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Giveaway Tips

September 2, 2012 By Donna Leave a Comment

I love entering giveaways almost as much as I love hosting them!!

A lot of you have asked me questions here, through email and through my fan page. I decided I should write some tips to answer the most common questions.

1. You can’t win if you do not enter. Seems basic enough, but it’s so true. I have won some pretty cool things, but I enter giveaways daily. Odds are the more that you enter, the more you will win.

2. All winners are chosen randomly. I do not “pick” my winners. I use a random generator. If you want to read about them you check that out HERE

3. Read disclosures. These can be found at the bottom of the giveaway and/or the rafflecopter. They tell you who the contest is open to, if there are any restrictions, and how long you have to respond if you win.

4. Check your spam folder! I can not emphasize this enough! If the word Giveaway, Contest, or Winner is in the subject, it is often placed into the spam folder.

5. Use of personal info (email, phone #) – I highly suggest getting a separate email for entering giveaways. This does NOT mean using two emails to get double the offers. That is cheating. I mean using a separate email just for the giveaways and keeping your personal email separate. I also use a special phone number for giveaways and freebies. You can get a free number from Google Voice HERE. Even if they leave a voicemail it will send that to your email. If you have a smart phone you can download the app for it and receive and make calls from your google voice number.

6. Do NOT cheat!! I think it’s ridiculous I even have to talk about it, but it happens all the time. We check and verify all the entries. If you did not do something, do not say you did. It’s that simple.

7. Have fun!!

To find all my current giveaways, head HERE

For a list of current winners, head HERE

Good luck!!

Filed Under: Giveaways, Personal Tagged With: Give Away, giveaway, tips

Knock SMA out of the Park!

July 22, 2012 By Donna 3 Comments

Meet one of the cutest girls, Brooklynn, and her parents. I used to work with her Mom when I was in college. Brooklynn was born with SMA. I have to be honest, before she was born, I had no idea what it was.

So here is a quick lesson (thanks to FSMA):

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease. The motor neurons affect the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, and swallowing. It is a relatively common “rare disorder” : approximately 1 in 6000 babies born are affected, and about 1 in 40 people are genetic carriers.

SMA affects muscles throughout the body, although the proximal muscles (those closest to the trunk of one’s body – i.e. shoulders, hips, and back) are often most severely affected. Weakness in the legs is generally greater than in the arms. Sometimes feeding and swallowing can be affected. Involvement of respiratory muscles (muscles involved in breathing and coughing) can lead to an increased tendency for pneumonia and other lung problems. Sensation and the ability to feel are not affected. Intellectual activity is normal and it is often observed that patients with SMA are unusually bright and sociable. Patients are generally grouped into on of four categories, based on certain key motor function milestones.

The Greater Florida Chapter of Families of SMA is proud and honored to announce their Second Annual “SMA Day with the Rays” Fundraiser & Awareness Event.

Join us as the Tampa Bay Rays take on their AL rivals, the Texas Rangers! The event is Sunday, September 9, 2012, at 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL.

$12 per ticket (plus online convenience fee) Buy your ticket now at www.raysbaseball.com/FSMA.
Please be sure to follow all directions on the website when booking your tickets for our tbt*/party deck section at Tropicana Field.
*You will need to put in the password FSMA for us to get our portion of the proceeds, so please don’t forget!
Also, the first 10,000 kids 14 and under receive an Evan Longoria Mini Drum Set! See you at Tropicana Field!
Questions? Please contact Katie Kerns, President,
FSMA Greater Florida at 727-388-1888.

*Proceeds from each ticket sale will be donated to Families of SMA to help find a cure. We would love to see everyone attend this event and show your support for Brooklynn and all her other SMA friends. If you need wheelchair spaces to call Chad direct on 727-825-3393.

You can “visit” Brooklyn on her blog HERE

Filed Under: Personal Tagged With: brooklynn, rays, sma

I Lost 20 Pounds!

July 20, 2012 By Donna Leave a Comment

I have been doing a “Happy Dance” all morning! My goal has been to lose 60 lbs and I’m a third of the way there! That’s right! I stepped on the scale and I’ve lost 20 pounds!!

I am so excited and I can see the difference in my face when I look in the mirror, not to mention that I’m fitting into my clothes better!!

How have I been losing all this weight? With my Miracle Skinny Drops!

Okay, that’s it, I just wanted to share! Back to dancing!!

Created by MyFitnessPal – Free Weight Loss Tools

Filed Under: Personal Tagged With: hcg, miracle skinny drops, weight loss

The Importance of Home Cooked Meals

July 6, 2012 By Donna 1 Comment

Let’s face it, the majority of us are short on time. There are days when I’ve worked all day, cleaned, played with the munchkins, etc that the last thing I want to do is cook. It’s so much easier to go somewhere, order in, or pop it in the microwave. The problem is that I’m trading convenience for bad health habits. Being on my diet has reminded me of the importance of home cooked meals. Not only do they taste better but they are so much better for you! Cooking meals is also great if you have food allergies (like we do here) because you can control what goes into the food. Have you ever really read the back of a microwaveable meal? Or thought about what was in fast food? Food processing is any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it’s available for us to eat. It can be as simple as freezing or drying food to preserve nutrients and freshness, or as complex as formulating a frozen meal with the right balance of nutrients and ingredients. I have come to really appreciate farmers markets and butchers. I love knowing what I am putting into my food. I think that the fresh veggies taste better too! I don’t know about you, but I’m returning my “convenience” and taking back my health!