I consider it such a privilege to write the words God lays on my heart through His Word.

Of course, I want to giveaway a few copies here on this old blog so please leave a comment with your biggest financial challenge and a two winners will be drawn tomorrow (Tuesday, August 30) morning at 10am via random.org.

You can learn more about the eBook at the website, www.nomoneyclutter.com, of Facebook or follow me on Twitter with the hashtag #nomoneyclutter.

You can order the book for just $1.99 for your NOOK, Kindle or as a .pdf.

I covet your feedback {good and bad}!

and the counting of gifts continues:

~ technology that allows e publishing

~ little damage to my grandparent’s home from Hurricane Irene

~ God’s protection during travels

~ the view of the mountains on Interstate 64W- How great is our God!

~ learning to listen for that still, small voice

~ confirmation that I hear that still, small voice

~ singing worship songs in the car with my family

~ Sweet Pea’s sloppy kisses

~ the crook of my husband’s arm, where my head fits perfectly

~ a porch swing, my journal and the comfort of the Holy Spirit

What are you thankful for?

**Today is a big day in our family!  I can’t share the details here {yet} but would you lift us up in prayer today? Thanks, y’all!

I had the opportunity to submit some questions for my readers to some fashion “experts” including two teen/tween fashion sensations, Elle and Blair Fowler.

As an added bonus, the folks from Sears/Kmart are providing me with a $25 Sears gift card to help a lucky reader with the back to school shopping expenses.

To enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment with your best back to school clothes shopping tip.

For extra entries (after completing mandatory entry above):

• Leave a comment about favorite advice from the video above
• Have your child complete an entry for the in the Crush Your Style contest and leave a comment letting me know you did.

Giveaway closes September 3rd and winner will be chosen via random.org.  This giveaway is open to residents of continental US only.  I was not compensated for this giveaway.  I posted it for the benefit of my readers.

As an avid traveler and lover of amazing places and deals we can share with your our readers, we are thrilled to be working with Villa Group Resorts as we help spread the word about their gorgeous resort properties in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta and coming soon…Cancun and Loreto Mexico!

Offering families, couples and singles incredible and affordable getaway options throughout the year, this season, Villa Group has introduced ultra-inclusive vacations that include dining and beverages, a kids club, babysitting options, spa packages, golf getaways, dolphin excursions, water sports and much more!

Having stayed at Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, I immediately felt like I was being welcomed into the lap of luxury – receiving a hand massage the moment we walked into the lobby. We stayed in a two bedroom suite complete with marble floors, private bathrooms, cozy living room, dining room, massive kitchen and sweeping balcony with a wet bar…can anyone say…margaritas? While I’m culinary challenged (no need to cook since there are fabulous restaurants on the premises including the award-winning La Casona), it’s great knowing that while we’re on vacation, we can store refrigerated snacks, drinks, and breakfast items if we want to sleep in and the kids are in the mood for cereal and cartoons. And the granite countertops, state of the art appliances and sweeping views of the ocean and pool and bathrooms to die for, are not so shabby either!

As you contemplate where you’d like to go for your next vacation, the Villa Group Affiliate Travel Network, comprised of nearly two dozen dynamic parenting and lifestyle bloggers, will offer a series of helpful articles that will give you the inside track on all things Mexico. For our first post, we’re tackling important questions that most travelers ask when they travel to Mexico. Hopefully, this will help guide you as you plan your next vacation!

Q. Is it safe to drink the water in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas?

A. In Puerto Vallarta, you should be aware that incredible efforts have been made to provide safe water to residents and tourists. Over the last two decades, the Mexican government spent millions of dollars developing a safe water purification system in the area. As a result, this state of the art system has greatly reduced water-induced illnesses for travelers visiting Puerto Vallarta.

According to CaboExpo.com, for visitors to Cabo San Lucas, the resort location has never had the significant water quality problems that mainland Mexico as traditionally experienced:

“Sitting at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula, the fresh water in Los Cabos is some of the best in Baja. The local waters start thousands of feet above Los Cabos in the very tall mountains north of Cabo, drain down into local aquifers, and then are treated locally and then often treated again at the hotel or restaurant level. Tourism is just too important to let bad water become a factor.”

Q. Is it safe to travel to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta? Where are the dangerous parts of Mexico anyway?

A. According to AOL, which recently devoted extensive coverage to Mexico and issues relating to safety and even gives an overview of the places you should avoid, you’ll take comfort knowing that both Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas were ranked as being incredibly safe for travelers. As a precaution, always avoid streets that are not well lit (as you would in any country), but for the most part, your experience should be safe, relaxing and enjoyable!

Q. Are there any safety tips you can offer to a traveler who has never been to Mexico?

A. When you arrive at the airport, make sure you have made provisions for yourself and your traveling companions to take you to your accommodations. There will be many individuals offering you a ride or claiming to be your driver – while they are friendly and it is safe to ride with them, you will be better served if you book a car in advance.

If you decide to leave your resort and travel to a location in the evening, make sure when you are walking at night that you are aware of your surroundings and that you traverse well lit streets. Or, arrange for a car to pick you up after your evening is over. Better to have someone waiting for you to take you back to your hotel then go off exploring in the middle of the night!

Take precautions while swimming, snorkeling or surfing! The surf can be rough – especially in Cabo San Lucas and if you are not a strong swimmer, you may want to take precautions. Or, book an excursion that will take you on a guided water tour with experienced lifeguards on board.

Q. What about taking a road trip – is it better to book a tour or can I go on my own and explore?

A. While you can certainly rent a vehicle and explore Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas on your own, your experienced will definitely be enhanced if you register for a tour that is led by someone who truly knows the lay of the land and the water! While it’s always nice to discover new things, you can accomplish that by being a part of a guided tour and traveling with a group of vacationers like you. Of course, if you’ve been to either resort town many times, then you may feel more comfortable venturing out and returning to a favorite destination – suddenly you’ll be the expert offering tips to new travelers. But if it’s your first time, we suggest consulting with your hotel concierge who can offer some great tour options for you and your family.

Q. Are there parts of Mexico we should avoid due to the BP Oil Spill?

A. Here’s a quick geography lesson: The BP oil spill is nowhere near Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. While the spill has contaminated many US cities located near the Gulf of Mexico, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta are located on the west coast surrounding the Sea of Cortez. While travelers may believe that Mexico might have been affected by the recent environmental disaster, the hardest hit regions have been in the United States.

If you’re interested in finding out how you can book an unforgettable vacation in Mexico, visit Villa Group Resorts and check out their hot deals page – where they’ve got some incredible vacation options this summer – plus the offers run through December 2010 so you can book now and still save on your vacation!

And, there’s still time to enter the She Knows ultra inclusive trip giveaway to Puerto Vallarta. Enter today and you and a guest could win an all expenses paid vacation at Villa La Estancia…Arriba!!!

By Beth Feldman, Founder of Role Mommy

This post was sponsored by Role Mommy Writers Network

The title of this post is not a joke!  I am so excited to join Global Influence in announcing that today is National Napping Day.

As someone living with invisible illness, napping is an essential part of most every day for me.  I usually take a nap before the kids get home from school so I can give them the best of me.  Fatigue is one of the most prevalent symptoms of MS (and lupus) that I display on most days.

The really cool thing about National Napping Day is that it is for everyone.  So, all you tired mama’s have permission to take a break today (and a nap!)

One company is acknowledging this special day with a giveaway!  Protect-A-Bed has decided to make National Napping Day even sweeter with a giveaway of their mattress pad.  Below are some details about Protect-A-Bed and their products.

Napping Day is the first Monday after daylight saving time begins. It’s the day when the majority of us, a bit weary from losing an hour of sleep, desperately long for a short siesta. And, those of us at Protect-A-Bed believe you should cave to that longing.

Studies abound tout the benefits of napping, from enhancing memory and learning, to improving work performance, and increasing mental acuity and overall health. That’s why on the first Monday after daylight saving time begins, it’s fitting to celebrate the benefits of the nap and those who take them.

However, those who nap the best understand a sleeping place needs protection from allergens and dust mites. After all, waking from a nap with the sniffles is no way to wake up at all.

Research shows 10 percent of the general public and as many as 90 percent of people with allergic asthma (depending on the study you read) have an allergy to dust mites. And, dust mites love spoiling our napping refuge, taking up residence in mattresses and pillows. In fact, as many as two million dust mites can thrive in an unprotected mattress.

Besides dust mites, it’s not unusual for other allergy triggers like pollen and pet dander to become trapped within mattresses. By using a mattress protector, allergy sufferers can create an impermeable barrier between themselves and the allergens within their bed. By coupling mattress protection with pillow protectors that seal allergens within pillows, people can create a virtually allergy-free nap space.

So today, harness the creative power that comes from napping, and embrace your inner Da Vinci. And remember, the art of napping needs a canvas, and that canvas comes from Protect-A-Bed.

About Protect-A-Bed®

Protect-A-Bed offers consumers a complete line of protective bedding products to create a Healthy Sleep Zone. The unique technology featured in Protect-A-Bed’s mattress and pillow protectors was developed in South Africa in 1980 before the company was officially established in the United States in 2000. Now selling in 27 countries, Protect-A-Bed is a worldwide leader in mattress protection innovation. The company developed the proprietary Miracle Membrane® and patented Bug Lock® and Secure Seal®, which help create a dry, bed bug free, anti-allergy sleep zone for people of all ages. Protect-A-Bed products are listed as a Class 1 Medical Device with the Food and Drug Administration and have received the Good Housekeeping Seal. For more information, visit www.protectabed.com.

Pretty cool, huh?  Protect-A-Bed is offering two contests today.

1.  Follow protect_a_bed on Twitter and use the hashtag #nappingday anytime today (Monday, March 15) and share the funniest place you have ever taken a nap.  Tweeting this will give you the chance to win a set of Premium Pillowcase Protectors for Protect-A-Bed.

2.  Leave a comment on this post telling me why you need a nap between today March 15, 2010 and Friday March 19, 2010 for a chance to win Queen Size Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Cover (a $79.99 value).  This giveaway is open to US residents only and winner will be chosen via random.org on Saturday March 20. 

Thanks to Protect-A-Bed for this awesome giveaway opportunity!  I am off for —you guessed it—a nice, long nap =)

**I partnered with Global Influence for this campaign and received a Protect-A-Bed mattress protector for review and one to giveaway to a reader.  All opinions expressed are mine and are not influenced by receiving the product.**

Gail Klanchesser with comment number 18 has won the $25 American Express gift card.  Please contact me at melissa at organizedlifebydesign dot com with your mailing address to redeem your prize within 48 hours.  Congratulations!

Thanks to all who entered!

One site that has helped ease the tension this season is Hellmann’s Real Holiday Helpings.  Sponsored by Hellmann’s (obviously) this site has recipes (from Bobby Flay, no less), coupons, a game (that my youngest has been playing with me) and a chance to win free groceries for a year!

I have been navigating the site for the last couple of days and find it easy to use, full of useful information and best of all, it’s free!  I even became a fan of their facebook page because there are special giveaways and prizes for their fans.

Head over to the site today to get great recipes, enter to win the grocery giveaway and even watch videos of Bobby Flay!

In addition, I have a $25 American Express gift card to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is visit the Hellmann’s site and tell me what recipe sounds good to you!  That’s all (I detest giveaways that are difficult to enter) you have to do!

If you desire additional entries (who couldn’t use $25 this time of year?) you can do the following things after you have made your qualifying entry as listed above:

• tweet about this giveaway (and leave a comment that you did so)
• become a fan of the Hellmann’s FB page (and leave a comment that you did so)
• leave a comment telling me what you would use the extra $25 for

Good luck!

The winner will be chosen via random.org on December 12th.  **This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada only**

Full disclosure: I participated in this review sponsored by Mom Select and Hellmann’s.  I was given a $25 gift card for my participation as well as a gift card for my readers.  The opinions expressed are solely mine.

I love a good read! Therefore, I am always thrilled to get the opportunity to review books (fiction, non-fiction, anything and I will read it). The premise of Girls In Trucks intrigued me- a southern girl, raised in an old debutante tradition, bucks tradition at every turn.

This book follows Sarah Walters from an eighth grade girl to a thirty five year old woman, figuring out along the way how much her heritage and where she comes from really has to do with the woman she turns out to be.

There were parts that read a little slow for my taste but on the whole, my interest was captivated from beginning to end. The characters, no matter how minor they may seem, turn out to play an important role in Sarah’s life. From bullies to boyfriends, as a reader we get an inside glimpse of the thought process behind the decisions Sarah makes- sometimes you want to yell at her, sometimes you want to cry with her, sometimes you can just plain relate to her. At one point in the book she says

“Being unfaithful to yourself is not as hard as you’d think”

and that statement resonated deeply within me. As young women I would venture to guess many of us learned that lesson the hard way.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a well written novel, that makes you think about who you are and where you have come from- those experiences that shape the person you become.

About the author:

Katie Crouch was raised in Charleson, South Carolina, where she attended Cotillion training but was never a debutante. She studied writing at Brown and Columbia universities and now lives in San Francisco. To find out more about Katie, visit her website.

—————->and the best news about this book? I am giving 5 (count them, five) copies to five lucky readers.

How to enter:

Main entry- leave a comment sharing something about yourself, a defining moment you had between eighth grade and your thirtie’s (I haven’t made it to 35 quite yet

Extra entries: (leave a separate comment for each)
~become a follower or subscribe to this blog
~tweet about this giveaway (include @multitaskingme in the tweet so I am sure to see it)
~subscribe to my new newsletter here

This contest is open to those living in the US and Canada only. Winner(s) will be chosen via random.org on May 2, 2009.

and comment #2 He And Me + 3 said…
I am a follower.

Congrats ladies- I will be emailing you to get your snail mail addresses!

Thanks to all for participating!

This won’t be a difficult giveaway- the first twenty people to comment and leave me their contact info. will get a coupon. I will email you to get your snail mail address.

This coupon giveaway will end when I reach 20 qualifying comments.

Good luck