real Simple

You like a delicious, nutritious, home-cooked meal as much as the next mom, but you have one requirement: It has to be easy. We hear you.

So many cookbooks contain recipes for awesome dishes that also involve awesome amounts of your precious time, or they're quick-and-easy but the final products taste only slightly better than Hamburger Helper.

If you're in this gravy boat, take a look at Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy, Delicious Meals, the latest cookbook from our friends at Real Simple magazine. You can use this book to feed your family well and still maintain life's breakneck pace. Easy, Delicious Meals includes handpicked recipes that have been featured in the magazine, including one-pot wonders, 30-minute dishes, and freezable and kid-friendly meals. All accompanied by beautiful photography and full nutritional info, plus tips from the editors to make each dish a success.

How to Enter
Want to win a copy of Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy, Delicious Meals for your kitchen? Send us an email at workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com with the subject line "Real Simple Cookbook" between now and midnight (EST) on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

For extra chances to win, tell your Twitter followers about this giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your Tweet. Here's a suggested Tweet (feel free to edit or write your own):

Giveaway! Enter for a chance to win the new Real Simple cookbook at http://bit.ly/3smwLW

We'll randomly select one reader to win this yummy cookbook. Good luck!

Winner Update!
Congrats to our reader Eve, who won this giveaway. Happy cooking, Eve!

The Month When Pink Rules

If you haven't noticed the color pink this month, you must be living under a rock (which is probably painted pink, you just don't know it, what with the rock being on top of you and all).

Pink means breast cancer awareness, particularly during October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. That's why KN Karen Neuburger and Dillard’s department stores nationwide have teamed up to host Pink Parties. At 300 Dillard's store locations across the country, you can shop for a cause close to our hearts.

For every pair of KN Karen Neuburger pajamas you buy during these Pink Parties, KN will donate 30 minutes of research to Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Their goal is to sponsor a month of breast cancer research to aid in the development of lifesaving treatments and an eventual cure for breast cancer. (You can also donate directly to help them reach this goal through BCRF's website.)

Just think: In one hour of research, a breast cancer biopsy can be performed. In one day, a clinician can conduct genetic counseling for one woman. In one week, researchers can compare ten tumor samples. I'd say that's time (and money) well spent.

Pajamas Giveaway
Would you like to win a set of the KN Pink Ribbon Signature PJs (shown in the picture above)? Send us an email at workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com with the subject line "Pink Parties" between now and Oct. 31. One lucky reader will be randomly selected to win a pair of these adorable jammies. Good luck!

WINNER UPDATE!
Congrats to Christy, who won her own set of KN Pink Ribbon Signature PJs. Hope you like them!

Wubbzy Goes Boo! Review and Giveaway

One episode of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is never enough for my 3-year-old, Cassie. "More Wubbzy," she always declares at the end of the show. It's a sad time for all if that's the only episode playing on Nick Jr. and another one isn't coming on next.

So of course when I was offered a free screener of the latest Wubbzy DVD, Wubbzy Goes Boo!, I jumped on it like Wubbzy with his boingy little tail. We weren't disappointed. This DVD contains six new episodes of the show, all fall or Halloween-themed. Cassie learned along with Wubbzy and his pals lessons about scaring others and being scared, overcoming fears, and thinking before you act, among others.

I asked Cassie what she thought of the DVD, and her answer was short but simple: "Good." I pretty much could tell by her total entrancement throughout. If your preschooler is a Wubbzy fan (or even if they're not but in the 2-5 year range), I definitely recommend Wubbzy Goes Boo!.

Halloween Giveaway
Want to win some Wubbzy treats for your kiddos? Send an email to workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com with the subject line "Wubbzy Giveaway" between now and next Friday, Oct. 23. We'll randomly select one (1) Grand Prize winner to receive a Ty® Wow Wow Wubbzy! Beanie Baby and a copy of Wubbzy Goes Boo! on DVD. Also, we'll pick ten (10) First Prize winners to each get a copy of Wubbzy Goes Boo! on DVD.

WINNER UPDATE!
Congrats to the winners of this giveaway, Abbey, Amanda, Melanie, Jonna, Cheryl, Kristen, Jennifer, Laurie, Christy, and Adrienne. Hope you enjoy your Wubbzy!

Elk Creek Vineyards Halloween Wines

If you ask me, motherhood and wine go together like "rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong." So when Tela was able to score some wine from Elk Creek Vineyard to review, I was happy to step up and take on the task.

Elk Creek Vineyards is located in Owenton, KY and has become Kentucky's largest winery since it was established in 2003. This year, they're introducing a new edition of wickedly-fun Halloween-inspired wines: Bone Dry Red, Ghostly White Chardonnay, and Ghostly White Sweet Mellow. Not only are they good, they're very reasonably-priced, ranging from $9.99 to $19.99.

So far my favorite is the Ghostly White Chardonnay. According to the vineyard, it's lightly oaked and seems to evoke bobbling for apples with some hints of citrus thrown in for a good measure. It's barrel-fermented in French oak and goes great when paired with kettle corn.

Ghostly White Sweet Mellow is a sweet wine, as you can probably guess by its name. It's a combination of French American hybrid grapes, Vidal and Cayuga.

As for the Bone Dry Cabernet, I haven't tried it yet. But, it's described as a rich, well-oaked Cabernet Sauvignon brimming with fancy ripe black currant, roasted coffee bean and bitter dark chocolate flavors. If I can resist corking it, I may take this along to our friend's Halloween party later this month. It will make a great hostess gift!

Want to spice up your costume party with a Halloween-inspired wine? Or do you just need a good drink? Check out Elk Creek's website and order online. Use code SCARYWINE for 10% off 3 wines, or code SCARYCASE for 20% a case (any variety) and free shipping. The coupons can be used on any type of wine – not just Halloween.

Please note, Elk Creek is currently unable to ship to the following states: AL, AK, AR, DE, IL, IA, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, UT and WI.

I'll Be a Ninja in the Kitchen and a Shark When I Clean

If you follow my comings and goings on Twitter or Facebook, you know I was in New York City this week. I was one of the lucky bloggers invited by Euro-Pro -- makers of time-saving home gadgets and appliances -- to get a first look at their newest infomercial-worthy kitchen gadget.

Demonstrating the power of the Ninja Master Prep was none other than the Food Network chef Robin Miller, a working mom (presumably against guilt) who specializes in "quick fix" homemade meals. At the New York launch event, she showed off all the cool things you could do with this handy blender/food processor and whipped up some pretty amazing dishes in the process.

I am not exactly a chef (this is an understatement -- I consider heating up a frozen bagged meal in a skillet "cooking"), so I was quite curious to see how the Ninja could help me out.

First, she showed off its most impressive feature: turning ice cubes into "snow." You know, the sno-cone-quality ice that makes tasty frozen margaritas and mojitos. Unlike every other blender and food processor I've tried, the Ninja actually turned the cubes into finely shaved, fluffy ice. Can you believe it? It didn't just make that a loud blending noise while the ice cubes remained virtually unchanged in the container, which is what my current blender does.

So I knew I had my cocktail, shake and smoothie bases covered with the Ninja. Very good. But what else was it good at? As it turns out, lots of other chopping and blending duties I would never actually do by hand. They include, but are not limited to: garlic cloves, cilantro, soft and hard cheese, meats, fruits and vegetables.

Recipe after recipe, the queen of quick-fix meals demonstrated how the Ninja made short work of meal prep -- the bain of my cooking existence. I even started having fantasies about making baby food for baby James when he starts solids in a couple of months! (We'll see if I actually do it. That's the next hurdle.) Robin made it all look so darned easy. Good cooks are like that, aren't they?

Aside from its chopping and blending abilities, the Ninja does a few other cool things worth mentioning. It could help you make more room in your kitchen cabinets, because this one appliance can replace your current blender and food processor (assuming you have them -- and possibly multiples). Also, you can chop or blend something, then seal it with a lid and keep in the fridge for later. Finally, all the pieces (except the motor) are dishwasher-safe.

While the Euro-Pro folks had all of us there for the Ninja launch, they figured they might as well show us their other new products from the Shark cleaning brand. I don't claim to be a cleaning guru, but I do value a clean house and dream about someday having one.

So I was intrigued by the super suction of their vacuums and steam-cleaning power (sans chemical cleaners) of their mops. Could these Shark tools actually get me to clean more often and have a home free of pet hair and kid detritus? Quite possibly. We'll have to see once I get some of them at home to do some true torture tests.

Other than checking out the cooking and cleaning products from Euro-Pro (and tasting Robin Miller's fantastic recipes!), my favorite parts of the trip were catching up with some old bloggy friends (Kim from Hormone-Colored Days, Carmen from Mom to the Screaming Masses, and Devra from Parentopia) and meeting lots of new ones.

I also enjoyed a very hip dinner at V*nyl with my old pals Donya and Travis (who don't blog but are lovely nonetheless), a brief sidewalk celebrity sighting of James Carville (everyone's favorite crazy liberal!), and a gorgeous afternoon walking through Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A big thanks to all who made my NYC experience a 36-hour whirlwind of fun!

Disney on Ice - It's Cool

I got the chance to see Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic with my daughter on Wednesday night along with Tela thanks to Mom Central, Disney, and Feld Entertainment. I can truly say it was a great time. I've been to other "character live shows" before and left before the second act. Disney on Ice was different. The skaters we're very talented and the songs we're fun to sing along. My daughter was memorized the whole time! You can read more details about the show in Tela's review. But I'll share some of my pics.