Giveaways - The Better Mom

Life in Bali and eBook Giveaway!

May 18, 2013 By Christy

“Selamat pagi!” the shopkeeper calls out his goodmornings as I run by.

Two dogs tear out of their family compound toward me, barking violently. I stoop mid-stride and reach my hand toward the ground. As I turn and pull my arm back to throw the dogs back off, cowed by the pretend rocks in my hand.

My nose fills with the smoky smells of incense and early morning cook fires. I pass several women laying the first offerings on the ground at their doorways.

The uniformed school children gawk at me, whispering “Bule, bule.” White lady, they say. Foreign lady running. {boo-lay}

My favorite jog takes me to the beach where I run along the cobblestoned path. I pass shops and restaurants and hotels where sleepy workers are raking the sand, travelers are just rambling into the restaurants for breakfast, and dogs still rummage through waste bins for last night’s leftovers.

Many of my mornings in Bali started this way. When I got back my husband would leave for work and my day with two young boys would begin.

While we lived in Bali I was able to write a story about those two young boys. An adventure that played itself out in all the places we had been. The story took me to my husband’s favorite surfing beach, the volcano we had traveled to, the monkey forest where the monkeys tried to take our backpacks and cameras, even the beach where we lived.

I wrote that story almost seven years ago. I never dreamed at that time that we would have ebooks and Kindles and I didn’t even know what a .pdf file was. But here we are and I am so very thrilled to be able to introduce you to The Island Brothers!

My vision for this book is to help children develop a world view that’s wider than the daily world they experience.

We loved living in another country and through the book and the companion website children will see the things we experienced.

This month my children’s story has released as an ebook and I am happy to share it with you.

Tiger Hunt!

Join the adventure as two brothers befriend the last tiger on Bali.

illustrated with a unique blend of colorful sketches and photos from our stay in Bali.
a great read aloud for all ages
encourage children to read
open children’s eyes to another culture
15 page children’s ebook for download
ebook internally linked with Wikipedia for more information on unfamiliar terms
comprehension and vocabulary printables available
see our personal videos, pictures, and explanations of Bali on the website, too.

One great thing about this book is the website I’ve been building as a companion, The Island Brothers. I’ve added first-hand information about Bali so that your children can not only read a great story, but also learn about the island.

We also have printables so you can use this book to complement homeschool cultural studies and discuss lessons taught.

I’d love to give three copies away to readers of The Better Mom.

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38 Comments | Filed Under: Giveaways, Homeschooling, Parenting

Jewelry that tells a story. {Origami Owl Giveaway}

May 16, 2013 By Ruth Schwenk

I know that you will love the giveaway we have today! Origami Owl necklaces are unique and versatile. After going through the steps listed below and carefully crafting my very own unique piece, I received my locket in the mail a few weeks ago from Amber. Although I liked the way it looked online, I have to say I loved the way it looked in person. I also love how you can change out your charms and dangles to go with whatever you are wearing or how you are feeling.

“Origami Owl Living Lockets are an extension of you. Each locket is custom designed with charms that tell the story of your life and represent the things you love. We believe there’s something truly special about a treasured piece of jewelry that tells your story in a way that only you can!”

Here is a peek at my locket . I have a dangle that I am waiting on as well.

If you are interested in staying updated on Origami Owl news and special discounts and giveaways Amber will be doing, be sure to follow Amber’s Facebook Page.

Amber is offering a great giveaway for the readers of The Better Mom!! Would you like to win a $50 store credit for Origami Owl?? You can enter to win below!
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I received compensation and this product to review. All opinions are my own. For full disclosure click here.

106 Comments | Filed Under: Fashion, Fitness and Health, Giveaways

Important: Last Day and Final Chance for the Homemaking eBook Bundle

May 4, 2013 By Ruth Schwenk

Thank you so much for joining me this week as I gave you sneak peeks of {and rambled on about} our homemaking bundle! :) I am genuinely thrilled with the incredible resources in this bundle. Like I said yesterday we have so much to learn!

Today is the final day to get your bundle and then it will be gone! If you haven’t picked up yours yet, you can see all of the details below.

For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!

More than anything, our goal for this sale was for it to be, well… ultimate! We firmly believe that you will not find a more comprehensive collection of homemaking resources anywhere on the web, and particularly not in this price range. For this low price, you gain access to every single one of these resources, so that you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

To sweeten the pot, we’ve also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to any of the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below.

PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

Each The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection comes with more than $140 of FREE Bonuses from 10 companies that we know you’ll love. More on these bonuses below.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off Union28′s original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)
Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!

I am so excited about this special homemaking bundle that I would LOVE for you to share the news with your friends! To celebrate this amazing library of books, we are giving away a Kindle Fire HD!!! Wooohoooo!!! You can enter the giveaway below!

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6 Comments | Filed Under: Discipling Children, Fashion, Fitness and Health, Following God, Food, Fun For Kids, Giveaways, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Hope, Marriage/Relationships, Parenting, Prayer

Essential Oils…do they really work? {and a giveaway}

May 2, 2013 By Ruth Schwenk

I met Mary from The Encouraging Home last fall at a blogging conference. I knew her as a part of the community here at The Better Mom and recognized her name right away! It was so fun to capture a picture in real life!

Recently Mary emailed me and asked if I had ever tried essential oils. I actually have wanted to try essential oils for a long time, and had even purchased some, but I wasn’t confident in using them.

Mary sent me a few essential oils to try with her FREE handy dandy guide on how to use Essential Oils! (that was key for me right there…just tell me what to do! ) With Mary’s free guide on oils, I started using them right away. My favorite thus far is the Lemon Oil. My whole family now puts a few drops in every glass of water we drink!

Here is a little bit about the Lemon oil: Using this oil daily may help boost the immune system, bring the body into an alkaline state, and detox your body. Add a couple of drops in a glass jar with water to enjoy a refreshing, beneficial drink. Excellent for cleaning also.

I asked Mary to share her story with you today:

I started using essential oils in July 2011. Our health has greatly improved in so many ways. It is amazing to know that the life blood of the plants that God created is used to heal. Oils are referred to many, many times in the Bible. Frankincense was brought to Jesus and was more valuable than gold in ancient times. It is still considered to be one of the most valuable essential oils.

We have seen a big change in our health. We use the oils daily to boost our immune system, help with colds and flu, fight infection, toothaches, headaches, bug bites, scrapes, cravings, cooking and cleaning. They are our new air fresheners and my perfume.

Another way the oils have blessed our lives is financially. It has provided me additional income through my blog to be able to pay for the oils we use for our family and pay off debt, while helping others improve their health and income. I love to share about the ways the oils have helped us. I also have lots of fun with my customers! We have an Oil of the Month Group, where we focus on one oil each month.

I have a Free Guide on my blog to help educate about the oils, why I chose the high quality brand I did, and how to use 9 of the most popular oils, including the ones in the giveaway. I would love for you to join me there!

Blessings, Mary

I am excited to be giving away 3 essential oils today! Read about the oils we are giving away and enter to win below!!

A 5 ml Thieves, Purification, Lemon and Primary Usage Guide/Pocket Reference Guide. Below is a little information about the oils we are giving away:

Thieves: Centuries old recipe and blend of oils that may boost the immune system, fight infection, colds, flu toothaches.. Rubbing on the feet daily or diffusing may help boost the immune system.

Purification: Blend of oils to dispel odors, keep the bugs away, may help with coughs. Rub on feet during the summer may help diminish bug bites, rubbing on chest may help with coughs and adding to a spray bottle will dispel odors and refresh furniture and carpets.

Lemon: Using this oil daily may help boost the immune system, bring the body into an alkaline state, detox your body and assist in weight loss. Add a couple of drops in a glass jar with water to enjoy a refreshing, beneficial drink. Excellent for cleaning also.

ENTER TO WIN BELOW!
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I am so thrilled to bring this special deal to our community here at The Better Mom! For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere have joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!