Being a full-time working (out of the home) mom can be exhausting. There is always something being left undone due to lack of time or energy. After working all day, feeding, bathing, and chasing kids around all evening, all you want to do is sit and relax. That’s why simple things like sending birthday wishes or a “just thinking of you” card to a friend often fall through the cracks. Even if you remember to buy a card, you may forget to actually mail them (not that I would ever do anything like that). Thankfully, I just discovered enGreet.com, an online greeting card store that sends out real cards through the mail.
Not only does enGreet send out the cards for you, but they print and mail them within one business day. You can choose cards for all kinds of occasions – holidays, birthdays, sympathy, friendship, etc. You can even find some fun non-traditional cards. You can customize each and every card to suit your needs, upload your own photos, and there are even several handwriting style fonts you can use to write a personal message.
Want to send some special Valentine wishes out but haven’t had the time to shop for a card? For only $2.99 plus postage, you can have it out in the mail tomorrow! The even have St. Patrick’s Day cards! You can also schedule your cards to be sent out on the date you specify if you like to think ahead.
EnGreet also had an e-mail reminder service so you never forget a birthday or special date. Soon, they will be integrating with Facebook as well and will be able to import your Facebook contacts’ birthdays. They will also have an option to sign up for text message reminders when it’s time to send a card or follow up with a phone call.
I have a feeling enGreet.com is going to change the way I send cards from now on!
A few weeks ago I received a copy of Ladybug from Butterflyfish. When I put it in the cd player on the way to preschool/day care one morning, the kids fussed at me. It wasn’t their usual Laurie Berkner that they were used to listening to during the morning ride. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to adjust. After just a couple of listens they were singing along!
Matthew Myer Boulton, Elizabeth Myer Boulton, and Zoë Krohne formed Butterflyfish after chatting at a picnic about how to explore the spiritual side of life with their children in new ways. Agreeing that most spiritually themed music made for families were “pretty thin broth, both musically and spiritually,” they set out to create what they had been searching for. Their first cd, Ladybug, has gotten great reviews, even being called “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” for kids!
Ladybug is a great collection of folk/bluegrass style songs with a spiritual message. Mixed in with a collection of Boulton’s originals, are new takes on some of the old classics such as “Jesus Loves Me” and “Deep Down In My Heart.” The music is light-hearted and fun, while also introducing biblical stories and context. My 4-year-old’s favorite song is “What Jonah Learned Inside the Whale,” and I keep catching him singing it even when the cd isn’t on. The best part though, is that it has him asking questions and wanting to know more. After listening to “When the Spirit Sings In Me,” we had a long discussion about what “the Spirit” means and how it relates to our lives.
Don’t think this music is only for kids though. I’ll admit to playing it (and singing along) even when I’m in the car by myself! I can’t resist the harmony on “Music.” Even my husband, who is not at all fond of Folk music, likes it and it’s rare that he’ll admit to liking anything that isn’t hard rock or metal.
For my family, this cd came at a perfect time. We’ve been trying to re-commit ourselves to going to church and just started attending a brand new church in our area. I love that the music is helping my son become more interested in God and to be quite honest, it really puts me in the mood to worship on Sunday mornings!
I was actually quite surprised at how much my family loves this cd. We have all been singing the songs for a couple of weeks now and haven’t tired of it yet. Because we love it so much, I e-mailed Elizabeth and asked if she would be willing to provide another copy of Ladybug for me to give away to my readers. She graciously said yes!
How to enter:
All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment below. I’d love it if you would tell me what your favorite song (spiritual or otherwise) was when you were a kid. Are there memories attached to it or did you just like the song?
Contest will close Tuesday, December 15th, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. CST. One winner will be chosen from all eligible comments via random.org and notified by e-mail.
To find out more about Butterflyfish, go to www.butterflyfishband.com. You can sample and purchase Ladybug in the store, or check out some of the other fun stuff, such as the yummy Strawberry Lemonade recipe!
Disclosure: I received a copy of Butterflyfish’s cd, Ladybug, for the purposes of this review.
I’m not sure how exactly it happened, but it seems we are already in the second week of December. That would mean that Christmas is coming up in no time! If I give it too much thought I’ll be in full panic mode. I usually have pretty much all of my Christmas shopping done by now, but I’m sad to say this year it just didn’t happen. Life just gets busy, you know? Besides my usual holiday shopping, baking, etc., I also have a Bat Mitzvah to attend and will have 6 extra guests in my house for 10 days or so.
I’m still sorting out my lists and trying to come up with gift ideas for a few people, but if I don’t figure it out soon, I’m heading over to Snapgifts.com and taking care of them all in one swoop. Did I mention that some of those gifts have to be mailed halfway across the country? I have friends and relatives in Oregon, Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama that I still need to buy for. Fortunately, some of them are coming here to visit but the rest will have to be shipped.
Snapgifts.com is a website where you can buy gift cards and send them directly to your family and friends. They carry both local (only in select markets, but will be expanding soon) and national brands to suit nearly anyone on your shopping list. You can purchase either traditional plastic gift cards or an e-Gift Card that is sent directly to the recipient’s e-mail to be printed out.
If you still can’t decide what to get that special someone on your list, you can let them do the deciding for you by sending them a Snapcard. Snapcards are e-mailed directly to the recipient, along with your own personal message, and can be redeemed for any of the 600+ gift cards on Snapgifts.com. It’s almost too easy!
So that I could try the entire purchasing process out, Snapgifts offered me a $25 gift card. I redeemed my code tonight for a local restaurant that my family likes to eat at and it was so simple. I just clicked on the card I wanted, selected the amount, and then filled in my information. When I checked my e-mail, I already had notification that the gift card was purchased.
I’m anxious to see what other cities are added for local gift card purchases. I never know for sure what stores are available when I buy gift cards for out of town friends and Snapgifts solves that problem. I will definitely be using Snapgifts in the future!
If you still have gifts to buy, I highly recommend checking out Snapgifts.com. For the entire month of December, they are offering free shipping on all gift cards! Just enter the code “freeshipping” when you check out!
Holiday shopping season is here again and the Global Influence network has some great gift ideas for you, tried and tested by real moms. Click on the links to check out what our team of reviewers had to say about each of these gift ideas, and then take a moment to enter our fun giveaway and take a chance at winning some of these fabulous products.
Featured Reviews
Pouchees – Busy moms need all the help they can get to stay organized and keep life as simple as possible. The Pouchee is the perfect solution to keeping all those little things together, putting everything you need, right at your fingertips.
Duck Hunter – Duck Hunter turns the excitement of the hunt into an activity the whole family can enjoy. Launch the duck in the air and try to hunt it down with the toy shooter as it flies freely in the air. A fun choice for those who love outdoor sporting.
CardStore cards- Personalized holiday cards are an important item on everyone’s to-do list and often a hassle to create and print. Cardstore.com has everything from family photo cards to invitations for your big holiday party, simplifying your holiday season.
Great Holiday Gift Ideas
Things Remembered Custom Couture Jewelry
Just Elfin’ Around
Card Cubby
Harumika By Bandai
Harumika Runway Showstopper
Harumika Style Starter
Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo
Strawberry Shortcake Playset
Kota Monty Rex
Wall to Wall Basketball
Nerf Pocket Vortex
Busy Ball Popper
Talking Chuck Truck
Leapfrog My Pal Scout
Leapfrog Tag Jr
Leapfrog Scribble and Write
Animal Planet Polar Land Playset
Animal Planet Dinosaur Playmat
Onionhead Adult/Teen Feelings Pack
OnionHead Children’s Feelings Pack
Onionhead A-Z Feelings Magnet Set
FotoboxPlus
MeTime Tees
Fun Holiday Giveaway!
For this holiday guide, we want to share the love with the blogosphere! Some of our generous sponsors have donated prizes to be given away to lucky readers! To enter to win one of the following fabulous prizes, simply fill out the form here: http://tinyurl.com/y8t92rw
Prizes include:
Things Remembered Custom Couture Jewelry
Pouchee
Elfing Around
Harumika
Onionhead Feelings Pack
Nerf Wall to Wall Basketball
Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo
MeTime T-shirt
Entries will close on December 6, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST. Winners will be contacted by email after the close of the contest.
Global Influence Member Guides
Need more ideas for this holiday season? Check out the guides that some of our Global Influence members have put together on their own sites! Thrifty Jinxy, Happy Healthy Hip , And Twins Make Five , Because Two People Fell In Love, Mommy Musings , Lipstick to Crayons , Bargain Briana , Mommy PR , Shop With Me Mama, Santa Picks, Rave and Review, Connected 2 Christ , 3 Boys and a Dog, The Classy Closet , Contest Corner, Lisa Reviews , A Giveaway Every Day, HulaHoopinMom, Spalibrations, High Impact Mom, From Cribs to Car Keys
All reviews listed in the Global Influence gift guide were product provided. Featured positions were purchased by sponsors. Member gift guides are not affiliated with Global Influence.
