Giveaway: Retro Big G Cereal and Target Gift Card

I am a child a of the 80s. I will fully admit to that. I had the Cabbage Patch Kids and played with Rainbow Brite and wore leg warmers and more. My first video game was my Atari system, and I played Asteroids and tennis for hours on end. It was a little different from the video games the wee ones have today, but I loved them anyway.

I'll always have a soft spot for the 80s, and I strongly suspect - no, I know I'm not the only one. General Mills is getting in on the trend and now has retro Big G cereals at Target through mid-March. Participating cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cheerios® (18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz.). Those cereals have special packaging that includes classic 80s Atari games on the back of the boxes. How fun!

(Ok, seriously no idea why my photos keep going sideways here - they are right side up on my computer and when I edit them!)

And yes, Mister Man picked up the box right away and started tracing the maze in Asteroids on the back of the Honey Nut Cheerios® box. He was entranced.

(Don't ask my why this is sideways. It's correct on my computer, and I can't for the life of me get it to go the right way on the blog - sorry!)

Mister Man's first question was if he could play the games I used to play. While I no longer have our Atari system - or the joysticks with just the one red button - part of the package I received included a code to download "Atari 80 Classic Games in 1." So yes, Mister Man was able to explore some of the games I grew up playing. This is a download for my PC only and includes games from Centipede (he loved it) to Haunted House (which I don't remember ever playing). The game is available on the Atari website for $9.99. Looking through their site, it's amazing how much Atari has changed and grown from that game of Asteroids I first played!

Check out all the different activities on the backs of the General Mills cereals. There are five different activities you can find on retro boxes. Tell me you aren't singing the theme to Karate Kid right now. Are you still with me, or have you already headed out the door to Target to pick up a box or two?

Don't head out just yet. I have a package exactly like what I received to give away. So what do you have to do to win the two boxes of cereal, $10 Target gift card, and code to download the Atari games? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count! That means that please please please leave your contact information. If I cannot get ahold of you, you cannot win!

This giveaway is open until Friday March 9 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What was your favorite thing about the 80s?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Are you a child of the 80s? Enter the retro Big G cereal and $10 Target GC #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/zk3qNZ #myblogspark" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a box of the two retro Big G cereals and a $25 Target gift card courtesy of Target, Atari, and General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Giveaway: General Mills Whole Grain Cereals

I try to eat somewhat healthfully. We'll ignore the s'mores Mister Man, my husband, and I made for dessert out of Trefoil Girl Scout cookies. It's a one time thing. Generally, we try to focus on what we're eating - which is why I make a lot of foods from scratch. I can't always do that for breakfast - much as I'd love to, I love my sleep more.

In the mornings, I want to make sure that we're starting our day off right, and part of that means getting in whole grains. That's is some of why cereal has typically been more of a treat than an everyday item in my house. But did you know that five General Mills cereals have whole grains as the first ingredient?

Why yes... yes, they do. Seven General Mills cereals, including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios®, and Total® all have whole wheat or whole oats listed as the first ingredient. (Ingredients on packaging are listed in order of prevalence. The first item is the most common and the last has the least of it in the item.) Even better for my family, three of these five cereals use real sugar as the sweetener, too, something that makes Mister Man very happy.

While General Mills has also introduced the white check that shows the amount of whole grain in a serving of the cereal. The General Mills cereals with the white check let you know that there is more whole grain in there than any other ingredient. That said, claims on labels are not regulated, so always read the ingredient list first to see what's really in there.

Personally, I love seeing that more and more food manufacturers are responding to consumers' demands for foods that contain more whole grains and other recommended dietary changes. I've taught the wee ones to read labels, and you should see Mister Man's face light up when he sees a cereal like this that he's able to eat and feel good about.

And the nice thing about these cereals? To me - and to the wee ones - they still taste good. Adding whole grains doesn't mean that they taste like cardboard. Far from it, in fact. I had zero complaints from the wee ones, and to me they tasted exactly the same as they always have. And that's a good thing.

Learn more about whole grains and why they matter at the Whole Grain Nation site. While there, you can also play a Fast Lane for Whole Grain game to win all 50 plus Big G cereals.

Ready to try out the five General Mills cereals made with more whole grain than any other ingredient? You can... I have a prize pack of these cereals to give away. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count! That means that please please please leave your contact information. If I cannot get ahold of you, you cannot win!

This giveaway is open until Thursday March 8 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: Which of the five General Mills cereals featuring whole grain as the first ingredient would you choose first?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "I entered to win a General Mills prize pack #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Have you? http://bit.ly/xpy3cP" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a box of each of the five cereals as described above courtesy of General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Winners!

First of all, shame on me. I've been delinquent in posting my winners. My apologies. They have all been contacted and received their prizes - or at least they should be on their way.

Now that I'm recovered from Blissdom and hopefully over the deadly malaise I've had for the past week, I am posting some more giveaways quickly.

First, however, winners....

The Dulce de Leche gift pack courtesy General Mills and MyBlogSpark was soccermom1.

The $25 American Express gift card from NutritionPossible.com and Centrum via One2One Network went to Cheryl from the Lucky Ladybug.

And the tickets to the Chicago Girls Night Out benefiting Go Red for Women went to Maria from A Savings Wow!

Congrats again to all the winners!

Giveaway: Dulce de Leche Cheerios Package

When it comes time to get the wee ones up and out the door, I always feel like I'm behind. The start to the day for us frequently portends how the rest of the day will go. If we don't get it started right, we can kiss the day goodbye. That's one of the reasons a good breakfast is something on which I don't compromise. It isn't always the same thing, but I require that it's something that incorporates protein (yay scoops of peanut butter) and whole grains - and is something the wee ones will eat.

The majority of the time, the wee ones eat oatmeal. They love it, but sometimes they want something different. I was recently sent a box of a new Cheerios flavor - dulce de leche. It was perfect for us, as the wee one are fascinated by all things dulce de leche thanks to her Spanish class. She so wanted to try the dulce de leche Girl Scout cookies she was selling but couldn't because they contain dairy. Let's just say there was a little light in her eyes when she realized the Cheerios don't have any dairy and she could eat them. Me? I was happy with the 19 grams of whole grains per serving offered by the Dulce de Leche Cheerios.

The wee ones couldn't wait to try them out. We had to flip for who got to eat them out of the super cute bowl that also came with the cereal package I received from MyBlogSpark. I do wish that the only sweetener used was pure sugar or agave, but this at least doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup - something my family avoids eating. That said, there are 6 grams of sugar per serving, far less than the yogurt the wee ones like. The bowl was happily scarfed up, and the wee ones are begging to see when they can have it again.

Of course, I didn't just leave it as a cereal to be eaten. Nope. I have a bake sale at Little Miss's school on Friday, so I decided to make a treat for it using the Dulce de Leche Cheerios. There are several recipes on the General Mills website using the new Cheerios flavor. I ended up choosing the Dulce de Leche Cheerios Bars, although of course I modified them a bit. I chose them partly because they looked and sounded really good and partly because I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. Or ummm most of them. I'll post my version of the recipe on Honest & Truly! for tomorrow's Tasty Tuesday.

They turned out really, really good. I am currently working to fight my husband off eating them so that we have enough left for the bake sale. Wish me luck!

Want to win a prize pack like I received with a box of Dulce de Leche Cheerios, a beautiful bowl, a spoon, and a dulce de leche scented candle? You can...So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday February 20 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What Dulce de Leche recipe would you try with your box?


Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "I entered to win a Cheerios Dulce de Leche prize pack #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Have you? http://bit.ly/AgBdr1" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a sample prize pack as described above and the recipes described courtesy of Cheerios and General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Winner!

Congrats goes out to i find bargains who won the giveaway from MyBlogSpark, General Mills, and DC Entertainment for the Justice League prize pack. Congrats - and the 48 hour window to respond with contact information is ticking down.

Congrats again!

Giveaway: Big G Cereals DC Super Heroes

I remember growing up when my mom would every great once in awhile allow me to choose a special cereal. It was always a big deal, and I would walk up and down the aisles trying to decide which cereal that I loved had the best prize at the time since we didn't generally get to choose our cereal. Once we had our cereal, we would also have the special treat of getting to eat our cereal while sitting in front of the tv and watching cartoons. Oh, how I loved the cartoons of old - especially Super Friends. I loved all the heroes of the Justice League.

And super sweet? The Cartoon Network is launching a new Green Lantern cartoon series in 2012, and General Mills is getting in the act with Justice League comic books inside specially marked boxes of Big G cereals - Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Trix, Golden Grahams, Reese´s Puffs, and Cocoa Puffs. There are four different comic books to collect.

Let's just say that the comic books have been a hit around here. We received a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, along with a set of the four comic books, and a Green Lantern action figure. I know I set the comic books on my counter when I opened the package, but I haven't seen them since. I've heard the wee ones talking about them, so I know they've swiped and read them - repeatedly, by the sounds of it - which I suppose isn't the worst thing. It's always good to see them excited about reading.

I love having some of my special memories from childhood that I can pass along to the wee ones and have them enjoy and cherish, as well. I think this weekend, we may need to go sit in front of the tv with a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and watch some classic cartoons. Just because.

Courtesy of MyBlogSpark, I have 1 box of a participating Big G cereal, 1 set of the collectible DC Super Hero comic books, and 1 Green Lantern action figure to give away to one lucky reader. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday December 1 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: who was your favorite superhero growing up?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Are you a Justice League fan? Big G cereal, action figure & comic book #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/rp6ibz via #MyBlogSpark" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received gift packs as described above courtesy of General Mills and DC Entertainment via MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winners!

I have several winners to announce, and there are more giveaways coming so keep checking back!

The Hallmark cards pack was won by Summer of A Mom Less Ordinary.

The Purse Perfector was won by Susan from Susan's Disney Family.

And Lexiquinn (no blog - and no, having a blog is not a requirement!) won the Big G prize pack, including the $25 gift card.

All winners have 48 hours to provide their contact information, or I will draw a new winner but I'm hoping I won't have to!

Congrats to all the winners, and check back soon for more fun here.

Giveaway: Pink Together

I hate being sick. For me, sick is a few days of something that makes me feel cruddy before it goes away. That's not what being sick means for Brandie and far too many others. For them, living with breast cancer is a daily experience, and a miserable and painful one at that. October is - as you'd have to live under a rock not to know - Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So many brands do so much to try to raise awareness and funds, and General Mills is no different.

For the fifth year, they're working on the Pink Together campaign. There, you can share your personal stories as well as messages of hope. The stories aren't just to go into the ether. General Mills will donate $1 to the Komen organization for each Message of Hope that is sent to someone who has shared their story on PinkTogether.com (up to $25,000) during October. This is in addition to a $2 million donation General Mills is making to the Komen organization.

Beyond the fact that the donation comes from something I can do rather than requiring me to make a purchase appeals to me. Even better? For the first time, we can choose how $1 million of this donation will be shared between two different Komen programs: the Treatment and Assistance Program, which assists women in securing care they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Prevention Research, which helps unlock the keys to preventing breast cancer. You can vote from September 19 to April 14 next year on the Think Pink site. Results will be announced on Mother´s Day 2012 - Sunday, May 13, perfect timing, I think!

In support of this campaign, General Mills via MyBlogSpark is offering a giveaway, and I have a prize pack to give to one lucky reader. The prize pack includes a box of Total cereal, coupons valid for one box of Cheerios and Multigrain Cheerios cereal and one cup of Yoplait yogurt, a Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook Pink Together Edition, a water bottle and removable silicone awareness bracelet, a sport backpack, and rhinestone ear buds. So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday October 20 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me how you have been touched by breast cancer.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Think Pink and share your breast cancer stories. Learn how via a #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/rohgcu" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a prize pack as described above for review purposes from General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Big G Prize Package With Gift Card

We are Star Wars fanatics around here. Last year, both wee ones were Storm Troopers for Halloween. (I learned the difference about this time last year between a Storm Trooper and a Clone Trooper.) This year, Little Miss is a Storm Trooper again - yay reusing costumes - and Mister Man is going to be a Jedi knight. I hear about Star Wars morning, noon, and night. The release of the complete saga last month, I've heard nothing but Star Wars everywhere.

While I won't let the wee ones watch all movies yet, we're finding ways to incorporate Star Wars into the wee ones' lives where we can. There are Star Wars books we've gotten from the library and the Star Wars Legos we play with constantly. The other day, I received a package that more than made the wee ones' days.

As thrilling as they found the gift card - they've learned already that gift cards mean money to spend in stores, though I'm not sure this is a good or bad lesson. Ok ok, I admit, this wasn't the view that thrilled them, as happy as they've been for the past several days to have Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, along with a large scoop of peanut butter, half an orange, and a glass of milk (or rice milk in the case of Little Miss).

This was the view that enthralled them:

I made the mistake of putting together this little panorama during dinner. It was too tempting not to. Unfortunately, it also proved to be too tempting for the wee ones, who kept trying to get up from the table to stare at the "very most coolest ever" cereal boxes. I've had to promise that when we finish the cereal, I will cut out the backs of the boxes and let Mister Man hang them in his room.

These cereal boxes can be found exclusively at WalMart on specially marked boxes of Big G cereals - including Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The front of the boxes show if they are part 1, 2, or 3, so you can make sure the cereal you purchase makes the full panorama (or two, if you have multiple children requesting them on their walls, ahem.)

I have a prize pack to give to one lucky reader. The prize pack includes three Big G cereals - Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch that together form the panoramic poster, plus a $25 gift card to WalMart. So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday October 17 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your favorite Star Wars character.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Love Star Wars? Win a Big G prize pack & make a panoramic poster +$25GC via #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/rhVIcY" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a prize pack as described above for review purposes from General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Kung Fu Panda 2 Prize Pack

Do you remember growing up and getting to choose your own cereal at the grocery store? Maybe this is why I love grocery shopping to this day? Hmmm. Anyway, one of my favorite things to do was to get to walk back and forth down that cereal aisle trying to figure out what I was going to choose. I always chose a cereal I liked, of course, but a big factor was also what toy or special thing on the box was available at the time. They used to have some really neat ones.

Actually, I shouldn't say they used to. Cereal manufacturers still do, to be honest. Have you seen the General Mills promotion now? Inside specially marked boxes of Cocoa Puffs®, Trix®, Golden Grahams®, Reese’s Puffs®, Cheerios®, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios®, Cookie Crisp®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Honey Nut Cheerios, there are Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toys.

Do you remember spin fighters? They were the little circle helicopter like things that you placed on a base, wound up and then released to go flying through the air. Once upon a time, I could really get them to fly high. I tried again with these new ones, and I almost got it to hit our cathedral ceiling, but ... my talents have definitely diminished over the years!

These spin fighters feature many of the characters from the Kung Fu Panda 2 movie that is out right now. There are eight different characters in the boxes, Po, Tigress, Shifu, Monkey, Lord Shen, Mantis, Crane, and Viper. The boxes add more fun to the spin fighter game. There are targets on the boxes for you to cut out and set up, then attempt to knock over with your spin fighters. Did I mention my skills have diminished? I have yet to hit a single target.

Sound fun? You can win your own Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack that includes one box of a participating Big G cereal, a Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toy, and the original Kung Fu Panda movie on DVD. (Since we missed the first one, as the wee ones were too young to see it in 2008, this is perfect for us to catch up before seeing the sequel!)

So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday June 16 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - who is your - or your child's - favorite character from the Kung Fu Panda movies?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Win a Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack with the first movie DVD & more from @honestandtruly and #myblogspark http://bit.ly/jclsdy" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Like my blog on Facebook and let me know what name you used to like it.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack as described above courtesy General Mills and DreamWorks through MyBlogSpark. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Box Tops For Education and Target Gift Pack

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided a gift pack as described below by General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

We're smack dab in the middle of back to school season, which has meant a ton of trips to various stores and more receipts from Target than I can fit in my little binder. Fortunately, I have one successfully off to school as of Tuesday, and Little Miss starts on Monday - assuming you don't count her one hour into to kindergarten tomorrow as a day. (I know I don't!)

With back to school has come a renewed focus on the wee ones' schools and their needs. I've been signing up to volunteer for various committees, but there is also all the "passive" ways I can help them that I'm starting up again.

Have you ever participated in the Box Tops for Education program?

Earning money for your school is super easy. You simply notice the nice pink Box Top labels and clip them out. Participating schools earn $0.10 per label when they submit them, and lots of products have bonus labels, too. No buying wrapping paper you don't want or candy bars you don't need at an inflated price. It is simply watching what you're already buying.

It's amazing how many brands participate in this program (I looked it up the other day to share with our PTO actually). When I was getting the wee ones' school supplies, and each one that had a little Box Top label, I cut out the label to send to the school - $0.10 per label, with several items having multiple Box Tops!

Right now, you can get double Box Tops, too. From Aug. 15-28, stop by your local Target® and receive double Bonus Box Tops instantly when you buy 5 or more participating General Mills, Avery, Hefty, Juicy Juice and Welch´s Box Tops for Education® products and earn more for the participating school of your choice. Visit Grocery Savvy for full details.

As a way for me to really realize the variety of the options available, I received a prize pack that included all sorts of goodies, including Avery Binder, Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers Variety Pack, Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni, Hefty CinchSak Trash Bags, Honey Nut Cheerios, Juicy Juice 8-Pack Juice Boxes, Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Welch´s Concord Grape Jelly, as well as 25 Bonus Box Tops and a $25 Target® gift card.

How many of these items do you suppose I'll be going back to purchase time and again this school year? And that's only the tip of the iceberg of what's available! I have to say this prize pack makes me feel far more prepared for school - it took off some of my stress about how I would handle my first week both for school lunches and snacks and home needs.

Jealous? You don't have to be. I have an identical prize pack to give away to one of you!

So what do you have to do?

First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday September 9 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what Box Top items you'd buy with your Target gift card.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

Giveaway: Movie Moment Prize Pack

Disclosure: I received a coupon for a free box of General Mills cereal and four movie passes in exchange for this review, but the opinions presented are solely my own.

I love going to the movies, although I've done so far less regularly since the wee ones were born. In fact, the last time I was at the movies on a regular basis was on Mister Man's due date when I saw Finding Nemo.

That's partly due to time and the cost of finding a babysitter, but also I lack the motivation to some degree. Having two small children puts a damper on any sort of social life, as I'm sure many of you know.

General Mills recognized this, and started up a new promotion called the General Mills e-movie cash. You can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of General Mills´ Cereals. After purchasing two cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the code found inside each box of cereal and print your free movie certificate.

Participating brands include select sizes of: Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix, and Reese´s Peanut Butter Puffs.

The Movie Cash certificate is valid for any showing of any movie at participating theaters -- and there are a lot of them, anywhere from Cinemark Theaters to Regal Cinemas and more. To fit the list of all the eligible theaters, I think the font is in six point type!

Now that's motivation to go see a movie. So we did, since there are four of us and I received four movie passes. This was Mister Man's second movie ever, and Little Miss's first. Amazingly, they both sat still for the whole movie. They thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I'm saving this as a reward for good behavior in the future.

When we got to the theater, we had no problems with the coupons for the tickets, which was a little bit of a worry for me. Fortunately, the cashier took them and figured them out immediately, so there was no hassle at all.

And really, with children around, who doesn't go out and buy cereal on a regular basis? You don't want to know how many cereals we have at my house -- and I even make my own from scratch!

You have until June 30, 2010 to enter your codes into the website, and the certificates are valid for 60 days from the date you print them. Win-win, no?

Go, buy some cereal (especially the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which was one of my favorites growing up).

Or you can win your own Movie Moment prize package here that includes four free e-movie certificates (each valid for one admission up to $12) and a coupon for a free box of any one General Mills cereal courtesy of General Mills via MyBlogSpark.

You have until December 14 at 8pm CST to enter. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the first movie you remember ever seeing and what you remember of it or the first movie you took your child to see and how it went. This must appear in the comments below or none of your entries will count.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
3) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
4) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!.

Good luck!