RAOK Birthday Giveaway

Have you ever done something nice for someone else, just because? Has someone else ever done something nice for you? It doesn’t have to be a big thing; letting someone who is in a hurry cut in line, or bringing an elderly neighbor flowers. Just something, random, that brings a smile to someone else’s face.

I’ll admit – I haven’t done as many random acts of kindness as I should, but I do try to be friendly at all times. I smile and say hi to someone I pass in the store or hallway at school. I have been thinking for a while that I need to pay for the meal of the person/people behind me in line the next time I go out to eat. Because that’s a nice thing to do.

That’s what the RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) Giveaway is all about. It’s Rayven from Stay a Stay at Home Mom‘s birthday this month, and she is celebrating by giving away a $100 Amazon.com Gift Code to one lucky viewer. But her birthday wish is more than that. Read her story:

I am celebrating my 34th birthday this month! Yay! Ok, so maybe not “yay”. I’m getting old enough that birthdays just aren’t all they are cracked up to be anymore. It gets somewhat depressing when there are enough candles on the cake to set the house on fire. But I love the feeling of birthdays. The joy others have in wishing you well. And so, I am challenging everyone to take a moment this year, on your own birthdays, to find a way to bring a little joy to someone else. Here is a list of “34″ things I have done this year to brighten someone else’s day. I’d love to hear yours as well.

1. Help Someone Move
2. Pay the Toll for the Guy Behind You
3. Pay Double the Cost for a Field Trip to Help Another Student
4. Pick Up Trash at a Park or the Beach
5. Thank a Police Officer
6. Bring a Small Gift to a Shut-In at Christmas
7. Stop to Help Someone on the Side of the Road
8. Smile at Everyone You Meet
9. Leave a Comment on a Blog You Enjoy
10. Donate to the Salvation Army or Goodwill
11. Compliment a Stranger (Nice shoes!)
12. Forgive Someone
13. Offer to Babysit for a Friend
14. Practice the Golden Rule
15. Rescue an Animal
16. Volunteer
17. Be an Organ Donor
18. Be Happy for Someone Else’s Accomplishments
19. Invite Someone Alone to Thanksgiving Dinner
20. Introduce Yourself to All Your Neighbors
21. Make an Old Fashioned Thank You Card
22. Buy Candy from a Child’s Fundraiser
23. Pick Up the Tab at Lunch
24. Donate (and Volunteer) to Your Food Bank
25. Donate Your Car or RV (I’ve done both)
26. Listen
27. Help Someone Find Something (I helped a woman find her diamond rings last month)
28. Donate Blood
29. Call a Manager About a Good Employee
30. Leave a Basket of Food/Paper Products (anonymously) at the Door of Someone who is Unemployed
31. Let Someone Cut in Line
32. Take a Moment to Talk to a Child
33. Buy Supplies for a Teacher
34. TAKE ACTION

This last one is the most important. Don’t just talk about doing something, actually go out and do it. There were five frog sitting on a log; four decided to jump off. How many were left? Five. There is a big difference between deciding and doing. Do it.

I wrote this list before the tragedy of Moore, Oklahoma, but it posts just after the tornado. Take action. Donate money to the RedCross if you have it. Donate toiletries to a drop off center if you are a couponer and have a stash. Or, if you are far from Oklahoma, but just want to feel like you are doing something, donate blood. Do something.

There is an old episode of Friends where Phoebe and Joey have a contest to determine if there really is such a thing as an “unselfish act”. Phoebe’s argument is that when you give of yourself to make someone else happy, you feel good, therefore it is selfish. And she has a point. So for my birthday, I’m going to be selfish, just for me

Enter to win the $100 Amazon.com Gift Code via the Rafflecopter below:
Giveaway Details:

• One winner will receive a $100 Amazon.com Gift Code
• Giveaway runs May 22 – June 11
• Open Worldwide
• Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter to win
• This blog is not responsible for prize shipment and was not compensated for this post
• Questions? Contact Stay a Stay at Home Mom

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Father’s Day Extravaganza

Welcome to the Father’s Day Extravaganza Giveaway!

Hosted By: Simply Southern Couponers

Sponsored By: Simply Southern Couponers, DaddyScrubs, Dimples BBQ, CafePress, StatGear Tools, Golden Island Jerky, ToiletTree Products

Co-Hosted By: Coupon WAHM, Bargain Bandit, Kelly’s Thoughts On Things, Giveaway Monkey , Embracing Marriage, Love From Elle

What do you like to do for your Dad on Father’s Day? Do the kids make him a special present? Do you take him our to dinner? Or even cook him a special meal? Do you get together with family? Or even give him a Gift Card to buy himself what he wants? How would you like to make this Father’s Day extra special by winning one of these great gifts? We have over $300 worth of prizes that seven lucky winners will have a chance to win.

Prize Info:

DaddyScrub- DaddySwag Gift Set (DaddyScrubs in Edgy, Navy color, I’m the Daddy Tee in White Edgy, I’m the Daddy Hat in Navy, I’m the Daddy coffee mug in Blue, 3 Pens, Sunglasses and I’m the Daddy Hat!) RV $90
Dimples BBQ- Gift Basket (T-Shirt size L, XL or 2XL, Hat, Koozie, Pen and Dimples BBQ Sauce) RV $40
CafePress- $25 Gift Certificate
StatGear Tools- T3 Tactical Triage & Auto Rescue Tool RV $50
Golden Island Jerky- 6 Flavor Pack of Jerky RV $40
Simply Southern Couponers- Cabela’s Gift Card or E-Gift Card $25 (winners choice)
Toilet Tree- Fogless Shower Mirror RV $40

Here are Simply Southern Couponers reviews on: DaddyScrubs, Dimples BBQ, StatGear Tools, Golden Island Jerky, ToiletTree.

A Cabela’s gift card?! I know that both of my dad’s {real and step}, as well as my husband would LOVE that!

Event Details:

May 17, 2013 – June 7, 2013

Open to US residents only!

Must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

To enter this giveaway complete the Rafflecopter form below. All entries will be verified. Good Luck!

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A special thanks to all the Sponsors for sponsoring this event, our co-host and also to a great group of blogger friends for helping Simply Southern Couponers promote this giveaway.

Maternity Pictures

I was going through some pictures the other day and came across my maternity pictures, so I thought I would share a few of them here. I did not have them professionally done; I just had my brother take the pictures and I edited them. Here’s a few of my favorites…

This one is probably my most favorite. I blew this one up and it’s hanging in his room, under a big wooden sign that has the “You are my Sunshine” song on it.

Yes, I know my belly button looks sick. This is what it looks like when you have your button pierced and then get pregnant. Yum

Never mind the fact that the building behind us has the words “Barn Slob” graffiti-ed on there

The leaves were really this colorful and vibrant up there. So gorgeous! I love that time of year!

And this is my other most favorite!! LOOOVE it.

And yes, I realize that my neck looks broken, but there was a branch right there and I just couldn’t get comfy. Also, i was about 5 feet off the ground, so I really didn’t want to move and risk falling down on a 8.5 month pregnant belly.

I hope you enjoyed those! The little boy that came out of that belly is my greatest creation. I love him so much and I am so glad he is mine. I can’t wait to have another!!

Blogger Opp!

Sign-ups are now open!
This event is free to join with an announcement post here.
You will receive one free link for participating.
If you do not wish to post the announcement you can pay a $5 non-post fee.
(Twitter or Pinterest)
Co-Host spots are available for $10
(4 Links on Rafflecopter, link on giveaway post and one host page)
Follow Pages are available for $5
Additional Links $2 each
Sign-ups end May 14th. Giveaway runs May 17th-June 7th!

*Prizes*
(Multiple Winners)

Dimples BBQ Gift Basket ($40)

Daddy Scrubs Swag Gift Set ($90)

Cafe Press Gift Certificate ($25)

Stat Gear ($50)

Golden Island Jerky ($40)

Cabela’s Gift Card or E-Card ($25)

Home Depot or Lowes Gift Card ($25) (This one is only if we have enough funds)

*We may add more prizes before the giveaway starts still waiting to hear from several sponsors*

*The blogger with the most referrals will receive a Co-host spot at no cost*
Please send PayPal Gift to simplysoutherncouponers@gmail.com

Sign-up Here!

Mother’s Day Giveaway!

II’ve teamed up with some other bloggers to bring you this Mother’s Day giveaway! Read below to find out all the details!Motherhood is something to be celebrated! Mobile Mom and LoveSquaredDesigns are honoring moms with a chance to win a $200 SpaFinder gift card for a day of pampering and a beautiful custom necklace so mom can always wear her children close to her heart!

One of the most exciting parts of becoming a mom is feeling the baby kick for the first time. Those kicks are pretty important too because they can help you monitor your baby and reassure you that baby is doing just fine. Starting around the third trimester doctors recommend doing regular kick counts. Mobile Mom has created an app to make this task easy and fun. The Mobile Mom Kick Counter is a convenient way to monitor and record your baby’s activity to help you identify potential problems. It will help keep worrying to a minimum so you can enjoy your pregnancy. The app is FREE! Find out more about this app and the other Mobile Mom apps (Ovulation Calculator, Pregnancy Test, Due Date Calculator, Weight Gain Calculator and Baby Names) at www.MobileMom.com.

Lisa McKenney, the owner of LoveSquaredDesigns, has always had a love for creating beautiful things. She believes the most important part of our lives are the family and friends we cherish. She combines the two in the gorgeous soldered jewelry she creates with your own treasured photos. She hand makes every piece with the hope that the recipient will feel the love inside. Lisa has a very big heart and through the sales of her necklaces has been able to donate over 10,000 to two amazing organizations fighting to set girls free in Thailand and India!

The square designs like the one pictured above feature a custom-made, reversible 1″ glass soldered pendant with a photo on one side and a design of your choice on the other side. You may also choose to have photos on both sides. The pendant is hung on a 24″ 2.4mm silver ball chain or 17″ dainty 1.2mm ball chain and includes a dangle of your choice.

LoveSquaredDesigns necklaces are the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Prices range from $25-$35. The last day to order for guaranteed Mother’s Day delivery is May 3rd!

Lisa offers a variety of custom necklaces in her LoveSquaredDesigns Etsy Shop and has offered to create a custom piece for one lucky winner!

I also can do these. Check out my Facebook page and my Etsy shop to see others that I have done!

Feeling lucky? Enter to win a $200 SpaFinder.com gift card and a LoveSquaredDesigns custom necklace by filling out the form below.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored giveaway. Two Million Miles is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

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Suicide

Suicide. One simple word. One scary word. A word with so much meaning. This word evokes many thoughts and feelings from me. I just saw a video (click THIS LINK to view the video) that my aunt shared on Facebook. It gave me the cold chills and even brought tears to my eyes. The cop – he knew something was up with this man. And when he saw the man trying to end his life, he saved him! The cop did not handcuff the man or treat him horribly, he simply stood him up and wrapped his arm around him. I shared this video with the caption “There is good in the world.” And I do believe it. I often wonder where the good is in this crazy, sick world. I often feel bad for bringing my sweetest child in to such a scary place. I can only protect him from so much. It’s 1:08 AM right now, as I’m writing this. I just couldn’t stop thinking about the video.

There is always a time and a place to talk about suicide awareness.

It’s a touchy subject and therefore it’s not talked about often, but according to save.org, a person dies from suicide every 16.2 minutes. That’s quite a bit of people! Roughly 6 people an hour. If you don’t know what it’s like to literally be at rock bottom and not want to even wake up, to not want to see your friends and family, to not want to do something you love doing, to just “sleep” forever, then you may not understand what I am going to say. I’ll tell you this: I know what it’s like to feel all of those things I have listed. I know what it’s like to contemplate suicide. I know how it feels to be at the lowest point ever. I’ve been there. Several times. I try to come off as a happy person who loves life – and at this point in my life, I really don’t have to try. Because I am happy. Because I do love my life. Don’t get me wrong – I do still have those days when I don’t even want to crawl out of bed, but I see my sweet son smiling at me, pulling me out of bed to play and I’m instantly better.

In the 5th grade, I was put through some tough shit. More than anyone of any age should ever have to go through. My mom was going to put my baby brother up for adoption. She was going to leave the state. She was going to leave me. She was a meth addict. She went to jail. I was no longer an only child in the home that I grew up in {my dads}. I didn’t matter anymore. My dad didn’t care about me because he was too wrapped up in his wife and new baby. He even flat out told me to my face that he “would ALWAYS take her side because she was his wife.” That sentence is still extremely clear in my head. I can see me standing in the kitchen corner and can hear him tell me that. No one was there for me anymore. I had to fend for myself. That is where my depression and independence stemmed.

I have contemplated suicide more times that I can count. I’ve even came THIS CLOSE several times, but my thoughts would always lead back to my siblings (these thoughts were before I had Karsyn). I couldn’t do that to them. I am the oldest. They looked (and still do) up to me. What a horrible example I would be setting for them. I didn’t want them to have to go through that. I didn’t really care about what my parents thought because I was a teenager and they were somewhat part of the root of my unhappiness. The last time I seriously ever considered killing myself sticks out in my head so clearly. It’s almost like I am reliving that awful day. I was out of town with a friend and we got in to some serious trouble. Our parents were called and her parent’s said she had to stay there at the DT. My mom told the cops to let me drive home. So I had about a 2 hour drive. By myself. I cried the entire way home. I called my mom after I had got some gas and then I shut my phone off. I turned it on about every 30 minutes and each time I had several texts from my mom and Kade. Kade was worried and my mom was just mad. I shut my phone off and cried some more. I looked at myself in the rearview mirror and I looked like I had been beat. My eyes were bloodshot from crying so hard. My entire face was puffy and black from my running mascara. I’m sure that people passing me thought I was crazy – and to an extent, I was. I could hardly see the road through my tears. I wasn’t paying attention to the road at all because my thoughts were elsewhere. Thinking about how I was going to do it. I just couldn’t go home and face the wrath of my parents. I knew I had made a huge mistake and it wasn’t ever going to get better. My life was over. “I can get off the freeway and take a side road and no one will ever find me.” “I’ll go drive off a cliff.” “I will pull over and crouch down in front of my car and when I see a semi coming, I’ll run out in front of it,” kind of like the man in the video and the train.

Despite these horrible thoughts, I made it home safe. I pulled up and my mom was waiting for me outside in the driveway with her hands on her hips. She was mad, angry. I slowly got out of the car and sat down and cried. “You get to call your dad and tell him what you did,” she said. “Noooooooooo!” I cried. There is seriously nothing worse than your parents being disappointed in you. Nothing. This all happened in the summer and I was supposed to be at my mom’s house for a month. My month had just started – I was maybe half way in. I ended up going back to my dads after a few days and I was beyond depressed. I was grounded. To my room. (No surprise there! This was a daily thing for me.) No phone. No computer. No going outside. No nothing. I couldn’t even call my mom for hell sake! I couldn’t handle it anymore. I sat in my bedroom, on my bed, bawling my eyes out, and wrote a letter. I had my little brother take it upstairs to my parents. I basically said it was let me move in with my mom or bury me. I couldn’t handle anything anymore. That night, my dad had my step-mom get rid of all the pills in the house and he bought a safe for all of the guns shortly after. They never said anything to me about it though. I moved out the next day. It was one of the best and one of the worst days of my life. Good because my life completely turned around. 360 degrees. Worst because I had to leave my brother and sister behind. I can remember my brother asking me, “Why are you leaving me?” I was only going one town away, but that question still haunts me.

Times were still rough for a little while, until the end of the that year, but then, I decided to put everything behind me because I wasn’t going to live like that anymore. I promised myself to never get that low again. To never think those thoughts again. To never want to hurt myself. To reach out to someone if I need help.

Today, I am a mom. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am {almost!} a wife. I am strong. I have broad shoulders. I am confident. I am caring. I am sensitive. I get along with both my mom and dad. I am loved. I am cared for. And I am happy.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, please reach out to someone! Feel free to email me! There are hotlines you can call {1-800-SUICIDE}. There are support groups you can join. Killing yourself is NOT taking the easy way out.

Win a Pair of Wedges!

Summer is coming {hopefully}! And every girl needs a pair of cute wedges, so I am giving a pair away!

To enter, just go to my Facebook page, like the page, share the picture and comment with your size! You can also tag a friend for an extra entry!!

If you can’t wait to see if you win and just want to buy them, you can do that here. If you buy them and win, I will refund your money.

Good luck!!

NEW Pretty Products: Perfectly Posh

At the beginning of the month, Perfectly Posh came out with two new products for the Pretty line.

Introducing…..

Beach Bum and Shine On!

Beach Bum is a Sea Salt body scrub and polish. It’s to help you get skin as though you’d been at the beach! You know how soft your feet are after you’ve walked barefoot on the beach for a while? Yeah, this is how soft you’re skin will get and it smells like you are at the beach, too! It’s made with sea salt, shea butter and glycerin. Get the 5 ounce jar for $15.

Shine On! is a shimmer-y body aloe lotion. It’s a pearly pink color in the bottle, but goes on clear, of course. It give just the right amount of sparkle. It smells like pomegranate. One of my favorite scents!! Shine On! is made of aloe and fruit extracts. Get the 4 ounce tube for $13.

{Learn a little bit more about Perfectly Posh.}

Be Aware of Sexual Predators

Think about this crazy world we live in. Do you REALLY know who your neighbors are? Do you REALLY know if your neighbor hood is safe? Do you REALLY know who your kids are associating with? According to RAINN.org, EVERY TWO MINUTES someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

For our Final project in my Mass Media class, we had to get in to groups of four and come up with something that we could do to help make the world a better place. We are to use at least three different forms of Mass Media to get the word out. We chose to do an article in our local newspaper, create a Facebook page, and this blog post. We are doing our project on Sexual Predators. We hope to inform people of where they are, how to find out if they are in your area, as well as the kind of people and signs to watch for and what you can do to get help.

First off, in Sevier County {where I live}, there are about 10 or so small towns and there are a total of 43 REGISTERED sex offenders. Now, know that these are just the ones that have been caught and had to register. There are many more out there that have yet to be caught – and that’s the scariest part! {We found this info here.} Just in the town where I live, there are 23 REGISTERED!! Ahh! Hide yo kids and hide yo wife!

Where to find sexual predators in your area:
I like City-Data.com {http://www.city-data.com/} because it breaks it down by cities/towns. From there, you can see exactly who it is {name and picture}, their aliases, description, address, crime, and other info. You can also Google it and lots of search results will come up, but I like this one best because you don’t have to add in a lot of info, just click on your state and town.

People and signs to watch for:
Another scary stat I found on RAINN.org, approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim and 38% of rapists are friends or acquaintances.

The following is directly from Dr.Phil.com
Dr. Frank Lawlis, chairman of the Dr. Phil Advisory Board and Dr. Phil’s mentor, offers some insight into the development of a sexual predator:

“The typical sexual predator is very immature in his or her understanding of intimacy. It is like they really want closeness, but they lack the skills to feel satisfaction and trust. These feelings of frustration erupt into anger many times, and it is in this stage that the individual can become dangerous. Their acts are desperate. They try to find intimacy and caring for themselves, but when they can’t find it in appropriate ways, they demand it or find a child who has little resistance,” says Dr. Lawlis. “It is common to find parents of sexual predators also weak in skills of affection. Consequently, they cannot train or offer to meet these needs for their child. And then the cycle continues.”

There are some common characteristics of sexual predators. If you’re worried your teen may be a sexual predator, look for these warning signs:

• Refusal to take responsibility for actions and blames others or circumstances for failures
• A sense of entitlement
• Low self-esteem
• Need for power and control
• Lack of empathy
• Inability to form intimate relationships with adults
• History of abuse
• Troubled childhood
• Deviant sexual behavior and attitudesFrom the book, Protecting Your Children from Sexual Predators, by Dr. Leigh M. Baker.Other Tips on Spotting a Sexual Predator:

• Often offend where they won’t get caught ” when they have misdirected people’s attention
• Often married or in relationships
• Offend when the victim is handy
• Not always strangers, often family members, family friends and neighbors
• Most attracted to adults
• Good manipulators (seduction is an integral part)
• Overly self-indulgent
• Arrogant
• Sexualize, objectify women
• Users of various kinds of pornography
• Typically known as rationalizers, intellectualizers, justifiers
• Great helpers ” are there to lend a helping hand ” prey on people in need, when they can insinuate themselves in your life
• Use stressful and vulnerable situations to get in ” they find a need they can fill and they use that to get next to the victim

Common Attributes of Child Molesters:
– from A Profile of the Child Molester

• Pedophiles are notoriously friendly, nice, kind, engaging and likeable.
• Pedophiles target their victims, often insinuating themselves into that child’s life through their family, school, house of worship, sports, and hobbies.
• Pedophiles are professional con artists and are experts at getting children and families to trust them.
• Pedophiles will smile at you, look you right in the eye and make you believe they are trustworthy.

Dr. Phil reminds parents they must watch everyone in their child’s life!

What you can do to get help:
If you ever feel like you are in a dangerous situation, get to a phone and call 911. SO many people do not report their crimes {in general, but I am trying to stick to sexual crimes} and it’s extremely important that you do! According to RAINN.org, 54% of sexual assaults are NOT reported. That’s awful! It also states that 97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail. I understand it’s difficult, but it’s not okay to let these awful people get away with hurting others. There are also Hotlines that you can call for help.

Did you know that April is National Sexual assault Awareness Month? Click on the picture above to find out more info.

Another very important tip – in ANY situation – is to TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!! I cannot tell myself that enough! I’m 20 years old and my gut instinct has yet to fail me!!

I will continue to post helpful tips as time goes on, but in the meantime, PLEASE like our Facebook page so you can be informed all the time.

Did you miss me?

Did you notice that I didn’t post at all last week? Not one single word. I thought about it, but I didn’t. I’ve been so busy with school and Jourdan’s Jewels and to top it all off, Karsyn got a major fever on Tuesday and I didn’t get it to break until Friday afternoon. It was not a fun week!

Anyway, I am back and I hope to do better!

Wish me luck! (: