It's Treat.com's birthday today! Enjoy Unlimited Free Digital Cards on Them to Celebrate!!

I've shared the customized and personalized cards I've purchased for my husband from Treat in the past.  This site is definitely one of my favorites to find unique cards for all occasions.  I didn't even realize that they offered digital e-cards until recently.  Those are perfect for the last minute cards you need to send, when snail mail will just not get a paper card there in time.  After all, how many times have you realized that you've nearly missed the birthday of someone near and dear to you?

In honor of their birthday, Treat.com will be offering all their new and existing customers unlimited free e-cards until midnight PST today!  Why not take advantage of this generous offer and schedule cards to be sent for the rest of the year?  Your friends, family members, and co-workers will think you're so organized for remembering all their birthdays and anniversaries!  You won't need a coupon code to take advantage of this offer because all digital cards will be priced at $0 through midnight.

Visit www.Treat.com to view their full selection of digital and printed cards for birthdays, thank you's, congratulations, anniversaries, and so much more.

Send a Free Mother's Day Card to Support "Futures Without Violence"

This year for Mother's Day, thanks to Macy's Thank-A-Mom Movement, I was able to send a free e-card to an amazing mom I know and had $5 donated in her honor to Futures Without Violence courtesy of Macy's.  I was actually able to choose this charity out of five very worthy causes.

Futures Without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund) supports the prevention of child abuse, teen dating violence, and teen sexual assault.  As helpless as an adult who is subject to abuse must feel, I cannot imagine how a child in that situation must feel.  Every child deserves to receive love and support from those around them, giving them the chance to grow up into loving, caring, and well-adjusted adults.




Prompting a $5 donation can be done in 4 easy steps . . .

1. Visit Macy's on Facebook and choose which cause you would like to support.  You can choose from Go Red For Women, Futures Without Violence, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, National Park Foundation, and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).
2. Select a card design or upload your own image.
3. Add a message to your card.
4. Choose to send the card to up to 10 moms on Facebook or as many moms as you like via email.

Macy's will donate up to $400,000 combined to these 5 charities during this campaign.  When you are all done, you will be invited to browse the Macy's Mother's Day Gift Guide, which is filled with great ideas for putting a smile on Mom's face on her special day.


Macy's sent a floral bouquet to a mom of my choice as a thank you for helping to spread the word about the Thank-A-Mom Movement.

Free PDF Trial at Adobe CreatePDF

As you may recall, I recently wrote an article about why being able to create PDF files and convert PDF files is important to a blogger.  I had started thinking about this because I am about to do a mini redesign for my blog and I would need to alter my media kit to coordinate with it.  This would be fine if I wanted to leave the media kit in a Word document format, but I would very much like to have a PDF version because it does look much more professional.

So my dilemma was (and still is) about my struggling to decide if I could spend the money on PDF software.  Money is tight right now, so can I really justify the expense?  Well, this free PDF trial might be a solution for anyone in my situation.  One of the benefits of the free trial is that it offers you 5 free PDF conversions. You are required to register with your name, email, password, age, and geographic location.

Has anyone tried this free trial before?  I am curious to know if there are any other requirements aside from the registration.  If not, this would be perfect if you have a specific one-time project to complete.

Fun and Free . . . The Constructive Playthings New Toy Catalog

Last week I received my most recent free toy catalog from Constructive Playthings. I actually received two . . . one was a book of back-to-school toys, furniture, and classroom supplies, which is a wonderful resource for all parents, teachers, and those who homeschool their children. The other was this toy catalog mostly filled with toys for learning, pretend play, keeping children active, and promoting creativity.

I was very happy with the assortment of toys included in this catalog, as they spanned from infant toys to grade school toys, although the majority are for children in preschool and early grade school. I very much appreciated the larger images in this catalog because overall I could really see the details of each toy. I only read the product descriptions if a photo interests me, so I do not mind trading the larger photos for a smaller font size. Since I do not read every product description, I do not mind squinting a bit to learn more about a product here and there. Although it was not difficult for me to figure out which description went along with which image, I think it would be quicker for some people to have a letter or number next to each description and on each corresponding image.

Looking through toy catalogs is always fun and exciting, even for adults. I usually think how one or more of my 3 children would love to play with this and that. After I have determined which toys my children would find engaging, I then usually weed out toys that are too similar to what we already have and then give any toys that have educational or developmental value extra consideration. In this particular catalog, I would love for my children to own the Full Bodied Family Puppets. This puppet family of 4 is a Constructive Playthings Exclusive. I always hear my children acting out family and social situations while playing pretend. These puppets would be a great outlet for such play. I learn so much about each child's perception of how a family works and what each person's role is within that family just by listening to them play. I also love that these puppet families are available in Caucasian, Latino, African-American, and Asian.

Here is my oldest, trying to make sure that everyone knows which toy he likes the most from this latest Constructive Playthings catalog . . .

You can request your own FREE TOY CATALOG from Constructive Playthings by visiting ConstPlay.com . Also, as a 3G2S reader, you are entitled to receive a special reader's discount of 15% off every online order from Constructive Playthings when you shop through my Constructive Moms button. For your convenience, you can find it on every page of this site.

Thank you to Constructive Playthings for providing us with a free catalog to base this review upon.

The Quest for the Codex (Free Browser-Based Game)

Since getting hooked on the book series "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel", my husband is very much looking forward to reading the fourth book in the series . . . "The Necromancer". In honor of the hardcover release on May 25th, I would like to draw your attention to the free online game that is based upon this book series . . . The Quest for the Codex.

"The Quest for the Codex is an interactive strategy game where users play as themselves, utilizing ten clicks per day to navigate various maps and locations to collect pieces of the Codex from the 'Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel' book series, in addition to unlocking character badges from the books, viewing video previews of 'The Necromancer' and playing extra games within to earn more clicks per day. The game is free and is open to all to play; U.S. Residents can register for a sweepstakes once they visit the site."

My husband will be taking this game for a test drive. Look for his thoughts about this game in our upcoming book review of "The Necromancer".

No compensation was received for sharing this information with my readers.

Free "My Heritage" Online Family Tree Building Tool

If you've ever wondered about the generations of your family that have come before your grandparents or great-grandparents, then you might want to try out this online genealogy software. The basic version is free, so why not try it?

This site also contains free family tree software. The main idea is that you can start a family website and invite all your known living relatives to contribute. Then they can help you fill in the missing information, such as dates-of-birth, photos, maiden names, and places of origin. Your family's site is divided into six tabbed sections. The main ones, your homepage (or dashboard), Family Tree, Family Photos, and Family Events calendar, are shown below. It is almost like having your own private mini-community for your family and relatives.

(Click on the image below to enlarge)

Also available on MyHeritage.com is a section called "Celebrities & Fun". There you can find out what celebrity your resemble, create a video showing your face morphing into a celebrity, and use the Look-alike Meter to see which parent a child resembles the most. We have always said that our 6yr old son is exactly half my husband and half myself. Well, we were close. According to the Look-alike Meter, our son looks 55% like his father and 45% like me. The results are also easily shared through email, Facebook, your blog, and other popular social networks.

Review: Picture Gift Bags (Coupon Code for Free Sample)

If you like to dabble in photography, I have found a product that will allow you to use your photos to put a smile on someone else's face. Picture Gift Bags allows you to put your photos or original artwork onto gift bags to make you gifts even more special.

The general concept is similar to premade digital scrapbooking templates. You simply visit the Picture Gift Bags website, go to the gift bags tab, select the bag size, select the occasion and the desired layout, and then upload your photo or artwork. Some layouts even allow you to add personalized text to your bag. The bags range from $6.49 to $7.95. Once you've placed your order, your picture and any custom text will be printed on the bag you have selected, which will be shipped directly to your home or place of business.

Here are some examples of the results . . .

The bags arrive flat as shown below. You simply pop them into a rectangular prism and lock the bags into place at the bottom of the bag. Some of the bags came with the handles already attached, while some of the bags just had them tucked inside. It was easy to attach the handles. I only needed to thread the ends through the prepunched holes from the outside. Once through, the ends securely stay in place like a toggle clasp on a necklace or bracelet.

These gift bags are more like thin cardboard gift boxes. When they first pop open, they do not keep a perfectly rectangular shape, but once they are stuffed with goodies and tissue paper, they hold their shape well. If well-cared for, these bags would make a nice keepsake for the recipient.

I submitted high resolution photos to use on these sample gift bags. The quality of the photos printed on the bag were very good, but not excellent. They were definitely good enough for gift-giving. It appears as if my photos may have been enhanced, at least to increase the contrast, but I cannot be positive.

One thing I have to note is that the large size bag is shipped in an envelope that is not rigid. I had problems with my first set of sample bags being creased. You can see one of the major creases on the large bag in my first photo. When my samples were resent, I only received medium and small bags and they came in a rigid cardboard mailer. It may be a risk to order a large bag until Picture Gift Bags has solved this problem.

If you'd like to receive a free sample of a picture gift bag, you can do so by visiting PictureGiftBags.com or PictureGiftMart.com and using Promo Code: FREE11PCGM at checkout. This coupon code is good for a medium sized picture bag only and is valid through July 31st, 2010.

Thank you to Picture Gift Bags for sending us product information along with sample gift bags free of charge to base this review upon.

10 Tips For Preventing Cyber Bullying

You may or may have not heard recent talk about cyber bullying and cyber stalking. This is something real that is happening to adult bloggers. If it is scary for an adult, then you can imagine how it must feel for a tween or a teen to be a victim of such a thing.

Here are ten tips offered by Ellen Ohlenbusch, a mom who also happens to be President of McGruff Safeguard, on how to protect your child from being a victim of cyber bullying . . .

1. Keep computers in an open area – not in a child’s bedroom

2. Tell kids to keep passwords safe, private and difficult to guess – no pet names as passwords!

3. Don’t allow your child to maintain multiple accounts with alias names

4. Teach children to respect others online, as they would in person

5. Discuss bullying and the emotional impact it creates

6. Discuss what content is and is not appropriate to share online

7. Tell kids that what they post online is “out there” forever – they can’t control how other people will use their photos or information

8. Discuss how ‘piling’ on is not appropriate. That while they may not start something, if they see cyber bullying happening, they should not contribute.

9. Set a clear standard/example for your children to follow

10. Install a parental monitoring software that sends email alerts if cyber bullying is detected.

As a tool to assist parents, McGruff Safeguard offers a FREE parental monitoring software that analyzes emails, chats and IMs, and social networking websites. To learn more about this software, visit GoMcGruff.com .

Thank you to McGruff Safeguard and Middleberg Communications for providing the information shared in this article.

Free Photo Editing Software - Aurora Quick Fix

I just wanted to let my readers know about this great freebie that was brought to my attention . . .

Lightcrafts, the creator of the original Aurora photo editing software has recently released a new simplified version called Aurora Quick Fix. This software is free to download.

Although I have not personally tried this new software, I have used the original full-featured Aurora and loved it. You can read my review of Aurora here. The Aurora Quick Fix allows you to relight, crop, resize, organize your photos, and more. If you get a chance to download Aurora Quick Fix for free, come back and let me know how you like it.

A Thoughtful Free Gift for Grandparent's Day

In honor of National Grandparent's Day(September 13th, 2009), Grandparents.com has teamed up with YourVoice to offer a free service which is designed to give grandparents something to smile about. Simply stated, YourVoice allows your child to record a special voice message and then email that recording to his or her grandparents.

Listen to Jake's Message To His Grandparents
(Click the back arrow on your browser to return to this article.)

This service is extremely user-friendly and could not have made it easier to complete the recording. All you need to do is call the phone number, enter the pin number provided to you, and then have your child record a special message to the grandparents. Then you have the opportunity to listen to the recorded message and to decide if you are satisfied with it or would like to record a new one. The site even offers you a few suggestions if you and your child cannot come up with something to say on your own. The message can be brief or it can be as long as a book reading.

After the message has been recorded to your satisfaction, you then enter the email or emails to which you would like it to be sent. You can even write a custom message to go in the notification email. The recipient need only to click on a link to listen to the message. They can listen to it as often as they'd like and can even download it to their own computer.

Overall, this is a very easy process for both the sender and the recipient. It is a free service, but the number to call is not toll free. We do not have to worry about long distance charges because of the type of phone service we use, but please be aware of this potential cost to you before you make the call to record your child's message.



This is one of my favorite photos of my mother with our daughter Makenzie when she was an infant . . .

I received a gift card from BSM Media as a thank you for trying out this free service.

Get Aurora Photo-Editing Software for FREE (24hrs Only)

To celebrate the launch of Aurora photo-editing software for Mac, anyone can download Aurora for both PC and Mac FREE of charge for 24 hours. Having used this software myself, I highly recommend taking advantage of this freebie. Just visit the Aurora website and click "Buy Now." Then just use Code: FREE24 at checkout. This offer is good from 9:15am EST on 6/15 to 9:15am on 6/16.

For Facebook users, Aurora is hosting the Aurora Friday Photo Editing Challenge throughout the month of July. You can learn more about the prizes and the guest judges by visiting Aurora's Facebook page.

Virtual Fireworks for 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to all my readers! I hope you have some fun plans today and the weather is cooperating where you are.

Will you be going to see a fireworks display this year or maybe putting on one of your own? Fireworks are actually illegal in my state unless you have permission to set them off. They use to hold a fireworks display on the roof of one of our local malls, but they stopped doing that 5 years ago. The only way we'll get to see fireworks is to drive into the city. I think we will wait another year for this since neither twin cares for loud noises at all.

For those of you who are celebrating Independence Day without fireworks this year, you can watch a display and set some off yourself online. As part of their Summer Fun campaign, Free Realms is offering its registered members some fun online freebies. All you need to do is visit Seaside, complete a quest, and earn Seaside stickers that you can redeem for virtual fireworks and other summer items.

Remember that this online roll-playing game is free to play. If you are registered by July 12th, 2009, you can login on that day to claim a bonus freebie . . . a set of blue and green sparklers (pictured above) to light up your virtual world at night.

There are lots of other things to look forward to this summer on Free Realms. If you are stuck inside today for one reason or another, why not go online and set off some fireworks? It's fun, free, and safe!

Earth Day '09: Green Products Round-Up

It's hard to believe that just one year ago, becoming more green seemed to be a trendy thing to do. Consumers had to turn to specialty stores to find all-natural eco-friendly products such as cleaners and organic foods. Well, this is no longer the case. In honor of Earth Day, I would like to highlight a few green products that are affordable and easy to find.

Fuji EnviroMAX Batteries are currently available nationwide in Super and Digital Alkaline varieties. You can find them at stores like Ace Hardware, Sears, Target, your local supermarket, and even online at sites such as Amazon.com . These batteries can be disposed of with your everyday trash without harming the environment. They are dubbed "eco-respectful" because everything from the manufacturing down to the packaging is done in a way that respects the earth. To learn more about this product, visit GreenFuji.com .

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Clean + Green Pet Cleaners and Odor Eliminators are all-natural products that are completely free of any harsh chemicals. You can find them at your local pet supply stores as well as purchase Clean + Green products directly from the website. They have a large selection of products that are specific to the type of pet you own and to the type of surface you are cleaning, whether it be carpet, upholstery, wood, tile, or concrete. These products are also odorless. Visit See-Yu.com to view the entire line of Clean + Green products.

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Envirosax are one of the leaders in reusable tote bags. Of course you can find reusable bags everywhere, but these are extra-roomy, attractive, and they transform into a tiny 1.5"x4" roll that can be popped into your purse, diaper bag, or glove compartment. Envirosax bags come in a whole array of different colors and prints. For example, the Graphic Series bags pictured can be purchased on Envirosax.com for $8.50 each or $37.95 for a set of five. For that price, you could keep a some for yourself and give a couple away to your friends.

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Nature's Source is an all-natural line of cleaners brought to you by SC Johnson . . . the same trusted company who has brought you brands like Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles. Currently, the Nature's Source line includes glass & surface cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and a toilet bowl cleaner. These products can be found conveniently right in the cleaning aisle wherever you normally purchase your cleaning products. Visit NaturesSourceCleaners.com to learn more.

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Belkin Conserve Energy Surge Protector eliminates the dilemma of leaving your surge protector on all the time. There are always things like an alarm clock that need to be on constantly. This surge protector allows you to turn-off all the outlets except two to help conserve energy while still being able to leave the necessities running. You can find these surge protectors at Staples, Newegg.com, Amazon.com, and other places where electronics and computers are sold. Visit Belkin.com to learn more about this product.

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Glade Fragrance Collection Soy Candles are the latest addition to the Glade line of candles. Currently there are 3 scents that are over 90% natural . . . Orange Vanilla, Earthly Awakening, and Mcintosh Apple. In addition to soy, these candles also contain palm wax. The wicks are lead-free and actually contain no metal at all. You can find these candles at Walmart and other stores where Glade products are sold. Visit FragranceCollection.com to learn more about these earth-friendly candles.

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Reynolds Wrap Recycled Aluminum Foil not only offers you 100% recycled aluminum foil, but also 100% recycled packaging. Right now you can register to receive a downloadable mail-in rebate for a free roll of Reynolds Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum. Just go to ReynoldsRecycled.com to fill out the short form. Register now to be able to download the rebate on April 22, 2009 (Earth Day). Quantities are limited.

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Green Earth by White Cloud offers toilet tissue and paper towels made from 100% recycled fiber. As a way to save on packaging, these paper products are only available in giant rolls. Green Earth products are available to be purchased in most Walmart stores. Visit MyWhiteCloud.com to learn more about this product and to find a retailer near you.

I know there are many more mainstream green products available. These are just the ones that I have crossed paths with recently. If you know of more green products, feel free to leave the name and/or link in a comment and I will be sure to check it out.