Category Archives: Giveaways

Giveaways, Running

CDM Mind and Body 5k Giveaway

Are you a local reader (St Louis area) and want a chance to win a free entry to a 5k? What’s better than running for free? Running a race for free! Read to the bottom to see how to win a free entry (it’s really easy to do!)

Event: CDM Presents Mind and Body 5k Run/Walk and Wellness Expo

When: Saturday, May 28, check-in begins at 7 am, race at 8 am

Where: Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, 701 North Spring Avenue, St Louis MO 63108

cdmmindandbody flyer 2016-2

I think the story of how this event came to be is a good one: 

The event founder, Cynthia Ringo,  is a pastor and a health advocate.  She founded this event four years ago after a life course change and she found herself as a caregiver for her husband who had a stroke and developed vascular dementia as a result of this stroke. She was urged by the doctors and her support circle to make sure that she took care of her health while fulfilling her caregiver responsibilities.  So, along with about 15 other women at the church (Christ Deliverance Ministry), she began a quest on being the healthiest that she can be while inspiring others.  As a result, this group of women lost over 600 pounds collectively, in about 18 months.  This group’s age range spanned from 21 to 65 and included two breast cancer survivors.  The first year the event was held just to support this group and other people in the community who decided to take their health in their own hands.  It has since grown into a city wide event with support from the St. Louis community and businesses alike.

So! If you would like to run this event, I am giving away one free registration for the 5K. The giveaway runs through Friday, May 13 at 5 pm. Simply leave a comment letting me know you are entering, and make sure to include your valid email address. I will choose a winner randomly and notify you shortly afterwards.  Good luck!

P.S. I won’t be able to run this year because of a short trip, so I won’t see you there, but I hope you enter to run and have a great time Smile

Giveaways, Running

Creve Coeur Heart to Heart Run

4 Comments

I have a giveaway for you today! Aren’t you excited?

If you are a local reader who runs, you should be. I think this event looks fun and the logo is really cute—I’m told it will be on the t-shirt for the event too.

Final Logo, 2014

Creve Coeur Heart to Heart 5K, 10K and 1.5 Mile Fun Run/Walk

Here’s the some of the information from the website:

Date: Saturday, June 7, 2014 ~ Race begins at 8 a.m.
Location: Creve Coeur Government Center, 300 N. New Ballas Road
Description: This certified course loops through a portion of the Creve Coeur business district and our beautiful residential streets.
Entry Fee: Fees vary depending on race entry and registration date. Fee includes T-shirt, chip timing (5K & 10K only), finisher’s medal and post-race snacks and beverages. (Starts at $30 though, which I think is very reasonable for a race like this.)

I’ll be running (in exchange for this blog post and some other publicity I get a free entry) and I should mention that it’s ON MY BIRTHDAY! I hope you all come and run, but ONE of you will get a free entry. The contest runs from now until next Wednesday. Even if you don’t win, I recommend you sign up to run. It’s the perfect amount of time between now and then to train for a 5k, even if you haven’t run before, or if you want a longer race, the 10k is a great option. And like I said, I’ll be there and it’s my birthday, and last year’s birthday was no fun at all, so this year will be better no matter what!

If you don’t win, or don’t want to enter the giveaway but want to run the race, here’s the direct link to register.

To enter, all you have to do is sign into the rafflecopter and leave a comment on my blog. Make sure you use a real email address as that is how I will contact you if you win! Easy peasy, and I’ll pick a winner after the contest ends. Good luck! (Note: I don’t care if you comment below or not–I couldn’t figure out how to set up the rafflecopter without asking for something. But then again, I do LOVE reader comments, so if you like!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaways

Minted Giveaway—Feeling Generous (closed)

25 Comments

Okay readers: I have a giveaway at the end of this (short) post, because I’m feeling generous and kind towards you all.

First you must look at some pictures I took this week.

IMG_8170

I love polka dots.

IMG_8174

What it looks like in the pit where I spent much of my week. Or at least it felt like it. Tonight and Sunday afternoon, performances with Winter Opera St Louis.

Okay now that I’ve bored you (and seriously, did I only take two pictures this week? I’ve been crazy busy, evidently…)…(…)

Remember my post the other day about minted.com? Well, in exchange for that I got a code for a $75 credit to the site. However, this year I’m not planning to sending photo cards, so I thought, HEY let’s do a little giveaway. I’ll email the code to the winner and you can have $75 of cards to send for Christmas, or to use for anything you want on Minted.com.

How to enter: (giveaway closed! winner announced soon!)

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite type of Christmas cookie.  (If you can’t figure out how to leave a comment, make sure you click on the title of the post so you are looking at this post on it’s own, not as part of the main page.)

2. Email me at hannahviolin@gmail.com with a picture of your cat to be included in a Caturday post in the upcoming months. I would love more kitty pictures! Please leave a comment saying that you have done so. (If you’ve already sent pictures you can send more OR leave a comment saying that you did so in the past.)

So that’s two chances to enter—and be sure to leave TWO comments if you want to have both chances. The contest runs from now until next Friday, November 15 at noon CST, and I will randomly choose a winner at that time. Winner will be notified by email. Good luck!

Giveaways

Primal, a book by D.A. Serra

4 Comments

Book Review and Giveaway:

PRIMAL by D.A. Serra (screenplay originally purchased by James Cameron)

The most dangerous place on Earth is between a mother and her child…

With everything at stake – what are you capable of? What if the worst happens and you’re not a policeman, a soldier, or a spy with weapons training and an iron heart? What if you’re a schoolteacher – a mom? In this gritty crime thriller a family vacation takes a vicious turn when a fishing camp is invaded by four armed men. With nothing except her brains, her will, and the element of surprise on her side, Alison must learn to kill or watch her family die.

And then, things get worse.

I read the book (received a copy for free in exchange for this review and participation in the “tour“, with no obligation for a positive review though)—I thought it was very entertaining.  I had thought the book would be primarily about the crime, but it was also about the aftermath…though as it turns out, the aftermath of the crime only led to further the story.  It was decently written and fast-paced, though the author is very prone to arbitrary dramatic statements…

In any case, it’s a page turner and you might be surprised by the ending!  I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.  And a side note:  James Cameron!  (Titanic!)

About D. A. Serra:

Deborah Serra was a screenwriter for twenty years and recognized by the Writer’s Guild for her long term continuous employment. She has written ten TV movies, four feature films, and numerous TV episodes including two years as a staff writer for NBC.  She worked for top producers, directors, and actors.  She has taught writing at the University of California, San Diego, Wofford College and at writers’ conferences nationwide.  Serra has now turned her attention to novels, and she was honored as a recent recipient of the prestigious Hawthornden Literary Fellowship, and as a semi-finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award given by the Faulkner Society in New Orleans, LA.

Do you want to win a free PDF of the novel?  One winner will be chosen at random:  leave a comment below and I’ll pick somebody on Saturday, February 16, will close at 11 pm CST.  Worldwide! (Giveaway closed)

Giveaways

Celebrate Fitness!

3 Comments

You all know I’m obsessed with fitness and cats, right?  (Well, at least cats.) But I like running (well…not as of late, but that’s due to being sick and extremely lazy) and working out (especially lifting weights and ANYTHING weight lifting that you do lying down is my favorite…I’m working out…and I’m lying down!).

My friend and fellow blogger Katie from Mom’s Little Running Buddy runs an event called Celebrate Fitness on March 9th of this year.  She told us about it in the St Louis Bloggers Group I belong to and asked if anyone was interested in giving away a free entry.  I jumped on the chance, because I thought some of you might be interested– There’s a race, but there’s so much MORE than just a race—there’s all kinds of other workouts you can do, and it would be a really fun event for families or group of friends!

(all pictures courtesy of Katie.)

I originally thought I’d be able to do it (I’d love to run the 10k with Chris! but it looks like I’m working that morning after all…) but I think you should all participate.

Have any readers done this event in the past?

Okay, here’s all the basic information you need to know:

Date: March 9th, 2013

Location: Washington University Athletic Complex

Registration Fee:

  • $30
  • Junior Registration for ages 13 – 19 = $20
  • Day of Registration = $35; Junior $25

Time:

  • 7:00 – 8:00 Check in
  • 8:00 – Opening Ceremonies
  • 8:30 – Run and workout

Event Options:

  • 10K Competitive Run
  • 5K competitive Run
  • 5K Walk
  • 1Mile Fun Walk
  • Boot Camp
  • Water Aerobics –Shallow
  • Water Aerobics – Deep
  • Yoga
  • Zumba

See the registration form for more details.

Participants get to choose between a shirt and a goodie bag.  Katie tells me the goodie bags are filled with great stuff and that that is one of her favorite parts of the event.  I have tons of shirts, so if I were able to sign up for this, that’s what I’d want!

2013GoodieBag

Katie has been generous enough to offer you guys a chance to win a free paid entry to Celebrate Fitness (Another blogger in the group, Angie, is also running a contest, so go over there and enter to double your chances to win!)  The winner will be notified by email after the contest ends so be sure to use a valid address you check. Contest runs through 11 pm CST on February 16.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaways, Product Reviews

Nature’s Sleep Slipper Review and Giveaway

1 Comment

Recently I was sent a pair of Nature’s Sleep slippers to try out and share with you guys.  I tend to spend a lot of my leisure time under a throw blanket so often I don’t bother with slippers, but I am not one to turn up my nose at a free pair of slippers.  Plus since I’ve been spending a lot of time at home with the flu or a bad cold…having a nice new pair of slippers has been pretty great!

I was sent the Open Toe Slippers with Memory Foam.

photo

From the company’s website: “Open Toe Memory Foam Slippers – Take a walk in the clouds and slip your feet into these open-toe terry slippers. The visco-elastic memory foam in the bottom of the sole contours and cradles your foot for luxurious comfort and support with each and every step. The warm, soft terry fabric ensures your feet stay cozy all year round.”

I asked my husband, Chris if they looked like “old lady slippers” and he said that really, all slippers are old people slippers…so that’s a yes, but it’s okay because they are house slippers.  They are comfortable and soft, and feel nice on my bare feet and with socks.  The terry cloth fabric feels great and the foam padding is very comfortable to walk on, not that I do a whole lot of walking around the house!  The sole is a rubbery and non skid so you don’t feel like you’ll slip on hardwood or tile floors.

photo

The only thing I don’t love about the slippers is the color.  It’s sort of a pale pink, and it’s not really ME.  But that won’t be enough to keep me from wearing them, because they aren’t supposed to be a fashion statement, they are supposed to be comfortable!

You can get 50 percent off with the code BEARS50, which is good for anything on the Nature’s Sleep site and will not expire!  In addition to slippers the site offers mattresses, pillows, pet beds and more.

Their mission is “to provide everybody the opportunity to enjoy a better night’s sleep at affordable prices, while maintaining a concern for our environment. We understand that sleeping is a key ingredient to a productive life and that the proper memory foam mattress and pillow is essential. All our products are designed to deliver to you the rest, relaxation and rejuvenation that you and your body need and deserve. ”  I agree that sleep is very important!

image

In addition to the 50 percent off with the code BEARS50, good for anything on the Nature’s Sleep site the company has offered to give a pair of slippers to one of you!  They are requiring you “like” their facebook and enter a contest for your mandatory entry—anyway, it’s all on the Rafflecopter Widger here.  Good luck!  The contests runs for awhile too, so you’ll have plenty of time to entry.  US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note:  I was given a free product or compensated to provide  my opinion on this product. Nonetheless all opinions are my own and I did not have to provide a positive review.